10 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



rArausT 5, 1880, 



taken in moderate nnmbers (upon "dobson," spoon and 

 fly) of from one to four pounds weight. Some fine 

 catches have been reported -witliin the past few days. 

 The fish are by no means abundant, but seem to be in 

 sufficient numbers to afford fair sport. 



The beat flsbing grounds near us are at Sodus Point, 

 on a bay communicating witli Lalte Ontario. It is a 

 five lioure' ride from lure on the Northern Central Kail- 

 ^Tay to Stanley, then re on a liranch road to Sodus Point. 

 You leave Elniira at 12:20 p.m., and reacli the fishing 

 grounds by 6 p.m. Black bass and enormous pickerel 

 abundant. Am this day in receipt of a box of pickerel 

 from there, caught by my son and a companion, contain- 

 ing twenty fish "from two to four feet long. They were 

 caught in one afternoon by trolling from a boat, with a 

 spoon. Accommodations ample and good, at a neat 

 hotel charging ?:7 a week. A boat can beliired for $3 

 a week. Boat, and boatman to row you, $2.50 per day. 

 This is the best point for fiKliing near us. Bopines. 



Wkakfishiko on the Neav Jeeset Coast.— J'orfcerf 

 JJirer, iV. J,. Ji/ij/ 31s«.— Tlie delightful time and good 

 sport I had hero Knst year indiirpd lue to coiiio again, and 

 I have been here for the last two weolia. Tbo fishing Ilir 

 been and is Tfiry title. For mi e week I fished, averaging 

 fifty or seventj'-five lisli a dn^- with the rod. chiefly weak 

 fish and sea bass, the largest day being 113 flsh "to two 

 rods, witb an occasional bluefish. which makes your reel 

 spin around. Tlie weaklish run from one to four povinds, 

 with a great many two and three pounders. Yesterday, 

 though fished out myself, I took a friend out who had 

 just arrived. Our catch was 103. My frieml got a small 

 bag of snipe. I broke the lever of m"y breech-loader on 

 the way down the b.ay and could not fire a shot. Pro- 

 voking, wasn't it ? Snipe are beginning to come, and we 

 found several whisps " trading." as tlio baymen call it, 

 " "' wore .^^uif-.snipe, robins and do- 

 few st.M tiering yellow-legs, but 

 in large numbers. I shot five 

 esterday, which I saw from tl: 

 iipiiosite, in about twenty min- 

 utes. The cliarge for lioals, unlike most seaside resorts, 

 is very moderate. D. W. L. 



Tkoct in the Fhexcu liKOAD. — A Washington cor- 

 respondent writes us : • 'I have spent some weeks in West- 

 ern North Carolina ahoiili AslicvUle, tlie war-n springs 

 on the French Broad and a.-^conding the mountains Black 

 Dome, Craggj% etc. The scenery' is magnificent. Not 

 quite so rugged in sonin wav as the Wliite Moimtaius, or 

 Adirondack.s. (>win.t; to the higher timber level, due to the 

 latitude, but tlie monntaina .-iie higher and in such pro- 

 fusion — so many high peaks. As to the fish, I unfortu- 

 nately made littloinqiiii-y, as I was too much occupied 

 otherwise. I caught txout, though, in the small moun- 

 tain streams. Most of the mountain streams, I thi)ik, 

 have brook trout in them. Tlio French Broad, a most 

 beautiful stream, ha.s probably bass. If no one answers 

 your correspondent in the meantime, I can perhaps get 

 him the information shortly." 



along the surf. They 

 witchers. Tliere ar( ' 

 they have not > et co 

 dowitchers day hefo: 

 piazza on the nieado 



The (tReenbrier Rivek. — Wnnhivgton. D. C, July 

 30?/i.— I have heard from rov old ]'lar-n nt Ponceveck, 

 W. Va.. tliat the Greenbrier Ri v. r i : u :;.«k1 bass 



fi.shing this .season. The Superintoi.. i, 1 1 juill there 



wrote to me to sf.n d him .such a ri;_ ;- <' li,il seen me 

 use tliere, so llial In- might try the iJeci_'|Ui\c lly upon the 

 fish. The latter, lie siiy.s. ruTi'lroni a foot to as bigas you 

 can manage to ;!et boli'i or. 1 notiee one of your corres- 

 pondents Hsks about (rout lakiu.-: u lly in West A'irginiH 

 in July. Of eours- tliey talc.. ,a ily. but i lia\.e found that 

 (having fished West \ ir,L;itiia streams evra-y season 

 from mo to last year; iu the Utter half of July and early 

 part of August the fiy-fishiug is not as good as later. Late 

 May and June, of course, are best, and then late August. 

