April 28, 1887.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



311 



torn and 4in. below rabbet; frames, oak, sided 3in., moulded 5 and 

 2J^in., spaced 8/in., clamps, yellow pine, 4xGin.; deck beams, 

 4x4in.; planking, four oak wales and garboards and broads, rest, 

 yellow fine, lVjiu.; stanchions, locust, 2->£x3in.; keadlcdgos, 4x6iu. 

 sides of trunk 2Wjin. 



The other boat, for Mr. J. G. Prague, bears the formidable 

 name of Anaconda, and is to race in the class wilh Clara and Cin- 

 derella. She is 60ft. over all, 52ft. l.w.l., 18ft. •tin. beam, and 

 Will draw about 5ft. Her displacement is estimated at about 40 

 tons, and she will carry about 18 tons of lead, all inside, as in the 

 smaller boat. She was not yet in frame last week, but will not 

 differ greatly from the latter, having the same sheer plan and 

 counter, but less flare aloft at the midship section. Her keel is 

 18in. square, Win. w;do Oil bottom, and 4in. outside of rabbet; stem 

 sided Oin., sternpost sided Tin. and moulded 14in. at heel; frames 

 sided 4in., moulded and 8in., and spaced Win., all of hackmatack. 

 In both of these models Mr. Ellsworth has departed widely from 

 his two ventures of last year, Atlantic and Arab, and with good 

 results as far as may be judged from the present state of the boats. 

 Both are of the class in which he has been most successful, and 

 the faults that have appeared in the two attemps at deep, lead- 

 keeled boats are not visible in these. The displacement In both 

 is far better distributed than in the others, the area of midship- 

 section is less, and the bows are shorter, the consequence being 

 that the models are more symmetrical and better balanced fore 

 and aft. The counters are different from those on the well-known 

 Ellsworth boats, being longer and lighter, and without the tri- 

 angle that finishes most of them, and that part, beyond the sern- 

 post is not immersed. The sheer, too, is very different from the 

 much criticised Atlantic and her smaller counterpart, and is fair 

 and pleasing, with a good height amidships. 



How long it will bo before Bay Kigdo shares the fate of Gowanus 

 and the present headquarters takes another step seaward is a 

 difficult matter to predict, but just, now it is in full flower and the 

 yards there are all busy. To meet the growing demands Mr. 

 Sawyer is about to build a large sail loft and storage house near 

 the Atlantic Y. C, a move that will meet the approval of all wno 

 visit Bav Ridge in yachts. The work can then be done on the 

 spot, avoiding the long journey to the South street loft, that has 

 always been uecessary for all but the most, trifling repairs. 



At Mumni's yard there is plenty of work in hand. Atlantic is 

 hauled in the basin and delivered over to the painters, who are 

 hard at work scraping the hull to the bare wood, while the. prim- 

 ing coat of white looks as though she would try the virtues of the 

 winning color. The caulkers are busy on deck and 'die will soon 

 haul out for another try at the leaks in her keel as well as for 

 some twenty tons more lead there. A lead keel on Pocahontas 

 will no more mako her the equal of Titania than a white hull will 

 put Atlantic even with the other Burgess boats, but at any rate it 

 will be tried, and she is now on Murom's ways. Her old oak keel 

 is (tin. deep and lOiu. on bottom, and under this a lead keel Uin. 

 deep has been run for the whole length, being in Ave sections. 

 Bolts of lin. composition are first driven into the old keel, blunt- 

 pointed and headed, each being driven at an angle. A section of 

 the keel is then boxed in with 2Vsin. yellow pine plank, the trunk 

 being cored to leave the slot for the board, and the lead is then 

 poured. The entire hull has been refastenod, the old square 

 rudder has been improved in shope as far as was possible, the rail, 

 bulwarks and stanchions are new, and the hideous square balk 

 of timber that does dut y as a bowsprit, will be hewn into some 

 shape; the chain plates are new, three outside ones on each side 

 in place of the old inside ones, and when all is completed she will 

 at least look more like a yacht than she has ever done in the past. 

