396 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Dec. 10, 1885. 



GKNESTA IN AMEBICA.-Sec. Minton of the New York Y. C , has 

 lately received the fojlon int- letter from Mr. J. Beavor-Webb, which 

 speaks for itself: 18 Oonley Gardens, S. W., London. Nov. iS 1885. 

 — DEjiK Mb. Minton: Many thanks for yours of the 2d. I have Sir 

 Richard's and ?ir Wiiliara's authority for saying that such a report, 

 that -ive thought we had been slighted, received no attention, or 

 had been iTupolitely treated, is utterly false and absurd. One and all 

 of us were delightfd with the treatmtnt we received from the New 

 iork li.C. and the j^niericans. I don't think a«y of us saw more 

 than one copy of tlie Sphit of the Tiwen.yfhich I hear has been verv 

 had. It di.etiiictly bed as to Mr. Forbes's conversation with Tanis, as 

 18 prove d by Its rt port on Puritan; but all such win ing to us comes 

 under the head of "Karbape;" it breaks no bones, and so far as we 

 are concerned makes no enemies. I feel sure that the large majority 

 °S m*''"'^®"'"^" ^^'^t been written in the Spirit 



of the Times, and belitve that we. as sportsmen, went to America to 

 meet the American yachl^men and have a good tin e; which we 

 certamly had to our heart's content. We are deeply sensible of the 

 consicleration shown to t-ir Richard during his illness bv all American 

 j acblsmen. Youis veiy since rely, J. Beavor-Webb. 



ASEOEE ON G BE EC CK - For fcn.e t^me past the new British 

 stesmfr Waikna has teen in New Yojk fiitu g cut for a winter cruise 

 to Ite Westlrdies. All prepaiatiohs bang ccmpleted she dropped 

 doyn to Slaplelcn last T\tek, where her owners, Messrs. S. M. Cauld- 

 well ar:d A. T. Oaik, with tfce wife of thelattei-, joined her. On Sun- 

 oa.y last she get under way aiid ran down the Bay, but the wind was 

 60 heavy that they ran inside the Hook and anchored. In the after- 

 BCOD the wind shifltd to N.W., blowing a gale all night and causing 

 the :\ acht to diag her anchor and go ashore. Mr. and Mrs. C lark and 

 Mr. Cauldwell were taken cff by the crew of Life Savmg Station No.l. 

 The vessel lies easily and can be readily hauled off. 



IjTGWANA— Rear-Ccmrcodore fojinor, American Y. C, has sold 

 his stei m ytchl Utowena to Mr. E. V. lht.yer, of Boston. 



GFNESTA'S C UP.— The Erglish Custom authorities have levied a 

 duty of $£00 on the cops Genesta won here. 



FRANCISCO. -The schcouer Aggie has been purchaeed for 

 $6,000 by Captain White. 



Address all communications to the Forest and Sttvam JPublish- 

 ing Co.- 



AMERICAN CANOE ASSOCIATION. 



SECRFTARY-Dr. O. A. Neid€. Schuylervifle. N. Y. Candidates for 

 membership must loi ward their namep, with $3 for initiation fee 

 and first year's dues, to the secietary, who will pre.aent names to the 

 the executive committee. Money sheuld be sent by registered letter 

 or money order. 



N. Y. C, C. CHALLENGE CUP. 



LETTERS in answer to those accompanying the "Conditioiis"(pub- 

 bshed in our issue of Nov. 5) sent to the secretary of the Royal 

 C. C, Loudon, IngJand, ard Messrs, Tredwen atd Baden-Powell; 



11 Bt:okin»ham Street. » 

 LdncoN, W. C. 18th Nov., i«85. j 

 C. Bowyer Vaux, Mq., Sec. Keiv York C. C: 



J-jR— 1 laid ycnir letter of SOth Cctober before the committee of the 

 Royal C. C, ard am deshcd to thank you in their behalf for the very 

 getieious offer made by your eltib of a"u international challenge cup." 



