56 



FOREST AND STREAM. 1 



ol two hundred years' duration by stealing Indian corn. We 

 look further hack and see that the ancients ascribed wonder- 

 fu! tilings to the moon. We follow it up mut sec that the be- 

 lief has obtained iu the succeeding ages ; we come down still 

 further and find that the old men and the Old women Li1] 

 cling to the belief, and as we cannot disprove it we accept it, 

 and either directly or indirectly instill it into the minds of our 

 children. This is doubtless the secret of the belief in this and 

 similar superstitions, and had not the present age fortunately 

 developed a spirit of inquiry, whose first principle is that 

 nothing is too sacred or too well established to be doubted, 

 we would still be so encumbered with such beliefs that we 

 would see hobgoblins in every bush and ghosts in every dead 

 tree. 



1 do uot, of course, deny that the moon has an influence on 

 the earth, but that influence is as fixed and certain as all other 

 laws of nature. As an attracting body it may cause the tides; 

 its light waves may be the bearers of a subtle fori of elec- 

 tricity ; as a temptation to lovers to waste their time wooing 

 ■and cooing it may even effect the destinies of men ; it may be 

 true, as Byron say3, that "the devil's in the moon for mis- 

 chief," but the mere coincidence of the moon shining when 

 fish are exposed on the deck of a vessel is not sufficient proof 

 that the pale-faced Luna is the cause of those fish spoiling, 

 ■even though all the old sailOTS in the merchant marine" should 

 swear toil, and all the "oldest inhabitants " should substan- 

 tiate the assertion. Carlyle says that we may go from " mys- 

 tery to mystery, and from God to God," but to go from mys- 

 tery to moonlight is not a satisfactory process. 



$}vy BrvjtHS. 



V JSA.GLB Nbst, Feb. 15, 1870. 



ED1T0B FOREST AND STREAM: 



The communication of "h. A. B." and your comments 

 thereon regarding the effects of the moon, briugs back memo- 

 ries thereof connected with my campaigning in Florida in 

 183S, '39, '40 and up to '42, We had among our men, who 

 slept carelessly in the open moonlight, many cases of "moon- 

 blindness,'' as it was termed, affecting the men so badly and 

 so long that such were either invalided to hospital or dis- 

 charged at their own request from the service. 1 think Ad- 

 miral Rogers and General Sherman, who were both there 

 when I was, will distinctly remember this. I never knew 

 this to occur in the far West, but, as you know, every hunter 

 sleeping out gets his head under his blanket, if he is not in a 

 tent or under shelter. I almost always slept face down, with 

 my arms crossed under my forehead to keep my head up for 

 breathing room. I have known game badly tainted by hang- 

 ing a single night out, but never before thought the moon had 

 anything to do with it. Now I think it might have had the 

 effect. 



I remember one funny case. A well-known skulker in the 

 command, always shirking from duty, tried to sham moon- 

 blindness, so as to get his discharge. One day, seeing him 

 trying apparently to feel his way along the side of the bar- 

 racks, I stepped behind a corner, and as he turned it, raised a 

 cocked pistol full in his face, without noise or speaking. 

 "For God's sake, don't shoot, Lieutenant!" he yelled. He 

 w as cured, and went to duty ; but there were many genuine 

 ca ses of the disease. Ned Buntxinb. 



v Koobtoet, Mass., Feb. 3, 1879. 



Editoe Forest and Stream: 



In your issue of January 16 your correspondent, "Sea," 

 asserts "that any Beafaring man will tell you that fish left 

 in the moonshine is not fit to eat." Now, sir, allow me to in- 

 form " Sea" that the seafaring men of Cape Ann are born 

 fishermen, and I give you herewith the testimony of over one 

 hundred of them, with whom I have conversed on the subject. 

