(as Published in Feathered
(as Published in Feathered World Mar 2001)
Sheffield - South Yorkshire - England. The vast majority of houses used coal
for heating and cooking. The supply of coal was delivered by a coal man -
with his horse and cart. The coal man would lift the iron grates in the
street and tip his 11 21b sacks of coal down the chutes and into the cellars
of houses. The grates and the concrete chutes were not more than 16" wide,
purposely to exclude burglars. In addition to that, on non coal delivery
days, the actual grate was secured from underneath by a chain and padlock.
Around about 1930 the gas meter and electric supply meters were installed in
these cellars. All of which were originally one penny in the slot machines
(240 pence was £1 then). There was a great temptation for a small man to get
down the coal chute and break into the gas and electric meters for the sake
of a few pence, if, of course, he could find an unchained cellar grate, at
night. Therefore we had basement cellars - dark - damp - perpetually cool -
free from flies and an ideal place for storing food - on the stone tables
that were installed. During the 1939 - 45 war such cellars were reinforced
and made into air raid shelters and many a Sheffield family was rescued from
such a cellar - even though the actual house above was destroyed. The uses
of this basement space were so vast that I could not list them all and, in
any case, I am hereto write about pigeons and, occasionally, fowls.
Birds are not stressed when kept in total darkness, they just relax. We all
know how a noisy parrot or cage bird will become silent when a dark cloth is
placed over the cage. Pigeon men often saw the need for one of their pigeons
to be kept quiet and inactive. The high flying fanciers with Tipplers and
Rollers knew the value of a darkened loft during the few days prior to a
contest. In Britain, in midsummer, we have about 18 hours of daylight and
lofted pigeons do not get enough rest. They do not completely relax in the
light. To build up their nervous energies and to conserve their physical
energies, they need silence and tranquility - which can only come from total
darkness. For example, two or three pigeons, placed together in a completely
dark cage, will settle down, but. as soon as any sort of light comes, they
will start to fight, or at least have the odd jab at each other. This
stillness and rest produces a lot of bloom on the feathers and a lot of
fanciers like to see that.
Another use for a spell in the cellar, was when a fancier had a potential
customer for one or more of his pigeons. Casually, he would bring out the
cage into the sudden daylight and the effect was magic. The pigeons would be
tight feathered and sleek, extremely alert, bright eyed and showing mettle
that would not otherwise be seen. The result was a very quick sale.
The boost, supplied by the sudden release of pigeons into daylight, lasted a
considerable time and was said to produce high flying, better style and
better quality of rolling etc. However it is a trick and, like all tricks,
it cannot go on for very long. The pigeons get used to it and do not respond
as they did at first but, for a brief period, special fly or a contest
schedule, the dark treatment was believed to be essential. The cellar of
course was the ideal place for a portable cage.
It had ventilation without light, because these cellars were about 15'
square and Thigh, and were cool in summer but never froze in winter.
Then, of course, as we all know, pigeons some- times develop objectionable
habits and there is nothing like a few days in the dark cooler for such as
them. The remarkable thing is that such treatment does not pro- duce the
stress that it would to a human. Yet, as I've said, the idea was for special
and brief periods.
There was a problem with cats. Cats liked to go down into the cellar. if
someone chanced to leave the doors open. Therefore, such cages had to be
hoisted so that a cat couldn't reach to claw the pigeons to death. It was
rare that this happened however, because pigeon men were notorious cat
haters and would never keep one - but their neighbours did!
In India and other countries out East. the fanciers lower cages down well
shafts where it is dark and cool - so the idea is not entirely English.
My ideal house would have a large flat roof. for my loft and flight
observation and it would have a cellar.