My committee think that the modification of Condition 3 would be 

 advisable, as piobably two of our best canoeistn may both wish to 

 compete, and it would be rather an invidious tasJi to nominate either 

 of them the authoiize d representative. 



Could not the condition te altered to read '"An equal ntiniber of 

 canoes from each club to sail in any race";' 



1 have sent a copy of your letter to the b ield, which will be the best 

 method of ventilating the subject in this country, and will doubtless 

 diaw forth suggestions which may teof practical utility to the canoe- 

 ing community at home and abroad. 



T am, sir, very wiiiy yours, 



T. G. F. WiNSER, Sec. K. C. V: 



3 Paper Btttldi.vgs, Tkmplk. i 

 LoNDOS, E. C, Nov. 12, 1885. i 



C, Bwcyer Fau'.r, Ks(/.. iV. Y. C. C: 



Dear Mh. Vaux— 1 am very much obliged for the kind expressions 

 that you give me 'in your lettter of the 30th October. 1 have fixed 

 that nothing which I can move shall prevent me visiting New York, 

 and iheA. C, A.utst August and September. I had intended a 

 cruise of an estensive nature in my yacht, the Pear), ITS tons; but she 

 shall i-emam on her winter berth and I snail be tree. I think, to get 

 together some of our best men and come over witli our canoes. 



As to these canoes, you will see shortly in Forbst and Stream that 

 I am moving the Royal C. G. to adopt the A. C. A. rules, as 1 consider 

 they patronize the hest form of canoe for general work. Our rules 

 have in times gone by admitted canoes almost verging on the sailing 

 boat. To keep up a good front in racing many of tis have had to 

 build up to these rules, but not from choice. 



My new Nautilus of 1885 is a direct cast back toward the older rela- 

 tives. Nautilus and 4, and now I am working all I know to pass stdl 

 more restrictioup, so as to keep canoes as canoes. I am moving a 

 limit to sail area; a limit of (50 pounds for cenlerplates; a senior and 

 junior qualification on winning three first prizes, flags only to seniors 

 unless a private prize is attached to the race; a distinctive challenge 

 flag to accompany our challenge cup, with date of win or wins on it, 

 so that when a man hises the cup he still has the honor of showing 

 when and how often he held it: also, t propose to allow water ballast 

 in no-ballast or limited weight races. 



I am, with othern, objecting to those unsportsmanlike and uncruis- 

 able things, "side deck flaps." They ruin the boat and give an un- 

 fair advantage to the man who monkeys up to windward ; where 

 those who have fairly laid side decks have either to sit on deck or lie 

 below. However, they are not many in number, .so cau be stopped— 

 three only, I believe. 



1 shall be very much obliged If you will send me the New York C. C. 

 rulejj, when they are ready, for 1886. 



Now, a word as to conditions of the New York cup: 



As to No, 3— Suppose the R. C. C. and the (say) Clyde and (say) 

 Canada challenge? I suppose the first challenge will race, and it he 

 win, the second challenge then race him, etc., at same place and as 

 near as may be same time, or race him on his club's water? 



No, 8— The fourth month from challenge seems a difficulty, as you 

 may have a challenge from Caneda for .Tune, from the Clyde for Jiily, 

 from R. C. C. for August, etc. Is there not sonie fall regatta time 

 handy after A. C. A. meet, and allow challeDges to come in "at least 

 four months previously" 't 



No. 10— Surely if a man wins the cup he is entitled to keep it at home 

 {a Ui yacht club cups), his club being responsible to the N. Y. C. C. 

 for its safety, otherwise it would be stowed away at the clnb 

 bankers'. 



1 have every desire, of course, to race for your cup, but find a diffi- 

 culty under iNo. 8; as, for instance, if I challenge now the race must 

 be sailed in February ; or if I do not challenge now, somebody else— 

 say a novice— may rush in and chaJlengo at his own time, and thus 

 enc one out, supposing him to be authorized by his club. 



1 tor one should have no objection to race against a dozen, We 

 have to for the R. C. C. cup, which is fixed to a time and place, and 

 -challengers have to come there. 



