Jtj'LY 14. 1887. J 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



543 



A. C. A. NUMBERS AND SAILING EMBLEMS. 



Editor FmYsf oixl Stream: 

 The regatta committe 

 aailevs of tbe A. C. A. to 

 amended the 1t h rule of 

 the regatta committee "t 

 requires the carrying o 

 victuals have lirivate onibli 



hogs leave to call (she attention of the 

 e fact that the executive committee has 

 he sailing regulations hy empowering 

 dispense with so much of this role as 

 numbers on sails in cases where indi- 

 i their sails of such size and char- 



acter as, in the opinion of the regatta committee, will enable the 

 Judge to distingUisU the eauoes as readily as if the numhers were 

 carried." 



Cf any considerable number of sailors conclude, to adopt, private 

 emblems, it is quite probable that if they make t heir choice with- 

 out regard to what may have previously been adopted by others, 

 some Of the emblems w ill be so like others as to occasion con- 

 fusion. With this in view, the regatta committee, under the dis- 

 cretionary power ^iven it pjrthe amended regulation, requests 

 that any member intending t o discard his number and carry a 

 private emblem instead, will, in advance, submit a sketch and 

 description of his proposed emblem to the reeatta committee for 

 its approval* The commit tee will not approve any emblem which 

 is so like any other emblem previously approved as to occasion 

 confusion; nor will the committee approve any emblems except 

 such as are sufficiently large to ho easily distinguished at a dis- 

 tance. 



No member will be allowed to take part in a sailing race who 

 does not carry either his A. C. A. number as provided in the It h 

 rule, or a private emblem which shall have been previously 

 approved by the regatta committee. 1-1 kn ar Stanton, 



Chairman Regatta Committee. 



New York, June 11. 



L While this new regulation may meet with favor from some who 

 prefer the circus poster style of decora tion, it is a step in the 

 wrong direction, as nothing is as ueat and shipshape as a clean, 

 white sail witli the red number, and the latter is readily distin- 

 guished, while, the emblems must be confusing at any distance. 

 While some of these are amusing, the plain sail is in fa r better 

 taste, and it only should receive official recognition from the 

 Association. 



TRANSPORTATION TO BOW-ARROW POINT. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



The Brooklyn C. C. has made a very desirable, arrangement for 

 the transportation of its eanoes and camp effects to Bow-Arrow 

 Point, the advantages of which we shall be glad to share with 

 any canoeists who may wish to avail themselves of them. 



Captain M. Knowltnu, of the canal boat C. W. Woodford, will 

 take canoes, together with tents and baggage direct to Pittsburgh 

 and the A. 0. A. camp (or to any intermediate point) at §1.50 per 

 boat, tents, baggage, etc., free. 



We have arranged with Capt. Knowlton to tow to our club house 

 at Bay Ridge on Saturday afternoon, Aug. ti. to take on board our 

 canoes. We shall he. glad to extend the courtesies of our house 

 and to be of any assistance we can to canoeists who may desire to 

 ship their boats from this point. 



On Sunday, Aug. 7, and on Monday, Aug. 8, the C. W. Woodford 

 will he at the canal boat piers on the East River, beside. South 

 Ferry, New York, and will take on board any canoes or baggage, 

 intended for the A. C. A. camp. She will leave New- York, Mon- 

 day, P. M., Aug. S, by tow, arriving at Albany Wednesday morn- 

 ing Aug. 10, Fort Edward, Thursday, Aug. 11, Piatt shurgh and 

 Bow-Arrow Point Aug. 13, Canoeists desiring to cruise through 

 Lake George should have their canoes marked Fort Edward. 

 Canoes may also be landed at points on Lake Champlain should 

 owners so desire. 



Capt. Knowlton has been highly recommended to us as a reliable 

 and careful man. The advantage of having canoes taken direct 

 to Bow-Arrow Point without re-shipment will at once commend 

 itself to canoeists. 



