4,74 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
(Jan. 8, 1885. 
LOADING FOR CLAY-PIGEONS.—I have used the shotgun about 
twenty years, and have always supposed I held ahead if I hit the bird 
or pigeon; but lam ready to be convinced if I am inerror. After 
‘trying both 12 and 10-gauge guns, varying from 744 to 10 pounds, I 
am convinced that a 10-gauge, 30in., full-echoked gun, weighing 9 to 12 
pounds, is best for the clays; but Ido not use “6 or 7 drams of pow- 
der” My load is 4 drams of powder aud 134 ounces shot No. 7. With 
this load I have made a score of 48 out of a possible 50 (an account of 
which appeared in Formst AND SrreAM of Aug. 7, 1884). With a 934- 
pound gun, I can?fire 50 or 100 shots without any unpleasant effect 
from the recoil, and the aim is steadier than with a light gun.—sS. §8. 
W. (Osborn Hollow, N. Y.). 
CARVER AT NEW HAVEN.—Next week Dr. Wm. F. Carver pro- 
poses to attempt the herculean feat of breaking with a rifle sixty 
thousand glass balls thrown in the air in six days. It will readily be 
seen what a tremendous effort will be required to accomplish this 
feat, as he willbe required to shoot ten thousand balls a day and to 
lift with his left arm several tons. The enormous recoil for this 
number of shots and the great amount of ammunition used are also 
‘worthy of consideration. As an evidence of the amount of ammuni- 
tion used by Carver in his contests, we may mention that the Merino 
Elastic Felt Wad Company have just shipped him asa first order 
for the year 36.864 wads. 
Hachting. 
THE BARNEGAT SNEAKBOX. 
4) ae various requirements of hunters, fishermen, surfmen, and 
others who dwell along the great Atlantic sea coast, have brought 
into existence a number of curious craft, some of local use only. 
while others have become popular in many places. The dory of the 
Eastern fishermen, the sharpie of the New Haven oystermen, the 
oyster skiffs used about Staten Island, the sneakbox of Barnegat Bay, 
the duck skiff of the Lower Delaware River, and the peculiar canoes 
of the oystermen of Chesapeake Bay are all examples of such craft. 
As arule, each is marked by its adaptibility for the purpose for which 
it was designed, and, while crude and unfinished in many respects, 
has some noteworthy points. The origin of the boat here illustrated, 
the sneak-box of Barnegat Bay, may be traced back easily to the 
“‘sinkboxes” or sinkboats, These were at first mere boxes sunk in 
the marsh and covered with a blind, from which the hunters shot at 
the flocks of ducks for which the bay is famous. The box was im- 
proved into a scow, or floating blind, and in course of time the boat 
shown in our illustration was evolved. In order to float in little water 
a fiat bottom was necessary, and asthe boat had often to be beached 
and dragged through the marsh, the end was well rounded up, until 
the bottcm was nearly the shape of a spoon. This form also proved 
€asy and buoyant in the reugh water often met with on the bay, and, 
coupled with a well-cambered deck. the little boats were found to be 
excellent for sailing and fishing, as well as for ducking, being fast, 
stiff and weatherly, At present they are used in many places besides 
the Jersey coast, and are general favorites with the duck hunter, the 
fisherman and the pleasure sailor. 
When used for hunting. they may be drawn up onshore, as a sneak 
pox, being covered with brush or sedge; or hidden in the same man- 
ner, they may be sculled elose to a flock of ducks. The stern is usu- 
ally provided with a rack to hold the decoys, of which forty or fifty 
are sometimes carried; therefore they are made wide and full aft. 
The centerboard is either of the usual pivoted type, or else what is 
ealleda “dagger” board, narrow and long, curved somewhat like a 
scimeter, and sliding in a narrow trunk, as a sword in its sheath” Of 
course, the board is not hinged in any way, but is slid into the trunk, 
projecting down and aft, and giving a good hold on the water. When 
not in use, ibis withdrawn entirely, and laid flat on the floor boards. 