Hovyevtr, these are realiy small matters, and all I hope is we may 

 have a fine breeze, a large entry, and sport will result undoubtedly. 

 So whatever may be settled as to details, I now foi-ward your letter to 

 our R. C. C- Secretary, T. G. F. Winser, Esq., 11 Buckingham street, 

 Strand. London, W. C, and at same time request him- to place my 

 name before the next meeting for nomination by the R. C. C. as its 

 authorized representative, the challenge to be sent in in such time as 

 may bring the date of race to September. My reason for this date is 

 that it. will be as much as I can do to get over in time for A. C. A, 

 meet; but after that time is more open. 



Of course this is all highly egotistical ; but if only one can go in I'm 

 not going to let any others ''cut me out at the buoy." 



With feindest wishes to the canoers of New York, very truly yours, 

 Warington Baden-Powei.t,, 



Ormsby Villa, Qbove Road, ( 

 KrNGsa'ON-ON-TiiAXEs, 17th November, lR85. ) 

 C. Bovyyer Vuvx, Secretary New York C: 

 DSAS £iB— I have the pleaj^uie to addiee^you with reference to the 



cf mn-ittee to night, and j our lelter in Forest Aud Stream of Nov. 5. 



First, I beg to (spiess my htaity (harks lor fhe cordial invitation 

 which your cJub has issued to English canoeists, and to assm-e you 

 of the gieat pleasure w hich tbc prospect of joining your meets nest 

 season affoiils me. Second, availing myself of Ihe suggestion that 

 the pioposed cor dil ions of contest for your challenge cup are subject 

 to suggestions for mcdiflcatie n, I vf nlure to suggest an aUe ration in 

 No. -3, to the < ffect that instead of limiting tlie contest to two canoes, 

 the contestants should be broited to an equal number of canoes from 

 the challenging and tl e challenge d club. I make this siigpeslion 

 because it appears pjotable that Mr. Baden-Powell will fee in Amer- 

 ica at the same time es myself, and if jcu can enter two American 

 canoes against us. neither of us will be under the paicful necessity 

 of spoiling the other 's spoit. If ycu do net comply wii h mv sugges- 

 ticn it will probably be necessai v ff.r us lo sail a series cl'iivatches 

 here, the winner receivirg the auil ciiiv ol bis club id (.lialieuge on 

 behalf of the Royal C. C, and the loser Leing debarred from the 

 competition. 



Trusting Ibat my suf gestion may meet with Ihe approval of jour 

 committee, and again lhatkirg your club for its kird consideration, 

 I am , dear sir, yours truly, E. P. Tredwen. 



Atamretirgof the N. Y. C. C. Cup Committee held Dec. S. tie 

 above Itttns weie read and diECUsstd, ard it was decided to modify 

 the condilicns oiigirally published, as follows: First, To accept a 

 challenge fiom but one club in a tea sen, the first one sending in a 

 challenge. Seccnd, To allow three men Irom the challerging club 

 to enter the laces; three men representing the challenged club to 

 sail against thim: the strne caLoes to compete in all the races: best 

 t wo cut cf thiee lo win the cup for either club for the \ear. Each 

 canoe winmrg to receive a flag as a token of such wiii. The club 

 winning to be responsible for the cup. TLere is no objection to a 

 member keeping it at home if allowed to by his club. 'J bird, Dates 

 to be mutually agreed upon for ihe races. It is perhaps imnecessary 

 to state that the course to te selected for the coming race will be one 

 in w hlch the New York members will have no advantage on account 

 of familiarity with tides ar.d currents. It will le on waters where 

 steamers and sailing craft cannot inteifere with the racers, and 

 where all the conditions of wind and water will be as fair to one as 

 another. 



Ihe revised conditions follow : 



1. The canoes competing must come within the limits defined by 

 the N. Y. C. C. rules. 



2. The cup is to be held as a perpetual challenge trophy. 



3. The ccmpetition is open to not more than three authorized rep- 

 resentatives cf any canoe club sailing under foreign colors, as many 

 canoes representing the N. Y, C. C. as come fiom the foreign club. 