 The work on Venture is nearly completed and Mr. Mtunm has 

 made a very creditable job of it. The now sheathing is all on and 

 planed down and the stem and new bowsprit are completed. Just 

 ahead of her, ou shore, is the new steam yacht for Mr. Aspinwal), 

 his own design, we believe. She may very appropriately be 

 described as a hollow-ground razor, thickened a little at the 

 middle and on the back or top. The bow is so hollow that: the first 

 15 or 30ft. is nothing but deadwood, a sort of scag; the midship 

 section is light and the run is hollowed out as the bow is, the 

 frames immediately aft of midships taking an S shape, which in- 

 creases rapidly. The boat, is built for speed and will have little 

 room inside, but though all else is sacrificed for fast traveling it. is 

 very doubtful whether this single end will be gained. 



Of course the most interesting craft about Bay Ridge at present 

 is the new Shamrock, to bo launched next Monday, by far the 

 best looking boat that the locality has yet turned out, and one 

 that will do credit to her sponsors this season. It may be noted 

 here that Rule o' Thumb has had no hand in her production, but 

 that, though the work of amateurs, the design has been worked 

 out very carefully, and the elements of the boat have been calcu- 

 lated in advance. Should she prove a success, as now seems 

 likely, she will open the way for still greater improvements in 

 models and methods in this locality. The des'gu was made by 

 tier owner, Mr. J. R. Maxwell, and Mr. H. C. Wintringham has 

 made the calculations. The midship section is of the fashionable 

 type, wile keel, well hollowed about the garboards, good deadrise. 

 and a moderate bilge, with good freeboard. The keel has a very 

 little rocker, the lowest point being a little forward of the stern- 

 post, but it rises quickly to the forefoot, giving considerable drag. 

 At the forefoot it makes a quick turn and rises from the water- 

 line in a clipper stem of the ordinary shape. The etorapost has s 

 moderate rake, and the counter is long and well shaped. The 

 rudder is of peculiar shape for so deep a boat, carrying its width, 

 3ft. 8in., almost to the heel. The bowsprit, 14in. square in the 

 knightheads, is round from the stem out, with a jibboom beyond, 

 making a long horn. Over the saloon is a trunk 20ft, long and 

 18in. high, forward of which is a skylight and a hatch. Below 

 there will be very good accommodations, considering the raring 

 board and its trunk. The hull is now painted, decks caulked, 

 bowsprit iu place, mast (a 16in. spruce stick) ready on the 

 ground, and the joiners are well advanced inside. 



At Wallin & Gorman's yard, Dr. Loring's new cutter is ready to 

 go overboard from the railway at any time and is practically "fin- 

 ished. Though wide and with a centerboard she is such a' near 

 relative to her predecessors that like them she mav be dubl>ed 

 cutter, rather than sloop. With 29ft. l.w.l., lift, beam and 4ft, 

 draft, she has the room below of many craft of much greater beam 

 and length, as ber owner's main object was to have a roomy boat 

 of moderate size, and to this end the model is very full, being 

 really a keel boat in proportions, with the keel cut off. The pres- 

 ent lead keel is wide ana shallow, but carries some 7 tons of lead, 

 and the bolts are left long so as to add more if desirable. The 

 beam, with the overhang of 7ft. aft, gives great deck room, and 

 the cabin house is kept low. The freeboard is very high, and 

 there is consequently good head room beiow, even in the forecas- 

 tle. The cabin is specially fitted up for two persona, though there 

 is room for four with a different arrangement of berths and lock- 

 ers. Of these latter there is an abundance, fitted according to the 

 owner's taste, and they give stowage room in plenty. The fore- 

 castle has a berth for one hand, galley and pantries', being quite 

 roomy and convenient. The yacht will tic cutter-rigged, but with 

 fixed bowsprit and jib on stay, the latter probably being rigged to 

 slack off and allow the jib to be handled from the deck. The boat 

 will be used about an island where there is little more than 4ft. of 

 water. 



Besides a number of catboats and ducking skiffs Mess it. Wall in 

 & Gorman have built this winter a small cruiser that is now 

 nearly ready for the water. She was designed for singleiianded 

 work about. Loner Island Sound, to give the largest: possible cabin 

 with a hull easily handled by one man, and to this end speed has 

 not been considered in the design. In proportions she ia much 

 the same as the little Windward, which has proved such a sue. 

 cess as a cruiser, half a dozen being built from the same design, 

 but the necessity for less draff, has made the use of a board com- 

 pulsory. This boat, the Primrose, is 18ft. l.w.l., but has a long 

 overhang, the working of which does great credit to the builders. 

