334 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



LJ^OT. 18j 1886, 



COMMON SENSE GANGES. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



Last j-ear I innot'cintly i?nsi?estca that if Railing cmxoca were 

 buiit a trifle wider tlic navigators! oi; the Mosquito fleet mierhtgain 

 somei Lims: in (lie wa,\- of comfurf and i?.pccd as well as be'enaWed 

 to hamlle clieir craft i n a more sailm-likc, if less aerol .atie fashion. 

 It IS HOW a matter of eanoe Lusfory that mv hint was not. on the 

 whole, iim-.abl.v rcceaved; also it was infimnted (hat "I did not 

 tuow whai, ! was talking ahout, liad better attend the A, C. A. 

 meet a ail see tor myself, that my wide canoe could not be easily 

 and cheaply caiTied on the ears, or hauled oot of the water, oi- 

 paddled or sadcd speedilv."' or etc. 



Nnudiers and laleiU combined carried the dav and I was 

 Silenced though not con'. inced. Therefore, went qidetly to work, 

 b-uiltnvy wide canoe, nii ended the meet at Grmdstone, learned 

 mnch about the deli.eliis of canocinK, and, ^^ith vour permission, 

 Will now give a brief isocount of Iioav Hie wide, canoe theory worked 

 m practice. 



She is named Red ,Jacket, is Ifun , inng, trin. wide, sharp at both 

 ends, her bottom is ronmliiiK, lier sides flat like a siiarpie; she 

 weighs ISOlbs., and coi-ries a AveatJicr prip instead of eenterlioard 

 Her sail is triangular, with ;in area of Ix'Osq. ft., and while tliis is 

 only a small cruisinp rig- for her. 1 found that none of tlie other 

 canoes could outsail hei', ^vith all tiieir ad\ antages of racing ri!j:s 

 shot bags and other qucstionabk; maehinerv." Vvith rescard "to 

 comfort, would say t'lat ^vhile at the meet I slept aboard my boat 

 under a tent hung over the boom. Usually she was anchored at 

 msht, like a small yacht, but when the weather was rough I 

 pulled lier out on tlie landing stage, requiring no asaistance in do- 

 ing so. 



My kitchen, alcohol stove and pnntry, were contained in a tin 

 box wfiich .slioved entirely out of sight under the foi-e deck. Some 

 of nay meals were, cooked and eaten while Jacket had her sail up 

 and Avas lying to. 



As to the precLicted trouble about railroad Iransport.alion, I 

 found it to be, like all the bugaboo stories told me last vear by 

 those bad boys, an unmitigated >arn, Mv freight and 'passage 

 from New lork to lla.vton and return A\as .'!U2..5t), exactlv what 

 ■was paid by the narrow chaps, Kot ;i railroad man complained of 

 the size or weigh t of the canoe. 1 expended but $1.50 in "tips," and 

 my boat, tliough not packed or cased, arrived home again without 

 iniury. 



Red Jacket was easily propelled \vith a paddle whenever the 

 wind failed. 



As the general result of my experience, and on fair comparison 

 between n^- wide canoe anrl a hundred or so narrow ones, I have 

 come to the conclusion that a preference for any sailing canoe of 

 less beam tlian 36 to fOin. is the extreme of inexperience, or else of 

 a foolish desire to follow the fHsliion as set bv a baker's dozen of 

 smart racing gentlemen \\ ho smile as they realize that thev will 

 continue to capture all the regatta honors just as long as the sail- 

 ing canoe's beam is kept M-itbin its present dangerous and uncom- 

 fortable limits. No one can honestly deny that the American sail- 

 ing canoe of to-day has, as a racer, degenerated into a far more 

 questionable machine than either the extremeh^ narrow cutter or 

 tlie sandbag skimming dish, WDl some one speak out Ibr areform? 



EosLYJS, L. 1., Nov. 1. Thomas Clapham. 



PADDLE AND CURRENT. 



THXRD PAPER. 