 First, they have eaten mackerel and other fish that were 

 dressed and laid on the cuddy all night exposed to the moon- 

 shine without any difference between them and any other 

 fish : second, some of them say that their grandfathers told 

 them that their grandfathers said that he had heard his father 

 say that old folks along the shore believed this nonsense, but 

 he had tried them all ways without any bad results ; third, 

 our haddock fishermen carry deck-loads of haddock to Boston 

 that arc exposed one, two, and occasionally three nights to the 

 rays of the moon. According to " Sea's" testimony these 

 "cold moonshiny nights" must poison our haddock, and why 

 in the world don't the Boston Board of Health quarantine the 

 haddockers, and investigate. Cod, hake and pollock are left 

 to the poisonous influence of the moon's rays. I don't care to 

 investigate any further on the subject, and would seriously 

 advise " Sea" to put his pet theory of mnonstruck fish into the 

 pot of "shrinking beef," and let the dead sailor at ebb tide 

 watch the pot. "L. A. B.'s" statement in the last issue of 

 Forbst and Stbeam, if intended for a conundrum, is an easy 

 one. His trout were placed in a tin pan, probably, and one 

 half our sheet tin is adulterated with leatL The fish would 

 absorb enough lead in one night to seriously affect them. 

 Finally, before accepting, or believing such nonsense, I want 

 " more light," but no moonlight in mine, if you please, until 

 the"pizen" is extracted. Tours truly, G. P. W. 



) Detroit, Feb. 8, 1SW. 



«i-. ErUUw: About moonstruck flan, all I can say It that as far back 

 as 183* whttcfisu were cangUt on Detroit Klver. Tlie weather was very 

 warm, boiii day and night, all through October. At that time all the 

 hah were put up at the fisheries In barrels. One morning th« roan 

 cleaning flsh reported BOnie flah spoiled (I wish It understood that flab 

 were cleaned and salted every day, bo that none were left lying on the 

 beach to spoil). The boas looked at them' and said: " Pick out the 

 sott ones ; have them carefully put up 1n salt, and try to keep then] Ibr 

 spring markets." Orders were attended to. Fiah were sent to Cleve- 

 land, and on Inspection were found to tie in bad order. As the fl8h 

 were caught at night, I certainly think they wore spoiled by the moon 

 shining on them. 



The mouths of July and August, 1534, were very warm, and I remem- 

 ber of hearing parties spotiK of putting a piece or meat in the rays of 

 moon, and having it spjlled in one hour. If sueli ntlie base, 1 see no 

 reason why the moon's rays would not spoil innate, flab, etc. I think 

 the party who cleaned them for duluug Is now living .it Bael Saginaw, 

 Mich, I am, sir, yours, etc., K. U. r. 



[Let the East Saginaw man speak out.— Ed.] 



Pensacola, Fla., Feb. 8, 1870. 

 Editor Forest abb Stream : 



1 have been much interested hy the statements id your 

 paper concerning the effects of moonlight on fish, and have 

 only withheld my own experience until I could make a more 

 positive test. Sailors and fishermen in general belli 

 moon has power to spoil any fish or diaBgure any person's 

 face that may be exposed to its light, and I was no exception 

 to-llua rule lor a long time after i became interested in tish 

 and fishing. While engaged in fishing as a business 1 have 

 carried fish on the deck of a fishing vessel and in open boats 

 unprotected from the moonlight many times, and always found 



that they fared quite as well as those that happened to be 

 covered, and am not aware of bad effects from eating them, 

 as would be the case if thfey Were poisoned. 



Last night, the moon being full, I brought home eight fresh 

 mullet, four of which I put on the roof of a shed in the 

 moonlight, and four just under the eaves in the shade, and on 

 comparing them this morning could see no difference in their 

 condition. Their eyes were still black and full, gills red, 

 flesh firm, and with no perceivable taint. 



Whether a fish is spoiled or not. is a point that requires con- 

 siderable experience to really decide, unless the fish is fairly 

 rotten. The skin, gills and entrails will often sour, and the 

 fish be condemned by an inexperienced person, while the 

 flesh is as sound and sweet as ever. I know that the con- 

 tents of the stomach has much to do with the keeping sweet 

 of an uncleancd fish, as one kind of food produces different. 

 effects from another. A bluefish, for instance, with its 

 stomach filled with small fishes partly digested, will not keep 

 in ice half as long as a snapper whose stomach is filled with. 



That the moonlight affects sleeping men is an absurd idea 

 I think, and is a belief that should never come aft from the 

 forecastle or galley. In camping and boating I have slept 

 often in the moonlight uncovered, except perhaps by a mos- 

 quito bar, and never experienced unpleasant or disfiguring 

 results, nor have those with me. Sit.as Stbaens. 