4. Two victories I'o be necessary to either win cr hold the cup, the 

 same canoes competing in each. 



5. The races to be sailed on the waters cf the club holding the cup. 

 tj. Races sailed in the United States to be contested on New York 



Bay under the auspices of the N. Y. C. C. 



7. The distance sailed over in each race must not be less than eight 

 nor more than ten miles, and within a time limit of three hours. 



8. The races must te sailed at a time mutually agreed upon be- 

 tween the first club challengmg and the holdei-s of the cup; but one 

 series of laces to be sailed in any one year and between two clubs. 



9. The N. Y. C. C rules to govern the races; these are practically 

 identical with all cai^eing and yachting rules. 



10. The cup must in aU cases be heid by the club and not by its 

 leprcsenfative. Should the club holding the cup dissolve its oigani- 

 zation. the cup will then revert to the N. Y. C. C. 



CLASSIFICATION OF SAILING CANOES. 



DO THE present rules of the A . C. A. for the classification of sailing 

 canoes meet the requirements of the Asscciation. and are they 

 fair and just? The writer propounds this question for the purpose of 

 calling the attention of the members of the A. C. A. to the diversity 

 of dimensions of canoes that can be and are entered on even terms in 

 either sailing class of the A. C. A. under the present rules. 



The rule for Class A allows the entry of canoes 16ft.x26in. and 14ft. 

 x2*)in. in the same race. The rule for Class B allows the entry of 

 canoes 16ft.x;:iOin. and lift. -Avt.silK^xQ., and if the writer correctly inter- 

 prets the rule, it further admits irom the smallest canoe iu Class A to 

 a canoe 17ft.xi8!,^in. in the same race, and all on even terras. Yet 

 while the diversity of dimensions mentioned is allowed in hoth classes, 

 a canoe 16j4ft.x30J^in. is ruled out entirely. 



The Association rule requires that a canoe to compete in any of the 

 races of the .a.C. A. must be sharp at both ends, wiib iio counter 

 stern or transom, and must be capable of beine efficiently paddled by 

 one man. Then why rule out from the privilege of competing for a 

 prize and record in the sailing races of the A. C. A. any canoe that 

 meets the requirements of the Association'/ Canoeists differ in their 

 tastes, and dilTerent localities require different types of canoes. In 

 place of encouraging our canoeists to build racing canoes tu fit the 

 class rule, induce them to build canoes to suit their own tastes and the 

 requirements of the locality they reside in by adopting sailing rules 

 that will fairly classify any canoe within the requirements of the 

 Association that may be bi ought to the meet should the owner desire 

 to enter the sailing races. It is certainly unjust to debar any from 

 that privilege. 



The write r respeclfully submits to the members of the A. C. A. for 

 their consideration the lollowing rules for the classification of sailing 

 canoes of the A. C. A., believing that these rules will give a more 

 eqmtable classification than the present rules admit of: 



Class A. Divi.sion I.— Length, under 15ft. ; beam, not over a9in. 



Class A, Division 11.— Length, under 1.5ft.; beam, greater than ■Jstin. 

 and less than 'i'im. 



Cla>s B, Division I.— Length, not less than 15ft. nor greater than 

 16ft. 6in.; beam, one-sixth the length cr greater, but less than 88in. 



Class B, Division II.— Length, not less than 15ft. nor gi eater than 

 17ft.: beam, less than one-sixth the length. 



It will be teen fiom the above rules that no considerable variation 

 in letgth or I esim will exist in any of the divisicms; that every sail- 

 ing cance "ibat can be efficienily paddled by one man" is fairly 

 chissified ana can te entered in only one division. 



CI^ASS A. 



Length. 



tNirvana 



tDay Dream 

 tLady .Jane., 



tBertha 



i'Star 



J Beatrice,.,. 



tlrex 



•hGnuz 



tNereid 



tNettie 



Ft. In. 

 14 



14 6 

 14 6 



In. 