HERETOFORE our observations had been confined principally 

 to inanimate objects, but we vi ere nov,- favored with abund- 

 ant opportunities for the study of human nature, and that too of a 

 kind very open to iiu-esi igation. The canal was quite ua.rrow, 

 haAing only single locks; and we found a string of closely packed 

 boats nearly a mile long -waiting for upward bound scows to be let 

 through the lock. Here were both sexes and all ages engaged in 

 every kind of amusement and domestic occupation, everything 

 being exposed to view. Some were washing and Irangihg up 

 clothes, others were occupied in cooking or eating supper, a group 

 -would be listening to a violin player oi- story teller, a mother 

 mio;ht be seen api.ilying the slipper to a squalling youngster, a 

 social few here and there wei-e absorbed in the charms of a well- 

 thumbed pack. A Kew York elevated railroad was not to be com- 

 pared with this foi- iianoramie etfects. .\ttacbed to all was an 

 element of novelty : City sights \N ith the background and .sur- 

 roundings of the most primiti-ze country-. Naturally enough our 

 vis made quite a eommolion. The canal tramp is not wliolly 

 different from other ti-amps, being not in the least s1o\a- to express 

 his thoughts in courteous and polished phrases. This remark, 

 "Come quick 1 Look at the nudes in a racing boat," very much 

 amused us ; for we felt that in the condition induced bv two weeks 

 of roughing it the appellation of dudes was hardly justified. We 

 at first very strictly minded our own business, pretending to notice 

 neither our enforced aoquaintauces nor their salutations; this, 

 however, meeting Mdrh such pooi' success we at hist hit npon the 

 plan of parrying words w ith every one, provoking, if possible, a 

 good-natured laugh. 



Carrying around the first lock, we found the next level clear of 

 boats, thus givdng us an opportunity to enjoy the scenery. It 

 seems strange to talk about the scenery of a canal ; but if the ditch 

 and towpath are usually suggestive of uninspiring tilings, there 

 was a-n exception here. Although the hills had all along been 

 aggressively prominent, menacing each other across the river, at 

 Lackawaxen belov.^ to Port .lervis they ti-y so strenuously to come 

 together that were it not for the river wedging them apart, there 

 would be no valley. The elevations here rise into mountains Avith, 

 in many places, an almost perpendicular river-faeing of bare rock. 



The naturally precipitous character of lliese mountains is iu- 

 creased by artificial means. On the west bank, about two hundred 

 feet above the river's bed runs a railroad; on tlie east bank, at 

 about the same ]e\el, is the canal. The fiioting for i)otli these 

 high^A ays had to be hewn, in large part, from the solid rock. In 

 traveling along the canal we could look down into the valley, if 

 the narrow opening between the hills cimid so be called, the river 

 fretting itself in its contracted bounds, the begi]ining of the Penn- 

 sylvariia. wilderness before us; ^vhile on the other side, high shelv- 

 ing cliffs and steep cuts of earth and stone shutting out all but 

 immediate view, and occasionally giving place to long stretches of 

 virgin forest, the trees in many instances reacuing far out over 

 the water, affording grateful shade. Heavily laden bushes of 

 ben-ies within arm's length tempting the canoeist, and here and 

 there streams issuing out of the cool woods and dashing down 

 some steep decline, made the journey very en.ioyable. 



