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Photographic

Sciences
Corporation

^<b

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PROPOSED

DOJVIINIOJN JVIZSSEJ^QEJ^ flQZOfi

ASSOCIATION.

T^e CoiTinqaridarir of tl^e Royal Military College, Kirigstori,
will be glad to hiear fronq any geritlen|er| irirerested iq iriitiatirig
arid esrablish|iqg ar\ organized systeiri of niesseriger pigeon,
stations ttiroUgh|our Canada. Officers of tl^e Canadian forces
at any of t^e Underrqentioned towns are especially appealed to
for co-operation ;— Windsor, London, Goderichi, St. Catl^arines,
Toronto, Peterboro', Ottawa, Montreal, Sl^erbrooK, Quebec,
KanqourasKa, RinqousKi, ColebrooK, Fredericton, St. Jolin,
ChiattiaiTi. St. Rr\r\es, Gaspe, Pictou, Halifax.

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CANADA

PUBLIC ARCHIVES
ARCHIVES PUBLIQUES

dJli/f/

Proposed Dominion Mcsscngfr Pigeon Association.

lrvterestir\g Facts abovit |»/|esser\ger or |^omil^g Pigeons.

The systematic employment of pigeons as messengers commenced
with the current century. They were then employed by sporting and
other newspapers, and by the London Stock Exchange.

When, during the Franco-German War (1870-71), Paris was be-
sieged—communication with the outside world was effected by means of
balloons and pigeons. 51 balloons were employed for letter service, and
G for telegraph service. These carried aeronauts, passengers and pigeons
out of Paris ; pigeons carried despatches into Paris.

Of 64 balloon ascents 57 succeeded ; 5 balloons were captured and 2
were lost at sea.

The balloons carried 8J tons including more than 3,000,000 letters
besides aeronauts and gt passengers.

3G3 postal pigeons were employed ; 57 of these carried return mails

into Paris.

In England, open letters not referring to war matters and limited to
20 words— were received for despatch via Tours into Paris. A charge
of :oc. per word and 12^ per message to cover postage was made.

Each bird carried messages for the despatch of which about ^56,000
were paid as postage.

The despatches were repeated— occasionally 20 times, and even 30
times — until receipt was acknowledged by balloon post.

At the despatching stations the manuscript messages for Paris were
set in ordinary type, and printed on sheets large enough to contain 200
of them.

By micro-photography the printed matter of 16 sheets was trans-
ferred to a film or pellicle of collodion— measuring two inches by one

inch.

18 pellicles— packed by tight rolling and inserting them in a small
quill— weighed about 15^ grains. This was considered a load for a single
pigeon, but contained 50,000 despatches !

On receipt in Paris the collodion films were flattened out ; and, by
means of an electric lantern, the messages on them were at once printed
on sensitive paper,— enlarged to readable size.

A few statistics will demonstrate the rapid development of the use
of pigeon messengers.

4 Proposed Dominion Messenger Pifcon Association.

Since the Franco-German War (1870-71), every important fortress
on the continent of Europe has been provided with a pigeon loft. In
addition, in both France and Germany, numerons lofts have been estab-
lished at other places than fortresses- and the governments encourage
by prizes and special legislation, the maintenance of messenger pigeon-
lofts by private individuals.

In France all messenger pigeons are registered by government
agents ; and the flying of German pigeons from French soil is strictly
prohibited.

Scouts— on the Continent of Europe— are now accustomed to carry

messenger pigeons.

Belgium at one time took the lead in the rearing and training of

messenger pigeons.

On the 16th May, 1874, 30,000 pigeons passed through Brussels on
their way to training stages.

On the 24th of the same month 30,000 were sent out ; and on the
31st of the month 40,000.

On the 23rd May, 1875, the Province of Liege sent 46,000 pigeons
out for training in two special trains each of 23 cars.

In France and Belgium the statistics of pigeon races for 1873 and

1874 are as follows :

Races. Pigeons flown. Value of Prices.

1873 1,140 ..'. . 197,000 $115,068.16

1874 1,340 244,160 ^142.394.11

At Chatellerault, on the 26th June, 1875 -there arrived 2,000— from
8 towns, to be liberated the next morning.

On the nth July, 1875, 2,005 birds were started from Blois to fly to
Charleroi a distance of 234 miles.

On the 25th June, 1874, 587 birds were thrown to fly from Morceux
to Ghent a distance of 545 miles.

A bird has covered a distance of 1,500 miles in three days— flying
only during daylight.

1,445 birds were thrown at Orleans to fly to St. Nicholas— a distance
of 243 miles. All completed the journey in times not differing more than
23 minutes. The swiftest occupied 4 hours and 51 minutes ; the slowest
5 hours and 14 minutes.

On the 3rd June, i860, a bird passed over the distance between
Blois and Dison at the average rate of 1,772 yards a minute.

Proposed Dominion Messenfrer Pifteon Association.

PROPOSED

DOMINIOI^ I^ESSENQEp PIQEON /\SS0GIA710N.

Its Object.

The practical object in view is to supplement the facilities for the
rapid transmission of messages, afforded by telegraph lines: --in peace
time to act as feeders to those lines ; in war time to act as feeders or as
substitutes.

