carrier pigeons.
Methods of Breeding and Train
ing Aerial Messengers.
The Best American Record for
Long-Distance Flying.
Twenty years ago the breeding and
training of “homing” pigeons was ex
tensively indulged in in the west, but
gate years their care has been ne
lected, and it was a matter of surprise,
% St. Louis Star-Sayings reporter
when a that
investigated the subject, to learn
wh ile there are plenty of the carrier
bree d to be found in the city, none of
them have been trained to either dis
tance or speed. A gentleman at Crys
tel City, 31 o., has a fine lot which ha3
shown a speed of fifty-five miles an
hour between St. Louis and that point.
The best American record for long
distance flying i 3 that of 502 miles in
fourteen hour3, the distance between
Springfield, 0., and Kcyport, N. J.,
j accomplished by George Waitt’s pair of
birds on June 2(5, 18S6.
It is surprising that more attention is
not paid to the cultivation of carriers,
for sport, if nothing else. It requires
I mU c'n time and patience to train them.
As soon as the young (a cock and hen
are preferred) are fledged, they are
made as tame as possible and accus
tomed to each other’s society. They
are then sent in an uncovered cage to
t he place whither they are usually to
carry messages. If one of them is car
ried away after being well located for a
while, it will certainly return to its
mate.
A small letter i3 written on the finest
silk paper. This is placed lengthwise
under one wing and fastened with a p n
(the point being turned from the body)
to a feather. Care must be taken that
no part of the letter must hang loose,
lest the wind should be collected in it,
the wing become tired and the pigeon
be compelled to alight. A pigeon of
this kind can go, according to a recent
authority in the American Encyclopaedia,
| 2700 English miles in a day.
Tne carrier pigeon is a bird larger
[ than the common pigeon, measures
about fifteen inches in length and
weighs about one and a quarter pounds.
The neck is long and the pectoral
muscles are very large, indicating a
| power of vigorous and long continued
I flight.
An appendage of naked skin hangs
across its bill and continues down on
[cither ride of the lower mandible. Ac
cording to its size and shape the fanci
lers of carrier pigeons estimate the value
of the bird.
They consider those pigeons the best
that have tho appendage rising high on
the head,and that are also distinguished
from the others by a broad circle of
naked white shown round the eyes,
acd by their dark blue or blackish
color.
The ordinary rate of a carrier pigeon
is not generally held to exceed thirty
miles an hour, although instances of
double that velocity are common, and
of triple is not altogeth
er rare •
^ ucb bas been written 0 carrier
,
P’gepns in old ages. In one of his odes
Anacreon ____
has immortalized the carrier
“ the bear cr of epistles.
Taurasthenes sent to his expectant
father, who resided in Algeria, the
g00d tidin g s of his success in the Olym
pian games on the very day of his vic
tory.
T liny speaks of the communication
e Pt up between Histius and Docimus
B ™ lus a ‘ the siege
of 3Iodcna. “What
ai ed Antony the trench and the watch
of the besie what
stretched gers; availed the net3
across the river, while the
lessen gcr was cleaving tho air?
The crusaders employed them, and
! J°iuvi;i e records
cm «ide an instance during tho
of St. Louis.
sso sings of one that was attacked
J "'con and defended by Godfrey,
,i blrd / 1 / >tS important dispatches in
3 possession.
T[ C b ‘ l ‘neso have
cultivated them
“ one knows when.
brill Hogarth’s print, showing a pigeon
giug th news of the felon’s death
at Tyburn, wiil ho
Carrier recalled,
B e ueral pigeons were, before tho
use 0 f the telegraph, frequently
used in n<3iug
rrivn word of tho result of
incident w T
^ raC °*' A pr ° tty
GoV’int. P°P uUr P la y “Kerry
, Uccs Pigeons tho
of nniB news from , as bearers
tl 16 race course,
The y were Ion used
g in the Orient,
SCHLEY COUNTY NEWS.
and an actual P 03t B y s tem main
tained , . was
by the Sultan Noureddin
Mahmoud, who died in 1174. Thi 3
flying post was continued until 1258
when it fell into the hands of Mongols,
and was destroyed.
A Joke Made Ilis Future.
“I will tell you how a youth fell into
a soft snap and finally got to the head
a big concern. It wa3 all the result
of a joke and happened in this way:
Myself and a friend were standing on
Washington street one day when vre
were accosted by a boy of about four
teen, who said he had just come from
the country and was looking for work.
