June 10, 1880. J 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



375 



GAME PROTECTION. 



WORK FOR THE NEW JERSEY ASSOCIATION. 



New YmtK, June 5th, 

 Editor Forest, and Stream :— 



Now that iiiir friends the Jorse.vmeii have their new WDQflCOOk 

 law, would it not lie well lor the authorities i 

 the enforcement of ualil lnw. In one of my fi 

 I ehtimeii thuttlio old l;i\v bad never heen enl 

 that overr Jerseyman, nr rather a pood manj 

 to shoot on their own kind. One of your eoi-i 

 himself "New Jersey," informed mo through 

 old State law mvint' each Jersey mini the r 

 land the whole year round had been repealBI 

 have been repealed j 

 the State of New. J err 



Last Monday (Decnmtlon Day) I happened to be in Passaic 

 County, N. J., and if you had heard the yams in the different 

 swamps, you would have thought bo. I had a long; talk with a 

 shooter, and be told mo that this new law was not only fl fraud' 

 but bad been gotten throurh the Legislature through misrepre- 

 sentations, and for the heneQt ofa few. He named to me a jrentle- 

 mau, one or the originators of this lien September law, who stUj 

 claims the right to shoot on his own ground. He says that he is 

 going to shonr nu his own land next Fourth of July, and in fact 

 he brags about it. The upshot of all tins is that twenty more men 

 claim the same right. They say lliat if Mr. So-atid-So can go out 



State to see to 

 i- letters to you 

 foreed-furthermore, 

 y. claimed I he righi 

 rrespondents, signing 

 h your [taper that tue 

 right to shoot on his 

 ?d in 1S71. It might 

 «U is not in force In 



themselves. They will go in a body, 

 would like to see anybody arrest I tern. 

 As Isaid in one of my former letters. 

 why puss new one? as long as the old n 

 pecially when the instigators of thoso i 

 to break the old ones 1 



hy they should not go 

 nd they say that they 



have old laws enough ; 

 s are not enforced, ee- 

 v laws are the first ones 

 W. 



GAME PROTECTION VS. TRAP SHOOTING. 



New Tome, June, Uh. 

 Editor Forest and Stream :- 



In my anxiety to hear and learn all about the proceedings of the 

 New York State Spoilsmen's Convention, I looked eagerly, butiu 

 vain, in your edition of yesterday. There must certainly be a 

 mistake somewhere, as your paper, speaking about the conven- 

 tion, gives only the scores of different pigeon matches. Could it 

 be possible that such a body of uteu, claiming to represent the 

 sportsmen of the State of New York, should have eouvened with- 

 out transacting any other business thau pigeon shooting? I ha 

 asked several of my Brooklyn friends, but all I could get out of 

 them was, "The Brooklyn hoys carried everything before the 



In the heat of a battle, amidst the roaring of the guns, the c 

 of agony of the wounded and dying, the. curses of the living, the 

 Sight of blood and gore will make human fiends out of tender 

 hearted men. Is it. possible that such has been the case with our 

 sportsmen at. the convention- that the blood of the thirteen thou- 

 sand innocents slaughtered at Seneea Fails turned their heads, 

 made them forget their duties aud lose sight of the objeotsin 

 view? No, it cannot be. I can hardly believe it. However, 

 should my presentiment more true, lei every sportsman in the 

 United States know it. At the same time, let. tliose gentlemen who 

 convened last week at Seneca Falls, and agreed to meet agaite 

 next year in Brooklyn, change the title of their convention. Let 

 it be called the New York Slate Pigeon Shooters' Convention, as 

 they have certainly no right to the title they met under lust 

 week. 



Some years ago pigeon shooting was indulged in for practice 

 to-day it has grown into an Infatuation. It is indulged info 

 gambling purposes and orgies. In some instances, it has brokei 

 up homes and families— has even taken the bread out of children': 

 mouths. It has made gamblers (nil. or steady men. Clubs that 

 have been gotten up for game protection have been turned into 

 gambling associations ; charters have been gotten under false 

 pretences, and then broken. And all this under the cloak aud 

 color of sportsmanship. Well might Mr. Bergh address to Ihose so- 

 called clubs Cicero's words to CaUline : " Usqinvine tandem 

 CatMna, abutere uati'id^ nogtrti,." 