—One share for sale in " St. Clair Flats Shooting Co.," Canada. Kare 

 chance; no stock in market; full particulars. Apply to C. C. Small, 

 E«:q.. Toronto, Canada.— [A *>. 



ptchtittg mtd §jaxting. 



HIGH WATER FOR THE WEEK. 



Feb. 21 



FfclL 22 



Feb. 23 



Feb. 21. 



Feb. 25 



Feb. 20 



Feb. 27 



Beaton. 



Aeu York. 



H. K. 



H M. 





8 30 



o 13 



9 43 



44 



10 54 



1 16 



1(1 D7 



1 51 



11 53 



■i 23 



11 43 



3 .8 



morn. 



YACHTING NEWS. 



New York Xaoux Club.— The election of officers for the 

 year took place Feb. 6, with the following result: Commo- 

 dore, S. Nicholson Kane, Restless schooner; Vice-Com., W. 

 H. Thomas, Rambler schooner; Bear-Com., J. B. Waller, 

 Grade sloop ; Secretary, Chas. A. Minton ; Treasurer, Shep- 

 pardHomans; Fleet Surgeon, G. S. Winston, M. D.; Meas- 

 urer, A. Carey Smith ; Regatta Committee, O, H. Stebbins, 

 A. Taylor, Jr., and G. L. Haight. The annual club matches 

 were set down for Thursday, June 19, and the ocean match 

 for the Brenton's Reef Cup for June 23, and that for the 

 Cape May Cup, Sept. 4. 



Atlantic Yacht Club. — At the last meeting of this club, 

 held at their headquarters in Brooklyn, Feb. 10, the treasurer 

 reported a very satisfactory condition of the club funds and 

 an increased roll of membership, This latter fact is to be 

 ascribed to the praiseworthy characteristic of the club, which 

 places active sailing ahead of social entertainment. The 

 club is consequently very popular among all who have the 

 best interests of the sport at heart, and bids fair to surpass 

 some of the older organizations in many respeots. The 

 sloops Pirate and Intrepid will probably be added to the fleet, 

 and a number of other craft arc expected to hoist the " white 

 with the red bars " at their mastheads. 



Buffalo Yacht Club. — This club is prospering aud rapid- 

 ly increasing in membership and sail. Twenty-nine gentle- 

 men were added to the list at the last meeting. Due's have 

 been fixed at the rate of §8 per year. The following officers 

 have been elected: Com., J. H. Provost; Vice-Coin., Capt. 

 JohnE. Bowen; Pres., P. G. Cook; Vice-Pies., Frank Net- 

 tlelon ; Sec'y, F. N. Vedder; Treas., Morton A. Robinson: 

 Measurer, Capt. E. W. Craig ; Regatta Committee— Wm. e! 

 Biggs, E. E. Benedict, J. O. White; House Committee— O. 

 M. OordelL, W. A. Robinson, E. L. Stoddard. The follow- 

 ing honorary members were elected: Hon. Ray V. Pierce, 

 M.O-J Peter C. Doyle, ex-Supl. of Fire; Wm. H. Abel], 

 Pres. Board of Trade; Thos. Kean, City Editor Buffalo 

 Courier; A. W. Austin, City Editor Commercial Advertiser ; 

 Geo. Ferris, City Editor Buffalo EfaprtQu. Club burgee— a 

 blue pennant with white star in centre. The circtdar from 

 the Seawanhaka Y r . C. , relating to changes in the yacht laws, 

 was read, and received the signatures of the flag officers and 

 Hon. Ray V. Pierce, M. O. Four new yachts are now build- 

 ing, and it is probable that five more will bo laid down dur- 

 ing spring. With the energy recently displayed, the club ap- 

 pears likely to take the lead of all on the lakes. 



Warwick Y t aciit Club. — The Warwick Yacht Club, of 

 Providence, R. I., was organized in 1873 and incorporated 

 1870. The officers for the present year have been given in a 

 previous number. The club has about, sixty members aud 

 owns four schooners, among them the Viking, 1 54 tons, and 

 Cornelia, 50 tons ; twelve sloops and eleven cat-boats. The 

 Lassie L., formerly of the Atlantic Y. C, has been bought, by 

 Vice-Com. Sands, and will hereafter tly the Warwick burgee. 