26 

 26 

 28 

 241 

 29 

 27% 



Length 



ilsabel.. 

 tThetis.. 

 IFreyja, 

 iSnaKC. 

 $Katrina 



Ft. In. 



13 11 



14 4 

 14 5 

 14 6 

 14 7 



In, 



30 

 31 



DmsioN I. 



Length. 



JSophronia. 



^Inertia 



t Lorelei .... 



tFht 



t Marion B.. 



JGrebe 



+ Aurora 



i Daisy 



JGertie 



JGuenn 



jGermame. . 



Ft. In. 



15 



15 



15 



15 



15 



15 



15 



16 3 

 15 S 

 15 2 

 15 C 



In. 

 .80 



80 

 80 

 30 



81 



31U 



30M 



303j 



31 



.81 



Lenf,i;>. 



tirene . , 



*Dido 



iCorinne 



iSeaBea... . 



*Zulu 



*AdaM. S... 



tVerena 



§Freak 



§Kate 



Ft. 

 15 

 15 

 15 

 15 

 16 

 16 

 16 

 It) 

 16 



In. 



2H 

 30 



29% 



26 



27 



30 



30 



30 



* Class A, 1884. t Class A. 1885. 



§ Class B, 1885. % Class B, 1885. 



Of the merit of these rules the reader may judge for himself from 

 the appended clas.siflcation, made up mostly from entries at the A. 

 C. A. meet of 1885. Those from the entries of the meet of 1884 were 

 selected to illustrate more plainly the improvement in classification. 



LoKG Shanks. 



[Like a motion to ad jou rn, a discussion of measurement rules is 

 always in oider, and the abtve suggestions offer an ingenious pliui. 

 Nearly all members of the A.C. A-, however, dispose of the matter 

 by an efflrmative ans wtr to "longshanks's" question, as there is now 

 iitle c ompjaint abou t the rub », They do meet the fuU reqtUrements 



of fhe Asscciation, they work perfectly in respect lo racirg, and tley 

 encourage the building of 1he two sizes of caroes test titled for gen- 

 eral cruising, and iLey have proved fair in prectice. The c onfusion 

 that once prevailed in consequence of a great diversity of sizes has 

 now entirely disappeared and each vear the boats are apr.roacbing 

 more nearly lo a standard size in each class, ISxSSand 15x30, w hich 

 sizes seem to be the best both for racing and eiuising. The only boat 

 disbarred in 1884 was one bm'lt with an exaggerated overhang which 

 increased her length over all and which Avas finally sawed off. This 

 year one or two boats were thrown into other classes by being over 

 or under the limit through the fault of the builder, hut no complaint 

 was made. The rules provide for the boats that are present and the 

 Association is ready to add new classes as soon as the necessity for 

 their formation is apparent. It has been proposed to add a C class 

 of larger br^ats, but none have yet been present at the meets or have 

 made any application for a class. The leading canoeists are well con- 

 tt ut with the dimensions which the rules, especially the average prizes, 

 encourage; the boats of odd sizes are buiit by amateurs, novices and 

 men who are not in the Association and care nothing for its 

 rules. It is true that a 16X26 and 14x26 canoe would be 

 admitted to the same class, but practlcaily the class has 

 been made up of boats 14x26 to 27in., the two 16lt. boats noted 

 above being open Canadian canoe.«, and in another year we 

 may expect to see Class A entries all 15ft.xS8in. No special virtue 

 rests in an inch of beam more or less in a canoe. A man can build a 

 S8in. boat that will be as good asa27in. or 29in. ; and, similarly, a 

 80ir.isno way inferic r to 29i^in. or 81in. ; .so it is not unfair to en- 

 courage, for the sake of simplicity, these two s'zes. A number of 

 considerations enter into the choice of dimensions under the present 

 rules, and they dictate two sizes of boat. If a man wishes to avail 

 himself of the full limit for saihng he can exceed these sizes, build- 

 ing, say, l.oft. x8]}tin ; but then he must pay in the paddUng, as his 

 boat will be wider than the majority. The object of the rules is not 

 to afford a race to every possible size of eanoe that may present 

 itself, hut to cEcourage the best possible boat of each class, and the 

 new Class A aud Class B boats are sufficient evidence of its succe.«.«f ul 

 working. It there are any owners of larges canoes, or any who con- 

 template building them, w^ho wish to race them at the meet, they 

 should apply to the Regatta Committee, and if enough entries are 

 found to warrant it, a class would no doubt be formed for them, as it 

 is the policy of the A. C. A . to encourage all legitimate cruising craft. 