A True Lover of the Spoirr. 



IS TRAP SHOOTING CRUEL? 



Editor Forest and Stream :— 



"En Oarde," in Forest and Stream" of May 2Tth, makeB 

 rather a decided misnomer of his pseudonym, for he is certainly 

 off his guard, and certainly leaves himself open in places more 

 than one to severe criticism. 



He was never more mistaken in his life, than when he laid the 

 inception of my article, in defense of the pigeon, to either no ex- 

 perience, or a luckless one at the trap. I confess to a limited expe- 

 rience, but not a luckless one. 1 have shot over traps longetiougl 

 to acquire a decent proficiency, and a strong disgust tor what I 

 fearlessly denounce as a. foolish, unmanly and cruel pra'diet 

 still hold trap shooting is rapidly reducing the pigeon supply, 



that its continual 

 tion. Yes, I look back 

 flocks visited us scmi-i 

 suggestion, it was not 

 densely wooded, but wi 

 third decade, that happ. 

 is a leztle. beforo my ti 

 its "half pint of shot. 

 iceable ltei 



attually result in absoli 

 with pleasure to the time when the g 

 innually, and, contrary to "En Gard 



thin the last ten years, for being stdl in 

 ■ epoch, when gameof all sorts was pie 

 me, while that smooth-bore musket, 1 

 and tour lingers of powder," merges into 

 ington twelve-bore. 

 "En Garde" thanks" Knowles" for taking up the cudgel 

 behalf of "the guild " (by " the guild," I presume he means i 

 noble order of trap-slioolers), and " snairtehedly " replying to : 

 letter. He also says he "' believes him to be one who would ne> 

 wantonly practice cruelty toward one of God's creatures." This 

 :.eps to the score and peppers 



5 ])l-!t 



i full of shot, ho 



of the i 



rdulges in i 



tst i 



uel aud r 



i kind 



nd the eighty yards 

 the gauntlet of til 

 ■ that not two per 

 get back to their 

 ded bodies, in spite 

 ipefor propagation. 



That twenty-nine per cent, that gets boy 

 boundary Is sadly reduced before it ruus 

 outside shooters, and I will von lure to a 

 cent, of the pigeons sprung from traps evei 

 tive pastures; aud, if they do, their lcad-I- 

 of their marvelous fecundity, will be in no a 



When the terrible not drops on a pigeon, 

 packing, slapping and confinement, his s 

 when for the first lime in weeks ho stretches In's pinions freely, and 

 darts away from the trap happy in hts new found liberty. " bang ! " 

 goes the unerring gun, and '■ dead bird ' is the only eulogy 

 spoken over his corse. 



Mr. Prank Beebe comes gallantly to the rescue, and in a few 

 short, terse remarks defends the pigeon. I thank him heartily f o 1 ' 



his substantial support, and am sure there are many, many more 

 f our way ol thinking. 



If trap shooting is not abolished voluntarily, it perforce soon 

 ill be, for the pigeon will become extinct, and then, and not till 

 ion, will " the problem " be solved and the glass ball become the 



standard. H. W. De L. 



%mt[t §xg m\d %m\. 



JUNE IS A CLOSE MONTH FOR GAME. 



—Address all communications to " Barest and Stream 

 Publishing Company, JVetu York." 



A few Firm. — Messrs. Schuyler &, Duane, importers 

 and dealers in guns and sporting goods, military arms 

 and ammunition, opened their new store, 189 Broadway, 

 on the 25th of May, wilh a stock of goods selected by Mr. 