Any further information will be cheerfully furnished by our 

 Purser, Mr. M. V. Brokaw, 93 William street. New York, or by the 

 undersigned, at 19 John street. New Y'ork. 



J. F. Newman, Com. Brooklyn C. C. 



New York, July 11. 



"THE OLD CANOE." 



CHICAGO, July 5.— Edi tor Forest, and Stream: Being an appre- 

 ciative reader of your most excellent paper and believing you 

 will be pleased to learn something of the authorship of the beau- 

 tiful poem "The Old Canoe. 11 which 1 noticed in your issue of -May 

 19 last, I take the liberty of inclosing you herewith what, "the New 

 York Graphic had to say iu the matter in one of its weeklv issues 

 during the summer, 1 think, of 1874. I quote verbatim from the 

 paper: 



"As questions of disputed literary authorship seem to have a 

 tireless zest for the popular mind, there may be some entertain- 

 ment for the general reader iu a devotion of our Solitaire, column 

 this week to at least, t wo such questions which relate to poems 

 that have been given there. There, for instance, are the much 

 discussed lines on 'The Old Canoe,' concerning which several 

 friendly correspondents have addressed us. M. T. Hardv, of 

 Mobile, pleasantly known as adding many choice fugitive brill- 

 iants to our collect ion, says: *1 have the 'Old Canoe,' published in 

 your seventh number, as by Emily Rebecca Page, in my portfolio, 

 with the name of General Albert Pike as author. Am I positively 

 wrong V 



"Another communicant, Mr. W. F. Fox. of Davenport, la., after 

 remarking incidentally that 'Isle of Beauty, Fare Thee Well,' 

 much disputed of late, was written by Thomas H. Bailev and pub- 

 lished as his in the 'Musical Odcou' in 1846, says of 'The Old 

 Canoe': '1 have in a scrap-book a cony of this poem, the author- 

 ship of which is attributed to Albert Pike, formerly of Little 

 Rock, Ark., but now a prominent attorney of Washington, D. C. 

 Mr. Pike has long been known as a poet, and author, and several 

 years ago he published 'The Old Canoe' as his production, which 

 he would not do were he not the real author. Have vou consid- 

 ered Mr. Pike's claim to the poem ? I would very much like to hear 

 further from you in this matter through the columns of the 

 Weekly Graphic. If now in error will only be too glad to be cor- 

 rectly informed.' 



"Several other literary collectors write to the same effect; yet 

 the claim of the late Miss Page to the authorship must remain 

 the stronger until Mr. Pike himself asserts his superior property. 

 The poem had been wholly out of priut for many years, when in 

 August last the present writer, who had found it published anony- 

 mously at least a dozen years before in an obscure and short-lived 

 Southern paper, reprinted it with a question as to the authorship, 

 in asocial and literary department long conducted by him in the 

 New York World. The poem, as taken from the Southern paper, 

 was very defective in versification and was corrected, and even 

 amended by whole lines iu the aforesaid reprint. The corrected 

 version is the very one sent to us anew by our Iowa friend as Mr 

 Pike's. 