 One objection to the plan is that it makes four sailing classes for the 

 same boats that the present rules place in two, thus lengthening the 

 programme unnecessarily, a point that is of much importance. We 

 need say nothing at present of the confusion that would ensue 

 from a change of the rules, as it is improbable that any will be made; 

 but we shall be glad to have the views of canoeists on the proposed 

 scheme.] 



WIDE OR NARROW CANOES? 



Editor Forest and Stream; 



In your issue of Nov. 26 Mr. Clapham comes to the front with several 

 statements concerning canoes which, as an old canoeist, I am in- 

 clined to question and to ask for the proof of. His statement that 

 many prominent conoeists have given up canoes for square-.stemed 

 boats infers that they have done so owing to the danger, unhandiness 

 and discomfort of the latter. Now, who are the prominent canoeists 

 ailltjdedio? Mr. Bishop, a canoeist, advocates the sneakbox for ex- 

 tended cruises on open waters, but he does not condemn the canoe 

 for its own purposes. "Seneca," also a canoeist, has lately taken to 

 the same boat, but his purpose is also peculiar; as he has no place to 

 bouse a canoe, he uses the boat for hunting purposes, and wishes to 

 carry two, while on his cruising ground there is no occasion to haul 

 the boat ashore or to transport he on land. Canoeing is the primary 

 school of yachting, and many of the canoeists of fifteen yeai-s since 

 now own larger craft; but that does not prove that they were not 

 satisfied with their canoes at one time. Boys atd young men go into 

 canoeing as the most available form of sailing, nearly all cf them 

 with the hope of some day owning a larger craft— probably in a few 

 years a 20 foot sloop or five-ton cutter, to be succeeded in time by a 

 large yacht; but this progression argues nothing against each boat in 

 its place. On the other hand, Dr. Neide first cruised in a rowboat 

 before discarding; it for a canoe; Mr. Nate Smith did the same, camp- 

 ing and cruising in 1880-1 in an excellent rowboat; Mr. Tyson went 

 down the Mississippi in a skiff several years before he owned a 

 canoe; "Surge," of the N.Y.C.C, is a reformed boat sailer, now an 

 ardent canoeist: Ex-Com. Alden and Mr. Morse first cruised in a row- 

 boat, and another of the older N.Y.C.C. men bSgan his cruising ten 

 years since in another, only to drop it for a canoe, still using the 

 latter. 



Why is the eanoe neither safe, bandy nor comfortable, can Mr. 

 Clapham tell usr Those who use her do not find her so, and they 

 should know. How has canoeing been debased, and what has been 

 the eif ect of the introduction of the modem eanoe y We have a large 

 and powerful organization working foi- the advancement of true 

 sailing aud cruising, a fine fleet of boats, a set of lailes and methods 

 of racing that put to shame the yacht clubs, and yet we are told that 

 w e are ''debasing" sport. Of course a large boat is less cranky, safer 

 and more comfortable than a small one; that goes without saying. 

 But such a boat would be utterly useless as far as two-thirds ot our 

 canoeists are concerned. Two features make the canoe specially 

 adaptable to a very large class; its adaptability and portabihty, and 

 in these two all the others, "Deja's" boat, the sneakbox and the 

 pronosed boat are lacking. The canoe can easily be paddled in 

 smooth or rough water by a boy of ordmary strength, and so is in- 

 dependent of wind and tide, while the motion is far less monotonous 

 and tiresome, though less effective than rowing. It can sail very 

 fast when properly rigged, and with care and' knowledge such as is 

 needed in any boat, it is safe for cruising. It affords ample accom- 

 modation for the crew, not such as a large yacht, but all that the 

 camper requires. It can be housed, handled on shore, transported 

 by rail, or in an emergency can be locked up and stowed in a garret, 

 a cellar or a barn, and it can accompany the canoeist on cars and 

 boat". These are the qualities that make it so valuable, and the ones 

 that are lacking in the sneakbox and its fellows. None of them can 

 be paddled or effleiently bandied on land by one man. 