I asked him what he could do, and ho
replied that he wa3 willing to do any
thing for an honest dollar. I thought
over every one of my acquaintances in
business, but was in doubt, feeling that
none of them needed a boy. Finally I
told the young man that I couldn’t
think of any one to recommend him to.
My companion, who was a wag of the
first water, here put in his oar and said:
“ ‘Send him to He is going to
discharge his boy and I guess he’ll hire
yon. Keep a stiff upper lip; tell him
you won’t take no for an answer; that
yon must have work and are willing to
work hard. He’ll try to put you off,
but don’t let him. If necessary, tell
him I said he wanted a boy.’
‘ 'My friend gave the boy his name
and the lad departed. When ho was
gone my friend informed me that he
felt sorry for deceiving him, as he was
a bright and honest appearing young
fellow. I gave the matter little atten
tion, save to reprimand my waggish
friend.
“About ten years afterward my friend
was sitting in the waiting room at Park
er’s, when a young gentleman ap
proached him and said:
“ ‘I believe your name is--!’
it > That’s my name,’ said my friend;
‘but you’ve the advantage of me; I
don’t know yours.’
“Do you remember telling a boy once
about somebody who wanted help? You
were with another gentleman in front of
– store on Washington street.”
“ ‘I believe I do, said my friend,
after some hesitation. *1 wa9 speaking
about it the other day. I lied to you,
sir, I know, and have felt pretty sore
for it since.’
“ ‘Oh, no; you didn’t lie,’ said the
young man. ‘That is to say, Mr. -,
did want to hire a boy. He hired me,
and I am now his manager. Here is
my card. 1 shall be happy if I can re
pay you.’
4 * My friend showed me the card a few
days later. The firm whose name
is on it is doing a business of several
hundred thousand dollars a year in this
city .”—Boston Globe.
To Prevent Mosquito Bites.
Boil a quart of tar until it becomes
quite thin, remove the clothing, and be
fore the tar becomes perfectly cool, with
a broad, flat brush, apply a smooth coat
ing to the entire surface of the body and
limbs. While the tar remains soft the
insects may become entangled in its
treacherous folds, thus becoming per
fectly harmless; but it will soon form a
hard, smooth coating over the entire
body, entirely impervious to their bites.
Should it crack at the knee or elbow
joints, it is only necessary to retouch
tho fractured spots. Tho whole coat
should be renewed every four weeks.
Two Degrees of Cleanliness.
An Anglo-Indian lady boasted that
her Chinese cook was much cleaner than
her neighbor’s Indian chief. They
visited the respective kitchens. The
Indian’s pots and pans and utensils of
all kinds were filthy. The Chinaman’s
vessels shone like mirrors, and Chang
himself was sitting on his box, washing
himself in the soup tureen
Gastronomic Item.
Jones—So you havo sent off your
cook?
Smith—Yes, I’ve discharge! her.
I’m surprised to hear it, as I heard
you say she was such an excellent cook.
That’s just the reason I discharged
her. Sho cooked such excellent dinners
that wc ate so much there was nothing
oft over for supper, Her good cook
ing was her only fault.
Living Up to the Letter.
Mrs. Brown—-Why don’t you say
“Thank you,” Johnnie, for that piece
of cake?
Little Johnnie—’Cause you said you
would lick mo if you heard another
word out of me tho whole evening.
“Missing, None!”
Comrades, listen! Hear the voices echo from
those far-off years:—
Old-time voices answering “Roll call!”—gaps
of silence—ringing “Heres!’’
Hush! the Sargeant is reporting;—hear tha
old-time legend run:—
“Fit for duty,—sick,—on furlough,—wo*nd
ed,—dead.” Hark? “Missing, Nonet’
Thus, within our hearts the echoes keep the
roster, ns me by name;
And the dear old voices answer to the roll
call, still the same,
T.me and change and death surviving:—still
we hear the legend run:—
“Fit for duty,—sick,—on furlough,—wound
ed,—dead,”—but “Missing, nono!”
“Missing, none!” though ranks are thinning,
though tho comrades round us fall,
Memory’s hosts remain unbroken, answering
each the old roll-call!
Graven on our hearts the record,—“All ac
counted for!”—not one
Dear old name dropped or forgotten;—still
the legend,— “Missing, none!"
