©EG. 3, 1885.1 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



37a 



CANOEING TN FLORlT)A.-Boa,ting and cauoeine: have both 

 increased greatly fn Florida within a few .^ oars past as so many 

 sporfsmen. Taclitsinet), rain.'Gists and tourists. malit~ t.heir winter 

 t»eadquartpra (here. Most ol; tliG boars n-it'd an: Im i It m the North, 

 cspec-iailv tho. Oner gradt-, and the Iraile has iinw gl•ln^■u to such an 

 extent that Mr. J H. eashton has pstaliHshed e.u n(?ency m .hjclcson- 

 -ville, whfve a lo'^e stock of his canofS, rowboats and filtnigs will bo 

 on exbibition. The agency will be in charge of Dr. C. A. Neule, 

 whose ya' ied oxperience as a cruiser ha.s well fitted him for the posi- 

 tion. Persons ^omg: to Florida will lienceforih be able to secure their 

 outfit on the ground, and exactly fitted to their purpose. 



THE ASR0C1A.TT0N rAPER.- Soirve very handsome stationery 

 has lately been made up for C'oui. Bath bun, and at the request of 

 some members It has been placed on sale. The design, the A. C_. A. 

 pin. is stamped in red or red and gold, on fine linen paper The 

 prices are as tollows: Envelopes, stamped in red and gold, i.er 100. 

 $1.55; note i)apcr. .single sheets, in red and gold, per 1i)0, gl.^^j; note 

 papei-. double sheets, rsd and gold, per KW, $1.50; envelopes, stamped 

 in red only. perlOT. 75 cents; note paper, single, in reil only, per KKI, 

 cents; note paper, double, in red only, per 100, 1)5 cent s. Orders 

 may be sent to the editor of the J )Her?r.v;n(- C'onoc-w/, No, d TTnion 

 Square, New York. 



NEW YORK C. C.-This year the New York C. 0. will return to 

 their first home and will dine at the Hotel Hmigaria, on Union Siiuare, 

 on Dec. 12. All the early dinners of the club were held at the Hotel 

 Hungaria, the little back room of which is memorized in Canoeing in 

 Kanukia. It is expected that many of the older members of the club 

 will be present. 



KNICKERBOCKER C. C— The annual dinner of the Ivnickerbocker 

 C. 0. will take place at Morello's, No. 4 West Twenty ninth street, on 

 Dec. IC. 



Address all communications to the Forest and Stream Publifh- 

 inff Co. 



PURITAN VS. ARROW AND POCAHONTAS. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



Now that the excitement over the trial and Cup races has some- 

 what passed away, and the jubilation over and laudation of the per- 

 formances of Puritan have quieted down somewhat, and people can 

 look on those races with cooler heads and better judgment, it is well 

 to look back of these and see and study what has gone before, so 

 that we may be able to discover whether any real progress ha.s been 

 made, in the way of speed, in the new sloops Puritan and Priscilla. 

 The question then arises— are they really faster than nnything that 

 has gone before themf To judge from the public prints and individ- 

 ual opinions, it is quite certain that the masses take it for granted 

 that they are. simply because they do not know what has been done 

 before, or have failed to keep in niind the performances of former 

 boats. "Without doubt they are faster running with wind free, be- 

 cause of their greater size. They are so much larger than any sloop 

 that has been built before them, save the old Maria. But in windward 

 work, my answer to the above query is. emphatically, no. They are 

 not near so fast to v indward as some smaller boats that have been 

 built before theuj. In a blow they might overpower the smaller 

 boats, but in any such wind as the second and third trial races weie 

 made in they would have been easily beaten to windward by either 

 Arrow or Pocahontas, as the.y were rigged when first turned out, and 

 before they were crippled by being cut down and altered. 



