^2 



Forest and stream. 



I Nov. 5, 1S91. 



THE RUDDER IN PADDLING RACES.— The rudder an-l its 

 appropriate foot-steering gear form such an important ansiliary 

 in paddling that it seems strange that it has been little used by 

 the leading racing men. Of course where a paddler stands on the 

 gunwale of his canoe, or has both feet laced in shoes which are 

 screwed to the tloDr of the boat, or even talies the Ijneeling posi- 

 tion of MacKendrick or Muntz, all use of footgear and rudder is 

 out of the question. These methods, however, are of compara- 

 tively recent introduction, and as late as 1887 the majority of 

 pa'ldler^at the A. 0. A. meet used the sitting position, with feet 

 extended before them. In fact, the first man to adopt the stand, 

 ing position was Mr. Johnson, who stood in his canoe in the Class 

 I. paddling race at Lake George in 1888. Even when using the sit- 

 ting position, the best paddlers, such as Rice, Johnson and Leys, 

 used no rudder; the advantage of a rigid foot brace, in some cases 

 with the feet strapped fast, being considered greater than the gain 

 through a straighter course. 



However true this may be in perfectly smooth water, or even 

 before or against a light wind, with a little sea and a moderate 

 quartering breeze we have never doubted that a good rudder 

 would more than pay, by virtue of the shorter course and more 

 especially by the saving of power by the division of strokes on 

 each side, for the loss through drag or lessened rigidity of the foot 

 rest. Of late the sitting position has been abandoned entirely by 

 the Canadians, who are the recognized leaders in paddling, the 

 men standing as nearly erect as possible, or kneeling on one knee, 

 with the other foot before them, and there is every reason to 

 believe that these positions permit of a longer stroke, freer move- 

 ment, and the expenditure of more power, and to better advantage, 

 than in the old sitting position. At the same time it is no easy 

 matter to steer the canoe at any time, and with a quartering wind 

 and sea she is apt to go pretty much where she pleases, regardless 

 both of the course and the will of her owner. 



Those who cared to do so, have always been at liberty, as a 

 matter of course, to use their rudders in the paddling races in the 

 past, and no comment has been made. This year, however, both 

 the tandem and club four races were run off in rough water, and 

 won, as it happened, by a canoe using a rudder. This fact gave 

 rise to comment on the part of some of the paddling men, and 

 though no protest was made, there was a good deal of oh.iection 

 to the use of the rudder, tbe result being seen in the recommen- 

 dation of the regatta committee, published last week, that the 

 rudder be prohibited in all paddling races. 



The sole argument that we have heard against the use of the 

 rudder is that paddling is not only a matter of propelling the 

 canoe, but of steering it as well, and that where a rudder is used 

 there can be no test of skill in steering. This miy be perfectly 

 true as applied to one man paddling with a single blade; the en- 

 tire work of steering is done, not by extra muscle or by an added 

 number of strokes, but through the adroit handling of the paddle, 

 by which the boat is directed by the same movement by which 

 she is propelled. In double-blade paddling, however, the ques- 

 tion of skill in steering hardly comes in at all; it is a matter of go 

 many- more strokes on one side or the other, and the steering is 

 totally different from the case of a single blade. As the latter 

 has gone out entirely for racing, the superiority of the double 

 blade for speed being long since conceded, the whole argument 

 based on the question of skill falls to the ground. 



The facts are briefly, that the man who stands or kneels in his 

 canoe can probably propel her faster through the water than the 

 man who sits down; at the same time, the steering of a canoe by 

 means of a double blade only, involves a longer and indirect 

 course and a serious waste of power from the necessity of doing 

 much of the work on one side of the boatu instead of on each side 

 in alternation. If a man is willing to take a position which of it- 

 self is considered to handicap him in the matter of speed, we can 

 see no reason why he should not be allowed to avail himself of 

 the legitimate advantages which accompany the position. 



If the use of the rudder is prohibited because it does away with 

 all tests of skill in steering, then it would be perfectly proper to 

 forbid a man to sit down in his canoe in a paddling race, as such 

 a position is no test of his skill In balancing. The rudder is re- 

 cognized as a legitimate appliance in all varieties of racing craft 

 especially in rowing boats, and we know of no precedent for its 

 prohibition in canoe racing. 



THE LIMIT OF WEIGHT FOR PADDLING CANOES.-The 

 limitation of 40lbs. for the minimum weight of paddling canoes 

 was inserted in the A. O. A. rules in the fall of 1889, and if we are 

 not mistaken was generally approved by the paddling men. The 

 Canadians in particular were desirous of a weight limit which 

 would admit to all races held under the A. C. A. rules the better 

 class of open Canadian service canoes, at that time generally used 

 for paddling races in Canadian regattas, and though these canoes 

 weighed nearer 50 than 401bs., the latter limit was thea considered 

 a safe and desirable one both for the A. C. A. paddling as well as 

 for the regulation of local regattas. Since that time the A. C. A. 

 paddling trophy has done much to stimulate rasing and improve 

 the canoes from a racing standpoint, and no\T there are a ntmi- 

 ber of racing men who desire the abalition of all weight limits in 

 the paddling class. So far as the main purpose of the 40lb. limit 



is concerned, the necessity for it no longer exists, the 401b. canoes 

 at the meet this year were each of them far too fast for the open 

 servicrt canoe, and the entry of one of the former boats would kill 

 the paddling cla=s at any ordinary regatta. 



