March 18, 1880.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 







135 



wiffi other rifles. This ball is (rotten up for a Sharps rifle, and 

 froin witnessing- Its shooting up to 300 yards I believe it a prop- 

 erly shaped ball. Mr. Cooper has also gotten up Express moulds 

 lor .41 and .45 rail., patched ball? modeled Iran standard English 

 balls, and I am told by those who hare used them they fly 

 true. 



The experiences or an expert rifleman like Mr. Babbeth at the 

 target are vei\v valuable— more 50 than a largo quantity of theo- 

 retical trash and nonsense thai SO often, perhaps unavoidably, 

 encumber sporting journals. Results are sometimes obtained at 

 the large!, that puz/.lc experts, but they should not be east aside 

 without due consideration. My experience differs from bis in one 

 or tiro particulars, move especially as to the necessity of the 

 lubricant wad. With the patched ball I understand ihat all the 

 targeting reported Teas done "without wiping', and, with the excep- 

 tion or tbe first tew rounds, without a lubricant wad. My own 

 experience with the patched ball, and without the lubricant, is 

 that it. soon loses Its accuracy lu successive shots, unlesa wiped 

 after each discharge— the patch stripping off, the rifle's leading 



and want tlrao] necessarily resulting-. This appears to be 



the experience of ritle makers both in this country and Great 

 Britain, as it is understood they all invariably u^ a lubricant wad 

 of beeswax and tallow or sperm nil with the patched ball. I under- 

 stand also Ihat most of the British rllle makers use a patched ball 

 In Hip Ex press rifle. 



Mr. Habbeth reports only one experiment with an Express ball 

 —a .45 cal. Ganullured ball for the Sharps rifle— making; a croup of 

 sixteen inches at 800 yards. Thau In tnj opinion, i- about as good 

 atarget as is usually made by any Solid Canellured naked ball at 

 that distance, an should: not be 1 sargi tagatasfcthaaoeuraoy 

 of this particular boll, 1 doubt the practicability of swedging a 

 hollow-pointed ball, yet they are comparatively so light that, no 

 diflieulty should exist for casting them without, flaws. 



Had if r. Habbeth obtained from the Sharps Company balls from 

 moulds ordered and made by that company for me in 187U (.41 cab 

 patched and 2T5urs. weight), he would have found them all he 

 could have desired as to accuracy, ana all they should be as to 

 destructiveness. It was modeled from an English bail, except it 

 has much more taper. 



There arc several objections to I he. Sharps . Seal. 1 tale] hired Ex- 

 press ball. 1 much prefer the patched ball for burning, oil account 

 of superior accuracy . In the second place, the point seems too 

 blunt. 1 think a ball with an orifice in the point more than 

 three-sixteenths of an inch will lack accuracy. It has a .22-inch 

 Orifice. Th.rdly, the eipli Isive cap in the oriiicc is dangerous to a 

 certain extent, and, in my opinion, superfluous. With the proper 

 velocity ui ven the ball, and without the explosive, it will, of its 

 own velocity, expand or explode ai the proper time— to wit, after 

 entering I be animal— and with as much or more destruotvi eni 

 as with the explosive inserted. Mureover, a twig is liable to ex- 

 plode it before striking the animal. I consider the insertion of a 

 copper tube in the end of the bullet, where of no greater diam- 

 eter than threo-si.xieenths of an iuch. unnecessary for accuracy. 

 and must interfere materially with its expansion and destructive- 

 ness. 