Comrades, when tho last man lingers on
Time’s outpost,—waits alone
For the Reveille and Roll-call,—let him echo
back the tone,
And reporting to headquarters; battles over,
victory won,—
Wrap our legend in the colors, —seal the rec
ord,—“Missing, none!”
—John Howard, Jewett,
HUMOROUS.
Huers of wood—House painters.
Drawers of water—Marine artists.
The riding school is amountin’ resort.
Little things that tell — Small
brothers.
Tho language of the deaf mute goes
without saying.
We hear of African slaves being
bound in Morocco. Is not this a little
too luxurious?
Bananas, like wedding guests, are al
ways ready to throw the slipper after
the paring comes off. ■
Entomologists say that bees possess
the power of memory. This is inter
esting with the accent on the sting.
The frisky cowboy gives no thought
Unto his tailor’s bill;
Yet by experience are we taught,
He’s often “dressed to kill.”
One would naturally suppose that as
engine has to be hot before it can rais«
steam, but the fact is it has to b«
coaled.
In our present school curriculum the
tree of knowledge has so many branches
that the teacher needs a saw more than
he needs a spade.
Phasaerius says his best girl reminds
him of a silver fork. In other words,
she is a tin(e)y thing and frequently ac
companied by a “spoon.”
“Which shall I we 1?” inquires the dude,
Who comes across the water,
“The shekel-seasoned lumber maid,
Or the gilded iceman’s daughter?”
A Genius—“Who is the author of fic.
tion whose skill you most admire, Mrs.
Marriedayear? ’ Mrs. Marriedayear
(promptly)—“My husband.”
“Why, Karline, what are you think
ing of? You have two candles for youi
knitting?” “Oh! no, ma’am, I haven’t
but one, but I’ve cut it in two.”
There is no use in camping out foi
the sake of keeping cool. At a recenl
militia encampment the heat was in
tents, just the same as elsewhere.
Mr. Phunnyman—“If a word is a ve
hicle of thought, what would be a vehi
cle of love?” Mrs. Phunnyman—“J
give it up.” Mr. P. — “A bus.”
If the grass about a residence attains
a considerable height and remains uncut,
it would seem tolerably safe to assume
that the owner of the premises is no
mower.
Tramp (to lady of the house)—“I am
starving to death! Can I die out in
the barnyard?” Lady of tho House
(graciously)—“Yes, if you won’t crawl
under the barn.”
The man a slave to fashion’s not,
But of his courage gives a test;
Who, when the day is very hot,
Goes out without his vest!
Bessie—“I met Miss Shapely out
shopping today, and I never before
realized what a loud voice she has.”
Jennie—“But you must remember, my
dear, that sho was asking for a pair of
No. 2 shoes.”
Hi s Expectation.
“To put this business on a cash basis,
Mr. Peduncle,” said the father of #i
young lady, “in cam you marry Irene
you must havo somethiug to live on.
What are your expectations?”
“Why, a9 to that sir,” replied the
somewhat embarrassed young man, “I
shouldn’t expect much at the start.
Though it’s kind of you to ask. May I
inquire the amount of life insurance you
curry?”
THE LEGISLATURE.
BELLS PASSED BY THE SENATE AND HOU8B
OF REPRESENTATIVES.
A bill to incorporate the Dahlonega
and Dawsouville Railrotd company; to
authorize the mayor and council of Mil
ledgeville to issue $50,000 of bouds for
the purpose of building sewers; to
amend the charter of Macon and to au
thorize the issuance of bonds not to ex
ceed $100,000 for the purpose of con
structing sewers; to incorporate the town
of Abell, in Berrien county; to pre
scribe the manner in which titles shall be
exhibited to the chancellor in applica
tions to enjoin the cutting of turpentine
boxes so as to require the filing of an
abstract instead of the original title; to.
incorp .rate the town of Hapeville; to
amend the charter of Atlanta so as to
provide for the assessment of $1 a lineal
foot on property abutting on the streets
in which sewers are la d; to confirm the
charter of the Atlantic and Northwest
ern railroad company; to incorporate the
bank of Dahlonega; to regulate railroads
or other corporations when they sell or
lease their property, to give notice by
posting at their depots and places of
business, and by publication in a public
gazette, at the places of its residence or
at tho capitol of the state, and to fur
nish written notice to the railroad com
missioners. (This act to apply only 1i
the sale or lease of the franchise of the
corporation); to amend section 4203 in
regard to filing a p tuper affidavit in car
rying a supereedeas to the supreme court;
to incorporate the Chattanooga and Na
tional Park Railroad company; to incor
porate the Georgia Commercial Insurance
company; to increase the rights and
powers of the Marietta and North Geor
gia railroad. A resolution to purchase
500 copies of Van Epps Index Digest.