 Tho season expires Sej it. 1st. C. Clav. 



» 



TtfE BnASDYWJKE. — Went Chester, Pa., July 81sf.— 

 Bass fishing has been diacouragiug here until since the 

 recent heavy rains. 1 11, i : ■. iisii tlie waters are begin- 

 ing to clearnumeroi I . . , ..i piod eatcbes are heard 

 daily. Three and a ,, _ m. :, uf.pear to be the highest 

 weight of anv sinpl,- |i,,ii ,,,, ia, as beard from, while the 

 majority of tlie fish run coiisider.ablv l^elow this figure. 

 Young 'toads, .ainiiows, crabs and helgraiiiites are tho 

 most faking baits, yet tbe bass, when ln.1n.5ry, seem wil- 

 ling to accept anything that is eatable. Have not heard 

 of any being taken this season with the fly. S. 



Salmon? on the Upper .TACva-Ks Cartieh. — I should like 



ta in Qtielieo, who have 

 bethor they have ever 

 f the river, and if so, 

 ce (here, a."? the river 

 do not ascend 



in a day's fishing. The prospect for good shooting this 

 fall is flattering. Numerous covies of young blue grouse 

 have been seen, aud in the marsh below here, young 

 ninllo.rds are by hundreds. Pigeons seem to have de- 

 serted our county, ■is I have not heard of over a dozen be- 

 ing killed this spring. Tho young of the itiffed grouse 

 are half grown, and are feeding on blackberries. I.CI.S. 



\\ • 



Basr FtsmNrt TN THE VoTOMAC.—LiK'shuni, Va., July 

 aOi'A.— Before thirtmuddiness in the Pototiiac, I look at 

 the head of Harrison's Island, in the rapids, nine bass with 

 the Caledonian minnow and one ba.ss with the fly. and 

 next day seven with Caledonian and one with tholly. I 

 swung the minnow up and across the current, and spun 

 it obliquely down with a fly rod. Had I had a stiller rod 

 I would liave landed more. T. W. 



A- 



to ask sotue of y(Hir corre.si.ond 

 fished tho .Jacques Oartier R; 

 taken smolt in the upper re; 

 how they account for their 

 has never been stocked, and 

 above Sullivan's Falls. At least, 1 liave never heard of 

 salmon having been taken or even seen above tlris fall. 

 For over ten j^ears 1 ha%'e taken these smolt in the rapids, 

 and have been much puzzled at finrling them there. Can 

 it be that during tho heavy spring freshets some few 

 salmon succeed iu surinounting this fall'r It seems 

 almost incredible, as thejre is a dam ten feet high right at 

 the head of it, t}- M, Faikohild, Jr. 



A Big Black Bass feom the TnorsAND Islands.— 

 i send you bv express this morning a bass caught with 

 hook and line, weighing six and a quarter pounds, which 

 I tlunk is the largest bass I have ever known taken here. 

 The Ashing is good ; as many as one huiidrcrl were taken 

 in a day with a single fly. The small fish that were here 

 in Jime have entirely disappeared, hence the fisiuug has 

 improved. Very truly yours, S. 1). Joii.\sTOH. 



Clayton, A\ 1'. 



Til.' bass Avoi-lied six pounds on arrival, and proved to 

 be a lii.L^-iuoutb {MicroptermpalUdim), in flue condition. 

 It had a oatlish eight inches long iu its stomach. 



OVimQV— Eugene City, July 22(i.— Fishmg on the Mc- 

 Keuzie River, twenty miles above I iere,iB good .and nea,rly 

 all of oui- anglers arc camped on tho grounds. Recently 

 two men fi.shing from a skiff caught ninety-five trout, 

 w)iioh weighed over ninety-five pounds, m a day, and it 

 ja nothing unusual for a sportsman wlto is well up to the 

 buainesB to land ono hundred and fifty inoujxtam trout 



A Rake Fish.— Mr. E. G. Blackford recently had a 

 specimen of an African jiompa no, Trachjfnotxcs tjoreensis, 

 upon his slabs in Fulton Market, New York. It weighed 

 sixteen pomids, and was served up on Coney Island. 