 Her beam is 7ft., draft 3ft. and freenoard 18in. The ballast is all 

 lead, l,5001bs. of it being ou the keel. The trunk is 7ft. long and 

 beneath is sufficient head room to allow a man to sit erect on the 

 lockers. These make a bed on each side for two men, while there 

 is plenty of room for stove, icebox, stores and cruising outfit. The 

 cockpit is quite large with wide rail, and there ig plenty of deck- 

 room aft. The deck line is kept very full forward iu order to give 

 room to work at the anchor and setting sail. The rig will be 

 adapted for cruising with single jib and pole mast. The boat is 

 very conveniently titled up and the workmanship throughout is 

 excellent. The frame is of oak ; planking of cedar ancl vellow 

 pine, all fastenings of copper, lead ballast and composition bolts, 

 decks of selected pine. The topside will be white -with a gold 

 stripe, the bowsprit is round with bright locust bitts, very yacht v 

 iu phape, and the rati is also bright. The coaming and 'rail o'f 

 cockpit, the slide and doors and the trimmings of" cabin are of 

 mahogany and the rest of the Inside work of clear white nine 

 varnished, making a light and attractive cabin. There aro four 

 heavy oval windows in the sides of house and a Sin. deadlight for 

 air in the fore side. 



There are plenty of places where just such a boat is needed, 

 Bmall and easily handled by one man, with room for two to live 

 aboard and live nicely if they enjoy the work and fun of yachting 

 and do not merely wish to be sailed about by some one else, and 

 room also to take along a party of half a dozen for an afternoon, 

 while the light draft and low ballast make the boat suitable for 

 most harbors and yet capable of good work in all weather from 

 port to port, as far as is consistent with such small size. Mossrs. 



Wallin & Gorman are also about to build a centerboard catboat 

 for Mr. Thos. R. Sherman, from a design by Mr. Burgess. She is 

 30ft. K'latn. over all, 18ft. l.w.l., 8ft. beam and 2ft. Oin. draft. 



A CATBOAT CRUISE UP THE HUDSON, 



" OASS down those potatoes and look alive," It was Aug. 8, 1880, 

 L and all was bustle on the wharf at Communipaw, N. J., 

 where the yacht Cyclone, formerly a sloop-rigged boat of about 

 25ft., but changed to cat-rig during the previous week, was moored. 

 The crew were busy passing aboard the necessary cooking uten- 

 sils, blankets, canned goods, etc., for the annual two weeks cruise 

 up the Hudson to Albany, and the skipper, Mose Mulhall, was 

 busy stowing the canned goods in the stem locker. It was he that 

 shouted the above order, being anxious to get to New York that 

 evening, for it was now 5 o'clock, and the start was to be made 

 from New- York, bright and early on Monday morning. 



In answer to the order Joe came down the gang plank to the 

 float with a box of potatoes on his bead, and in his anxiety to pre- 

 vent some of them from rolling off, tripped aud made a very 

 ereditable dive overboard. When -Ice came to the surfac e the box 

 was floating serenely away, and he didn't care verv much about 

 looking alive when he w r as pulled up on the float. Soon all was in 

 readiness and the start made ft* New York, which was reached 

 about 6:30 P. M. 



The next morning was bright and clear, but very little wind 

 was astir, and the tide on the ebb. After passing aboard the oil 

 stove we were ready to start. _ As all of the party could not take 

 their vacations at the same time, it was arranged that the .Skipper 

 and Will should start, the others joining further up the river. A 

 third, George M., joined for a couple of days, and a party of 

 friends from New York went as far as Ybnkers, where they lefi 

 the boat, returning by rail. 



After they left we purchased some bread and milk and started 

 off about 5:30 o'clock. We tried to pull the small boat on deck, 

 but it fell off and filled, so wo had to come to and bail it out. We 

 continued our course, now- keeping a lookout for a good anchorage 

 for the night, for it was getting late and the shores were being lit 

 up here and there at the many villages on the river. We pointed 

 for a group of lights on our starboard bow, and the Skipper, who 

 had the tiller, had just shouted, "Stand by the anchor, 1 ' when a 

 gruff voice yelled, "Can't anchor here." Looking up we saw a 

 man on the dock, which was nearer than we had supposed. 