Neither is it far to go to find the proof of what I say. No one can 

 know more of this matter than myself, because I was either in or 

 close by the Arr'ow and Pocahontas in all the races the.i ever had, 

 save one of the Arrow, and know whereof I speak. Now the way t 

 5jet at it is ju.st this: Gracie was in the three trial races with Purit m , 

 Priscilla and Bedouin, Arrow sailed six or seven races with Gracie, 

 from or ia New York Harbor, and Pocahontas sailed one. Now by 

 comparing the speed per hour to windward between Puritan and 

 Gracie, Arrow and Gracie. and Pocahontas and Grade, it \vili;be seen 

 chat Arrow beat Gracie double or more than Puritan did, and that 

 Pocahontas did the same in the one little brush she had with Gracie 

 when they could sail on anything like even terms. In the flrsc of the 

 trial raceis the wind blew so strong that the yachts housed their top- 

 masts, one side of the triangle being windward work. Although blow- 

 iog so strong, it will be seen that Puritan beat Gracie but little over 

 ten minutes per hour's sailing. Now take the second one of the trial 

 races. The second side of ihe tnangle was to windward, and by look- 

 ing 03 before at the time of Puritan and Gracie, it will be seen that 

 Puritan beat Oraeie but a trifle over four minutes per hour. Now 

 take the third one of the trial races. From the start to tee Southwest 

 Spit the wind was partially ahead, mostly on starboard tack, with a 

 few minutes on port tack. In this run, according to the record, Pur- 

 itan beat Gracie minutes and 44 seconds, or about 5 minutes and 53 

 seconds per I'our, that is supposing the two started together, which 

 they did not do, for Puritan started ahead, but how much FotiEST 

 AND Stream record does not show. Then on the run in during the 

 same race, from liightship to Spit buoy, the wind was par u ally 

 ahead, mostly on port tack, with a short starboard tack. In this 

 run Pii' itan beat Gracie but a little over two minutes per hour. 



Now let us compare this record with that of the Arrow. We will 

 take but two of her races, her other races about New York harbor 

 tieing but a countei-part of these. First we will take the race of Jime 

 '8. IhTS. I made an effort to get the official figures of this race from 

 the records of the New York Y, C, but failed to do so. In conse- 

 .quence 1 shall have to trust to memory, but cannot remember the 

 .elapsed time over any of Ihe courses. In this race Arrow was the 

 ilast to start, just saving herself from being handicapped, Fourteen 

 jachts started ahead of Arrow, and one, the Palmer, even with her, 

 yet she rounded Southwest Spit first boat, lightship third, and fin- 

 ished fourth, and all thewayfiee wind for Arrow, but for none of 

 the re*it. Gracie started CJ^min. ahead of Arrow, but Arrow rounded 

 tiie Spit buoy Imin. ahead of her, beating her l^min. in this run. 

 The run must have been made by Arrow in but little if any over an 

 hour, as the wind was very fresh, and Arrow made it in one straight 

 nm, save a tack to the westward of about a couple of hundred feet, 

 to get out from under a schooner that had gone about on her. It 

 may be proper here to speak of Arrow "s performances with the 

 schooners la ttiat race, as so much has been said of Puritan beating 

 the schooners. In the Herald, a short time ago. Idler's time in that 

 race was given as nearly or quite the quickest time ever made over 

 Hhe. course. If could not have been very much quicker than Arrow's. 

 T think there were but three schooners in ahead of Arrow— Palmer. 

 . Idler and another one. Palmer, as I said above, started side by side 

 with Arrow, and only got in 6>^min, ahead of her. In most of the 

 races sailed by Arrow she came in ahead of ail schooners as well as 

 sloops. All this Arrow did without the advantage of lead ballast. 

 Grade stuck her nose outside the Hook, then turned tail and came 

 back. Some idea of the strength of the wind in this race may be had 

 when three of the largest schooners became crippled, IMadeline 

 breaking off her mainmast head. Alarm carrying awa.y foretopmast. 

 Tidal Wave carrying away flying jibboom, etc. It is of the greatest 

 importance that the wind was so fresh in this race, because those 

 schooners were two or three times the size of the Arrow, and it .shows 

 what she could do with them in a blow. 