Now for Mr. Clapham 's boat, it must be rowed and not paddled, it 

 may. perhaps, sail better, but it can not be handled, under oars and 

 in all ways, as a light canoe can; the capacity of our clubhouses 

 would have to be doubled to obtain storage room; it would be loo un- 

 wieldy to transport, as a canoe is carried, over three or four railways 

 in two days, and the cost of transportation would be uuicb greater. 

 One man could haul it out on a beach, Init it could not be handled as 

 a canoe is and must be, for instance, to run alongside a dock three 

 or four feet high, in the dark and a tideway, to jump out and haul 

 up the boat after one; or even the easier task of lifting on and off 

 the house racks, toting along a railway platform, or laimching alone 

 in a burr} . Would this light, buoyant boat, with no ballast, go to 

 windward in a sea, and with her larger area would she be safer than 

 a canoe? If what Mr. Clapham says about canoes is true, there must 

 be plenty of deluded canoeists who would welcome such a boat as he 

 promises. Let him then build her and show us what she can do that 

 cannot be done by a Class B Canoe. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



Now that Mr. Clapham has joined "Deja" in the great work of re- 

 forming canoeing, let ua have lines and figures from him, that we 

 may fairly compare his boat with the canoe. Cannot you publish . 

 the hues of Mr. Clapham's boat, if he has yet designed herf In the 

 meanwhile perhaps he will tell us how much she will cost, the weight 

 of empty hull and with full rig, whether the railroads will handle her 

 as they" now do canoes, whether she can run rapids, how lai-ge a 

 paddle* is lequired, what average speed can be obtained in a calm and 

 how many men it will take to handle her as a canoe is handled. 



A. C. A. 



Editor Forest and Stream: , , . .j. 



Although canoeing seems to be well established in this country, it 

 is evident that it has excited the jealou^4y, or some kindred spmit, of 

 owners or builders of cutters and sharjjies. We are now warned 

 that a degeneration to a "mongrel sport," and the only remedy ap- 

 parent to these self constituted advisers is the substitutei? so kindly 

 offered, fifst by an advocate of the cutter and now of the sloop. How 

 many canoeists will sell their canoes and invest in the safe aud com- 

 modious cutter, sailboat or sharpie cannot be knowm, nor is it a mat- 

 ter of much importance ; but a novice buying a canoe 15f t.x4f t. to 

 cruise down a river, to compete in the paddling races, or even to 

 paddle at all, might be sadly disappointed. 



A part.y of canoeists were starting for a cruise down one of our 

 rivers, the headwaters of which were distant some hundred miles 

 frcjm the departure, and it was therefore neeessai-y to ship the canoes 

 by rail to the place where the cruise was to commence. Among the 

 canoes was a boat 16ft. long by38in. beam, shai-p at both ends and 

 partially decked, a good enough boat in its way, but outside the limits 

 of classification of the American Canoe Association. This boat was 

 an endless source of trouble to the whole party. It was heavier and 

 difflcult to carry even for a short distance. It occupied more space 

 in the ear than the canoes, and owing to this fact, sufficient room 

 not being found in the baggage ear at a point where a transfer bad 

 to be made, the canoes did not arrive at their destination at the 

 proper time; so a day and a half was lost in a country town, which 

 was sufficiently disagrcable without the accompanying thoughts of 

 possible smash up and an absence of insurance. When started on 

 the cruise the double crew in the boat found it dlfiacult with their 

 single paddles to keep up with the canoes, and finally when one of 

 erew deserted and the captain wa« left to paddle his own canoe a 