"From the World the lines were copied by a multitude of news- 

 papers, several of which, without explanation, credited Mr. Pike 

 with the authorship— possibly because they had been spoken of as 

 coming from an Arkansas journal, but presently Mrs. Elizabeth 



few Sundays ago, I noticed the poem of 'The Old Canoe,' and 

 recognizing in it an old acquaintance, I am tempted to state the 

 facts regarding its authorship. The author of the poem was Miss 

 Emily Kgbecoa Page, of Bradford, Vt. It must have been written 

 nearly, if not quite, t wenty years ago. Miss Page was born, I 

 think, iu 1832— certainly within a year of that time. She died in 

 Chelsea, Mass., in 1859 or I860. For the last three years of her 

 life she was, I believe, copy-holder in the office of Ballou's publi- 

 cations. The poem in ques tion was probably her best, and was 

 quite popular at one time. Mr. B. P. Shillaber, of Boston, was for 

 some years a personal friend of hers, and could say much more 

 regarding her than I can do, as I never saw her after her school 

 days. From an extended notice of her, written bv Mr. Shillaber 

 after her death, 1 quote the following: "The poem that won her 

 the widest celebrity was 'The Old Canoe.' It was extensively 

 copied in this country, and in Europe was deemed worthy of illus'- 

 tration in a French publication, wherein it was attributed to 

 Eliza Cook." Miss Page was quite ambitious and appreciation was 

 very sweet to her; so, though I suppose it makes small difference 

 to her now, I make this little statement in her behalf. Even peo- 

 ple who write verses should have their due after they are dead. I 

 remain, very respectfully, Elizabeth Akers Allen, Greenville, 

 Hudson County, N. J., Sept. 5.' 



"Other apparently competent authorities wrote in similar asser- 

 tion to the same, journal. And so the case rests. There may be an 

 error on either side of the controversy. Such other verses by Miss 

 Pago as we have seen are far inferior to 'The Old Canoe,' and the 

 latter is certainly more masculine than feminine in sound; yet 

 the argument for the lady's authorship is not to be easily eom- 

 batted." 



Finding the authorship of Albert Pike denied I took occasion to 

 write him, asking if he were the author of the poem " The Old 

 Canoe,' to which he replied, as per copy of letter herewith: 



"Alexandria, Va., May 39, 1874.— W. F. Fox, Esq. My Dear Sir: 



I have been from time to time disclaiming the authorship of 'The 

 Old Canoe" for ten or more years. Last summer I sent to the 

 New York World an express disclaimer, having seen in that paper 

 that the authorship of the poem was supposed to be claimed by 

 me. 1 shall by to-day's mail send disclaimer to the Graphic. 1 

 did not write the poem, nor even add a word to it , or change it, or 

 try to amend it. I suppose it was attributed to me because it was 

 published once in the Little Rock Gazette. Certainly I never 

 thought of setting up any claim to it. Yery truly yours, Aliieut 

 Pike." 



Mr. Pike's letter settles the question, so far as his claim to 

 authorship is concerned. He distinctly states he did not write the 

 poem. It was certainly not written by Eliza Cook, although 

 strange as it may seem, it has been accredited to her, though not 

 to be found, nor referred to, in her published volume of poems. I 

 think it fair to conclude upon the evidence of Mrs. Elizabeth 

 Akers Allen, and of Mr. B. P. Shillaber, that the authorship of the 

 poem should be conceded to Miss Page, as, since Mr. Pike's denial 

 of having written it, Miss Page's claims seem to stand uncontested. 



If not, intruding too much upon your space, for one, I should be 

 pleased to have you print the statement of facts I give you, which 

 may be appreciated by many of your readers who may admire the 

 poem and who would be gratified to know who wrote it. 



W. F. Fox. 



CANVAS CANOE BUILDING. 



FOR amateur mechanics who are fairly good workmen and at 

 the same time fond of boats, the construction of a first-class 

 cedar canoe is a, most, interesting task, testing well the skill and 

 ingenuity of a mechanic. There are many, however, who care 

 nothing for the mechanical work, but who wish to build a canoe 

 for the sake of having one and who look on the time spent with 

 hammer and saw as so much wasted. For those unskilled in the. 

 use of tools or who do not care to expend time and money in the 

 construction of a wooden boat, canvas otters an excellent substi- 

 tute, as a very good canoe can be built in a few days and at a 

 nominal expense. The many articles on canvas canoe building 

 that have appeared in the last few years all take for granted the 

 possession of some mechanical training and a knowledge of the 

 use of tools. There are many, however, to whom this class of in- 

 struction is useless, as they do not understand the terms used and 

 have not the time to master them. To meet the wants of these 

 novices the Forest and Stream Pub. Co. has just issued a most 

 useful little book, "Canvas Canoes and How to Build Them," by 

 Mr. Parker B. Field, of Boston, an amateur builder. The direc- 

 tions are as plain and explicit as possible for the construction of 

 a canoe 13ft. Gin. X27in. at an expense of not to exceed $7, while 

 the simple operations are within reach of the skill of any careful 

 amateur. No technical terms are used and the successive opera- 

 tions are carefully described in detail, each step being made clear 

 before proceeding to the next. 