The other race between Arrow and Gracie that I shall speak of, 

 is the centennial race to Cape May Lightship and back. In 1«7G In 

 this race the wind was dead ahead all the way to Cape May, and gave 

 excelleijt chance for Arrow to show her speed to wind ward. In 

 this race Grace started Ti-imin. ahead, between 2 and 3 o'clock in the 

 afosruooD. and Airowpassed her in oOmin., which is umin, per hour 

 ■Tbisiche did with her board partly up, as we were making some e.v- 

 jperimepts with it. After passing Gracie we let Arrow go, and before 

 night Gracie was out of sight to leeward, with glasses. Being out of 

 sight of ,Gj-acie and her lights, we could not know where she was, so 

 as to keep to windward of Iier. Tliis induced us to hug the beach in 

 short stretches all night, hoping for the best. But at half-past 5 next 

 morning we sighted Gi-aeie just abreast of us, we judged, and some 

 live miles off shore, she havmg got some favorable wind off there 

 whtcih enabled her to get even with Arrow during the uighf. Here, 

 then, we staited even, and at 12 o'clock Arrow rounded the Light- 

 ship. At 3:12 o'clock Gracie had not yet rounded the Lightship, when 

 ?yelo=t sight of her. Here, then, Arrow beat Gracie 2hr,'. ISmins. (and 

 how much njore we do not linowj in ii}4 hours' saihng, which is beat- 

 jng her more ihau .30iuiu. per hour. Taking the records of the sec- 

 lond and thii d of the trial races and the two races mentioned between 

 Arrow and Gracie, the figures show that the most that Puritan beat 

 Gracie was about .5min. per bom-, while the least she beat her was but 

 atrifSeover ;2min. per hour; while Arrow's record shows that the 

 least she beat Oracle was not less than V,4m'w. per hour, while the 

 most she beat her was over 20min, per hour. Even in a blow and in 

 a hard sea, as in the first trial race, Puritan beat Gracie but little over 

 JOmin. per hour. 



PoGahontis and Gracie had but a short run together when on any- 

 tising like even terrns, and that was from the start at .Staple ton to 

 about hiK way to Southwest Spit. Both had carried awav their top- 

 masts, but Gracie rigged a jury topmast and got her topsail up when 

 about half way to spit buoy, while Pocahontas could not .set one. 

 Poeohontas was just making her course, but Gracie was not, when 

 jasthere the wind shifted more 10 westward, making both start sheet. 

 Pocahontas bad outfooted and oucwinded Gracie a long distance, but 

 f his shift of wind made her lose all she had made to windward of 



AN IMPROVED WINDLASS. 



Gracie, and had left only what she had outfooted her. Yet she 

 rounded Spit buoy 7}4 minutes ahead of Gracie, all made while the 

 wind was ahead, and in going half way to Spit buoy with one straight 

 run. Pocahontas did not appear to beat Gracie any after she had got 

 her topsail set, as Pocahontas had none. 



Now. as Puritan is about twice the size of Arrow, it is difficult to 

 see where the improvement in speed in Puritan comes in. From l;he 

 above record it is certain that Puritan would stand no chance with a 

 boat of her own size embodying the principles combined in the model, 

 rig, etc., of Arrow and Pocahontas, and great improvement might be 

 made in the speed of even these, as some things were.defective, par- 

 ticularly that of ballasting. D. Kirby, 



Rye, N. Y,. Nov, 30, im. 



[It is too late, at this date, to prove anything by the performance 

 nine vears since of a boat that has been so altered and improved as 

 Gracie has been in that time. What Arrow could do with Gracie as 

 she was in 1878, with 65ft, waterline, no lead ballast and a different 

 model, has nothing to do with Gracie after two alterations to her 

 hull, making her 71 feet long, the addition of lead ballast, and a 

 better suit of canvas than she has had in a long time, with many 

 minor improvements. Gracie has sailed better this year than she has 

 for two seasons, if not betier than ever before, and she has been well 

 handled in the trial races. In spite of it all, in the only real wind- 

 ward work, in a good breeze in which topmasts were lowered on the 

 latter part, she was badly beaten tiy Bedouin, and Puritan came in 

 45 minutes ahead at the end— not of the race, but of the wind wnrd 

 leg of twenty miles. There was a little sea, but not 

 enough to overpower the two smaller boats. The first 

 race was not triangular as Mr. Kirby states, but the second was, the 

 second leg, 13)4 miles, being to windward. As there was no wind on 

 this leg, and the boats almost drifted around, taking 8}^ hours to 

 cover 13 miles, it is a waste of time to argue from the times. The 

 third race was little better, as the windward work amounted to little 

 in distance, and still leirs in reality, in consequence of the hght wind. 