— • — 



GAME IN SEASON TN AUOirST.* 



Woodcock, PliWihela mirwr. 

 IJlaok-belliefl plover, ox-eye, 



SiiunlnntUi liclrctiM. 

 Ring plover, JSuUilitis ftmipal- 



illvb, J' 



Stilt, or loiKc-sbanUs, Himanlo- 



puis iiigriciMU. 

 Red-brensted snipe, dowltcher, 



Mncrnrhampliuii grifaus. 



*Thi5 enumeration Is Keneral, and is in conflict with many of 

 the Stat? laws. 



"Bay birds" generally, includlni? various species of plover, 

 sandpiper, snipo, curlew, oyster-ealclicr, surf bird, plialiiropoe, 

 avocets, etc., coming under the group lAmacnla', or Bhore birds. 

 Many States permit prairie fowl (pinnated grous^ stiootlnB after 

 Aug. ISth. 



— Address all cmnvmnications to " Forest mid Stream 

 Publishing Company, Neio York." 



THE DITTMAR POWDER ACCIDENT, 



NE^y York, July ZGtU. 

 Editor Forest and Stream: — 



AVe traiisinit yoti herewith oux Mr, Von Longcrke's re- 

 port upon the Nash powder, and we adopt his suggestion 

 to invite you, or any representative, whom you may name, 

 to accompany him to .Springfield, or any other place 

 agreed upon, where the most relialile iribininienLs can be 

 found, or to witness his practical tests proposed in his 

 letlej, to verify the report, and we will bear the whole 

 expense of the trial, 



Jit!)/ ffif/i. 

 DiTT.MAK Powder MAN0FACTnRiNO Compart :— 



Genti.kmkn:— In oompliunco with my unrterstluidinfe' of your 

 desire, 1 left for Bitiglmintoii on the lath last. I lurivod tliore 

 on the morning of the loth. 



r enipUij-ed the day in testing the sample of powder which Itc- 

 ocived tTorn the FOUKST anii Simikam. seut t.) Ihem by Mr. Nii^li, 

 ,uid of which Ihey relained one liulf. 



I am glad to say that the pow.ler has no e.xecirt' vo KU-cn«lb, i.ad 

 that the accident report.;d can net huve^been tbc tiuilt of tho 

 powder. 



My experiments were made with the greatest cara, imd tho lul- 

 lowing was the result :— 



I did not ti-y to olitaia even pressure?, Init experimented to find 

 out whether this powder might prnbalilyfiv,- ■•it. ixcptional high 



ndei 



.M-tnir 



lUlli, a7,000 



!,rijOpoiiiidK, 

 un powder, 

 J pounds for 

 r I'illes ami 



u of the other 



but eniiielv lailcd 



First trial— The guugo Bhowcd a pre . 1 



Sec. art 1 rinl-Tlie gauge showed a pre,,- 



1 reversed the lestmg block, twice prf.sf 

 SV'UO puunde. 



I then slu.'ok tliv powder down as much ._ , 

 the iTiensnre a 111 tie, and the fourth trial shi 

 the (Itth trial, 35,0(30 pounds. 



I then tilled the measure regularly, weighed the same, and also 

 loaded another cbaigo of the same weight, without regard 

 measurfc. Tho result was: eixth, 2i,50O pouudi 

 pounds. 



The average pressure of all those eliar : es 1, , . : 

 which is tsmsidenibly less than Btieii, . 1 .1:,. 

 and also less Ihan our Mundar.l, whleli . 

 breeob-loading shot guns, and from M-.'-' i. . ■ 

 muzzle-load tTB. 



As 1 have mud, Fokest and Stkeaji is in posse _ 



half of the sample sent, and I think we gUoukt Invito tb. — . _ 

 order to convince themselves and the public of the truth ot our 

 assertion, to meet us cither at SpnugUeld, or imy otlier rebablo 



E lace that may he agreed upon, to tent Ibe powder which thc.v 

 old, in order that there may be no .]aestiou tif the accuracy ol 

 my tests, or I will, In their presenec, siioet from the shoulder 

 from three to six drachms of ii in u No. IL' Claybrough guu, or in 

 the cheapefit No. 12 or No. 10 breocb-loadcr tliey can select in town, 

 weighing Si pounde, the weight ot Mr. ,^'a!^h'sguu. 



On July y.iih, t also tried some Curtis i: Harvey's powder. No. 

