462 



RECREA TION. 



other day met with a small black bear and 

 blew its head all to pieces with one of these 

 rilles. The man also got 3 mountain goats. 

 1 killed an eagle with a metal patched 

 bullet and scarcely turned a feather. 



Geo. G. Cantwell, Juneau, Alaska. 



At the 4th annual meeting of the Adiron- 

 dack Guides' Association, held at Saranac 

 lake, N. Y., in January last, the honorary 

 president, the Hon. Verplanck Colvin, of 

 Albany, appointed the following named 

 gentlemen, from the list of Associate Mem- 

 bers, as best representing the different em- 

 ployers of guides, as a Board of Honorary 

 Trustees for the year ending on the third 

 Wednesday in January, 1898. 



R. Babcock, P. O. Box 197, New York 

 City, 

 A. Nelson Cheney, Glens Falls, N. Y., 

 Verplanck Colvin, Albany, N. Y., 

 W. West Durant, 45 Broadway, New 

 York City, 

 Ulysses S. Grant, San Diego, Cal., 

 Dr. A. G. Gerster, 56 East 25th St., New 

 York City, 



R. H. Kissell, Morristown, N. J., 

 Senator G. R. Malby, Ogdensburgh, 

 N. Y., 

 Schuyler Merritt, Stamford, Conn., 

 Warner Miller, Herkimer, N. Y., 

 Col. A. G. Mills, 38 Park Row, New 

 York City, 



J. J. Broome, Room 29, 115 Broadway, 

 New York City, 



G. O. Shields, Editor Recreation, New 

 York City, 



Samuel J. Tilden, New Lebanon, N. Y., 

 W. C. Witherbee, Port Henry, N. Y., 

 Wm. R. Weed, Potsdam, N. Y. 

 The guides are doing excellent work in 

 the way of reporting violations of the game 

 and fish laws and in rebuking men who 

 would slaughter game or fish in order to 

 be able to boast of big bags. 



Belle Meade, N. J. 



Editor Recreation: Last fall I spent 3 

 months on the . Allegheny river, on a 

 Government survey, and we had a taste of 

 life in a " semi-roughing-it " manner. 



Our party of 6 men lived in a houseboat 

 16 ft. x 9 ft., known, locally, as a " Joe 

 boat." It was floated down stream by the 

 current. 



We were on the shores all of every clear 

 day, but in this boat we did our cooking, 

 eating, sleeping, and, on rainy days, our 

 office and draughting work. 



There are some very fine bass and pike 

 in the river, though for 50 miles below Oil 

 City, the waste from the oil refineries 

 covers the surface of the river and the 

 banks, and is having its effect in decreasing 

 the number of fish. This flood of oil should 

 be stopped. 



The scenery in the Allegheny valley is 

 charming, in autumn. At that season you 

 will find every possible tint on the foliage. 

 The hills are high and abrupt, at Oil City, 

 and gradually become lower and less 

 rugged as one follows down the river. 



The 3 natural divisions passed through 

 are instructive and interesting. First, at 

 the upper end, is the oil region as previ- 

 ously stated. Then begins the small 4 foot 

 vein of bituminous coal, first found at the 

 top of the hills. 



The strata of all this valley are nearly 

 horizontal, having a slight dip to the South; 

 so that this coal vein works down to within 

 30 feet of the river, in the next 40 miles, and 

 over-lapping this division commences the 

 last, viz., that of natural gas. 



One can also see the grip of the " trusts " 

 in their respective fields. The Standard 

 Oil Company's pipe lines are like a net- 

 work, and the Philadelphia and other gas 

 companies' pipe lines are almost as thick; 

 dictating the price and only market for the 

 producers. 



There are many boating and fishing 

 camps above Kittanning, that afford fresh 

 air and good sport, during the summer, and 

 during the fall the ruffed grouse can be 

 heard drumming, the squirrels clattering, 

 and the rabbits darting beneath the bushes 

 in goodly numbers. There are few ducks in 

 the coldest weather, and foxes a very few. 

 These thickly wooded hills have felt but 

 lightly the hand of civilization. 



On foot, carrying heavy instruments for 

 over 100 miles, along those banks of brush 

 and bowlder, gave us health and strength; 

 and the wildness, together with the mode 

 of living, proved that recreation, free from 

 civilization, could be had in the Eastern 

 State of Pennsylvania. Your magazine was 

 forwarded to me every month and made 

 life more enjoyable. C. N. 



" That was a lively hunt." said Murdock, 

 as we were discussing some of our old ex- 

 periences. It took place on Milk creek, 

 Yakima Co. Murdock and I had discov- 

 ered, the summer before, a small lake near 

 the head of this creek, which was full of 

 small brook trout, and which afforded us 

 a fine camp ground. Our fire was not 20 

 feet from the blue water of the little pool, 

 and it was a case of out of the water into 

 the frying pan when we caught a trout. 



At the time Murdock was speaking of 

 we were making for this lake, and when 

 about Y+ of a mile from it came out of a 

 black pine thicket into a swampy opening 

 in the timber. Near the other side, and in 

 full view were 3 bear, 2 large ones and a 

 cub. We were both off our horses in an 

 instant and making it hot for the bears. 



I fired first at the old female, which was 

 black, and Murdock took charge of the 



