474 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Jah, 7, 1886. 



^ address all comviunications to the Forest and Stream Publish' 

 ing Co. 



RANGE AND GALLERY. 



BOSTON, Jan. 9.— The attendance at the range at Walnut Hill to- 



Rifle Association will be held at tlio Quincy House at 6 o'clock, and 

 the annual dinner will be served at 7:30 P. Ml Business of importance 

 is to be iransacted. The resul s of to dav's shoot were: 

 DcciQial Off-Hand 'Match. 



E F Riehanison, D 9 8 10 9 9 7 10 5 9 9- 87 



WHOlcT. T» 9 9 7 7 10 10 8 10 7 6— «3 



K Re'-rl, D 4 10 9 10 10 6 9 7 9 7-81 



J K Ii'rye, C 9 10 10 8 5 7 6 8 7 10-80 



.7 Again C 4 87 10 59977 8-7i 



AC Gallant, A ..,.7 7 5 10 5 7 10 7 10 5-73 



H Within <ton, C 7 10 5 V 5 4 9 9 4 4—65 



John Mulford, C 8 2 3876469 2—55 



H Newhall, A 5 4 8 4 6 3 3 4 7 6-50 



Military Match, Standard American Target. 



J Francis, B 8878799 10 9 9-S4 



J B Fellows, B 9 6 9 9 8 9 5 10 6 10-80 



A Duffer, B 7 8 8 7 8 8 9 10 9 6— SO 



F Carter. B ...7 9 4 9 6 5 5 5 7 5-62 



R Davis, B 773578537 7-57 



Rest Match. 



R Graham 10 10 10 10 10 10 9 10 10 10-99 



GRoberts ...10 9 9 10 10 10 10 9 10 10-97 



8 ■Wilder 10 9 10 9 10 10 lO 10 10 10-98 



N Washburn 10 8 9 9 10 9 10 10 9 10—94 



F Carter (mil.) 9 7 10 7 8 10 10 8 7 7—88 



CWHodgdon 8 10 10 6 9 9 10 4 8 7-81 



THE CHAMPION MILITARY SHOT.-MaJor Andrew S. Burt. 

 Eigbih Infantry, who has a national reputation as!a crack sho*^. and is 

 now stationed at Fort Bidwell, Cal., has made the best mdividual 

 score thus far reported dui-in.? this season. The records show that 

 he has made a perfect, score (100) at each of the 200, 500, 600 and 800- 



Lieiuenant. M. C. Wilkiuson, Third Infantry, who heiidedthe list of 

 sharpshooters with a percentasre of 93 32. 



MILITARY MAGAZINE ARMS.— Brigadier Genera] S. V. Benet, 

 Chief of Ordnance, has tabulated the company reports on the three 

 magazine arms issued to the army, and under' date of Dec. 15 trans- 

 raits them to the Secretary of War. In his note of transmitta.1 he sars: 

 "These guns— the Lee, Chaffee- Reece and Hotchkiss -were recom- 

 mended for trial in the order named;by a hoard of oEftcBrs convened in 

 1881 under authority of law, and were distributed to the Army for the 

 purpose by the Lieutenant General of the Army. The reports from 

 145 companies have been received, examined and tabulated. Com- 

 paring the three magazine guns with each other the reports are. for 

 the Lee, .55; Chaffee-Reece. 14; Hotchkiss, 26. As magazine guns, 

 therefore, toe reports'are largely in favor of the Lee. Comparing the 

 magazine guns with each other and wPh the SDringfield service rifle, 

 as single loa'^ers, the preference is for the Springfield, as follows: 

 For the Lee, 5: Chaffee- Reece, 0: Hotchkiss. 1; Springfield, 81. Com- 

 parinsrthe magazine guns and the Springfield for aU uses Che prefer- 

 ence is: For the Lee. 10; Chaffee-Reece, 3; Hotchkiss, 4, and the 

 Springfield, 40, being largely ia favor of the Springfield. After a 

 careful consideration of these reports I am satisfied that neither of 

 these magazine gucs should be adopted and substituted for the 

 trpricgfteld rifle as the arm for the service. I have been, and am, 

 an advocate for a magazine gun, but it would seem the part of wis- 

 dom to postpone for the present any further efforts toward the adop- 

 tion of a suitable magazine arm for" the service. The Springfield ritle 

 gives such general satisfaction to the Army that we can safely waft 

 a reasonable time for further developments of magazine systems." 