 If the Gracie of 1885 were the same as the Gracie that raced with 

 Arrovi' in 1876, and if Gi'acie had shown the equality with Puritan 

 which om* correspondent claims.it might prove something, buttne 

 Gracie of to day is not only a far bigger and better boat than the 

 Gracie that raced with Arrow, but her whole performance this 

 season with the two new boats, to say nothing of Gene,sta, show that 

 she is far behind her time allowance in racing with them, and it will 

 require a great amount of figuring to convince yachtsmen that4kher 

 Arrow or Pocahontas can sail with Puritan ] 



AN IMPROVED WINDLASS FOR FISHERMEN. 



UP to 185ti the mercantile marine of this country handled their 

 chains with a wooden "windlass with tlu'ee turns around it, 

 operated by a beam. The chain had to be overhauled forward of 

 thc,*vindlass before making port, and where the range was uncertain 

 or unknown a vessel was liable to go ashore before the matter could 

 be rectified. Wooden pumps were in use and a modern steei ing 

 wheel was a novelt.y. In 1856 James Emei'son brought out his iron 

 windlass, which revolutionized the old method, A vessel could 

 anchor with any range, with one or both anchors, without previous 

 arrangement, and one or both anchors could be taken at once. Mr. 

 .losepu P. Manton has since brought out many real improvements in 

 this line, such as iron side bitts, improved deck pipes, pump brake 

 windlasses, locking gear, taking anchor by direct steam windlasses, 

 also from donkey, etc., etc. 



To meet the requirements of the fishing fleet a windlass has been 

 designed expressly for them which is stronger than any wooden 

 windlass, and the anchor can be taken in one-half the time. The 

 drum for the rope cable, and wildcat for the chain, are independent 

 of each other. As the drum revolves and is easily controlled by a 

 friction band, the cable will la'^t much longer. In anchoring with 

 the chain, it is only required to shackle the chain to the anchor, and 

 the whole range is under control. 



Some of the adyantages that the new windlass possesses are, that 

 it can be unlocked when under strain, its operation is entirely noise- 

 less, there being no pawls; it is light, but strong, and has a large 

 range from speed to power, the change being quickly made. 



By its use the life of cables is largely increa,sied, a saving of some 

 moment when their cost is considered. Special forms are made for 

 steam or for using soft cored wire rope, 



SEAWANHAKA CORINTHIAN Y, C-The fifth and last suiuual 

 meeting of the Seawanhaka Corinthian Y, C. was held on Monday 

 night, at Delmonico's, with Com. Rogers in the chair. After the 

 minutes of the previous meeting were read and approved the hoard 

 of trustees made then- report, after which the secretary read a letter 

 to the club announcing the death of Mr. S, Nelson White, one of the 

 oldest and most popular member. On motion of Mr, Lee it was re- 

 solved that the commodore appoint a committee to prepare and pre- 

 sent to the family of Mr. White resolutions of condolence; and it was 

 also resolved that on Decoration Day next the fiags of the 

 fleet and club house be haif masted. A letter from Mr .1 

 Beavor Webb, m behalf of Sir Richard Sutton, thanking the club 

 for their hospitality, was then read. The secretary also read 

 the resignations of Messrs, F, W. Adee, R. T, Fai-nham 

 and Samuel Roosevelt, and also a letter from Mr, Charles H, Lelaud 

 aclaiowledgmg the resolution of thanks fi-om the club for his gift of 

 the Venture. The question of raising the dues of the club from $iry 

 to S.aO per year was then discussed informally. The finances ot the 

 club are now in a prosperous condition; but it is desired to extend the 

 facilities of the club, to hold more races and increase the mmiber of 

 prizes, for which purposes an increased income is required. Notice 

 was given that an amendment to this effect would be introduced at 

 the January meeting. Messrs. Lee, Cornell. Eidlitz and d Oremieulx 

 were appointed a committee under Mr, Lee's motion previously 



nassed. jifter which tlr^ ]>iefiHno' nrlTmimtirl ttir.#>i:i i,.r.i — 



A NEW YACHT CLUB.— On Nov •>?> a new yacht club was organ- 

 ized in Syracuse, N, Y., under the name of the Onondaga Y. C. The 



the Mienonette, as published in iheJPoBEST and Stream. She has 3,125 

 pounds ot lead on her keel, and is cutter rigged. The club promises 

 to have a large membership shortly, as there is quite a lively uiterest 

 in .yachting about Onondaga Lake, 



CRUISE OF THE COOT. 