 Schuyler during his recent trip in Europe. They handle 

 guns of all kinds and have no specialties, but soon expect 

 a fine assortment of Purdy guns, which will probably be 

 the most valuable of any ever seen in this country. The 

 store is quite large enough for a large business, and we 

 hope they niay have it. Mr. R. B. Schuyler was formerly 

 of the well-known firm of Schuyler, Hartley & Graham, 

 whose copartnership expired by limitation in January 

 last. He is well posted in the business, and with his 

 experience ought to meet with great success. His co- 

 partner, Mr. Duane, is an amateur in that line, but a 

 thorough financial man. Their advertisement will soon 

 appear in our columns. 



Fountain Gun Club.— The Fountain Gun Club, of 

 Brooklyn, celebrated its victories at Seneca Falls by a 

 banquet at their club rooms, 451 Flatbush avenue, last 

 Monday evening. The club team who were the winners 

 of the Dean Richmond Cup were the special guests of 

 the evening, and deservedly so, as they had done admira- 

 ble work at the traps. The dining-room was handsomely 

 decorated with the club colors of the Washington, Long 

 Island, Foresters, Nonpareil and Phoenix gun clubs, and 

 the Dean Richmond, Wadsworth aud R. V. Pierce prizes 

 — and the broom — were prominently displayed as evi- 

 dences of the club's prowess. Immediately back of the 

 President's chair was a crayon allegorical drawing repre- 

 sentmg Uarry Miller bestowing laurel wreaths on the. 

 club team— Messrs. M. G. Bayliss, Charles W. Wingert 

 and E. H. Madison, Surmounting the picture was the 

 legend : " The Fountain Gun Club Welcomes its Sons of 

 Guns — Bayliss, Wingert and Madison." President Abel 

 Crook presided at the dinner. ,He was surrounded by the 

 other officers of the club— Vice-President G. A. Ohappell, 

 Secretary C. H. Wingert, and Treasurer H. G. Miller. 

 On the right and left of the officers were Judge Calvin 

 E, Pratt, Robert Furey, T. C. Banks, G. F. Gilder-sleeve. 

 of the Long Island Shooting Club ; Henry Altenbrand, 

 President of the Washington Gun Club: Charles K. 

 Fiske, A. Eddy, John Hanley, John T. Slaine, W. H. 

 Hunter, Frank Chamberlain, Nathaniel Beggs, E. H. 

 Madison, M. G. Bayliss, William Cleaver, Dominiek 

 Byrne, Robert Sullivan, M. Bradv, George Helmstedt, 

 James White, G. B. Hazard, G. H. Badcam, J. C. Buck- 

 ley, Robert Wells, Samuel Norman, and other well- 

 known sportsmen. 



The menu was in Harry Miller's best style, and the club 

 members and guests in the best of spirits. Wit and mer- 

 riment ruled the hour. President Crook recounted the 

 recent successes of the club, and called attention to the 

 remarkable fact that the Fountain boys had brought 

 home the three principal prizes of the State Association. 

 Speeches were made by Judge Pratt, Mr. Furey, T. C. 

 Banks, of the Forest and Stream, Charles Fiske, Mr. 

 Geo. Ohappell, Mr. E. H. Madison, and others. 



—Mr. Henry Altenbrand, President of the Washington 

 Gun Club of Brooklyn, E. D., is a member of the Stand- 

 ing Committee of the New York State Association. 



Wakefield, Mass., May 2Sth.—At a meeting of the 

 Parker Sportsman's Club, held last evening, the fol- 

 lowing officers were elected : President, S. T. Parker : 

 Vice-President, W. J. Godfrey ; Secretary and Treasurer, 

 S. O. Richardson, Jr.; Executive Committee— F. H. Em- 

 erson, ~W, W. VVhitten, H. C. Lane ; Referee, M. W. 

 Board man. 



Texas State Spohtwman's Association.— The morn- 

 ing of May 17th found a goodly assembly of sportsmen 

 on the grounds of the Jack-stone Gun Club, of Dallas, 

 awaiting the opening shoot. Representatives from Deni- 

 80n, Denton, Texarkana, Houston, Wills Point, Galves- 

 ton, Fort Worth, Sherman and other clubs were on the 

 grounds in eager anticipation of the corning contests. 