 "What place is this?" "Sing Sing Prison," answered the sentry, 

 for such he proved to he. We did not core about binding there 

 and did not stop to dispute his right, but hold to the wind until 

 we reached the village and mado fast at a pier loaded with lumber. 

 Here also was a coal barge, and the captain had a fine charcoal 

 fire on deck. We found the captain, exchanged remarks about 

 the wind, weather, etc., and then asked the privilege of using his 

 tire, which he readily consented to, and eveu offered his cabin as 

 a shelter for the night, not knowing that we had aboard our yacht 

 the appurtenances by which we could rig as comfortable a bed 

 and shelter and sleep as well as if we were at home. We cooked a 

 suppor of fried ham, potatoes, stowed tomatoes, coffee aud pre- 

 serves, after which we took a walk up to the village, the captain 

 of the coal barge keeping a lookout ou tiie yacht while we were 

 gone. We returned about 9 o'clock, rigged up the boat tent, which 

 we lashed on the boom with a ridge rope, and then et rapped down 

 the sides outside of the c -mining, which gave it a bell shape, and 

 getting out our blankets and four soft sand bags, carried tor the 

 double purpose of ballast and pillows, we turned iu. 



August 10 dawned bright and clear; light wind from the south. 

 We cooked breakfast, washed down decks, book a sw itu and theu 

 left Siug Sing about 8 o'clock A. M. We found We had run pretty 

 well into Croton Bay, near Sing Sing, during the night, and we 

 had to hold the wind on our beam for about a mile, when we 

 squared off to make the run through Haveretraw Bay. 



The wind being light it was about 4 o'clock when we reached 

 Peekskill, and we had eaten a small lunch while under way. Soon 

 after leaving Peekskill behind us, the wind increased almost 

 every minute, and it was not long before the Cyclone whs bowling 

 along with the water at her steru bubbling over the top of the 

 rudder. At lona Island it grew to quite a squall, so we came to 

 and anchored, took a walk through the grove, where there was an 

 excursion from New York, and filled our water cask: then putting 

 in a reef, we weighed anchor and started again, before a good 

 breeze from the southwest. 



At West Point the water was as rough as New York Bay, while 

 around the bend, at Cold Spring, it was like a lake, the wind being 

 shut, out by the Highlands. Here we lay iu a culm for about fif- 

 teen minutes, when we managed to make fast to a tow of coal 

 barges bound for Newburgh, about seven miles up tho river. It 

 was about 7 o'clock when we reached Newburgh, where we cooked 

 supper aud put up for the night. 



Wednesday morning we were up about 8. George M. had to leave 

 this morning, taking the steamboat home. Wo" left for Pougb- 

 keepsie at 7:30, and arrived at 11 o'clock, making fast to the wharf. 

 Will then telegraphed our other friends to come up on the night 

 boat. We moved up a little further and lay in the old ferry slip, 

 washed down decks, put on our good clothes and visited the city, 

 relieving one another on watch. At o'clock P. M., the Skipper 

 went to the wharf to meet W. and II. ou uight boat, but neither 

 appeared, so we turned in. Will S. was up at 2 A. M. to meet the 

 other night boat but with the same result. 



They were both up about 5 o'clock Thursday morning and had a 

 swim, after which they cooked breakfast, then waited for the 

 New York boat, which arrived about 1 o'clock. It was about 11 

 o'clock when a shout from two young men in a rowboat attracted 

 their attention. They proved to be the missing ones who had 

 come up by train, and arrived about 1 A. M. After searching 

 quite a while they went, to the steamboat wharf and slept on some 

 bags of oats. In the morning, a joker seeing them there shouted, 

 "Come, pay your bill and get out;" this woke them up, and hiring 

 a rowboat, they rowed around the different wharfs until they 

 found us. 



We then cooked dinner and started again about 1 o'clock, after 

 staying twenty-six hours at Pougkkeepsie. We had ebb tide and 

 puffy head winds and could make little or no headway, so we 

 dropped anchor and waited for a tow that was in sight, w, got 

 in the skiff and towed the yacht uear the tow, while the Skipper 

 handled the tiller and threw a line to the men on the tow. This 

 was caught and made, fast; we then invited the men to come 

 aboard the yacht and eat dinner with us. At Esopus Island the 

 canal men filled their water casks from the river, as this is 

 claimed to be tho best water. At Port Ewen the tow stopped, 

 when we bid the canalmen good-by and hoisting sail, made for 

 Rbinecliff, arriving about 8 o'clock. After supper W. and H. 

 turned in and the Skipper, Will and S. went to town, bought some 

 bread, milk and fresh meat, and wrote some letters, arriving at 

 the yacht about 9:80, when, after taking a smoke, they turned in. 