Progressing thus, the lock tenders letting us through all the 

 locks, we found the .sunlight leaxdng the motuvtains. and tlie ap- 

 proach of night with no place to sleep, before us. The cooling air, 

 a smootli course, a light day's work, coupled with tlie knoAvledge 

 that if it pleasant it would not be safe to camp near the tow 

 path combined in urging us forward. At 6 o'clock the locks on 

 tie D. &■ H. canal i-lose, and we were thereby put to the necessity 

 of numerous portages. As a crowd generally collect ed about us 

 ■whenever we stopxjed (not. always composed of the most reputable 

 citizens), and as we could not carry the canoe and its contents at 

 one time, we were sometimes in a dilemma about the liest way to 

 make the traiispoi't. We Avould either take turns in carrying tlie 

 outlit, one of us aU the time staying vsath the boat, or preferably 

 induce a bystander to give us a lift. Assistance was sometimes 

 secured by the olfer of a cigar or money, but most frequently 

 among the crowd of idle mule drivers the intimation tlia t a help- 

 ing hand was desired was sufficient. We would turn their in- 

 quisitiveiiess to account. After answering a long catalogue of 

 questions concerning I he canoe Ave would reply to the one, "Hoav 

 heavy is that l3oaf/" liy remarking, "Oh, the canoe itself weighs 

 only about .jClbs., but we haA-e so much luggage aboard that it is 

 almost rnoi't-, i ban two can carry.'' 



The rejoinder Avonld be, "Do you want some lielp'? We'll help 

 you," and so\ cral braAvny men snatching up the Avholc concern 

 would take it around the lock before Ave could interpose a, Avord. 

 Witli long SAvinging strokes, SAveeping past hills, tields and liridges, 

 watching the color fade from the sky, noting the lights in the 

 farm houses to one by one go out and the number of peoidc at eacli 

 SUCCcssiA'e lock to lessen, we anxiously bethought oursefvi^s of the 

 necessity of soon securing shelter. 



We had been informed of a "hotel" at Pond Eddy. .This place Avas 

 reached at 11 o'clock, and the hotel, Avliich A\ as on the tOAvpath, 

 was found to consist almost exclusively of a bar. This bar was 

 very abundantly occupied by a couple of inebriated gentlemen, 

 Avho upon being' addressed, evinced strong inclination to meet us 

 on the held of war. Again launching out into the darkness, avc in- 

 quired if there Avas no other place at which we could stop. Being 

 assured in the negative, Ave conciliated the belligerents and secured 

 rooms. After an exhaiustive examination of tiie beds, in spite of 

 our filthy sm-roundings, Ave soon fell asleep. 



As we AX-erit forward we fi'eqnently had occasion to congratulate 

 ourselves tliat atc AA-ere not on the river. In many places by pad- 

 dling clo,_-e to [he bank wc could see far beloAv the DehiAA-are, very 

 shallow and \ery rough. Again wlieu hidden from sight the sullen 

 clamor of the boisterous water, reinforced by the echoes of the 

 ■cliffs, would be wafted up to our appreciative ' ears. But A\itliout 

 looking away from the ditch avc found much that Avas interesting. 

 The boatmen that we met the night before had started long before 

 we Avere up, and noAv as we overtook and passed them most all 

 offered a friendly word of recognition or inquiry. 



Sometimes, hoAvever, by the following circumstance tieir good 



nature was sadly tried. 

 All the boats Avore draAA^n by mules. The animals were pro-vdded 



Avith blinders, pre-venting them from seeing the canoe until it was 

 du'ectly ojiposite. As soon as our craft came in range they Avould 

 cock their ears and come to a dead halt. Their eves would follow 

 us in mute surprise, and shoAAdng all the too utterly independent 

 traits 01 mind that characterize the species, in spite of the horri- 

 ble volleys of profa.nity that Avci-e fired from the boat, and in spite 

 of the clubbing of the driver there Avas "no go" tiU we Avere out of 

 sight. 



A fcAV miles above Port Jcrvis a, large creek of beautifully clear 

 •jvater dashes out of the woods, flows under the canal aqueduct and 

 .loins the DehuA'are. Below this iioiut the valley, narroAidng, 

 makes a sharp curve, suddenly broadens out in a plain some five 

 miles Aride, and thus gives footing for the toAAoi. The disastrous 

 spring floods Avhieh occur at I'ort .lerA ia are by this configuration 

 tuUy e.xplained. The ice lianks up in the confined elboAv, and 

 wh,<;n finally forced out by the aecumnhitcd AVator an inundation 

 18 iho result. Arriving in the toAA'ii about the middle of the day 

 AVC found that the canal had insensibly been edging away, being 

 noAv nearly a mile from the riA'er. (lonsuming much time in mak- 

 ing purcliases and tinding a truck, it Avas not till an hour before 

 simdown that the Delaware was reached. As -we passed through 

 the streets I lie gamins joined in our Avake, and as soon as it Avas 

 discovered that avc were going to launch, SAvarms of half-naked 

 youngsters of both sexes folloAved our wagon across the shoal. 