NEWARK, N. J., Jan. 1.— Rifle shooting in this city has suddenly 

 taken a drop. During 1884 there were seven organizations in the 

 field, and now only two that may be called permanent exist, namely, 

 the Frelinghuysen and Essex clubs. The Celluloid Association dis- 

 banded in February last and shortly after the Domestic Rod and Rifle 

 Club followed suit. The Washington, Plymouth and Western clubs 

 disbanded in 1884, the members joining the remaining associations in 

 the city. It has been extremely diiflcult to open a tournament, as 

 little mterest is manifested in gallery shooting, and not only tbiS; but 

 the majority of members— who are mostly mechanics and out of em- 

 ployment — find it difficult to retain their membership, as mone.y is 

 scarce. During the year 1884 tne Newark Rifle Association, wliiich 

 comprises all the clubs in the city, numbered 470 members. Since 

 that time it has dwindled down to about one third, and at a special 

 meeting of the Association it was unanimously voted that the clubs 

 discontinue their annual tournaments and confine all gallery shoot- 

 ing to their individual ranges; also, that tlie clubs entertain all chal- 

 lenges from outside associations. The Frehnghuysen Rifle Club, 

 organizad oa May 16, 1879, consequently is the oldest in the city. Tha 

 officers elected at the last annual meeting are: J. K. Walsh, Presi- 

 dent; John Eose, Vice-President; A. C. Neumann, Secretary and 

 Treasiirer; Rifle Inspector, 8. H. Shackelford; Delegates to the N. R. 

 A.— J. K. Walsh and A. C. Neumann. The Essex Rifle Club still con- 

 tinues at its range corner Lush and Bank, with ar present 47 mem- 

 bers. All communications to the Newark Rifle Association should be 

 addressed to A. C. Neuman, 203 Mulberry street. The Newark clubs 

 have shot only two matches outside since the defeat of the Zettlers. 

 viz., Essex, of Newark; Washington, of New York.— A, C. N. 



THE NEW Y^ORK STATE ARM.— Adjt.-Gen. John G. Farnsworth, 

 in bis annual report, made duritig the past week to the Governor, 

 speaks of the plan to supplant the present .50 caliber State model 

 arm with the Springfield, as follows: "Tae arms of the Guard are in 

 serviceable condition, but a change in the caliber of the Remington 

 rifle ia use to conform to that of the piece used by the United States 

 Army becomes more apparent each year, and the recommendation 

 of the Adjutant-General of the Army ia his annual report, that a 

 general act of Congress should be passed in the approaching session 

 providing for immediate exchange of all obsolete arms in the hands 

 of the mditia of the several Stages for improved Springfield rifles, 

 caliber .45, is a step in the right direction which 1 most heartily in- 

 dorse. A bill to carry out this recommendation has been inti'oduced 

 in Congress, and I would respectfully suggest that action be taken by 

 the Legislature to urge the Senators and Representatives from this 

 State to use their efforts to further its passage." 



SPRINGFIELD, MASS., Jan. 1.— The Rod and Gun Rifle Club had a 

 fair attendance at their shoot at Lake Lookout to-day. The Massa- 

 chusetts target was used and the scores made ware very good, con- 

 sidering tne unfavorabla wind which blew throughout the afternoon . 