I have now used the Express ball from an American breech- 

 loader (the Sharps.) for two years past, having used the solid ball 

 for the two preceding years. My prejudices (caused by too much 

 being claimed for it, in my opinion, by those evidently inexperi- 

 enced in its use) were agaiust ils merits. Mr. liigby's opinions, 

 however, caused me to give it a trial, and after experimenting to 

 find a ball of proper weight, to suit, my rifle, and then uaing it for 

 two years on antelope, deer, elk, grizzlies and mountain sheep, I 

 have no hesitation in saying that, for hunting purposes, It comes 

 up to the standard claimed for it by the Irish riflemen. A refer- 

 ence to my note-book shows that during the season of 1578, of 

 twenty-nine deer and antelope known to be bit fairly in the body 

 between shoulder and hip (nineteen of which were "piauneh- 

 shota " ), five regulred a Beeond shot, or one in nearly six— charge, 

 BBgrs. C. &H. No. 6, and STBgre. ball. For bear, a Sailgrs. hollow- 

 pointed ball war- inlddj bu! the powder was iusullicient for a 

 proper velocity, and the results were unsatisfactory. During the 

 season of 1873, of twenty-four deer and antelope hit fairly in the 

 body, only one required a second shot, rata in twenty-four. Of 

 thirty-four e'k and mountain sheep hit fairly in the body, sixre- 

 quireda second shot, one in Ave and two-thirds. Of eight bears 

 killed (seven grizzlies), only one required a second, shot. This 

 record docs not include animals known to be hit in 1he limbs— 

 some of which got off. Charge used, lOngrs. C. & II. No. 6, and 

 275grs. ball for deer, and 3i(Jgrs. ball for bear and elk. This last. 

 ball, made by boring out a SBOgrB. ball, produced very satisfactory 

 results, as the record shows, though it is a little heavy for the 

 powder, and has not quite taper enough for firing consecutive 

 shots without wiping. The more, favorable results for 1879 arise 

 from using more powder, anil probably placing shot more care- 

 fully—the " wire-edge " of the spoil having probably worn off. 



During 1S70 and 1877, of about seventy deer and antelODo hit 

 with the solid ball, about one-fourth required a second shot, and 

 about one-half of tho elk and bear. In those days, however, a 

 bombardment was kept up on a grizzly as long us he kicked. 



In the successful use of the Express ball, a strong and mod- 

 erately quick powder is necessary (such as C. & if. No. (1), As an 

 evidence that my opinion is disinteicstcd, I will state that, the 

 powder I am using cost S3 per pound (mostly from mistake of the 

 shipper), and would still be used could it be had no cheaper, as it 

 is superior to any other brand to be obtained. 



lu conclusion, I would advise " Hunting Biilc " to depend upon 

 Ms own experiments in the solution of rifle or ammunition. If he 

 contemplates hunting larger game, this experimenting will fa- 

 miliarize him with the powers of his own rifle, something essen- 

 tially necessary for a successful huuter. If he thinks of usiua the 

 Express ball in his .40-caliber, 1 advise him to have it chambered 

 for the 80-grs. shell. Beak-Paw. 



Feb. 230i. 



Srttflwu, 



Bo-yrnv Notes.— Archery has tnki 

 July I hope to see half a dozen m 

 around the "Hub." The cxpcclt 

 and Boston gentlemen, which is I. 

 talked of , and there is considerabb 



lucky ones xi 



Before ma 



as the Bosto; 



agement of a 



Wllfl 



u a firm hold here, and before 

 re clubs springing- up in and 

 1 match between New York 

 take place in May, is much 

 curiosity to know who the 



•oprcsent. boston. 

 probably Torn 



1 club to be km 



3 of 1 



•ulea 



of the present P.P.G.not seeming to gull us Eastern archers 

 exactly, in, ring the coming season we shall probably shoot a 



—The Kobin Hood Archery Club of tSTyack, N. \\, is sclenting a 

 team for the corning campaign. The club has some seventy-five 

 members, and good work may be expected from it next summer 



C'lRTLANIi ArOHSKT 

 cry Club at Van Bergai 



Or. F. u. Hyatt 



Willis Cloyes 



ilas, R, Sehermerhorn.. 

 A. Sehermerhorn 



A. Ma.hau 



ial, tf: r., Mm eh Wh — The 

 ibers of the Cortland Arch- 



Tntal. 



-ik Tu 



null 



Dr. G. 11. Smith.. 



Mrs. A. Malum.... 

 Mi,y Magcie bore 



. 116 



. 01 

 . 103 



208 



.174. 

 lll'J 

 H7 



818 



at! 



US 



0114 



45(1 

 315 



A. M. 



Manhattan Bowmen.— This new club has been organized in 

 this city, with tho following officers:— President, I). M. McLean; 

 Vice-President, W. C. Beecber; Secretary, .1. 0. Davidson ; Treas- 

 urer, 8. E. French. The members practise in the Ninth Begi- 

 ntent Armoiy hall, sharing there the privileges of the New York 

 flub. 