The usual rig is a small sprit sail, and an oar is used for steering and 
also for sculling; but when used entirely for sailing, the boat is fitted 
with a rudder and tiller. Several of these boats, used in the vicinity 
of New York, are rigged witha balance lug the same as a canoe, 
which sailis much superior to the old rig. The boat shown in the 
drawing was built for pleasure sailing only, by J. Kilpatrick, of Bar- 
negat, and is larger than the size used for gunning. being 16X<5ft., 
while the latter are usually about 12x4ft. The cockpit is large 
enough for three or four persons, all sitting on the floor, as no thwarts 
are used; and below deck, and atthe sides of the well, is room for 
stores and cruising outfit. In cruising, a bed for two can easily be 
made up on the floor, the latter being nearly flat. 
The dimensions of this boat are: 
HCH OLIMNOVEL etl let eter chs reeetsn, ne eg Aaa hs F 
Length on waterline ; 
IS(ENGOE Pep aN TEN SY em ee ed a PO yA Roe Mee ee 
Beam at waterline 
Depth amidships 
Sheer, forward.. 
SIREN aC es ee ala tay RES AMAA AY ik RA aye i 
Growin hcl we wie cl, fet dnen ee ths 8in 
Mast from fore side of stem...................... 3ft. 
Centerb’d trunk, fore end, from fore side of stem, 3ft. 5in 
Centerb’d trunk,after end, from fore side of stem. 7ft. 11in 
Fore end of well, from fore side of stem ........ 6ft. 8in 
After end of well, from fore side of stem........ 13ft, 
AWARE Ota elles fa me en ie Ned Sere 3ft. 
Height of coaming above deck........ .. ... ...- 2in. 
BLEACTN OL MAMAS © os 5 otek tos lelewletatoe tas sls « 2ft. 
The keel is one piece of oak, 5in. wide amidships, and ilgin. deep, 
turned up atthe fore end. The slot for the centerboard is qin. 
and the board ins she latter being of oak, through bolted. The 
Wx 
d in 
3in. 
2in, 
2iu. 
iin. 
. Gin, 
. vin. 
. Sin. 
The sail is hoisted by a halliard, with a parrel on the yard to hold 
t in to the mast. Instead of the tack, as used in canoes, a line 
is fastened to the fore end of the boom, leading down to an eyebolt 
in the deck just abaft the mast, thus Pier enne the tack of the sail 
from falling forward, The sheet may be made fast to one quarter, 
leading through a block on the boom, and one on the other quarter, 
to hand, thus being out of the wr of the tiller. 
The Barnegat Bay boats usually have a canvas apron or screen 
forward, fastened to the deck, so as to keep off all spray. Being 
very stiff, the sneakbox is an excellent boat for young sailors, and 
also Aer pleasure sailing on the shoal bays that abound along our 
coasts, 
The prices given in another column are for the best boats built to 
order, but for ordinary hunting purposes a cheaper boat may be 
found at Barnegat, for about half the price there given. 
A VISIT TO A SNEAKBOX BUILDER. 
gf Paes builder of the best sneakboxes found in Ocean county, N.J.. 
is Capt. George Bogart, who has turned out, during the past 
twenty years, many successful specimens of this class of ducking 
boats. Capt. Bogart has been employed for eleyen years as captain 
of 4 life-saving crew, located on Long Beach, opposite Manahawken, 
Ocean county, N, J. This severe service results in rheumatism, and 
the pay is very small when the great risk to health and life is consid- 
ered. Capt. Bogart having left the life-saving service of the govern- 
ment, has built himself a shop one mile south of the village of Mana- 
hawkcn, and under the encouragement of the Single-Hand Cruising 
Club ot Ocean county, proposes to give his whole time to perfecting 
. Sin, = 
L.W.L 
= = = = 