 The scores: 



E T Stephens 10 10 11 9 11 12 10 9 10 12—105 



J Allen 11 11 11 9 11 9 12 11 9 10—104 



HKHindley 10 10 13 10 11 12 9 9 10 10-103 



J Town 9 12 8 7 8 10 8 11 12 6— 91 



ES Field 7 9 7 9 4 12 13 10 11 8— 88 



Sterling 12 7 9 10 10 3 6 9 6 5— 77 



JWKeyes 8 5 8 10 8 8 9 7 7 6- 76 



ZETTLEE RIFLE CLUB.— Deo. 29.— Regular Club shoot, ring tar- 

 get, possiole 120, gillery 100ft. long: M. L. Riggs 114, D. MiUer 111. 

 M. Dorrler 112, M. B. Eugel 114, A. Lob:^r 113, G. Zimmermana 111, 

 H. Holges 110, L. Flach 108, C. W. Karcher 100.— N. D. Ward, Sec. 



THE TRAP. 



Correspondents who favor us with club scores are particularly re - 

 guested to write on one side of the paper only. 



SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 20.— The habitues of Bird's Point were re- 

 inforced to-day by an influx of visitoi's, and the first match on the 

 het was contested by sportsmen from various States and foreign 

 countries. Mr. Grove, of Texas, took flrst, $40 ; W. L. Eyre took $35, 

 second money, and Mr. McAlpine $15 as third on the lisc. Birds were 

 good and strong on the wing, and some phenomenal shooting was the 

 result. The outcome of Che event was more or less a surprise to the 

 betting fraternity, who made Mr. McAlpine a hot favorite. Follow- 

 ing is the score: 



Grove llllllOlUll— 11 Philips 101101011101—8 



McAlpine l.UOlllOlilO- 9 Wilkins 101111001001-7 



jonei - olooiioioon- 6 Cdtv oooniiioiio— 7 



Eyro .111101110111-10 Parrott lllOOlOOini-8 



THE NEW JERSEY CHAMPION SHIP. -B.'S. Payne, of Jersey City, 

 holds the Ne\v Jersey State champion badge, h.aving won it at the 

 last tournament, Sept. 19, kdling all his birds, 15straignt. But by all 

 odds the best and most reliable wing-shot of the State is John L. 

 Brewer, commonly called Jack Brewer, of Hamna'ondtown, Atlantic 

 county.— One Who Knows. 



BOSTON, Dec. SO.— The pigeon shooters had possession of the range 

 to-day and with good weather conditions had a fln© day's sport. The 

 scores ran: 1. Five birds-Curtis flrst. 2. Five birds- Adams attd 

 Curtis first. 3. Five straightaway birds— Nichols first. 4. Novelty 

 Match— Curtis first. 5. Five hirds-Lovejoy and Adams flrst. 6. Five 

 birds-RobinsoD flrst. 7. Three pairs double— Snow first. 8. Five 

 birds— Cm-tis and Adams first. 9. Five bu-ds— Curtis and Loveioy 

 first. 10. Novelty match— Ciu-tis flrst. 11. Five straightaway birds- 

 Snow first. 12. Three pairs double— Robinson first. 13. Five birds— 

 Snow andLovejoy first. 14. Miss and out match— Curtis and Faulkner 

 divided. 15. Miss and outmatch— Curtis, Faulkner and Adams divided. 

 10. Three pairs doubles- Faulkner and Robinson. 17. Five birds- 

 Robinson first. 18. Five straightaways, 27vds.— Loveioy flrst. 19. 

 Five birds -Curtis first. 20. Five birds straightawav. 3ayds. -Nichols 

 first. 21. Team match, 5 birds from 5 traps— First tr-am : Loveioy 4, 

 Adams 4, Snow 2, Allen 4, Slocum 3, Francis 2; total 19. Secoud team- 

 Ciutis 4. Faulkner 4, Nichols 1, Robinson 4, Hart 8, Draper 1 : total 17. 