 Considerable As ading being necessary to reach deep water, the 

 children, crowding around on all sides, waded with us. It AA'as 

 Avith the u tmost difliculty that we prevented them from running 

 off with our property or kept them out of the canoe. Darkness 

 soon compelling us to la^' by, Ave pitched our tent at the head of a 

 rapid about two miles beloAA"- Port JerAds. 



A broad fertile valley with rolling surface, vegetation, Avoods 

 and fields as fresh and clean as a park, replaced the wild scenerv^ 

 tha t we bad begun to look upon as the natural euAdronment of the 

 Delaware. The riA cr, too, as Ave here found it, seemed to have 

 grown from childhood to manhood. No longer d-.d it fret in im- 

 potency; but in the freedom of its poAver moved majestically in 

 the levels and roared defiantly in the i-atiids. The ru.^slies that Ave 

 noAV encountered would haA^c gi\'en a. iJcrmanent setlvaek to an 

 amateur, especially to rme who could not swim. They Averemuch 

 longer, some of them extending nearly a mile, making the breadth 

 and A'olume of the rix-er three times as great, since the accession 

 of the creeks and the KeA'ersink Pii\ er -at Port .JerAds, Ave had 

 much rougher Avater than heretofore experienced, and were 

 obliged to keep Avell out from shore, thus, in case of a capsize, be- 

 ing deprived of that refuge. HoAvever, the depth of the Avater 

 and the excitement more than compensated for the increased 

 danger, and the situation being reduced to a mere matter of skill, 

 Avo felt that with our experience we were secure. 



During our entire journey on the Delaware every fcAv miles Ave 

 came to curious V-shaped falls, the point alAvays being down 

 stream. These falls were seldom more than two or three feet 

 high, extended fi-om bank to bank, and AA'ere invariably perfect 

 Vs. We continued to meet them, but noAV, as the riA'er was sev- 

 eral hundj'cd yards in Avidth, instead of being Vs they Avere as 

 perfect \Vs. Sometimes they occupied the entire breadth of the 

 stream, at others there AA ould be an opening. Why such a uni- 

 form adherence to alphabetical pattern Avas maintained is more 

 than we could sa.y. At the time Ave encountci ed them the desire 

 and effort to aA^oid going to smash on the rocks Avere incompatible 

 AAn'th pcientiflc research. 



Beauty, and a pleasant impression received through any of the 

 senses, as aa c desire it to remain, firmly fixes itself upon the mind ; 

 and the glorious scenery of that day's journey is as strongly tinc- 

 tured upon my mental camera as if preserved on cauA^as. The 

 vegetation of tropical richness was Avitliout tronical rankness. 

 The splendid chestnuts and elms, the graceful unduhitions of the 

 ground, the alternation of Avoods and fields, the clean cut perspec- 

 tive and the fresh appearance of all made the landscape a feast to 

 the eye. The countr\- Avas mercifully free from the shriek and 

 rattle of the locomotive, there being no railroad betAveen Port 

 Jervis and the Water Oap. This demon of civilization was re- 

 placed by magnificent roads, over which the trip in Tally-ho 

 coaches botAveen the two places above mentioned is quite as popu- 

 lar as the famous drive between Glens Falls and Lake George. 

