^ 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



niK DOItY. PROPELLED WITH A PADDLE AxND USED KOI! I.KillT WdHK IN- 

 CENTRAL AMERICA. 



the hull of the boat. Measurements can be 

 taken from each of these holes by which 

 a uniform thickness of the bottom is easily 

 obtained, and when the boat is completed 

 the holes are so neatly plugged with the 

 same kind of wood that they are not no- 

 ticeable. Sometimes a narrow moulding is 

 placed around the edge of the boat, which 

 adds greatly to its finished appearance. The 

 time required to make one of these boats 

 varies, of course, according to the size of 

 the craft and skill of its builder, as much 

 as three months' time being spent in com- 

 pleting some of the larger sizes. 



There are three kinds of these native 

 boats made by hollowing out the trunks of 

 trees. First, the dory, or canoe, sometimes 

 called a dugout; second, the pit-pan, which 

 is larger and longer than the dory, and, 

 third, the bateau, which is wider than the 

 others. 



The dor}' is from ten to twenty feet long 

 and is never provided with oarlocks or rud- 

 der. It is simply a canoe, propelled with 

 a paddle instead of oars. It is used for 

 light work and running about from place 

 to place on short trips. 



The pit-pan is a long, fiat-bottomed boat, 

 used on the rivers and lagoons in Central 

 America, carrying goods and supplies up 

 the rivers to the small towns and logging 

 camps in the interior. On their return trips 

 they usually bring down rubber, chicle, log- 

 wood or some other product of the forest. 

 They have a movable mast and sail, which 

 can be hoisted in place, to take advantage 

 of the sea breeze when used on the lagoons 

 or along the coast. They frequent the 

 waters where there are many small islands, 

 where they engage in fishing or collecting 

 fruits and cocoanuts, and are employed in 

 many other kinds of trade and traffic. 



The bateau is used exclusively for freight 

 and is a slow-going, unwieldy and clumsy 

 craft, but capable of carrying enormous 

 loads. It is more like a ilatboat, or a small 

 barge, and is used principally along the 

 rivers and sometimes serves as a lighter to 

 carry goods to and from ships when the 

 sea is calm. They are made by taking a 



pit-pan (usually one that is old and need- 

 ing repairs) to some suitable location (prob- 

 ably a boat yard) and placing it bottom- 

 side up, striking a mark from one end to 

 the other, exactly in the center of the boat, 

 with chalk and line. It is then ripped along 

 this line from stem to stern with a ripsaw 

 and the two halves spread apart, according 

 to the width required to make the bateau. 

 A set of small timbers are placed across the 

 bottom on the inside and ribs fitting the 

 curvature are inserted along the sides. The 

 space between the two halves of the boat 

 is then covered with boards or planks, 

 which are thoroughly nailed to the timbers, 

 and the crevaces corked and covered with 

 pitch. The ends are left square to the ex- 

 tent of the space added to the bottom and 

 the bateau now being complete is reaily to 

 be launched. 



A great amount of freight is accumulated 

 at Belize and other coast towns by these 

 various forms of rude native boats. The 

 largest pit-pan that I remember seeing was 

 one used in freighting on the Belize river. 

 It is represented in the picture. It was 

 loaded with camp supplies, which were cov- 

 ered with tarpaulins and was just leaving 

 the wharf for a seventy-five-mile trip up 

 the river. This pit-pan was eighty feet 

 long and fifty-eight inches wide, and was 



miade of a mahogany log. Just think what 

 :i magnificent and remarkable tree was de- 

 stroyed in making this rude aiul rather 

 rakish-looking craft. The lumber or veneers 

 it woulil have made would be worth enough 

 In buy :iii clritiic j.-iinicli. i-(|nippcd with all 

 the latest improvements. 



This custom of making boats of valuable 

 l.igs will soon be a thing of the past, how- 

 ■ ver. But the natives will continue to make 

 ihiiii of cheaper material, such as sanwahn 

 uni).| and other trees for many years yet. 

 'I'lic .Iwi'llcrs (in the i-iiast of the Caribbean 

 s.M .ling tenaciously to their old traditions 

 ;iii.| ;ire loath to surrender any of their an- 

 • ■ii'ut customs. 



.\t Hilize during Christmas time each- 

 year the people engage in a period of feast- 

 ing and celebration — a time of great fes- 

 tivity, during which one of their chief en- 

 tertainments is what they call the river- 

 regatta; the ))rincipal feature of which is: 

 boat racing on a beautiful two-mile stretchi 

 of the Belize river. No kind of craft par-- 

 ticipates in this contest except the native 

 boats made from logs. The men whw 

 take part in these races make great prep- 

 arations for the event. They begin prac- 

 ticing months beforehand and go through 

 a thorough course of training and really be- 

 come experts in pulling or i>ad(lliiig these 

 boats. It is a beautiful sight and very ex- 

 citing to witness one of these pit-pan races^ 

 with from eight to ten brawny paddlers, im 

 light uniforms, with bright caps, each striv- 

 ing his utmost to be the winner. Every 

 motion is in unison, and they strike the 

 water vfith their paddles exactly at the 

 same moment and keep perfect time to the 

 motions or directions of the lea<ler. They 

 strain every muscle to develop the greatest 

 speed possible, and it is wonderful the rapid 

 rate at which they propel the boats, which 

 seem to be fairly lifted out of the v.-ater as: 

 they leap forward. 



These festivities at Belize are an annual! 

 celebration, which has been participated in; 

 for many years and are looked forward to> 

 eagerly by all the people who dwell in th« 

 city and the surrounding country for hun- 

 dreds of miles in all directions. A month 

 or so before Christmas they begin coming 



A lA.MlJL; 



A LOMJ FLAT EOT 

 IN CENTRAL 



TO.MED LOAT l.SlUi 

 AMERICA. 