WELLINGTON, Mass., Jan. 2.— The flrst shoot of the Wellington 

 Gun Club for 1886 occurred to-day. The various events resulted as 

 follows: 1. Five piseons—StantoQ and Bancroft flrst. 2. Five black 

 birds— Bartlett. WUliams and Ci'osby first. 3. Five pigeons— .San- 

 born flrst. 4. Five blackbirds— Sanborn first. 5. Five pigeons— Olys 

 and Pond first. 6. Five blackbirds— Shumway, Swift and Bartlett 

 first. 7. Five blackbirds, straightawav— Olys first. 8. Three pair 

 pigeons— Snow, Shumway and Stanton' flrst, 9. Three pair black- 

 birds— Bartlett flrst. 10. Five pigeons— Bartlett and Parker first. 11 

 Five blackbirds— Olys, Stanton and Bartl.^tt flrst. 12, In the medal 

 match the ties were shot off, resulting in Evans taking tronhy No 1 

 Buffum No. 2 and Wilson No. 3. - v y fo. i, 



TORONTO, Dec. 30.— Tbe continuation of the pigeon tournament a* 

 D. Beldam's, Malvern, commenced yesterday mornmg, the first item 

 on the pro.graramo being the finish of the individual shoot, which 

 brought out the fourth squad. ThU squad included the marksmen 

 who did not shoot during the last day's meeting. Following is the 

 score, 15 birds each, 26rds. rise, Toronto Gun Club rules- 



J Jennings ... .001111100111101—10 Emo 001000 retired 



Hetberlngton.. 11 1001110111010-10 J Brown 1000011011 retired' 



J Stmson 0101110000 retu-ed. J Bell OOlOlllOlOllretir'd 



RR Wilson 00000 retired. D Beldam llOlllOOlOOllli-lO 



This concluded the Individual shoot. The first prize of $35 going to 

 J. Town-end. second, *25, to C. Small, who kUled aU his bird.«v two of 

 which unfortunately dropped dead out of bouads: third, SW, to J 

 Gould ; fourth and fifth were divided between J. Wilson and J Doug- 

 lass: the sixth and seventh prizes were divided . 



After lunch the team shoot commenced, it brought out represen- 

 tatives of four clubs. The Toronto Gun Club, No. 2 squad, killed IH 

 birds: Owl Gi-ni Club, No 2 squad, 15 bird.s; Toronto Gun Club, No 1 

 squad. 22 birds; and Owl Gun Club, No. 1 squad, 21 birds The Bing- 

 ham Gun Club retired after shooting at five birds each. The Toronto 

 Gun Club, No. 1, thus won the five gold medals, winning by one bird 



A mach has been made between J. Bell and J. Townsend for $100 a 

 side, at 50 pigeons each, the trial to he made on Jan. 29. A match 

 has also been arranged between J. Wilson and D. Beldam, for $20 a 

 side, at 10 double birds, to come off on the same date. 



CLUB &C0REH.—C07Tespondents viho favor us vnth scwes are 

 requested to send them in as soon as possible after the tnatches 

 described. We go to press Wednesdays; and it is necessary that 

 matter for publication should be in hand by Monday, or Tuesday 

 at the latest. 



NEWARK, N. ,1.— The wing shots hereabout are very busy just now 

 and there are many enjoyable little meets. On New Year's Day the 

 Norfolk Gun Club held a match on the South Orange road. The con- 

 ditions were 9 birds each, 25yds. rise, one ground trap. The scores 

 were: Meyei-s 9. Kearney 7, Weigand, Meisel and Oschwald each 6, 

 Doersbacher 2, and Maybuss 2. 



In the malcn of the Vailsburg Gun Club on the same day, H. Har- 

 tenstein was declared winner wilh a score of 8 out of 10 birds at 

 Slyds. rise. The other scores were: Reibold and C. Hartenstem each 

 7, Waag 6, McEvoy 3. 