Next morning wo cooked breakfast and left Rhineeliff at 8 A. M. 

 There was a flood tide but dead calm, so while drifting up river 

 we took a swim. We must have been becalmed about an hour and 

 a half, when a slight breeze from the southwest sprang up, and at 

 11:30 we had reached Goat Island, 100 miles from New York. 



By 1 o'clock the wind, which had been increasing, had settled 

 down for a good blow, and we put in at Germautown and reefed, 

 at the same time eating dinner. We left hero at 0:15 under reef, 

 and forty-five minutes later we were entering Catskill Creek. 



Here we intended to stay until Monday morning, so we furled 

 sail and made everything as ship-shape and snug as possible, then 

 "isited the town, wrote some letters and went to the Grant House 

 to see a friend who was stopping there. 



Wc were surprised next morning to find a little colored fellow 

 rowing Joe M. up to the yacht. He had come up on the night 

 boat; and our crew was now complete. This wan washday with us 

 and we proceeded soon after breakfast to wash a ad mend every- 

 thing that required it. 



After dinner the Skipper, W. aud H. got in the skill and rigged 

 up a sail with a piece of awning. They bad hardly gone 20yds. when 

 the boat capsized, throwing tnom into the water. 



In the evening we went to town for some bread, butter and 

 milk, cooked supper and t h en went to the G rant House, whore there 

 was a fancy dress ball. It was very late when wo got back to the 

 yacht that night. 



Next day was Sunday. We had an early breakfast and went to 

 church, but the late hour of retiring the night before began to 

 tell, for we were all nodding before we were twenty minutes in 

 the church. The most comical part of it was, when the congrega- 

 tion rose up at a certain part of the services, the boys stood up 

 also, but nodded to sleep, and when all the people had sat dow n 

 they were still standing up, their chins resting on their breasts, 

 while every one was snoring in a different tone, like a quartette 

 of singers. They woro waked up by Will S.. who made a terrible 

 lurch forward, which was occasioned, he said, by a dream that the 

 Cyclone had run into another boat. A more sheepish looking lot 

 of fellows than those coming out of that church that Sunday 

 morning could not be fouud. When we reached the yacht, which 

 was about noon, we found some friends awaiting us who had 

 come from New York ou a short trip to the Catskills. 



Next mornlDg we left Catskill Creek about 8 o'clock A. M. under 

 a spruce breeze. After getting into the Hudson we were favored 

 with a little breeze from the sonth. At Athens it blew too hard 

 for full sail, and we had to reef. By the time we reached Cox- 

 saekio it was blowing great guns, and wo put about to put in 



another reef; found it was five minutes of 12, so we anchored for 

 dinner. Meanwhile the wind shifted to the north, and it com- 

 menced to rain; so we rigged up the boat tent, got out the oil 

 skins and rubbers, and took turns ou watch, for it was blowing 

 furiously and we expected to see our anchor drag every minute. 



Toward evening the wind moderated, aud putting unour anchor 

 light, we turned m. W r e were waked up during the night by loud 

 talking. On looking out, W. reported a tow of canal boats going 

 down the river within twenty-live feel of us, and our anchor light 

 had blown out. This he relit and then turned in again. We wero 

 waked for the second time by a scrimmage between Will S. and 

 Joe, w r ho were trying to reach the laps of the tent to get, out. A 

 passing steamboat had caused the yacht to pitch and toss, and as 

 the previous nights had beeu spent very quietly in the creek, this 

 was unexpected and gave them a scare. 