THE LORNE AMATEUR AQUATIC CLUB, of Halifax, N. S., 

 are the fortunate possessors of one of the finest boat houses to be 

 found on the continent. It is beautifully situated on the shores of 

 Halifax Harbor near the "Narrows," and can be reached by the 

 horse cars from the center of the city in about twenty minutes. 

 The buildings were originally erected by the Royal Halifax Yacht 

 Squadron for their own accommodation, hut that organization 

 finally broke up and the property was disposed of at sheriff's sale. 

 It remained idle for a number of years and had fallen into a 

 rather bad state of decay when the Lome Club secured a lease on 

 favorable terms and commenced a work of reformation which is 

 now well advanced, and when completed will give the members of 

 the club quarters of which they will have every reason to feel 

 proud. On the water front there is a good-sized boat bouse with 

 Hat roof. On either side a pier extends out into the water with 

 landing steps. Moored alongside the south pier is a floating bath 

 with a number of dressing rooms. Just back of the north pier is 

 a building formerly a bowling alley, hut now used for storing 

 scull boats and boats of a similar character. South of this and 

 overlooking the boat house is the club house, a two-story wooden 

 building with pitch roof and basement, in which there is ample 

 accommodation for the club, janitor's family, and storing masts, 

 sails, oars and the numerous other articles which the members of 

 such a club collect around them. On the side of this building fac- 

 ing the harbor are two substantial verandahs from which a mag- 

 nificent view of the harbor is had, and which forms one of the 

 pleasantest lounging places imaginable on summer afternoons and 

 evenings. Much of the success of the club is due to the co-opera- 

 tion of Dr. Charles Cogswell, of London, G. B., formerly of Hali- 

 fax, whoso name has for many years been associated with aquatic 

 sports iu his native city. 



THE NORTHERN DIVISION MEET.— The Northern Division 

 meet, which takes place from Aug. 1 to 13, already promises to bo 

 very successful. Our genial Vice-Commodore, Col. Harry Rodgers, 

 has made arrangements with the Grand Trunk Railway for single 

 fare for the round trip, canoes and kits free. The steamer Nors- 

 man, from Charlotte, the port of Rochester, to Point Hope, has 

 agreed to carry members for the round trip for $2, canoes and kits 

 free; for any other information regarding transport address I. D. 



. Thg 

 Stony 

 shape 



for campers than they were at that date, and are minus the cen- 

 tipedes which caused so much consternation to many of the un- 

 initiated; they have all disappeared. The fish have improved the 

 passing hours by growing larger and more hungry for silver in the 

 shape of spoon baits, and no doubt many a "lunge" will make a 

 savory breakfast for the hungry canoeist. The racing promises 

 to be speciaRy good in the paddling line. It, is not known whether 

 Johnson will be present, but BrockviRe will send some of her 

 cracks, also Ottawa and Kingston, while Peterboro, Lindsay and 

 Bobcaygeon wiR send all their old veterans and many new ones, 

 and the man who gets first place in the races will have to hump 

 himself and have a pretty slippery canoe. In sailing, the Toronto, 

 Hamilton. Kingston, Brockville and Ottawa clubs will hunt for the 

 decked flags, while Gait, Peterboro, etc., will look after the open 

 canoe races. It is expected that several of the Western Division 

 will be present on their way to the A. C. A., also Commodore 

 Wilkin and several members from among the border clubs who 

 can make it, convenient to be present. To all who come we pro- 

 mise a rattling, joRy good time, such as true canoeists enjoy.— 

 Mac. 