To amend section 4057 of the code; to
amend the act licensing stationary en
gineers in Fulton county; to incorporate
the Enterprise Street Railway company;
to repeal an act approved October 6th,
1885, for two weeks’ session of the su
perior court of Murion county; to amend
item 12 of section 920 of tho code; to
repeal the law prohibiting the sale of li
quors in Smithville, Lee county: to
amend section 3694 of the code of 1882,
regulating the fees of ordinaries; to
amend section 683 of the code.
A bill to prohibit tke carrying and
handling of seed cotton in the county of
Meriwether “between sunset in the
evening and sunriso in the morning;”
to prohibit the sale of seed cotton in Mus
cogee county between August 1st and
December 20th; to donate Madison street,
of Dublin, to the Dublin and Empire
roads; to incorporate the Southern Trav
elers’ association; to authorize the council
of Lincolnton to issue bonds to raise
funds for building an academy; to regu
*te the sale of liquor in Wilkes countv.
A bill to amend the charter of the
Waycross Air Line railroad company.
House amendments concurred in: to in
corporate the Bank of Dawsonville; to
prevent stock from running at large in
the 531st district of Clay county; to
amend the act providing for the taxation rail
of railroads so as to include street
roads, dummy lines and electric rail
roads, among those whose returns are to
be made to the comptroller-general. relating To
amend section 534 of the code
to maimed confederate soldiers,
to provide for the calling of cases in
the superior court of Hall county;
to prohibit hunting and fishing on the
lands of another in the county of Tel
fair; to require all railroads to delivei
freight transported cn through bills and of
lading; mode to perfecting provide service for the by time publica
of
tion; to incorporate the Atlanta and
Alabama Coal and Iron Railway compa
ny; to prohibit in Randolph putting obstructions in
the streams county; to in
corporate the Oostanaula and Coosawatie
Railway company; to incorporate the
South-western and Georgia railway; to
change the corporate limits of Wares
boro, in Ware county; to amend the
charter of the city of Augusta; to amend
the act reducing the compensation of
couDty officers of Butts county; to amend
the act creating a city court for Floyd
county so as to increase the salary of the
judge and extend in jurisdiction the of the
court; to continue force charter
of the Augusta and Summerville railroad
company; to declare all escapes fr.im the
penitentiary incorporate negligent, unless the otherwise
shown; to Brunswick,
Athens and North eastern railroad; to
amend an act establishing a board of
countv commissioners for Bibb countv.
A bill to amend the charter of West
End; to allow the mayor and council ol
the city of Milledgeviile the right tc
elect threfe assessors; to submit a consti
tutional amendment providing that on
first reading only the caption of all bills
shall be read, unless such bill shall be
ordered engrossed; to tax railroads for
county purposes.
A bill to prescribe tlie process of in
dictments and special presentments
against corporations; to make it penal
for untested persons weights; in weighing cotton to use
to incorporate the
bank of Blakely; to prohibit the sale of
liquor within two miles of Braswell acad
emy, in Morgan county; to incorporate
the Ocean Pond and St. Mary’s Short
Line Railway company; to prohibit the
destruction of game in Colquitt county;
to incorporate Thomasvillc; to incorpo
rate the citizen’s bank, of Eastman; to
incorporate tlie town of Adell, in Berrien
county; to better protect the lands in
the 785th district, known as the “tick
skillett,” in Schley county, so as to pre
vent stock running at large; to make the
19th day of January, Lee's birthday, a
public holiday; to amend section 534 of
the code; to provide when liens and
transfers shall take effect as against third
parties; to amend the charter of the Tra
ders bank, of Atlanta; to change the
Eatontonand Machen railroad to the Mid
dle Georgia and Atlantic railroad; to es
tablish the office of state bank examiner:
to incorporate the Toccoa banking com
puny, with a capital of $50,000 to $100,
000; to aineud the charter of Colqu.tt:
to amend the act recently passed reduc
ing the number of trustees of the State
university and fixing their compensation
at $4 a day and mileage, so as to cut out
the compensation and leave only actual
expenses to be paid by the state"; to in
corporate the town of Richland, in Stew
art county; to incorporate the Georgia
Investment and Bauking company; tc
amend the law constituting the board oi
pharmacy; to prohibit the sale or manu
facture of liquor within four miles ol
Independence church, in Wilkes county;
to prohibit the sale or manufacture ol
liquor within four miles of Pope’s chap
el, In Wilkes; to prohibit the sale oi
manufacture of liquor within two and
two-third miles of Moore’s Grove Baptist
•hurcb, in Clarke county.