—In the current number of Harper's Bazaar appears a page 

 drawing from the pencil of an artist, whose truthful character 

 sketches last fall of the Eastern Archery Meeting at Boston were 

 en |OJ 1 6 by the archery fraternity everywhere. 



The picture represents a scone in the Ninth Hegfment Armory, 

 during a Saturday night practice shoot of the New York Archery 

 (lu li and the Manhattan Archers -these two clubs haying- shot 

 amieanly together since their organization. We recognize in the 

 picture mauy well-known members of the two clubs, and no 1 

 only are tho likenesses there, but also the individual manner of 

 each. 



A lover of the bow himself, the artist has faithfully rendered all 

 those little details of the archer's outfit, which gives the picture 

 an added value to an archer's eye, rarely accorded to drawings by 

 those not " up " in archery 



Mr. Davidson 1s doing much with pen and pencil to give those 

 not conversant with archery truthful representations of how 

 this hcatlrf nl and pleasant sport is carried 00. 



"Bounders" in Archery — Nca« Forte, March TIM.— The Now 

 STork Archery Club of this cily has passed a resolution excluding 

 members of all other archery clubs from membership. This they 

 claim will prevent any claims of other clubs to a share of the 

 honors to be won hereafter. This resolution will no doubt ac- 

 complish the desired effect, but will it not, exclude'iicuiy desira- 

 ble members and keep the club in the background during- the 



atche 



Bo- 



ot the 



The NeivYork Club have based their action on \t 

 and sufficient groun Is, and in sotting- thuir faces aga 

 are known in other sports as "rounders" havo takt 

 inendable lead. It, is possible, however, that this aeli 

 club is premature. Archery is yet in its infancy ; clubs are few 

 in numbers and weak in membership, and it may for these rea- 

 sons be advisable to wait awhile before" drawing thelim > co- 

 in intex-club matches it is plain that where a member at many 

 clubs shoots against one of his own clubs, the credit of the vic- 

 tory is decidedly complicated and dubious. This, it strikes us, 

 should be provided against, and it-may be provided againsl ■ ttU- 

 out totally barring members of more than one club from all the 

 club privileges of each. An archer might belong to one club, 

 with which in all inter-club teams be should shoot. At the same 

 time, he might be alloxyed the privileges of a semi-honorary 

 membership in other clubs, or a membership with certain xvell- 

 deliued restrictions, which should yet debar him in no wise from 

 a full participation in all club contests and privilages. Weshould 

 be pleased to hear from some of the older archers on this ques- 

 tion. Let us arrive at the middle course, which will be the safest 

 and most progressive for archery to pursue. 



Defebbed.— Several interesting and timely communications 

 have necessarily been deferred. 



m&chting and (^mtoemg. 



IMPORTED YACHTS. 



AS yachting" on the lakes takes stronger hold upou the mas 

 the desire to import craft of foreign build from Cuthbe 

 yard at Toronto, the best-known builder in tho West, beeo 

 more manifest. It has been an open question as to what sti 

 in the eyes of the law the imported yachts could claim, and 



1 the 



el the 



KiUivi: 



n.\ s 



uderlully 



ha 



rly stupid G 





n 



uionl 



ex 



ou 



r barbarous 

 ke readers, 1 



tar 



If 



and 



Ch 













bow to the doc 





s 



of r 



->-'•' 1 



ha 

 Tt 



ve received, 

 easuiy, the! 

 ce of whjch 



111! 



olio 

 irt 



: 



igh 

 ly d 





1. 



i right to 11 



- tl 









d of li 



te seek 



vuplex 

 poet. 