NEW YORK C. C. REGATTA.— The difficulty of finding wind 

 and tide suitable for canoe sailing on the Upper Bay has led to a 

 change of programme for the regatta of the New York C. C. on 

 Saturday, postponed from June 25. On that date the two main 

 sailing races were started first, with a strong tide and little wind, 

 all the boat s finally being recalled. This so disarranged the pro- 

 gramme that the other events were postponed. On Saturday next 

 an interesting series of paddling races will be first started, with 

 sailing races later if there is wind. The programme is as follows, 

 the first race being called at 3 P. M.: Paddling, Classes 3 and 4; 

 tandem paddling; burlesque paddling race; sailing race, inside 

 course, 3 classes, seniors, novices and unclassified boats; standing 

 paddling race; hand paddling race; gymnastics. The races are 

 open to members of all other canoe clubs. 



CANOEING IN CHICAGO. — The Chicago Navy, organized last 

 year, held its first regatta on Calumet Lake, at: Pullman. The 

 Navy includes the following boat, and canoe clubs: Farragut, Del- 

 aware, Pullman, Evanston, Tippy-Canoe, Iroquois, Hyde Park, 

 Ogden, Quintard, Union, Douglas and Catlin. Its officers are: G. 

 A. McCleUan, Cora.; J. M. Price, Vice-Corn.; E. W. Grain, Ensign; 

 L. J. Marks, Sec. and Tresis. The canoe races included two single 

 paddling races, a tandem and an upset. In the first-A.W. Kitchen 

 won in 11.37, with W. M. Dunham 1:3.09 and H. B. Cook 12.29. In 

 the second race R. P. McCune heat, B. W. Wood. In the tandem, 

 Messrs. Kitchen and Dunbar beat A. B. and N. Cook. The upset 

 race was won by Dunham. 



A NEW HALIFAX CLUB.— Last season a number of interest- 

 ing skiff and canoe races were held on the Northwest Arm, the 

 picturesque sheet of water adjacent to the city of Halifax, N. S. 

 One of the the results is the formation this season of the "Sailing 

 Skiff and Canoe Club of Halifax." with the following programme 



Moren, Committee on Management. The club numbers S 

 bers with fourteen skiffs and canoes. 



A. C. A. MEMBERSHIP.— Trenton , N. J., July 11— Editor For- 

 est and Stream: The applications for membership to date are- 

 Wm. T. Hilton, Chas. D. Robinson, Chas. S. Williams, Harry A. 

 Marvel, Newburgh, N. Y.; Geo. C. Clark, Edward Prime, New 

 York'city; Jas. R. GilfiHan, Northampton, Mass.— Wm. M. Carter, 

 Secretary. 



FIXTURES. 



Since ladies have been accustomed to use Glenn's Sulphur Soap 

 in their toilet their personal attractions have been multiplied, 

 and it is seldom they are seen disfigured with blotches and pim- 

 ples, or rough or coarse skins. Sold by all druggists. Hire's 

 Hair and Whisker Dye, black and brown, 50 cents— Adv. 



Jut, v. 



lfi. Beverly, Sweep, Mon. Beach. 28. Quincy. 3d Championship. 



16. Hull. Cham.. Hull. 3(5-28. L. Y. R. A., Cruise and 



18. Cor. Cham. Marblehead. Races, Toronto. 



18-31. Interlake, Put-in-Bay 27. Great Head, 2d Cham. 



20. Hull, Ladies' Day. 37. Pieon, 2d Cham., Marble- 



20. PI eon Club Cruise, Marble- head. 



head. 30. Beverly, Chum., Mon. Beach, 



23. Beverly, Cham,, Nahant. 30. Hull, Cham., Hull. 

 23. Monatiquot,Open,Weymouth 30. Cor. Open, Marblehead. 

 31. Quaker City, Cruise, Del. 30. South Boston Club. 



River. 



THE CAPSIZE OF THE MYSTERY. 



LESS than a year ago we spoke in strong terms against the 

 criminal carelessness that crowds trusting and ignorant 

 women and children into boats of the most dangerous description 

 and commanded by reckless and incompetent men. The capsiza 

 of the centerboard schooner Sarah Craig, to which we then al- 

 luded, seemed to surpass most similar cases, both in the loss of 

 life and in the display of ignorance and recklessness by the lead- 

 ers of the. party; but the disaster of Sunday last at Ruffle Bar un- 

 fortunately exceeds it in both respect s. 