THE STORM IN FLORIDA,
A DISASTROUS storm visits the land op
FLOWERS—DAMAGE TO PROPERTY.
Reports on Tuesday from various lo
calities in the state of Florida, indicate
that Monday's storm was a disastrous one
to property. At West Jacksonville, four
or five miles out in the country from the
city of Jacksonville, three or four houses
were blown down and two churches
wrenched from their foundations.
Through the outlying country for many
mile?, fallen trees were encountered
everywhere, many of the monster moss
hung oaks, which had withstood the
storms of a hundred years, were pros
trated. At Switzerland, Panama, Park,
Scotland, Mayport, New Berlin and sev
eral small settlements on St. John’s
river, houses and trees were blown down.
At. the Sandhills hospital, made memo
rable by the epidemic of 1888, the main
building was wrecked and the whole
ecene is one of ruin.
WANTED FOR A SIDE-SHOW.
X ST. LOUIS MAN ASKS THE PRIVILEGE OP
EXHIBITING DICK HAWES.
Solicitor Hawkins, of Birmingham,
Ala., on Friday, received a letter from
W. B. Simpson, of St. Louis, asking if
he could obtain the privilege of exhibit
ing Dick Hawes, who murdered his
wife and children last winter, at the
state fair to be held in Birmingham
next month. Simpson wrote that he
would keep Hawes well guarded, when and tho
return him to the county jail
fair was over. He proposes to make
Hawes a side-show at the fair, charging be
admission to see him. He says: “I
lieve there is big money in it, and if you
will let me have the noted prisoner, I
will divide with you.” Solicitor Haw
kins declined the proposition.
A British. Ship CanaL ►
;
The American visit engineers Paris who afforded are now
while making a England, to were the Boston
in Bays
Herald, an which opportunity already of examining done
the work has been
on the Manchester ship canal. Although
only eighteen months turned have the passed since of
the first sod waa amount
excavation is computed to be 17,000,000
or 18,000,000 cubic yards, leaving about
28,000,000 yet to be done. With the
exception of the Suez and Panama
canals, the Manchester ship canal is
probablv of the the largest kind and most expensive
work that lias ever been
undertaken. When completed it will
have a water depth of twenty-six feet
and a width varying from 135 to 260
feet, according to local requirements,
and although its length (thirty-six miles)
is much shorter than a number of canals
that have been built in this country, yet
in all other respects it far exceeds any
thing we have yet attempted. The
great expense in constructing the canal
is found in avoiding or overcoming the
already existing obstacles to direct
transit in the shape of railroads, canals,
viaducts, and other public works. Thus,
in one instance, in order to make the
London – Northwest-m bridge at Run
corn so that ships can pass under it, it
was found necessary to build twelve
miles of new railway deviation and em
bankments for the trains to approach
the new bridge, seventy five feet above
high water, bv gradients not exceeding
one in 135. Altogether there are many
novel devices to test engineering ability
in the construction of this work, an un
dertaking that is now giving employ
ment to 20,000 workmen, and that,
when completed, as it will be at the end
of 1891, will make the inland city of
Manchester a considerable f eaport, hav
ing dock water space of more than 104
acres and more than five miles’ length
of wharves.
Seeing Behind Them. •r i
Nature has enab’ed some animals to
sec objects behind them as well as in
front without turning around. The
hare has this power in a marked degree.
Its eyes are large, prominent and placed
laterally. Its power noticeable of seeing in greyhound things in
the rear is very
coursing, for though tliis dog is mute
while running, tlie hare is able to judge
to a nicety the exact moment double. at which
it will be best for it to Horses
arc another instance. It is only neces
sary to watch a horse notice driven this. invariably Let
without blinkers to the
driver even attempt to take the whip in
hand, and if the horse is used to tho
work lie will at once increase his pace.
The giraffe, approached which with is a the very timid diffi- ani
mal, is utmost
culty, on account of its eyes behind being so
placed that it can see as well as
in front. When approached this same
faculty enables it to direct with great
precision the rapid storm of kicks with
which it defends itself. .......... _ .. _