On Jan. 2 A. J. Rust, of Philadelphia, and L. B. Campbell, of Little 

 SUver, N. J., shot a pigeon match at Erb's grounds for S;200, which 

 resulted in a victoiT for the Jerseyraan by three birds. The condi- 

 tions of the match were: Thirty-five birds each. 25 yards rise, one 

 barrel, find, trap and handle. James Van Brocket, of Matawan. was 

 referee, and f rank Klintze, of Philadelphia, and D. Applegate 

 judges. The attendance was the largest seen on a pigeon shooting 

 ground in many years. The score is as follows: 



Rust 10001110110111001101011111000111100-21 



Campbell 11011111111010010010111111110101001—24 



After the match a number of sweepstakes were shot off, which 

 were won by Mr. William Graham, of London, who has just come to 

 this country to answer any challenge. 



A CHALLENGE. -£;dttor Forest and ;Siream ; We the undersigned 

 would like to shoot a friendly match, at clay-pigeons, clay -birds, or 

 any other target, against any two young men under twenty-one years 

 of "age, in or near New York. Answer through Forest and Stream. 

 We are both under twenty-one years of age,— S. and L. 



LOGAN'S MARKS.MANSH1P.— General Logan is very fond of out 

 door sports. He is an admirable horseman and swordsman, and 

 knows how to handle a rifle. He is one of the best pistol-shots in the 

 country. He has the handsomest", dueling pistols in Washington. But 

 he is the last man to brag of his strength or skill. When dowfl at the 

 Hot Springs of Arkansas a few years ago trying to throw off a pe- 

 culiarly severe attack of rheumatism he astonished the pistol experts 

 of that pistoling coantry. On one occasion a dozen ot young men 

 were practicing from the piazza of the General's hotel at a bottle 

 laid on the broad crotch of a distant tree. The bottle was round. 

 Unless it was hit plumply in the middle it spun round and round like 

 a top. The young men were good shots, but now and then they would 

 miss the somewhat difQcult mirk. Then the invalid Senator would 

 chaff them. The voung men flually became irritated and asked the 

 General if he could improve upon their skill. After a httle more 

 chaffing the General said: -rfi tell you fellows what IJwUl do. There 

 are twelve of vou, but I'll promise you each a box of cigars every 

 time you hit the bottle if j ou'U promise me a box every time I hit it." 

 The boys accepted the proposition instantly. -'I'll shoot first, and, if 

 1 hit, I m to shoot again untn I miss." They had no objections, so 

 the General fired twelve consecutive shots, each time breaking a 

 different bottle, whfle the young men's eyes opened wider and wider. 

 "Do you want any more?" he asked, after the twelfth shot. "No," 

 said the young men, hastily, "I guess not." "You can send those 

 twelve boxes to my room whenever you 're ready, gentlemen," said the 

 General, as he lounged away. "Some day when I have more leisure 

 I'll give you an hour's instruction in target-shooting." But the boys 

 never he'ld him to his promise. They paid their bets, hoyevex, and 

 did their practicing when the General was not aroamL—Washinriton 

 Correspondence Chicago News. 



National Gun Association Tournaments.— Special Notice.— Mem- 

 bers desirous of organizing tournaments in their vicinity, under the 

 auspices of the Association, are requested to notify the under.signed. 

 All the expenses of the same will be paid by us. Make .your arrange- 

 ments for 1886. We propose to establish a circuit of tournaments 

 annually. Claim your dates now. General ofQce and headquarters, 

 Macou, Ga.— Matt R. Freeman, Vice-President and General Manager; 

 F. C. Ethfidge, Secretary, Macon, Ga. Send 10 cents for hand book 

 containing rules, constitution, etc. "Fairly started and its future 

 depends entirely upon the manner in which the sportsmen throughout 

 the country respond."— 0. M. Stark, AprU 18, 1885.— ^dv. 



PUBLISHER'S DEPARTMENT. 



Wm. S. Kimbali. & Co., the well-known proprietors of the Peerless 

 Tobacco Works, at Rochester, N. Y., have brought out a "straight 

 cut" cigarette which promises to win the popularity of the famous 

 and standard "Vanity Fair," known, tried and approved for so many 

 years. The Kimball "Old Gold" smoking tobacco is one of the 

 "choicest products ever put out by the Peerless Works, and its many 

 excellent qualities will be appreciated by every smoker of taste and 

 judgment who uses a pipe. 