Without going into the painful details that fill pages of every 

 daily paper, it is enough to recount the leading facts. An organ- 

 ization known as the Crescent Y. C. held a picnic on Ruffle 

 Bar, an island in Jamaica Bay, about 3 milos from Canarsie and 

 just opposite Barren Island. Two "yachts," the Mystery and 

 Christina, shoal draft centerboard sloops, with the large rigs 

 common to the locality, the former handled by "Captain" David 

 Hendrickson and the latter by "Commodore" SVilliamsou, of the 

 Crescent Y. C;, carried over a number of persons, chiefly 

 women and young children, from Canarsie to Ruffle Bar in tho 

 morning. Plenty of beer was carried, too, and the picnickers in- 

 dulged all day. 



At sunset all prepared to return, but as the Christina was leak- 

 ing four men and twelve women went in her, the remaining women 

 and children, to the number of 35, being packed in the cabin and 

 about the decks of the Mystery, a boat 40ft, long over all and 15ft. 

 beam. In charge of this load was the captain, -who was partly in- 

 toxicated, his son, 9 years old, and a yout h who was not a sailor. 

 The wind was strong and puffy from southwest, and the mainsail 

 was double-reefed. The boat started away, fall owed by the Chris- 

 tina, and as the latter came nearer Captain Hendrickson started 

 to shake out the reefs. The women protested as the wind was 

 still heavy, but the captain paid no attention to them. Whole 

 sail was made and the yacht was again under way. A puff struck 

 and heeled her, the passengers as far as possible crowding to wind- 

 ward, when she came about, at once capsizing. Many of the 

 children were crowded in the cabin and could not escape, while 

 those on deck were thrown into the water. 



Moored at the Barren Island wharf near by was the coal 

 schooner Reaper, the colored cook, Andrew Robinson, being on 

 deck. He at once jumped into the yawlbcat and rowed to the 

 wreck, where he picked up nine or ten women and children, his 

 boat being loaded to the gunwale. By this time the tug Beane, 

 which hail been some distance off, had rounded the bar «Tud eonto 

 up, taking Robinson's load on board. Another young man, 

 August Lutz, employed on Barren Island, took a bateau and also 

 came to the rescue, saving several. The other yacht , in command 

 of the brave "Commodore," was not far away at the t ime of the 

 disaster, and might have saved nearly all, but instead of crowd- 

 ing up to the wreck the mainsail was lowered and the anchor 

 dropped by her crew when a hundred yards or more away. Two 

 men on board her plunged in and swam to the Mystery, each suc- 

 ceeding in rescuing his wife. The boats stayed by the wreck until 

 nothing more could be done, and then the Deane took the sur- 

 vivors and several dead to Canarsie. 



On Monday the Mystery was found floating by the Barren 

 Island wharf, with mast carried away, and was towed to Can- 

 arsie, where ten bodies were taken from her. The cabin and 

 cockpit was full of bottles and kegs. The total number drowned 

 will amount to nearly 25, nearly all children, as but 13 are re- 

 ported saved, while there were about 40 on board. 



The causes of the disaster are plainly seen, and the warning 

 stands clear to all. The boat was a shoal draft, light displace- 

 ment, centerboard craft, with the usual sand ballast and a big 

 rig, a near relative of the Sarah J. Craig; both being of the. type 

 that abounds about the south shore of Long Island. She was 

 overcrowded with persons who were absolutely helpless in any 

 emergency; she was commanded by a reckless and irresponsible 

 man, under the influence of liquor, and with no one to aid him 

 but a child and an ignorant young landsman. Under these con- 

 ditions and in a dangerous breeze the boat was racing with 

 auother. 