 3 hold 



and pe 

 As long 





under the protecting Blue of If. M. co 

 add that yachts under twenty tons <• 

 punlty.asQUi legislators in their wlsdo 

 clippers under the rnystie figure of two; 

 as ''manufactured wood;" which, once 

 the same category with skiffs, pouts 1 

 papers of any kind, unless cruising i 

 50 becon 

 ic officii* 



owers that be. We 

 1 Secretary of the 

 cement, an observ- 

 ts Over twenty tons 

 icls them take out 

 am abroad and sail 

 of 1 he North. We 

 imported with i 



iasli- 



u-yail.it 



nter i 



duty on " articles mam 

 tons should be sailod f rt 

 our harbors in a bona 

 paying duties on the sa 

 the back. It would seet 

 tire 



We ho| 



and dei 



L 11 vi 



hands of our represent 

 to an overhauling and 

 to foster the oonstructio: 

 long ago bei 



With the asi 

 of an onsla. 



1 tho Canadian y, 



LL|,i, 



AS tt 



yachts under twenty 



•dsof their birth into 



:he5 r will circumvent 



suit of clothes worn on 



a had c 



11-j 1" 



-tlatii 



■ eh is 



1 ho 



v to si a 

 lsph 



drag instead of an aid to the otrji 

 that the revision is asked not in Hi 

 nil Uncle Sam by red-handed pirates, 

 ring him by nursing 



ade, 



.el ei 



lsly tender ! 



far relax his protective hobbies as to grant the small boon asked 

 by a Bport which has attained a growth sufficient to demand 

 national recognition. The following Is the letter received :— 

 TREASURY Dbpabtment. ) 



OH ICI. IIFTllJi SKIIlIUTABr, - 



Washington, D. C, Mutch 90*. ) 

 Editor Forest and Stream :— 



Bin— Relating GO yachts of over twenty-tons burden, of foreign 

 build, imported and owned by American, citizens, this Depart 



mont desires to say, that a yacht of foreign build, of the burden 



;i 11 I, ■■oiiM neither bo enrolled nor licensed as an American 



vessel, nor he cnlitled to the privileges defined In Section t,2U of 

 the Revised Staluies, except by special Act of Congress. 



As to the right of such a yacht to carry the American flag, this 

 Department concurs in the opinion expressed™ Article 288 of the 

 regulations prescribed by the State Department for the use of the 

 Consular Service of the United States, which is as follows •— 



" The privilege of carrying the American finer is under the regu- 

 lation or Congress, and the statutes have not made that privilege 

 practically available to any ships, except those duly rogistered or 

 enrolled at some Custom House." 



Very respectfully, 



H. J. French. 



Assistant Secretary. 



MEASUREMENT. 



Editor Forest aiul Stream :— 



'To my way of thinking, there is n 

 than can figure up a just table of alh 

 well expect them to figure exactly tl 

 the first place, we must have every c 

 stand that thi 

 ip I 



s man or body of men 

 je. You might just as 

 ight of construction. In 

 of a small yacht under- 

 st their yachts to their own liking, and 

 re they put it in the lirst place, that is, 

 lot .<liift from side to side Or end to end while under weign. This 

 done, every tub wlllsitou its own bottom. I then would pro- 

 pose to do away xvith our tables of allowance. Make your classes 

 of center-boards and keels, make them of sloops, schooners, 

 cutters, yawls and sharpies. Give a man to understand that if he 

 desires togo into the 2flft. class, his yacht, must not hoover that 

 limit; if into tho 38ft. class, not over 38ft„ deck line, and so on 

 until you arrive at the largest available yacht, even if It brings 

 bin two boats out for competition. 

 The judges have then not gottopo 



irk like 



-Pi. , 



i down-to 



over a stationery store or 

 1 shop : they will have to 



stand no censure about half inches. 



or split seconds, or the differ- 



ence of length. The boat first aero 



3s the line is the winner, if an 



anchor start, and also a winner if a 



tore than the time has elapsed 



between her and her rivals in a flyi 



ug start. 



As the table of allowance now is, 



two boats may be just: as long 



on deck, the same beam aud sai 



1 draft ; one's stern may rake 



more, and she would probably gel 1 



llowance on a few inohes. Two 



boats are in the same class. By xv 



aterline measurement one is 



20ft. on deck, lift, beam and2tft.xv 



ater line; the other is 26ft. on 



<hak, b hi. beam, Sift. Bin. xvaterlin 



e. The smallest boat actually 



allows the largest by water line 



measurement at present in 



We object altogether 

 set forth in these colur 

 play of allowing so ma 

 robs a race of its dlspla; 

 All of a class should start at < 

 ugh: 



from tbe gun. 