We were up a little later than usual next morning and fouud 

 tho wind blowing very hard from the north; this, with an ebb tide, 

 prevented our making much headway. Wo anchored for the tide 

 to change. While eating dinner, the preserves we had attracted 

 quite a number of bees and one of these landed on a piece of bread 

 that H. was about putting in his mouth; of course the bee went 

 with it and H. was stung on the tongue. There happened to be a 

 little fellow from the town near by at the time, and withiu half 

 an hour all the little fellows in the town came down to the beach 

 to see "the feBow that tried to eat the bee." About 1:30 Ave started 

 out to catch a tow of canal boats bound up river. When we got 

 near enough the lino was tlu-own aud caught by the eonalmen on 

 the second boat, and there were about eight boats in line. The 

 next thing done was to cut the tow line between the Cyclone and 

 the skiff in which the Skipper sat waiting for the vacht to come 

 up to liim and pick him up. It came up sooner than ho thought 

 and passed him. He then tried to hold the fender of the fifth 

 boat, which he had caught; this upset the sk iff and he was thrown 

 out; climbing in again (although he doesn't know to-day how he 

 did it) he waited for the next Canal boat, which was the last, and 

 he jumped, leaving the skiff, which was almost full of water. In 

 the meanwhile those on the yacht had seen the whole tlriug and 

 bad let go from the tow. Coming near enough the Skipper jumped 

 aboard tho yacht and we went back for the skiff. Fortune fa vored 

 us, however, for an hour afterward we made fast ro another tow 

 with better success, and wo arrived in East Albany that evening. 



In the morning, after a visit to the Capitol, we left to com- 

 mence our trip homeward. We had a favorable, tide and a strong 

 breeze from the north that made the rigging groan under the 

 pressure. We ate a small lunch under way and did not stop for 

 dinner. At 8 o'clock we had reached llondouf; here we put up 

 for the night. 



Friday morning we were up early, and found a light wind from 

 north. We then cleaned up and made for a tow bound down, as 

 we had but two days to finish our cruise. We had made fast to a 

 brick barge on this tow, and sought the captain who had just got, 

 up. Wo received his permission to remain fast to his boat, and in 

 return we turned over to him some onions, potatoes and smoked 

 beef, a surplus of which we had. He allowed us the use of his 

 stove in his cabin; this saved us the bother of using the oil stove, 

 and where possible we always built a fire on shore. 



While cooking supper S. left the lifter of the stove ou the stove, 

 where it was soon warmed to a pretty high degree. Soon after 

 Joe had occasion to ubc that very lifter without thinking of the 

 consequences. It was dusk just as we entered the Highlauds, and 

 one could not ask for a prettier sight. 



Saturday morning fouud us at *ort Lee where we dropped off 

 the tow. Will S. and H. went ashore to cook breakfast, while the 

 Others put things in shipshape, and washed down decks. 



We left Port Lee about 8 o'clock and drifted down, for there was 

 no wind. When off the Pennsylvania ferry the tide changed an 

 we had to resort to rowing until off the Battery, where we go 

 enough wind to reach our mooring, thus bringing to a close a mo 

 enjoyable cruise. M. 



A LONG OCEAN CRUISE. 



THE following additional particulars concerning the cruise of 

 the Homeward Bound, whose arrival was noted in the Forest 

 and Stiieaju of April 14, are given in the Pall Mall "Budget : 



"The Homeward Bound lay at rest in Dover Harbor after her 

 ten months' tossings in two oceans, a weather-worn cockle-shell, 

 sea-staiucd and barnacle-covered. It was Sunday, and the little 

 boat was hung with streamers of bunting, their bright colors con- 

 trasting oddly with the wo-begone appcarauce of the hull. The 

 day was brilliantly flue, and there was a constant stream of visit- 

 ors to see the Homeward Bound after her adventurous voyage. 

 The captain was at home, and he hailed to me to come aboard, 

 which 1 did with some difficulty, for tho Horn ward Bound is not 

 an ordinary craft, but canvas-covered and crank as a bit of cork. 



" The crew- consists of Capt. Nilson, his brother, and a blacksmith, 

 one Olsen, who a couple of years ago were working together at a 

 little settlement in the Orange Free State. The captain, who had 

 boon at sea for many years previously, had a store, a blacksmith's 

 shop, a few horses, and a bit of land ; and his brother and Olsen 

 were in his employment. They had often discussed the question 

 whether it was possible for an open boat to weather the towering 

 winter waves off! the Cape of Good Hope, and tr ule not being ever- 

 prosperous they determined to try their luck. They had their 

 boat to build, which wa not an easy mat ter 250 miles inland, with- 

 out proper materials an ols to work with, and some of the diffi- 

 culties the men ovorea. e remind one of Robinsou Crusoe's 

 attempt to make a boat out of a tree. For instance, the bent wood 

 necessary for the construction of the hull had to be sawed out of 

 squared timber, an operation which necessarily delaved t he work. 