 The cat Louise. Mr. F. II. Brown, has also been added re- 

 cently to the club. Regattas are held over three courses, 

 known as the Newport, Rocky Point and Bristol courses. 

 Herreahoffs time labies are adhered to, the basis being length. 

 Club burgee, blue field, red circle, with white star in red. The 

 club book is worthy of commendation, and is very complete 

 in the specifications of the yachts enrolled. 



Bay of QriNTK Yacht Clou.— The second clans yachts of 

 Belleville, Out., have virtually swept Lake Ontario from 

 Hamilton, at its head, to Kingston, at its foot, No new craft 

 have yet been commenced, but the lisdaD Bros, will shortly 



start i 



M, 



Ai Ire 



clul 



chamj 

 8Cli Uw 



Ureal. 



won by the first, named, I tn the 

 is sailed between the Frin&s and 

 the Prmce again won. These boats 



are built after the most approved Hudson River models. 



Pom Taok. 

 dKAWanhaka Y ft I ialdinnerof 



the Seawanhaka took place at JMuionico's, on Wednesday 

 evening. About forty wi luh andjgueats were 



present. Among th« ' .- I ommodcro K 



N. Y r . Club ; Commodore Boardman and Mr. Cunningham, 



of the Eastern Yacht Club ; Commodore Dickerson, of the 

 Brooklyn Yacht Club; Capt. Thomas, of the Rambler, and 

 others. The dinner was a most enjoyable affair, as indeed 

 arc all the reunions of this popular ciub. T;. 

 anee of the evening was, perhaps, Yicc-Commodore Crom- 

 well's statistical speech. 



Tub Seawanhaka Leotuees.— The second lecture of the 

 course of five will be delivered Feb. 20 at Delmonico 

 Y'ork. The whole- series will be published in full in these 

 columns for the benefit of those unable to attend, 



East Boston Yacht Club. — The following regatta com- 

 mittee has been elected for the year I S. S. Goodwin, Thos. 

 Stone, F. T. Clayton, Ed. Lincoln and Geo. McCausland. A 

 union match will be sailed in June under their auspices. 



Madison Yaoht C'luc— The election of the Madison, 

 Wis., Yacht Club has resulted in the following officers for the 

 year: Com., A. H. West; Vice-Com., E. H.' Freeman.- Hoc. 

 Sec'y, J. Zc-u titer; Cor. Sec'y, W. P. Jones; Treas., B. 

 Turnvill; Measurer, J. Gallagher. 



A New Yaoht Club. — A new yacht club is about befog 

 formed, with headquarters at West Meriden, Conn. We be- 

 speak for it the aid and sympathy of all yacht owners in that 

 neighborhood. 



Yaoht Btrn.nrso at Buffalo. —Three new yachts are now 

 in frame at Buffalo, N. Y. One is a sloop, 40ft. long, 13H't. 

 beam and very heavily timbered. Hull, without spars" or 

 joiner- work, for sale at §000— apparently a good bargain for 

 somebody. Chilcot & Son are putting up a steam yacht 40fl. 

 long and Oft. beam "on spec." They are also at work on a 

 schooner 40ft. by 10ft. She is to have a shifting cabin, and 

 is said to be of fine model, with both keel and centre-board. 

 Most of the Buffalo yachts are built in that way. It gives 

 them the advantages of draft and Board alike. 



The Ambassadress. — This schooner has had a new main- 

 mast stepped at Corlear's Hook, in the place of the ono 

 sprung on her recent, run up from Florida. She will be now 

 laid up at City Island till further orders. She left Jackson- 

 ville, Pla., Jan. S3, aud ran into a gale on the 26th. Report 

 says that she was "suddenly struck by a squall, carrying 

 away main-topmast, springing masthead and splitting main- 

 topmast staysail." Rather a queer performance this ; looks 

 too much as thougb all hands had got on a bender. 