Tt, 



AS the happy possessor of a boat, troubles immediately began. No 

 end of work stared me in the face. The Coot, as she was, rep- 

 resented only the raw material, which called for thorough renova- 

 tion, sucdry primary improvements, and a complete outfit for life 

 ou board and her proper navigation. With the demands of a pro- 

 longed voyage I was luckily familiar, and therefore enabled to pre- 

 pare a detailed list of work and suoplies in advance down to the 

 smallest article. So well did this list cover the needs of boat and 

 crew that upon departing scarce an item was found lacking. 



The yacht was hauled alongside the fine boat landing of the 

 Knickerbocker Y. C whose headquarters are at Port Morris, just 

 above the swirling tides of Hell Gate. An arrangement was made 

 with Jlr. John Coughtry, the local builder, to cover in the forward 

 half of the cockpit with a cabin of such height as to secure the most 

 headroom below without interfering with the free travel of the boom 

 as it usually swung. To this end the "roof" and supporting columns 

 of the South Bay su-nmer cabin were utilized. It is customary on 

 catboats hailing from the south side of Long Island to supplant a 

 regular cabin with a temporary shifting contrivance known as a sun 

 cabin. It is composed of a light top to match the shape of the foi'- 

 ward portion of the cockpit, and supported at the desi'-ed height by 

 three turned standards a side, and ore forward amidships. The top 

 is usually put together of j^m, matched pine, and covered -with stoue 



drilling or the lightest grades of cotton canvas tacked down about the 

 edges, a hardwood chafing batten being nailed round for protection 

 and finish. The canvas receives a good coat of paint, making a 

 watertight job, unaffected b.y shrinkage of the wood. The columns 

 are nsually of mahogany, "their squared heels being Joggel and 

 screwed on to the cockpit coaming, and their heads similarly secured 

 to a beam underneath the top. 



Sides and ends are left open, Uioiigh canvas curtains are frequently 

 supplied to make the inclosm-e complete during the night or to keep 

 out the sun. These curtains are hrailed up in short leather straps to 

 the top when not wanted. As to length the cabin will reach to after 

 end of centerboard trunk, the height being governed by the main- 

 boom. In a typical boat of the kind, S3f t. long on deck, the forward 

 end 13 18in. above deck level, and the after end 26m. It was with a 

 rig of this sort that the Coot came into my possession. To alter to a 

 standing cabin was simple enough. Matched pine boarding lin. 

 thick -was .set up all round, outside the coaming, on the bottom and 

 ihe^ frame band on top, being held to them by gilvanized boat nails 

 and finished off with a panel strip along the deck and roof. This 

 strip was %in. stuff, beaded and bsnt round the cabin in two lengths, 

 meeting forward amidships. To facilitate bending to tlie quirter 

 turns forward a few cross cuts were made half through the strips, 

 and to meet the increased width at top a lai-ge chafing ba cten was 

 sub- tituted, after giving the roof an additional covering of canvas, 

 lo avoid soaking up a useless amount of paint this canvas was 

 dampened with water before applying the brush, thus enabling the 

 P^iDt to run freely. Without this precaution double the quantitv 

 would hardly have sufficed, as it was, it required nearly a pint and a 

 Pierce's marine pigment for the Coot's top, applied in cold 

 weather. One pint might serve on a warm day. The area covered is 

 -Lights were cut in each side of the cabin for 8xt3in. double 

 thick glass, which was held in place on the outside by rabbetted 

 pieces forming a frame about the glass. A third light, 6x8, was out 



through ahead, and also one 6x8 in each of the doors. The latter 

 opened into the cockpit, being 22in. wide and 40in. high each, closing 

 on a vertical center jam 6in. wide, run from roof to cockpit floor 

 There was also a sill 6in. deep. The doors were not paneled, but of 