The first day of the tournament opened up with a 

 sweepstakes. Five single birds at twenty-one yards rise. 

 Some very effective work was done, resulting in a tie be- 

 tween Messrs. J. Thompson and Barrode.ll, who finally di- 

 vided first money. 



Contest No. 2 ; ten birds, twenty-one yards rise. First 

 prize. §250 cash ; second prize, $150 ; third prize, $75 ; 

 fourth, $25. Mr. Lister took first money. 



The remaining eight contests, comprising sweepstakes 

 and team shoots, passed off very smoothly, the only un- 

 pleasant feature being the scarcity of pigeons, compelling 

 them to fall back on balls. Among the many excellent 

 shots, present at the tournament may be mentioned Mr, 

 J. H. Mason, of Houston, winner of the Webb Medal ; 

 Mr. P. B. Watson, of Houston, winner of the Knepfiy 

 Championship Medal, and Mr. Sam Finlev, of Dallas. 



The delegations to the convention met at Lively Hall 

 on the evening of the 19th and elected the following 

 officers to sir vr during the ensuing year: President, Gb 

 A. Foote. McKinney, Tex.: First Vice-President, C. C. 

 Pettit, Galveston; Second Vice-President, A. H Stuart 

 Galveston; Corresponding Secretary, II. M. Thompson, 

 Waco; Recording Secretary, M. W. Shaw, Galveston. 

 By vote it was decided that the next convention meet at 

 Galveston. L'Eclaike. 



A DISASTROUS EXPERIENCE WITH DITTMAR 

 POWDER. 



PliiL.uiKi.i'HlA, Miss.. May 13th. 

 Editor Forest and Stream :— 



Thinking that it will probably be the cause of some 

 brother sportsman shunning the breakers on Which I 

 have been wrecked, I give my experience with Dittmar 

 powder. I am a dentist by profession, and mv home is 

 Philadelphia, .Miss., although I have an ofrtee'in Louis- 

 ville, Miss., where I spend about half of mv time. 

 Whether in Philadelphia or Louisville u.y gun has al- 

 ways been an indispensable article : in fact, it has been 

 an inseparable companion during the whole of my life, 

 and often, when wearied with the confinement of my 

 office, I have found it a source of pleasure and recreation 

 to spend a few hours with my gun in the field, or at the 

 glass hall trap. I have looked forward with pleasure to 



all the late improvements in guns and ammunition, and 

 the many advertisements and recommendations which 

 1 bad seen of the Dittmar powder had made me anxious 

 to try il. and if it: proved to be what was claimed for it, 

 lo introduce it into our club. I ordered several canisters 

 of the Dittmar powder, and they were promptly expressed 

 on the 34th of March ; but, owing to some carelessness 

 of the express company, the goods were lost, and did not 

 reach Louisville until the 1st of May. 



One of the merchants of Louisville, having heard that 

 I had sent for a new kind of powder, wrote to New 

 York for some of the finest Dittmar powder that could 

 be had, and in a few days received several canisters. He 

 came to me and requested mo to give his powder a trial, 

 to see what it would do : but I at first refused to do so, 

 as he had very little instructions for usiug the powder. 

 I told him that! was afraid that his powder was not suit- 

 able for largo gauge shot guns, and that I had ordered 

 powder for shouting glass balls, and I preferred wailing 

 to see if there was a difference in the powder. He told 

 me that a small circular came with the powder, and that 

 the circular stated that the powder could be used in both 

 shot guns and rides, and the charge was the same amount 

 by measure as that of black powder, and that he ordered 

 the finest powder that could be procured. I went to my 

 spoiling papers and lookedup all the information Icould 

 find, and examined different advertisements of the Ditt- 

 mar Powder Company, but could lind nothing that led 

 mi! to believe that the" company put up different kinds of 

 powder for different guns. I examined the canisters that 

 contained the powder, but there was no instruction upon 

 them. The table on the face of the canister stated that 

 it was one of the brands of rifle powder (I do not re- 

 member which), and was marked FFF. I had often used 

 black FFF rifle powder in shot gunH, so I did not see 

 much to fear in this. I consented to try his powder for 

 him, but concluded to shoot one drachm less of the Ditt- 

 mar than my regular charge of black powder. 