 Hotels and boarding-houses, patronized by city people, mostly 

 Philadelphians, abound all through this region; and in this coun- 

 try Avliere bicyclists, campers, and tourists of all description 

 abounded, as avc felt less likely to be considered as doing anything 

 strange, Ave Avere more at home. This Thursday afternoon Avas 

 one of restful keen delight. A forest here, a hill or a field there, 

 a landscape Avhere nothing AA'as Avanting and every feature AA'as in 

 the right place and proportion, a painting set in the rich gilding 

 of hills and sky and throbbing Avith liA'ing color, to us, Avith our 

 circumscribed human conceptions, the question kept arising, 

 " What greater beauty can heaven offer?" One stretch in partic- 

 ula.r coming after a sfiort sharp turn and a sAA-if t rapid, gave a 

 half mile vista of such perfect mingling of midsummer grace of 

 form and color tliat, in our enchantment, avc forgot to paddle and 

 almost to breathe. 



That day's journey scored us over tAA-enty miles, about half tlie 

 distance to the Water Gap. The night we spent at Dingman's 

 Ferry. Making an early start, to aA-oid the heat of the day, we 

 did not halt for breakfast till after ten o'clock. We passed a 

 large camp, but did not stop. 



The truth is, Ave looked upon campers Avith a degree of pity. We 

 felt the superiority of the sailor over the landsman. We did not 

 have to confine oursel>7es to one place until long after its charms 

 were exhausted; the entire country was open before us, and our 

 port was the one that suited us best. 



Perhaps the most noticeable thing about the DelaAvare is the 

 limpid purity of its Avaters. it might be supposed that as the 

 river greAV, contaminations Avould accumulate, until, A\'hen it 

 became as large as it then was, a turbid si I'eam Avould be fonncd. 

 Such Avas not the case, and it could be partially accounted for by 

 the abundance of springs. We were able to find a spring at any 

 time. All AA'e had to do was to paddle along reasonatiiy near the 

 bank, and AA'herever Ave spied even the minutest sparkling among 

 the leaves or upon the turf, rocks or sand, there upon investigation 

 we would discover a basin of Avater sweeter and more refreshing 

 than anything city people could imagine. Frequently not live 

 feet from the riA'er and on nearly the same level Avould be found 

 springs spouting in seA'eral jets out of the sand. In many caises a 

 person could stand AAdth one foot in wafer tlie temperature of 

 Avhich was little above fi-eezing, and the other foot in the river 

 Avater, CO'' or 70° Fahrenheit. 



Almost all the morning, on a smooth surface, Ave floated or lazily 

 paddled. A^'e admired the scenery and absorbed the air and sun- 

 shine, until Ave began to forget that excitement is a part of a riA'er 

 A'oyage. We As ere proceeding sloAvly and comfortably in the shade 

 of "a high bank on a long and very straight stretch. As Ave aii- 

 proached its end the riA'er seemed to biiA'c abruptly tormiiiated. 

 Had Ave depended solely upon oui- eyes, had a subdued murmur 

 . not been heard, AA"e might have supposed that the DehiAva re had 

 suddenly sunk into the earth. The murmur increased, and as avc 

 came near the jumping-off place Ave caught sight on the right 

 hand of a seemingly narroAv thread of A\ ater. On turning the 

 bend sight and sound both received a siirpi isc. 



The narroAV thread of water shut off by the bank was a mighty 

 bflloAvy riA'er, while the subdued murmur Avas changed for the 

 deafening roar of a plunging rapid. We came out of the calm 

 and the shade of the Avestern bank to find ourselA-es in turbulence 

 and confusion, Avlth the direct and reflected rays of tlie sun shin- 

 ing straight in our eyes. It being, of course, impossible to see, 

 providence, and not skill, was responsible for our getting througTi. 

 On tliat. occasion avc Aveie obliged to leaA'c more to chance than avc 

 eA'cr care to again. 



The next three hours was the most exciting time of our trip. 

 The river, noAv large as the Hudson at Albany, iiresented formile 

 after mile, almost Avithout interruption, an angry surface of foam- 

 crested Avater interspersed with fragments of stone. The Avaves 

 alone, in this great flood, Avere more formidable than in shallower 

 Avatei' the boulders had been. Very often tlie only course free 

 from rocks Avas right througli breakers several feet in height. In 

 the last and Avorst of this series, while giving all my attention to 

 selecting a course, something .struck me heavily on the shoulder. 