 S. It registered 40,800 pounds. 



I al.so tried the best Bporting powders of 111" leading companies, 

 and found that they sbowed, on aa averai;e, about, the same pies- 

 sure !C3 our standard. I think it uunecussary to luinie the special 

 powders, as it Dllght be deemed icividioii.s. Nash'n p...wuer, yea 

 will remember, showed about a.s.ouo pounds, that is l:i,uuu poends 

 less than Curds 4: Harvey's. 



On July lath 1 again experiniooted with the Nasli powder, aud 

 again had the same results, naiuely. If, WO iieuiids less pressure 

 than Curtisfc Harvey's, and hftveshoi 3, fniKl H liruelunsoutot luy 

 gun, hammered do.wn, without the least LiniJieasuut result. The 

 gun used was a Clayhrough, 7i pounds. No. ];j, ceniral hrc, breech- 

 loader. Yours respectfully, 



J . Von LiiNOEBKE. 



AVe wish to make a personal explanation to Mr. I«Jash, 

 Wehave never doubted the fact of an aocldinit nor pub- 

 licly questioned his description of it. It is true, as you, 

 Mr. Editor, have said, that no two persons ever described 

 tin aevcident precisely alike, and we are willing to give all 

 due latitude to anyone writing under the consequent ex- 

 citement. 



Mr. Nash was wrong to think that we were iu a " ter- 

 rible fever." "We had no fear about any powder of our 

 manufacture, but to know the real ctaise of the tioci- 

 dent, Wc never doubted Mr, NashVs Btatement of the 

 acciflont, and we think it unnecessur;, to discuss tlio ques- 

 tion of explosive force or eiiinalativi tmee as given out 

 by different exjilosive bodies. AV e li,,l,i it to be siiuply 

 apparent to every man who uiuieoiiauds tlie diifereuce be- 

 tween the- two exhibilious ot foree-s. that the explosive 

 could not have torn tlio barrels apart, as we understand 

 the case to have been in Mr. Nasir.s_ tlrsc ]. lo.r. Tliere 

 must have been euiiiuU.ti\e tearing forib i-iLat 



is the only doubt we had of the aceura 

 description. We did not doubt the xae. , . ,. 



Mr. Von Lengerke's report is so clear tiuu ..leiadeu tbat 

 every man may draw his own conclusions, Curtis & 

 Harvey's powder, giving a force so much greater than 



that given by the Nash powder, and the latter falling 

 several thousand pounds below our standard powder, 

 aifd below the best brands of American sporting powders, 

 we cim only ask, what caused the accident y 



AVe adopt the suggestion of vour editorial in your 

 issue of the 15th mst., in which yon s,ty : " We think the 

 present company an- bound to warn the public, by 

 every means in their power, against the powder manu- 

 factured by tho old f^ompany or ciwupanies, since it ia 

 evident that this old powder is or may be dangerous." 

 We positively declare that the Naah powder was not of 

 our manufacture, was not sold by us, and was never in 

 our possession. So far its that is concerned, we are dis- 

 interested parties, except insomtich as ii bears the name 

 of Dittmar powder, and we think that our tests have 

 abundantly proved that even that was not dangerous, 

 but feU below the powder which we put forward as otrr 

 standard. 



Mr. Nash's suggestion that the can of powder may 

 have been tampered with is something which we have 

 nothing to do. If it was, it was not our powder that 

 was tampered with. 



We shall, following yotu- suggestion, advertise more 

 fully to the world, that we have never sold, nor will we 

 ever sell without due notice to the public, any powder 

 whatever, eitlier unsealed, unstamped, or without all 

 proper dhections for its use : and we hereby caution the 

 public against buying any unsealed so-called Dittmar 

 Powder, Yours respectfull_y. 



DlTTJlAK POWDEK MANUFACTLtRING COMPANY, 



AVe woidd willingly av.ail ourselves of the invitation 

 ot tlie Dittmar Powder Manufacturing Company, did we 

 attach any importance to the test proposed as bearing on 

 the point at issue. They by no means show that the ac- 

 cident " cannot have been the fault of the powder," nor 

 do they prove anything, in fact, on the vital question of 

 the safety or non-safety of Dittmar powder. Further 

 than this we must reseiwe otir comments on this letter to 

 another time, and until we have completed our own ex- 

 periments with the powder. 