My gun was a Parker eleven gauge and weighed eight 

 and a half pounds, and I had been shooting four drachma 

 Of black powder of all brands and all sizes of grain with 

 perfect satisfaction, sol concluded that it would be safe 

 to shoot three drachms, by measure, of Dittmar powder, 

 and loaded my shells accordingly. 



ilr. John Graham and myself went out to shoot them. 

 "Wo arranged our target, stepped the required forty yards, 

 and I fired one of the loads. When 1 touched the trigger 

 I felt as if I had been struck by lightning. The report 

 from tin? gun was deafening, and Hie jolt 1 received was 

 terrible. I saw the barrels of my gun separate as I waB 

 sighting down the rib. and the stock came back over my 

 right shoulder with Bitch force that it seemed as if it, 

 would tear my right arm oil' before I could relinquish my 

 hold on the grip or handle. I felt pain in my left hand, 

 and when I turned my attention to it I saw blood Bp out- 

 ing several feet from an artery, and my left thumb was 

 entirelv gone down to the lowest joint. The wound ex- 

 tended from where the forefinger joins the hand down 

 to the wrist, and from the center of the palm of the hand 

 to a point on the back of the hand, a little beyond a line 

 with the bone that connects the forefinger with the wrist, 

 making the wound ftdly three inches across, measured 

 from any point. 



1" was carried to town and my wound dressed, and sev- 

 eral parties were sent back to look up the missing thumb 

 aud the shattered gun. They soon returned, bringing 

 my thumb and accompanying flesh, aud reported that it 

 was found just forty yards from where I was standing 

 when I fired the gun. My gun was torn into fifty or 

 more pieces and badly scattered. The barrels were about 

 forty yards apart when found. The left-hand harrel (the 

 barrel that I shot) had a piece torn from the outside of 

 the butt of the barrels as high as the shell was chambered, 

 while the inside of the butt was turned back, but not torn 

 off. The right-hand barrel was bent like a bow and the 

 left-hand lock plate was turn to pieces like so much paste- 

 board. My gun was a tfiio Parker, with steel barrels. 



I have not written this through any prejudice I have 

 against the Dittmar powder, for I am satisfied that, if 

 rightly used, it is: a valuable invention, but I do wish to 

 warn others from doing as I have done in using FFF rifle 

 powder in largo gauge shot guns. Since my accident I 

 have received the Dittmar powder that I ordered from 

 Bogai'dus & Co., and with it all the necessary instruc- 

 tions for using the powder. 



I wish to bring one charge against the Dittmar Powder 

 Company, and that is they do not give the public, a suffi- 

 cient chance to become* acquainted with the various 

 grades of powder, In Forest and Stream can be found 

 the advertisement of the Dittmar Powder Company, but 

 nothing is said about the different grades. On the same 

 page we see the advertisements of Laflin & Rand, Du- 

 pont aud Hazard Powder Company, all describing the 

 different grades of their powder, aud telling the public 

 what tbev are used for. 



Before 1 fixed this charge of powder 1 sought informa- 

 tion concerning it, but could get none except the little 

 circular, which slated that the powder could be used in 

 both rifles and shotguns by using the same amount, by 

 measure, as of black powder. 1 used one drachm less, by 

 measure, than I used of black powder, and what was the 

 result r I have had many weeks of suffering : . lna confine- 

 ment, wilh a prospect of many more, f have been made 

 a cripple for life, I have been cut off from my profession 

 for at least this year, and perhaps forever, with no chance 

 of making a support. Besides these misfortunes, my gun, 

 the source of many a pleasure, is gone, and in my pres- 

 ent condition I cannot get another, at least until f am 