It is Worth Binding.— Gorham, Me., Dec. 29 —Editor Forest and 

 Stream: I have been a subscriber of your paper since about 1878. I 

 find it one of the best papers of the dozen which I take regularly. 

 Having handled a. rifle, gun and rod since my sixth year, I have ap- 

 proached the sere and gray time when failing eyesight warns me 

 that my shooting days are most past. 1 still love to fish, and as well 

 as ever I much enjoy your clean sheet. No need to caution ray only 

 daughter not to open your regularly welcome pages.— McL. 



To BE healthy and happy people, we have got to take care of our 

 diet. What ne eats and what fie driaks should be ihe most important 

 subject of a man's consideration; for, if his digestion is in good con- 

 dition, his mirals are the same. In America, people are in such a 

 hurry to get their work done and their iiy)ney made that they ncRlect 

 their food, and when they have accumulated their fortunes ibe>y 

 haven't the health to enjoy them. They ha-ve kept up their working 

 powers on stimulants, tea or coffee, that nun the digestion and play 

 the mischief vith'the livw. instcaid oj! drinking Baker's sootalng and 

 wholesome Breakfast Opeoa, whlcfe digests .itself "whijle it BCjumhes 

 the body.— Adv. ■ • ■- • 



Address all communications to the Forest and Stream Publish- 

 ing Co, 



Secretaries of canoe clubs are requested to send to Forest and 

 Stream their addresses, with name, membership, signals, etc , of 

 their clubs, and also notices in advance of niectings and races, and 

 reports of the same. Canoeists and all interested in canoeing are 

 requested to forward to Fore.st and Stream their addresses, with 

 logs of cruises, naaps, and int'orraation concerning their local watere, 

 drawings or descriptions of boats and fittings, and all items relating 

 to the sport. 



THE SNEAKBOX FAMILY. 



I.— THE BARNEGAT SNEAKBOX. 



OF the many and various small craft found on the coast and inland 

 watercourses of the United States, none possesses a more 

 marked individuality or more peculiar features than the httle boat 

 commonly known as the Barnegat Sneakbos. Confined almost en- 

 tirely to the locality where it originated, the long, narrow stretch of 

 water cut off from the Atlantic by the low sand beaches of the east 

 coastof New Jersey, it is chiefly remarkable for its difference from 

 other American boats and its .special adaptability to the purpose for 

 which it IS buUt. The sneakbox was first brought ti geni^ral notice 

 by the cruise made in one, in 1876, from Pittsburgh, Pa., to the Gulf 

 of Mexico, by Mr. N. H. Bishop, and so well described by him in 

 "Four Months in a Sneakbox," published by Lee & Shepard, Bo!<ton. 

 At the time of Mr. Bishop's voyage but little cruising of this sort was 

 done; but the wide growth of canoeing and the work of the Ameri- 

 can Canoe Association, of which he was the founder, have since at- 

 tracted hundreds to this most fascinating sport, and has stimulated 

 the improvement and development of all varieties of smaU craft that 

 are suitable for cruising. Among the many craft of late appropi-iated 

 by the wandering cruiser, the sneakhox has come in for a fair share 

 of attention, and a great interest has been awakened in the hitherto 

 little known and insignificant boat. There are many who will prefer 

 a larger boat than a canoe, and there are many purposes for which 

 the latter is safer and more comfortable. To say that a canoe is 

 better than a sneakbox, or vice versa, ia absurd; the two have each 

 their special features which do not clash and which must be carefully 

 weighed before a choice is made between them. 