 This is only one instance. However, after a time, the little boat 

 was ready to be put on the ox-wagon, its length having, indeed, 

 beeu regulated by the length of that conveyance, and from Uitzie- 

 shoek she was carried over the Drakeusberg. nearly 0,000 feet abovo 

 the sea level, down to the sea at Durban. By the time she "was 

 fitted out she. had cost between SaflO aud 4JS00. 



"Before giving a few details of one of the most adventurous 

 voyagesthatwc.ro ever undertaken by men, I may dt scribe the 

 arrangements of the Homeward Bound. She is 20 feet long, has a 

 beam of 4 feet 4 inches, and draws 4J4 feet of writer. She is'wl tons 

 burden, and her rigging consists of a mainmast, with gaff and 

 boom, carrying mainsail and gaff-topsail, with two jibs, or one 

 foresail and one jib. After the trip from Port Natal to Table Bay 

 a topmast was added, and the captain made other sails— a square, 

 sail for fine weather, and in the t rade winds stunsails were put out 

 on both sides. Lumps of granite and sandbags were used for bal- 

 last, aud seven 20-gallon casks of fresh water were stowed away 

 below the main deck, each barrel being filled with salt water as 

 the freshwater was finished. It must be understood that the boat 

 is an open boat in the sense that it is little more than a shell cov- 

 ered over wit h a thin canvas deck, w T ell oiled, and divided into two 

 air-t ight compartments — a small one aft for stowing the provisions, 

 spare sails and other materials, separated by a well, 5 feet wide by 

 2 feet (i inches long, from the larger portion forward. 



"This was used as a cabin and general storeroom, and a very 

 ex( raordinary little hole it is to be the home of three big men for 

 ten months. It is entered from the well which I have described 

 through a small sliding-door, through which I cra wled with great 

 di fticulty. This is what I saw ■ To begin with, the height is about 

 2 feet I inches, so that it is impossible to sit up, aud. there is oniy 

 room for two of the crew to lie down, the third man being at the 

 helm. Some blankets, ro:ten with saltwater, covered the floor, 

 and coats, oilskins, trousers, boots and sh'rts were piled up on 

 either side. The cabin w^aslighted by alittle window about a foot 

 long and six inches wide. The compass being inside, the man at 

 the helm was able to see the needle from above. Alittle aneroid 

 barometer is nailed up close to the lamp. Tho other dunnage was 

 a curious mixture of odds and ends, such as a sextant, a little 

 mahogany seachest, strings of candles, bread bags, rusty scissors, 

 knives, forks aud spoons stuck into the beams overhead, billies 

 and pannikins, 1ishing-lines, log-glass, fog-horn, charts and many 

 other articles too numerous to mention. Imagine this stuffy little 

 hole in tho tropics, with the sun overhead, and not a breath of 

 wind; or in a hurricane with great seas beating down on the 

 canvas overhead, and driving the frail craft almost out of sight by 

 their weight. In the hot. weather the deck was kept cool by 

 buckets ot water, but in bad weather the door was generally kept 

 open, and so well did she ride the gales that only about half a 

 dozen times w r as it found necessary to shut the doorway. If tho 

 well filled, as it sometimes did, the man at the helm gave it a jerk 

 and let as much water out as possible, aud then all hands turned 

 to and bailed. The men have suffered much from want of exorcise, 

 for the well was their only exercise ground ; and 1 have given the 

 dimensions of that already. The galley stood here, a little 

 paramne stove, in which everything was cooked. They had ample 

 supplies of tea, coffee, afew bottles of rum for medicinal purposes, 

 sugar, biscuit, flour, and an infinite variety of tinned meats, 

 vegetables, and potatoes, running short sometimes, but getting 

 fresh supplies at one of the four ports at which they touched, 



"It was intensely interesting to hear Capt, Nilson's account of 

 the trip. He is a Nowregian who speaks very good English, is a 

 passed merchant captain who has b:6n weathering storms for 

 twenty years in every part of the globe, wiio has fought hi tne 

 Zulu war and holds a certificate from Baker, of Bakei's Horse, 

 for his services during the Basuto war. With such a fine fellow 

 for a skipper it is not surprising that the Homeward Bound 

 reached British waters after her desperate voyage. The captain 