When men understand they can build so long, aud are re- 

 strictodonly to fixed ballast, their pocket-books and fanoy will de- 

 termine which class their ambition lies in, and we shall see a 

 more uniform size of vessels xvith more variety of rigs and 

 models. It will also determine whether a sloop is better than a 

 cutter, or cutters better than schooners, etc. "Every tub will 

 sail on ils own bottom." Never consent to put a shifting ballast 

 boat against one that keeps hers under the floor. Kkdge. 



Boston, March 5th. 



ly measurement by length forreasons 

 We also take exception to the child's 

 inutes to cross the starting line. It 

 eamanship and skillful maneuvering 

 and their times bo taken 

 ness about our racing as 

 ithout trying to rob the sport of all the enticements and 

 chances to wide-awake skippers. Placing a premium on sloth and 

 incapacity bv all sorts of allowances and faint-hearted commis- 

 seration rules xvith tubs and lubbers, should be done away with 

 wherever possible Yacht racing ought, to be graduated , out of 

 haymakers' leading strings. In relation to shifting ballast among 

 small boats, our correspondent has a clear head. 



NEWPORT "CATS." 



Editor Forest and Stream. :— 



A good many years since, further back than I sometimes find it 

 pleasant to look, I noticed at Newport, K. I., the finest fleet Of 

 small sailboats it, had ever been my luck to see. They xvere all of 

 them cat-rigged, xvith short booms and high, narrow-headed 

 sails ; were fine sea boats, sure in stays, and every one of them 

 was a keel boat. Their owners wore practical men, xvho gained a 

 living by taking out sailing parties, and they understood hand- 

 ling ilu-o- boats to perfection. I often talked with these men 

 about, center-boards, but it was no use; they considered their 

 boats perfect, and that the keel was what made them so. Now, 

 however, the visitor to Newport xvill find all this thing changed. 

 It is as difficult al the present day to find there a keel cat-boat as 

 it was twenty years ago to find a center-board. 



What has caused the change? Solve the riddle, mon ami, and 

 if you can't, pass it on to some of the cm ter fraternity, xvho, in- 

 stead of using their brains in improving what is good, are at- 

 tempting to Introduce something that has been thoroughly 

 proved an inferior article. After Messrs. Cutter &Co. havegix'en 

 up the couundrum, we can accommodate thorn with still another 



Qui Vive. 



We certainly take a very different viexv of a perfect boat 

 from what our correspondent seems to set up as his standard. The 

 Newport, cat-boats we consider without question the embodiment 

 of the very worst, elements a yacht can possess. They are ex- 

 ceedingly dangerous when fully rigged, very hard ou their helms, 

 excessively wet and uneasy, vary apt to miss stays in lumpy water, 

 cannot sail close on aceouu t of their g 1 eat hoist and narrow head, 

 permitting the gaff to tly broad off when the boom is trimmed fore 

 aud aft, and they are leewardly and very slow in rough water, to 

 such an extent that we boxed about an hour in one of them try- 

 ing to fetch a mark not an eighth of a mile to windward. They 

 yaw frightfully, and with holm hard across the quarter xvill fail 

 to answer till a favorable sea throws their snout again xvhere it 

 ought to have pointed right along. 



If xve desired deliberately to sot about designing a oraft com 

 biuing all the worst qualities known we should choose something- 

 like the SeWEoxtoal a.- our model. Make those vessels of less 

 beam, however, greater depth, add a keel and low ballast, less 

 hoist and more gall, and the leailt would show a boat which 



way and closer ou Hie wind. We think it high time that the 

 humiliating custom of taking our cue from smaokmen, clam-dig- 

 gers and the like gave place to a little more confidence in intelli- 

 gence and special training. Practice is very good in its way, but 

 practice salted with a little brains ought to go a good deal fur- 

 ther. 



11, is not difficult to assign a reason for the regrettable change 

 from keel to center-board in Newport. New York fashions there 

 rule ashore and they rulo afloat. When New York again takes to 

 ho keel the clam-diggers of Newport wiU follow fast enough' 