In this conueetion it is interesting to examine the reasons given by 

 Mr. Bi-!hop for hi^ change from a canoe to tha larger bo it, which 

 we quote by permission of Messrs. Lee & Shepard from "Four 

 Months in a Sneakbox." "The sneakbox offered ample stowage ca- 

 pacity, while canoes budt to bold one per.-<on were not large enough 

 to carry the amount of baggage necessary for a voyage. A Nautilus 

 or any improved type of canoe, would have been lighter and more 

 easily transported, and could have been paddled at a higher speed 

 with the same effort expended in rowing the heavier sneakbox, but 

 the canoe did not offer the peculiar advantages of comfort and free- 

 dom of bodily motion possessed by its unique feUow craft. Experi- 

 enced canoeists agree that a canoe of 14ft. in length, which weighs 

 only 701bs. if built of wood, bark, canvas or paper, when out of the 

 water, and resting upon the ground, or even when bedded on some 

 soft material, like grass or rushes, cannot support the sleeping 

 weight of the canoeist for many successive nights, without becoming 

 stiatned. Light indeed must be the weight and slender and elastic 

 the form of the man who can sleep maiiy niguts comfortably in a 

 70lb. canoe without injuring it. Cedar canoes, after being subjected 

 to such use for some time, generally become leaky; so to avoid this 

 disaster, the canoeist, when threatened with wet weather, is forced 

 to the disagreeable task of troubling some private householder for a 

 shelter, or run the risk of injuring his boat by packing himself away 

 in narrow^ coffin like quarters and dreaming that he is a sardine, 

 while his restless weight is every moment straining his delicate canoe, 

 and visions of future leaks arise to disturb his tranquillity. 



"The one great advantage possessed b.y a canoe is its lightness. 

 Canoeists dwell upon the importance of the light weight of their 

 canoes, and the ease with which they can be carried If the canoeist, 

 is to sleep in his delicate craft w hile making a long journey , she must 

 be made much heavier than the perfected models now in use in this 

 country , many of which are under 75 pounds weight. This additional 

 weight is at once fata] to speed, and becomes burdensome when tbe 

 canoeist is forced to carry his canoe upon his own shoulders over a 

 portage. A sneakbox built to carry one person weighs about three 

 times as much as a well-built cedar canoe." We quote Mr. Bishop's 

 comparison at full length, as the argument has been advanced bv 

 others against the cauoe. It must be considered, however, that his 

 canoe was a 28in. paper boat, and that all this was written ten years 

 ago. To-day it is possible to obtam a canoe of medium weight that 

 wiU give much more room for sleeping, a wide flat floor, and that 

 will stand unlimited use under a heavy man without leakage, while 

 the modern models have a stowage capacity equal to any require- 

 ments of one man. Mr. Bishop's route has since been traversed suc- 

 cessfully by a 15ft. canoe. The sneakbox, while heavier, offers more 

 room to move about, cook and .sleep than a narrow canoe, and where 

 sailing is the main object, especi-iUy in cold weather, and where land 

 carriage and housing are not considered, she is superior to the canoe. 



In this series of papers we shall describe first the ordinary sneak- 

 box of the Barnegat baymen, then a modification of this shooting 

 boat to the wants of the cruiser, named by its designer. Mr. Bi.shop, 

 the "Barnegat Cruiser," and lastly a still more advanced stage of the 

 development into a cruising and sailing boat built from designs 

 speciaUy prepared for the Forest and Stole-vm and which we propose 

 to test with a view to its further improvement and adaptation to the 

 wants of our readers. All cf these plans will be accompanied by 

 complete details and accurate tables of offsets, so that they may be 

 used by an.y one to build from. 



