598 The Split Bamboo Rod. 



Dr. Henshall, in his " Book of the Black Bass," pp. 201-203, 

 under the caption of " Origin of the Split Bamboo Rod," says: 



" For though purely an American invention as now constructed, the idea or princi- 

 ple is really of English origin." 



The Doctor then gives the date of the first split bamboo rod 

 made in this country, by Samuel Phillippi, as about 1848 ; but all 

 dates are from memory, and I believe the date given by Mr. Wilkin- 

 son is the nearer approach to the correct one. Mr. Phillippi never 

 made a complete rod of split bamboo, only a tip and joint to a three- 

 pieced rod, the butt of ash, and the joint and tip made in three 

 sections. Mr. Phillippi died about 1878. 



Mr. Murphy, of Newark, N. J., in an article by Mr. B. Phillips, 

 on the origin of the split bamboo, published in the New York 

 "Times," gives the date as 1848 when Mr. Phillippi used the natural 

 bamboo, and subsequently made a joint of bamboo. 



The next date given is about i860, when Mr. E. A. Green, of 

 Newark, N. J., made the first complete split bamboo rod. This date 

 cannot be far astray, for Mr. Green made (that is, glued up) for the 

 trade a few ; and I find my record, made at the time, to be Sept. 16, 

 1863. These rods were made in four sections. Mr. Thaddeus Norris, 

 of Philadelphia, is mentioned in connection with the invention, but 

 he never claimed it. In 1863 or 1864, Mr. Murphy, an acquaintance 

 of Mr. Green, commenced to manufacture split bamboo rods for the 

 trade ; these were in four sections. 



The first rods constructed in six sections that were put into the 

 market were made by Mr. H. L. Leonard, of Bangor, Me. This 

 was about 1870, and Dr. A. H. Fowler soon followed ; Mr. Murphy, 

 however, claims to have made one some time before. 



The first split bamboo rod that I made myself was in June, 1869. 

 It was put together in four sections ; made not of Calcutta bamboo, 

 but of Chinese, which is much harder, more homogeneous, and more 

 difficult to obtain than the former. 



I have thus traced the record of the split bamboo rod on this side 

 of the "herring pond," and now will look into its history on the 

 other side. 



Thomas Aldred,. of London, claims, and I have never seen it 

 disputed, to be the inventor of the three-section glued-up bamboo 