Saturday Nioht at the Head of the Neck.— .4c- 

 comae. Co., Va., Jrdy IQth.— Editor Forest and Stream : — 

 There was a great meeting of the " Neckers " at our store 

 last Saturday niglit. After the boys had spim their 

 yarns, in good order, some dropping cfuail in crossing a 

 four-foot path, resting their arms on fence rails, killing 

 with their guns " kicking trp behind and before," bag- 

 ging coons, opossums, etc., etc.. Uncle Mike Jones put 

 in an appe,;u-ance by stating that his father had often 

 related to him the prowess of his grandfather in the use 

 of a gtm, which he had imported from Holland, known 

 aa " the old pewter piece," and, amongst other things, 

 described his wholesTile destruction of blackbh-ds on one 

 occasion, when he swung her around an oat stack, and 

 kUled all the way around, the charge terminating m tak- 

 ing off the skirts of his loug-taUed blue, whereupon, being 

 an ardent admirer of old "tangle-leg," he proposed a 

 drink, 



John Bush, whose inclinations had turned, for several 

 years, toward the "biled owl" fraternity, having been a 

 great listener, put in a word, which he said in no way 

 was meant as disputing the flexibilitj^ under curved 

 pressure, of the gun of Milte's progenitor, stated that he, 

 on one occasion, had made a shot somewhat alarming to 

 tell, yet, as there still walked two living witnesses, he 

 would relate that the occasion did not arise by putting 

 his piece in a circular attitude, but that he lield it straight 

 from the shoulder, and left dead on the sand ;5,jO tissorted 

 birds, curlew, snipe, etc., and, in candor, believed that 

 as many more iiuttered off, wounded, 011 the water. 

 Uncle Mike spoke up and asked: "If but one barrel?" 

 •'Only one." -'What size shot?" " Four.s.'' "Two ounce 

 charge?" "About." " Will some gentleman be so good 

 as to count if there are 700 pellets of fours in two 

 ounces." Now, you see that things began to look rather 

 " cornerfied " for John, finel as the old " tangle-foot" was 

 working up to the usual standard, it wtis plain that some- 

 thing must be done, for the double purpose of staving off 

 muscular action, and to drive the two heroes of dhe even- 

 ing to an aUiance, and nothing sliorc of the '• Westera 

 Farmer " could accomplish that end, so Cousin Burtott 

 stated that on one occasion a AVestern farmer liad done 

 wonders without good results, and ho would be glad to 

 have their attention to hear it. .Silence having beea 

 reacbe.l, iliis old coon hunter went on to say that this 

 furiuer had constructed a level floor for the purpose of 

 baiting wild pigeons, and after alluring them to his place 

 in groat numbers concluded he had better seeure sumo 

 profits for his outlay, AVith a double charge in his old 

 fusil he lashed it to two posts and lay in wait. When all 

 tilings were ready, tmd pi.t;eons had come in such num- 

 bers as to k^adhiiii to anticipate the need of a wagon to 

 carry off the dead, he gave a grunt to start tiie birds on 

 the wing, and puUetl the cord, when lo ! not one bird 

 was left prostrated on tho field, ha-sdng pulled too late by 

 one and three-quarter inches. 



'• AVell,"says Mike, "nothing very remarkable about 

 that." 



" But I was going to say that he swept up nine and a 

 half bushels of legs and feet." 



" Oh ! Come, John, coniSj s'pose we have just one nip 

 and go." 



" I don't want any," said Bush ; " that pigeon affair 

 is all that I can carry." T. G. E. 



TuK Gdn in England. — ^Mr. Richard Grant AVhite has 

 been discussing English social life, in a series of articles 

 in the Atlantic, and has this to say about English shoot- 

 ing :— 



Next to the horse in England is the gun. Accustomed 

 as we are lo see Englishmen Avho lia\-e crossed the Atlan- 

 tic to visit America, and whose idea of that tour of ob- 

 servation seems to be to go L'.Ofll luiies to the Westtsrn 

 plains to shoot, we yet Iihm; uo a.leijiiate appreciation of 

 the importance wliicU shooting, as one of the occupa- 

 tions of life, has iu the iiiiu'.ls ol' lens of thousands bf 

 Kii;;lisli!iieii. ilunliiig aud shooting in England are not 

 mere rei:.'atioiis, i.iniis ol casual pletisure, to be enjoyed 

 now and then, leisure and weather serving, In the hunt- 

 ing season hunting men are not content, as I found .on 

 talkuig with some of them, to go out with the hoimds 