The sneakbox was originally a gunning boat, built and used for 

 ducking on Barnegat Bay, and its history has been thoroughly studied 

 by Mr. Bishop, and is given in his book as follows: 



"Captain Hazelton Seaman, of West Creek viUage, New Jersey, a 

 boat builder and an expert shooter of wildfowl, about the year 1836, 

 conceived the idea of constructing lor bis own use a loAv-decked boat 

 or gunning punt, In which, when its deck was covered with sedge, he 

 could secrete him.self from the wildfowl while gunning in Barnegat 

 and Little Egg Harbor bays. It was important that the boat should 

 be sufficiently light to enable a single sportsman to pull her from the 

 water on the low points of the bay shores. During the winter moatbs, 

 when the great marshes were at times incrusied with snow, and the 

 shallow creeks covered with ice. otistacles which must be crossed to 

 reach the open waters of the Sound, it would be necessary to use hei- 

 as a sled, lo effect which end a pair of light oaken strips were 

 screwed to the bottom of the sneakbox, when she could be easily 



Eushed by the gunner, and the transportation of the oara, sail, 

 lankets, "guns, ammimition, and provisions (all of which stowed 

 under the hatch and locked up as snugly as if m a strong 

 chest) became a very simple matter, While secreted in bis 

 boat, cn the watch for wildfowl, vrith his craft hidden by 

 a covering of grass or sedge, the gimner could approach within 

 shooting distance of a flock of unsuspicious ducks; and this being 

 done In a sneaking manner— though Mr. Seaman named the result of 

 his flrst effort the 'Devfl's Coftin'— the baymen gave her the soubri- 

 quet of 'Sneakbox.' and this name she has retained to the present. 

 Since Captain Seaman built his 'Devil's Coffin,' forty years ago, the 

 model has been improved by various builders until it is beheved that 

 it has almost attained perfection. The boat has no sheer, and alts 

 low in the water. This laok of sheer is supphed by a li»bt canvas 

 apron which is tacked to the deck, and presents, when stretched up- 

 ward by a stick two feet in length, a convex surface to a head sea. 

 The water which breaks upon the deck forward of the cockpit is 

 turned off at the sides of the boat in almost the same manner as a 

 snowplow clears a railroad track of snow. The apron also protects 

 the head and shoulders of the lo wer from cold head winds. The flr&t 

 sneakbox built by Captain Seaman had a piece of canvas stretched 

 upon an oaken h"oop. so fastened to the deck that when a head sea 

 struck the bow the hoop and canvas were forced upward so as to 

 throw the water off its sides, thu.s effectually preventing its ingress 

 into the hold of the craft. The improved apron originated with Mr. 

 John Crammer, Jr., a phort time after Captain Seaman built the flrst 

 sneakbox. The second sneakbox was consti-ucted by Mr. Crammer, 

 and afterward Mr. Samuel Perine, an old and much-respected bay- 

 man of Barnegat. built the third ouo." 



The accompanying de.sigti shows clearly the peculiar form of the 

 boat. The hues were taken by Mr. J. H. Kusbton from a 14ffc. boat 

 built by him. an enlargement of Mr. Bishop's original boat. This 

 form of the boat is the best for gunning and sporting and the usual 

 size is 12fC., the same as the Centennial Republic. The two scales 

 given are for 12 and 14ft., while the following tables of offsets are 

 for the same boats. In the first taole the 12f r. boat is reduced in 

 beam as well as in length, being 12£t. long and 43in. beam, instead of 

 I4ft.x60ui- If s larger boat is desired the offsets in the second table 

 may be used, but the statiocs will be spaced closer together, thus the 

 length, 12ft. orl44io., will bedividtdintoll parts, or 10 5-1 6in. nearly. 

 The lines of the bnac are bo peculiar that the stations are given at in- 

 tervals of Ift. <Jnly for greater accuracy ia laying off. In building, 

 the ^rst step will be toenlai'ge the lines cm IJie floor from the^tahle of 

 offsets s6le<jted, as described on page 21 of "Canoe and Boat Build- 

 iog." The stations or sections will be 1ft. apart, or for a bc^ut ISft.x 

 50in., as mentioned above, 10 5-16iu. It wfll be noticed that the frac- 

 tions given in the table are eighths of an inch, the denominator 6 

 being omitted.^ thus 1.9* sigiiifles l£t. Sin. and four-eighths or i^ia 