The immedia te responsibility for the murder of so many rests 

 with the captain who perished with them. In a lesser degree it 

 rests also will the husbands and fathers, the protectors of the 

 victims, who through carelessness or ignorance imperilled the 

 lives of thoBe who trusted in them. There are others, however, 

 who are responsible for these, occurrences which shock the com- 

 munity with such frightful regularity, the men who encourage, 

 who buUd and who use such craft as the Mystery, the Craig and 

 the Sophia. Only last summer we wrote of these men and their 

 boats in the following words : 



"Perhaps the most blame in the whole matter attaches to those . 

 who, while fully competent to judge, have persistently championed 

 the cause of the wide, beamy, "seaworthy" centerboard boat, and 

 who for ends of their own have opposed the reforms now so gen- 

 eral in the direction of depth and less beam. To their false teach- 

 ings is due much of the ignorance and misapprehension of nature's 

 laws which has kept in use for pleasure purposes these floating 

 coffins. The shoal draft, beamy centerboard boat is a necessity in 

 America; with our shoal harbors and streams commerce is only 

 possible by their aid. They have a function iu our domestic econ- 

 omy; and so has a powder mill or a dynamite factory. In their 

 proper place when used for inland commerce and manned by pro- 

 fessional crews accustomed to them, who know and undertake the 

 risks as a matter of business, as a man works in a powder mill 

 they fill a legitimate purpose. Sometimes the one capsizes, some- 

 times the other blows up. Neither can well be dispensed w ith and 

 no one thinks of condemning them. The trouble arises when they 

 are diverted from their proper purpose; in which case, to carry 

 out the parallel, the person who takes a party who are utterly ig- 

 norant of any danger afloat in such a death-trap as the wide 

 shoal, badly-ballasted yacht or boat, is as directly answerable for 

 the consequences as though he had taken them for a pleasant pic- 

 nic to the vicinity of a powder mill or under the roof of a d vnam ite 

 factory." 



In each of the three cases the same, parties are found, the reck- 

 less ones who, for purposes of gain, hire out dangerous craft; 

 the ignorant and careless men who charter such boats for others 

 who depend upon them; and the trusting women and children 

 who form the great bulk of the victims. In such localities aa 

 the Great South and Jamaica bays the stioal centerboard boat is 

 a necessity, but unless manned exclusively by experts I he present 

 class of boat is utterly unfit for use. For carrying pleasure par- 

 ties of landsmen, women and children, the beat, though of shoal 

 draft necessarily, should be of safe model, with ballast so secured 

 that it cannot shift to leeward, as in the Mohawk, Mystery and 

 Craig, and with only a moderate sail plan, whether sloop or cat- 

 rigged. She should be in the hands of a competent sailor who 

 should have absolute control, with sufficient aid to enable him to 

 reef or to help in some emergency. The boat should not be 

 crowded beyond her capacity, the guests should obey the captain 

 and keen their places quietly and no liquor should be allowed on 

 board. Under these conditions a reasonable amount of safety is 

 assured, but the violation of any one of them is apt to result in 

 disaster and death. 



In the locality in question the evils of the favorite type are 

 specially marked, these boats abound, and rum and recklessness 

 are found aboard of them. Capsizes are of weekly occurence, but 

 a mere drowning from a centerboard boat is too common to 

 attract notice, and it requires such a wholesale murder as the 

 present to call public attention to the. evil. On Decoration Day 

 a similar capsize occurred, a party of men and women beim* 

 thrown into the water, but as it was only 3ft. deep, no lives were 

 lost. 



It is extremely improbable that this disaster will have any 

 greater effect on the. ordinary bayman and longshore saildr than 

 that of last summer, or that any improvement in model, fig or 

 methods will result, but there are others who can and should 

 profit by such warnings. The landsmen to whom are intrusted 

 "<■ '!"••- i : 1 : ' uit and confiding women and children, are 

 directly responsible for any results which follow when they allow 

 their charges to enter a boat without being sure that the condi- 

 tions we have given above are all complied with. If through ig- 

 norance they are not competent to judge, the only safe course 1b 

 to stay ashore. 