 Surprised and shaken by the bloAv, Avhen turning quickly. Ifound 

 my clothes drenched and the boat dangerously full of water. This 

 wave had come in sideways; another reached over the bow, a 

 third Avould haA'e sAvamned us, but we were spared the finishing 

 touch, and landing at the foot of the rapid to empty the canoe, 

 proceeded on our way. 



After dinner Ave made a call on some campers whose tent wo 

 had noticed Avliile eating. They proved to be artists Avho, after 

 greeting us cordially, showed us into a canA'as art gallery Avliere, 

 Bfrangely mingled with pots and kettles, duffle, clothing and 

 straw, hung the results or their work. Just as a man in loA'e 

 must, if he have any poetry in his nature, Avrile verses, so a man, 

 camping amid such inspiring sui^roundings as here showed them- 

 selves, if he has the slightest artistic ability, is obliged to use his 

 pencil or brush. 



An uneventful afternoon, a monotony of beauty, if such a thing 

 is possible, brought us just before the gloaming to another party 

 of campers. These f elloAvs Avere perched on top of a bluff, and, in- 

 stead of being artists, were a wild, rollicking lot of boys, bent on 



having a good time. We took supper with them, and Avere invited 

 to pitch our tent; but we saw there Avould be more fun than sleep 

 and, as we needed rest, moA'cd on. Wc heard a lively fusilade 

 about a mile doAvn stream, and upon coming sudddenlv'upon the 

 huntsmen, bang! and a cliarge of shot splashed in (hc Avater un- 

 comfortably near. Darkness again OA-ertook us before a-, e had 

 selected a camping ground. We erected our tent in the most 

 accessible place, a lield of oats. After it Avas up avc made tAvo im- 

 portant discoveries: The entire mosquito tribe Avas hold ing a family 

 reunion tit that particular spot; second, that the ridges left in har- 

 rowing the field were .as hard as stone, making a uiglit i.liere liie 

 sleeping on a gridiron. However, after wrapping nji our hca.iis in 

 deference lo the mosquitoes, we not only survived but slept. 



Wo Avere noAv witliiu fifteen miles of the Water Gap, at Avhich 

 point Ave decided to take the cars. As we advanced mountains 

 agam showed themselves, the river widened, islands were more 

 numerous, hotels appeared and tourists Avere oftencr met. As it 

 greAV m AA'idth the Dela.Avare also became more shalloAV, though not 

 so as to give us trouble. A small stone, a small shell, the minutest 

 oboect, Avas A-isible at almost any depth tlirough the wonderfully 

 frcansparent medium ox-er AA-liich we moA-cd. fan the rr^ader im'- 

 agine running up a steep hill A'.-ithout exertion? Such a sen.sation 

 AA'as produced by seeing the bottom suddenly shoal Avliilo looking 

 at it thi-ougli dee)) Avater. 



On t^he other hand the bed of the ri\'er AA'as of all raodero te depths 

 e(iually distinct; passing a,bruptly from sliallow to deep Avater 

 caused a feeling like going over a precipice, involuntarily luaking 

 one hold tight to the boat. ^ ^ .us 



Upon approaching the Water Gap we were much disappointed 

 mthe scenery. From descTiptions and from what filename im- 

 plies Ave naturally expected to see ilia chain of hi^^h mountains 

 some territic fracture or somefremendou.^ work of erosion. What 

 we did see Avere picturesque, beautiful, forcst-clotlied hills rising 

 at a considerable height from the river that cut them at right 

 angles; perhaps to eyes unaccustomed to landscapes abounding in 

 bold features, it might be considered grand, to us, VioAvever, any 

 part of the Delaware abo'.'e Port, .ler'.'is Avould haA-e been more. 

 imposing. The DelaAvare Water Gap seemed like a small slice oi 

 the highlands of tlie Ilruhson, and its Vicing the only ile( idedly 

 elevated land to the north or south for uuinj- niih-s. profialily ac- 

 counos for its popularity as a resort. A number of large and 'con- 

 spicuous hotels, set at various altitudes on the liill, m;irk the 

 place as headquarters for tourists. Not knowing the loc.-ition of 

 the railroad station, going duAA'u stream below it, avc had the 

 pleasure of paddling, poling and Avading up a rapid that we had 

 accidentally ptit bctAX'een flic station and ourselves. 