In war time the occasions are innumerable when serious derange-
ment of plans, loss and discomfiture may be involved by the absence^ of
previously organized provision for the rapid transmission of news. The
advantage in favor of the -' le possessing such facilities over an opponent
without them is enormous.

To disarrange an enemy's means of communicating orders and of
transmitting and receiving information is a most certain method to cause
him delays, and it may be confusion.

That the destruction of an opponent's telegraph lines should be a
first object in— if not a preliminary to attack— and the destruction of
ones own lines a preliminary to retreat before the enemy— needs no
elucidation. But the lines having been destroyed, a substitute not con-
trollable by the enemy is necessary.

War vessels defending a coast are frequently without the means to
transmit vital intelligence to the mainland.

In peace— at places remote from telegraph stations— election re-
turns, -the wants of explorers and of sporting parties— light houses-
vessels leaving the coast— camps and military manosuvres— domestic
needs— interrupted electric communication— pigeon flying matches— and
numerous other circumstances afford countless useful and amusing occa-
sions for employing messenger pigeons either as feeders to telegraph lines,
or as substitutes for these.

That messenger pigeons can easily fly 400 miles a day,— that single
birds have frequently been entrusted with the carriage of 50,000 des-
patches at a time,— and that the birds are themselves easily portable to
any place where their services are needed— should suffice to secure very
general support for a Dominion Messenger Pigeon Association.

6 Proposed Dominion Messenger Pigeon Association.

Initiation <>f OrKaiilzatlon.

Tho self evident method to hv. follov,ed in developing the use of
messenj^'er pigeons throngliout Canada— is to encourage the establishment
of lofts in places alouf,' ihv. railway lines. Such places afford special
facilities for training,' birds, and for the transmission of messages brought
in by the pigeons from points off the lines.

Training HlrdH.

A strong natural disinclination to remain ' way from its loft, and a
marked facility in finding its way homewards- are the characteristics of
of the messenger pigeon which make it a useful carrier.

A French bird captured at the siege of Paris was sent, as an
interesting prisoner of war, by the Germans, to Berlin. The bird mana-
ged to get free after a lapse of four years. It flew back to its loft in Paris.

Training pigeons amounts to nothing more than exercising them in
satisfying their desire to return to their lofts. By exercise, the desire and
the power to satisfy it are together developed.

When there are lines of railway connecting loft stations— training
birds is capable of great simplicity, provided the owners of the lofts
agree to assist one another.

The owner of one loft sends a number of his birds by rail to the
owner of another loft at a distance. On receipt of the birds at the dis-
tant stations they are kept and cared for until the time appointed for
their despatch homewards, when they are thrown for their training flight.

Advantages of Orij^anlzed Association.

If the owners of the various lofts are banded together with common
interests as fellow members of an Association, there result important
mutual advantages. Co-operation largely reduces expense— and increases
efficiency.

A stock of the best birds can be obtained from which member's lofts
can be supplied at a cost little in excess of the expense of breeding.

Were each loft owner to obtain for himself pure stock— the expense
would be very much heavier.

By co-operation it may be expected that railway facilities can be
secured which would otherwise be unattainable:- similarly with regard
to telegraph facilities. The cases and hampers for the conveyance of
pigeons might generally be the property of the Association— and used
in common by its members, with economy to individuals and convenience
to all.

B ^4'i I

Prupuiiil Duiiiiition Mcs^cngcy I'igcuii Assuciittion. f

Assume a chain of 2G stations indicated by the letters of the alphabet
from Windsor to Halifax : — further assume that each owner of a loft has
two of his birds at the station next eastward and two at the station next
westward from his own. If it be now desired to send four messages
simultaneously

One from A to Z

One from Z to A
One from M to A
One from M to Z

The owner of A loft releases one of B's birds who releases one of C's, and
so on until Y's owner despatches Z s bird to him with the message from A.

The owner of Z loft originates the despatch of the message to travel
in the reverse order to A. At the same time M may be able to take ad-
vantage of the messages moving eastward and westward from A to Z to
send the despatches he has for Z and A.

To locate the birds in preparation for the above transmission of
messages — the movement of one hamper eastward and of one westward,
that is the movement of two hampers in all, would suffice.

On the other hand if the loft owners are not members of an associa-
tion having common interests —each of them would have had to employ

two hampers, and to have had two others in reserve. That is unassocia-

ted the loft owners would require about 104 hampers amongst them to
effect the same transmission of messages as two might accomplish and 26
certainly would sufiice for, provided the hampers were common (property.
The case is one of comparison of extremes, but it answers for the pur-
pose of illustration of economy in organized co-operation.

Associated loft owners would probably find the interest of brother
members in caring for the birds sent to these, one of the greatest con-
veniences resulting from association. Being a meml)er would in effect
provide a trustworthy and experienced agent at all important points.
VVithou4 association it would be impossible for individual loft owners to
effect connection with distant points. It needs only an association rule
that two or more birds are to be kept by eaoh loft owner at the stations
eastward and westward from him, to ensure at all times the working of
the system. But amongst unassociated loft owners no such rule could
obtain — and their usefulness would be simply of a local character, and
scarcely capable of development.