"The Fort Wayne
Racing Pigeon Club has been in existence and has had young bird series and
old bird series since 1887 or for 92 years. Around the turn of the century. four or five of the local fanciers ordered direct from
Conrad Mahr four or five pair of his Trentons. It was from these Trentons
blended with Grooters that the Fort
Wayne fanciers started making long distance
records, some of which still stand today. During the period from 1905 thru
1930 the Fort Wayne
flyers were flying 2 and 3 1000 mile old bird races and a 1000 mile young
bird race, it definitely required a different type of bird than the Sprinters
and Speedsters in short races where money is the big factor. It required then
and still does today, a bird that comes home on his own initiative and
determination to get home.
Oscar Anderson is the oldest living flyer in Fort
Wayne. He is 92 years old and up until a year
ago. could tell all about his flying with the Old
Timers in 1902 and 1903. It is rare in a 1000 mile race that two birds will
come together. The 1000 mile world record established in Fort Wayne
was by Dr. Schilling's Blue Checker Trenton,
named Hagen, who made the flight in 2 days, 3 hours, and, some minutes from Abilene,
Texas. Needless to say, the
publicity his bird got only gave the local boys something to shoot for as
they all wanted to beat Hagen's
world record. In 1910 Hagen's
record was beaten by a Red Slate Trenton
cock flown by Henry Beach. He called his bird 'Abilene'.
Henry Beach's bird made the 1000 mile flight in 2 days, 2 hours and some
minutes. Needless to say, Abilene's
performance gained a lot of national publicity in pigeon circles.
Henry Beach sold many Trentons and many
prominent flyers obtained their first Trentons from
Beach. Among the well known flyers of today who obtained birds from Beach are
Otto Meyer and Art Nemechek.
Three years later on July 11, 1913, a Blue Checker Trenton-Grooter cross hen named 'Bullet' homed in Fort Wayne from
Abilene, Texas, 1000 miles late in the afternoon of the 2nd day to the loft
of Oscar Anderson, whom I referred to before. Only a died in the wool pigeon
fancier can dream of the pleasure young Oscar had when his 'Bullet' made the
world record in 1 day. 11 hours, and 24 minutes, and 6 seconds making a speed
of 1042.54 yards per minute. This was not the first good performance for
'Bullet' as she had previously flown 500 miles same day two different times.
I might add that Oscar disposed of his last pigeons in May 1979. He said at
92 it was too hard for him to get up into his second story loft in his barn.
In 1927, the 24th of June, Bullet's record was broken by "Wayne
Jr." another full Trenton
bred and flown in Fort Wayne
by the late C.W. Oetting and to the best of my
knowledge this record still stands for a club sponsored race from 1000 miles.
Wayne Jr. flew 1005 miles to his home loft in I day, 10 hours, 22 minutes and
20 seconds, with a speed of 1122.43 ypm. Wayne Jr.
was bred down from the Mahr Bright Eye Trenton
strain. Mr.Oetting sold quite a few birds in the
30's and 40's and I am sure some of his blood lines exist in many lofts
around the country.
Not long after Oetting's record, the
Depression of the early 30's came. Hard times followed & the local club
had difficulty in keeping its ranks together as everyone was pinched for
finances. Then the unforgetable war years from 1941
thru 1945. During the period 1931 till 1945, pigeon racing all over was at a low ebb. Only short races were flown and rarely a 1000
mile race.
Around 1948 as an admirer of the 1000 mile performances, I started
promoting a 1000 mile race again and it was not until 1953 that our club
started flying the 1000 miles again. and with the
exception of a few years. it has been scheduled as
an annual race.
|
In 1958 on Thursday, July 3rd our race birds were
released at 7 AM Fort
Wayne time. Friday the 4th of July, was a
holiday and of course, in as much as the weather was favorable. I did a lot
of looking for a bird. Saturday morning I had to go to work till 12 o'clock noon. When I returned home at 12:15 my wife nonchalantly told me
she clocked a bird around 10 o'clock.
I went into the loft and it was the bird I later called 'Abilene
Jr.' He had flown the distance in 2 days, 2 hours and 58
minutes. 'Abilene Jr.' was then put into the Golden Cage and used for
breeding only.
In 1960. two years after Abilene Jr. made the
good time. a bird I later called 'Ditto'. a full brother to Abilene
Jr flew from the same 1000 mile station in 2 days.
4 hours. and 59 minutes. 'Ditto' won this race by a
full 24 hours to the next bird home in the club, which was my bird called 'Spotty'.
Spotty flew from the 1000 mile station a total of five times. During the
period from 1958 till 1968, we had birds home almost every year on the 3rd
and 4th day.
In 1977, we participated in the 1000 mile race from Houston,
Texas. This race has been
known as the Atlantic
Coast Thousand. We
are over the 1000 mile dis- tance
so we participated in 1977 and 1978. Lofts from North
Carolina, South
Carolina. Virginia.
Maryland, Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana participated. Approximately 35 lofts
with 105 to 140 birds were entered in this event. In 1977, Fort
Wayne birds won 2nd and 3rd and in 1978 we
won 1st and 3rd. The same 3 birds that in 1977 won 1st 2nd and 3rd came in
1st 2nd and 3rd in 1978 only in a different order. Is it coincidence, or does
this tell us that some birds will come from the 1000
and some just won't? In the last 18 years, I have shipped a total of 66 birds
to 1000 mile race stations and of this total of 66 birds. 48 have returned
home. This is quite a good return home percentage.
My family of birds which I call my Abilenes
are a four way cross - the old Fort Wayne Trentons,
Grooters, Bastins and Bricoux which I myself brought into Fort Wayne. I found
back in the late 40's that this four way cross gave me everything I wanted in
the way of good type and smart birds.
I do admire long and wide flight feathers which is a characteristic of
my birds. I do not like to ship a bird to the 1000 mile station until it has
been to the 500 and 600, which means it must be in its 4th year of flying. I
do not like to send yearlings to the 500 or 600. only
to 275 miles. Then the 3rd year to 500 and 600.
Now, how do I prepare the bird for a 1000 mile flight? The year that I
intend to ship the bird to the 1000 mile race, I only enter it in the first
100 mile race of the season. Then for about three weeks before the 1000. I
try to get the bird or birds to 50 miles about 3 times a week. and feed them quite heavy so they have good body.
I like a cock bird on a 10 day old youngster and a hen on eggs about 12
to 14 days. I have had much better results with the cocks at 1000 than the
hens.
Here in the United States,
popularity of a 1000 mile race seems to be gaining. More and nwre clubs are sponsoring a 1000 mile race each year. In
European countries a 1000 mile race is rare. There have been so many
wonderful performances by fanciers in this country with birds of the Trenton
background, I cannot but help think this All American strain should get more
credit. They definitely have a stronger homing instinct and will work home
from some of these SMASH races all clubs seem to be experiencing today."
|