Not until now did we fully realize that our voyage Avas finished. 

 Sailors look upon the vessel in vrliicli thev haA'e traveled so many 

 miles as a friend, a thing of life. But. though they mav personify 

 the ship they do not personify the ocean. With us it av as differ- 

 ent, for besides traveling ui)ou it, Avcliad traveled seemingly in the 

 river, and certainly we had gone with the river. The river and 

 ourselves Avere fellow xoyageurs. Had Ave not met it in its ob- 

 scurity among the mountain peaks? Had Ave not gone foi'Avard in 

 its company, sharing in it.^ moods and experiences, seeing it, 

 tossed into foam and mist, rush by its rocky barrier, or hardly 

 moving, lave the thirsty vegetation of some fertile meadoAv"? 

 Surely the river as well as the canoe had carried us onward ; and 

 as Ave say God-speed to a friend who is going on a .journo , so avo 

 naturally Avished to the river that had borne us so far and avcII, a 

 prosperous journey to the sea. 



We reached the depot at 2 P. M,; but lieing afraid that should 

 Ave arriA'C in Ncav York in tlie daytime in the condition Avliich wo 

 then AA'ere we Avould stand a good chance of being arrested as 

 A'agrants, did not si art till cA-ening. As usu-al, the" express com- 

 pany Avanted to charge for file canoe its Aveigfit in gold. There is 

 no fixed tariff for small boats, and to make no mistake, agents 

 always impose the highest riites. However, an argiimeni , illus- 

 trated in the substantial Avay that all men appreciate, finally in- 

 duced the expressman to let us off easily. Upon landing in the 

 city Ave put ourselves in the barber's hands, hid our revolvers out 

 of sight, and Avalking rapidly through the back streets, trying to 

 look as little like Texas cciaa boys as jjossible, with our hafs draAvn 

 over our eyes, avc succeeded in reaching my home without any 

 one discovering our identity. We emphatically voted, and the 

 testimony of our friends as to our improved appearance bore us 

 out, that as a restorer of Avaste tissue a canoe trip is the thing of 

 things, Avhile for a good time — well, if you doubt that there is fun 

 in it, try it yourselfl Ralph K. Wing. 



A LONG FLORIDA CRUISE.— Mr. Geo. E. Andrews and Dr. 



Neid6 leave to-day by steamer for Savannah, taking vs-ith them 

 tAvo boats. Mr. Andre-ws's AA'as built under Ids direction in Phila- 

 delphia and is IGf t. x5.5in., l-")in. deep atguiiAA'alc. She is cat-rigged, 

 Avith a jib if desired, and carries a -"itiibs. galvanized iron board. 

 Her name is Mayblossora. Dr. Ncide's boat, Betsv Holit.ctt, is 

 18ft.K-i.5in., yawl rigged, with a Rush ton lUicktail as tender. They 

 Avill leaA o Savamiah and cruise to ..lacksonville, inside, then out- 

 side ;K miles to St. Augustine, then dcAA'n 1.5 imlps inside to .^latan- 

 i:,as Inlet, then by Hillsboro River and iNlosquito Lagoon to Indian 

 P.iver, folloAving it doAATi to Indian River Inlet, then outside to 

 Lake Worth. After spending some time around the lake they 

 AA'ill continue outside to Biscay ne Bay. where Mr. and Mrs INlun- 

 roe Avill spend the winter. After cruising among the little knovm 

 keys along the south and southwest coasts they will go on to Cape 

 Romano and Charlotte Harbor, finishing sonieAvhere in this local- 

 ity, returning home by rail. 