The Real Obigtnal Sharpie. — From numerous sources 

 the claims to the first discovery of the sharpie come in. We 

 are now informed by a gentleman " who remembers all about 

 it " that the first sharpie was built by a New London car- 

 penter to carry him across the river to his daily work. He 

 told our informant that " that 'ere boat was nothin' to what 

 he could build if lie was a.mind to," and when the spirit final- 

 ly did move him he set about and brought forth the ,: fastest 

 sharpie ever built since her first day." And so on. We arc 

 inclined to think that the want felt along the coast for some 

 cheap and handy as well as safe boat led to the building of 

 something like the sharpie by different parties at or about the 

 same time, and the name of the first, man who "invented" 

 the sharpie will probably forever remain shrouded in rnystery 

 along with the great minds that brought forih the chair and 

 the cradle. But so far as records go, the Messrs. Goodsell, 

 of Baltimore, have first claim to the honors. 



A Farmer Corinthian.— This is what a farmer, living 

 near the shores of Lake Ontario, writes us concerning the re- 

 sults of the Corinthian spirit that seized him upon reading 

 Forest and Stream: A neighbor and myself built a boat 

 for instruction and amusement, both of us were farmers. 

 She was 16ft, long, 26in. deep, and Oft. oin. beam, with deck 

 forward. Lap streak, oak keel, stem and sterupost, etc., 

 cedar planking and deck and chestnut beams. She made a 

 dry, comfortable and buoyant craft, but in rough water wants 

 to " broach-to " when running free. We gave her a fair 

 sized centre-board and manufactured the whole of her; sails,, 

 oar-locks, anchor and all. The anchor was a faithful servant, 

 but now lies peacefully at the bottom of Oswego harbor. This 

 year we want a bigger boat, and will build as soon as wc ob- 

 tain the plans or model to suit. 



Thb Small Fry Abroad.— Upon turning to our list of 

 winning yachts, we find only two boats credited with twenty 

 races sailed and but three more with ten entrieB and over ; in 

 all, but five small craft which hoisted racing colors ten times 

 or more anywhere along our coast. With what zeal our cou- 

 sins across the water carry on match sailing among the little 

 fellows from five tons down may be gathered from tin 

 ing figures which we take from Land and Water : Gael, 25 

 starts ; Mayflower, 21 ; Vulture, 18 ; VanguanL 18 ; Pearl, 

 17 ; Seaman, 16, aud so on down a long list Of a dozen or 

 two, all hailing from within a few miles of each other. 



Thb Natuual Tendency.— From an unprejudiced source 

 we receive the following : The remarks made in your last 

 as to the practical illustration of the superiority of reasonable 

 depth over enormous beam for racing as well as cruising, as 

 exemplified in the ltchen boats, apply with equal force to the 

 Clyde boats. Being rated simply by length, without any 

 penally upon beam, the draught and depth increased every 

 year. Though originally 19ft. xOft., the Clyde boat is now 

 built 22ft. soft. 4iu. She carries more lead and is found a 

 faster and more weatherly craft. 



"China to thb Rescue."— A correspondent takes to task 

 the style of rig which "Fusil" recommends in a recent ar- 

 ticle, in the following : 



In Forest and Stream of Dec. 10, 1878, "Fusil," of Bos- 

 ton, gives directions for rigging a 30ft. boat, with a very 

 small mainsail and very large heitdsails. llis tig would do on 

 a wind or with the wind forward of the beam ; but running 

 right dead before it all the sail he could use would be. the 

 very small mainsail that he speaks of, and that would be all 



It-, and she would steer with her helm hard up. 



G. W- S. 



Thct trouble can be partially remedied by the use ot a spin- 

 naker or by carrying aft and booming out the tack of the jib, 

 but. uither would complicate the rig, and the objections of 

 11 C \V. S." would therefore have some force. 



Model fob a SqhooWEB, — Mr. Alouzo C, Smith, ol Islip, 

 L. I., has -sent us an able-looking model for a cruising 

 schooner, "Oft. keel, 19ft. Oin. beam, Oft. lin. depth, and it 



I part of our yachting collection, open to I! 

 tionoi all interested. " " 



( I U3 AND PADDLE. 



IK-io;-: IJoat t '.lam.— The Union B. G, of Boston, was or. 

 ganized in L85I and i i one of the oldest and strongest in the 

 country. Jl Is exclusively an amateur association,, formed fur 

 thBpurjKBe of fostering good feeling among its membere, 

 encouraging boating and promoting physical culture. The 

 mnnher Of members is limited to 200, there being now 134, 