MATERIALS USED AT THE MKHT.-Secrotary Neide has 

 written to the commanders of the v ■ . ■ ' ' nr,.-..tii at the 

 meet to knoAv Avhat material used by i tor indi- 

 vidually, in order to check the bill i - uUe. The 



floors of the tents Avere in most cases luc'd l. r .,y t la- parties order- 

 ing them of Mr. Delaney, and the secret.-M-y is desirous of kno\«ng 

 whether any such Avoi-k Avas done or lumber furnished tlnit was 

 not paid for privately. 



fachtinq. 



A CRUISER'S CABIN. 



THERE is no rea.son at this late day to preface a description of 

 Rondina Avitli the reasons Avhich impelled lier owner to select 

 such a boat, or Avith any plea for the type of small cruisers. At 

 one time the advent of su> li ,i ho-.a >,\-oul(l have given rise toiilenty 

 of adA'crse criticism, am! 1 ■ w^.u'd bavo been tried and sum- 

 marily condemned by -Ttmdard. I-'ortunatcly, hoAy- 

 over, the claims oL tills I .wd-.d x recognised, and there 

 ■Is a wide demand for jii-i . The young Corinthian who 

 usuallj' does not mind a. ^ nnt of discomfort and crOAvd- 

 ing can take his pleasure - - mall boat, ranging all the way 

 from an Ittft. cutter like riie i: ' rd. to a 30in. canoe, but there 

 are many other cruisers w lu> enjoy as fldly the work and exertion 

 of yachtmg, but prefer a little more room than the hardj single- 

 hander is AAillingito be content Avith. A hand must be sto\\ ed tor- 

 Avard and the cabin must- give romn enough to cat, sleep, di-ess and 

 move about Avitli a reasonable degree of comfort. To obtain this 

 room two elements are necessary, Icngtli and depth; the third, 

 breadth, being of far less importance, as we have frequently shown 

 in the plans of very narrow boats. Height su fUcient to stand erect 

 must lie had, as a matter of coni-^e, i f livi iig aboard for a length of 

 time is intended, and it this is jo-ned to a flush deck so much the 

 better. A certain minimum of length also cannot be exceeded. 

 This is fixed simply by the conditions of the case, a separate fore- 

 castle for one or two men, with length in the clear for a berth 

 (tiff, liin.l, a little length for cupboards and lockers, andin addition 

 the Avaste length in the extreme bow. This will occupy about l:?ft. 

 from fore side of stem to bulkhead, abaft which must be 8 to 10ft. 

 for cabin, making, say, 2(1 to '22it. Between the after end of cabin 

 and the stcrnpost the taper of the boat requires some 8ft. more, 

 according to the beam, so that the least length must bo 28ft. Beam 

 is of less importance than the other two dimensions, as a man, 

 while needing his oavh leugtli and more to stand or sleep comfort- 

 ably, can do with a very moderate breadth if not croAvdedin other 

 directions, in fact A-ery good accommodations have been had on 

 less than 5ft. beam, coupled with length and depth. Thus a limit 

 of length and depth is fixed beloAv vA'hich the designer cannot well 

 go, but beam is left much more freely to his discretion and to the 

 special requirements of eacli case. 



The boat here shoAA'ii, the Eondina, designed by Mr. EdAvard 

 Biu'gess tor Dr. \Y. F. Whitney of Boston, and bu'ilt in 1884 by 

 Lawley & Son, is agood example of what may be done on a limited 

 bulk, her accommodations beloAV being probably unequaled by any 

 boat of her class in the Atlantic fleet. The interior Avas designed 

 by Mr, Burgess, and for altraotiA'e appearance ruid economy of 

 space AA'ill compare favorably with many yachts of much greater 

 size. 



Rondina was designed for cruisingabout tie : lend coast, 



to carry one or tAvo forward, to give good i o vner and 



one or two friends in comparatiA-ely long i r . ■ suit the 



rough waters of the xs-Iassachu setts and Majiie i na^c-. and all of 

 these purposes she has served admirably. For three seasons she 