It is claimed by the opponents of the present limit that while 

 it restricts the improvement of the "trophy racer," to coin a 

 term, it at the same time does nothing for general paddliog, and 

 so should he abolished. It is simply the old story that Is found in 

 all racing, the boats have reached a point of development where 

 the racing craft must be strictly separated from the service boat 

 that formerly did most of the racing and much other work 

 besides. The paddling racers are now few in number, probably 

 not more than a dozen have yet been built, while there are good 

 open canoes by the thousand which have hitherto taken part in 

 the paddling events of all club?, but especially in Canada. The 

 former class mns; noiv be recognized and encouraged, as the 

 trophy race depends on it, and at the same time the old class in 

 w-hich so much good racing has been done should not be wiped 

 out by a few racers. There can be no objection to removing all 

 limit of weight from one class, and at the same time placing a 

 certain limit which shall reserve some races in club regattas, if 

 not at file meets, for the open service canos to which canoeing 

 in general, as well as paddling racing in particular, owes so 

 much. 



REPRESENTATION AT THE ANNUAL MEETING.-Next 

 week there will assemble at Albany a body of canoeists repre- 

 senting the largest and most important canoeing fraternity in 

 the world, and including delegates from each section of the 

 United States and Canada; the American Canoe Association re- 

 cognizing no political boundaries. The work of this body is so 

 important, and within certain limits is so largely national and 

 not sectional, that it is specially desirable that each division 

 should be represented. It has been the wise policy of the Asso- 

 ciation for some years to conduct its meetings publicly and to 

 allow the greatest freedom in debate, all members of the Asso- 

 ciation, whether on the executive committee or not, being ad- 

 mitted to the meeting and allowed by courtesy to make sugges- 

 tions or take part in the debates. The policy of the officers has 

 always been to consult the general interests rather than to cater 

 to local ones. 



In order to do this successfully it is most essential that each 

 division shall be fully represented at the meeting, and that the 

 men who are present shall have ideas and opinions and not be 

 afraid to express them; and to this end we would urge upon the 

 division officers the necessity for securing in some way a good 

 attendance from their respective divisions. The rule covering 

 this matter is a very fair one, any member of the executive com- 

 mittee may appoint a member of his division to vote for him at a 

 meeting of the committee, providing that no member or proxy 

 shall have more than one vote. 



The Northera Division has been specially lax in the matter of 

 attendance at meetings; tor two years, 1889 and 1890, it has been 

 unrepresented at the November meeting, and has shown a general 

 indifference to what was done there. This year in camp, though 

 a number of members of the Division were present, not one 

 brought a proxy for the meeting which is always held in camp, 

 the nearest approach to it being one man who presented himself, 

 saying that two members of the committee had asked him to 

 reptesent them, though he had no written proxy from either. Of 

 course it is quite a journey and often in a busy season, from Can- 

 ada to New V'ork, Albany or Boston, but there must be a few out 

 of the many officers and members of the Northern Division who 

 can make it, and probably other members of the Division who ace 

 temporarily in the States who could at least be present as proxies. 

 It is not altogether fair to the oth'er divisions for one to be absent 

 entirely from the meeting, as with the best intentions it is not 

 possible for the committee to comply with the wishes of any 

 Division or section unless it is informed what those wishes may 

 be. We hope to see this year a full representation, either by the 

 regular officers or their proxies, from every Division of the Asso- 

 ciation. 



THE RUDDER IN PADDLING RACES. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



I would like to know of some good reason why one should not 

 be allowed to carry a rudder in a paddling race if he is willing to 

 handicap himself with its weight and drag? 



I presume that the claim is made by the "straight" paddling 

 man that there is no skill in paddling without a rudder, and with 

 him who has a special paddling canoe it maybe all right to go 

 without one; but take a decked sailing canoe with a straight keel 

 in a "following sea" and she will shoot from side to side in such a 

 way that it is almost impossible to keep from fouling. I think we 

 are handicapped enough now in paddhng a sailing canoe in many 

 races against a mere paddling shell, without depriving us of a 

 necessary appendage. In a large pa-ldling race at the A. C- A. 

 with twenty to thirty starters, there would be less fouling if more 

 of them were carried. AtL Around. 



THE RATHBUN CO.— A recent number of the Northwestern 

 Lumtierman contains a very interesting article on the Rachbun 

 Co. and its works at Deseronto. Mr. F. S. Rathbun, one of the 

 nroprietors of this immense corporation, is an old canoeist, hav- 

 ing been commodore of the A. C. A. In 1886. 



ARTHUR BRENTANO.— Mr. Arthur Brentano, one of the 13 

 founders of the A. C. A. who were present at the first meeting, 

 and one of the organizers of the Knickerbocker C.C.. has recently 

 returned to New York, after a residence of several years in Paris, 

 as the head of Bretano's store there. 



A. 0. A. iMEMBERSHIP.-Central Division: C. D. Martin, 

 Rochester, N. Y. 



THE PADDLE IN SAILING RACES. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



It has been suggested to me by one of the members of the A.C. A. 

 regatta committee that I state in print the faces relating to my 

 use of the paddle and disqualification therefor in the record sail- 

 mg race at the meet, and invite a discussion of the merits of the 

 case. 



As the action of the committee has been quite severely criti- 

 cised I think the suggestion a good one, as some comments may 

 help to improve the rule hearing on the subject, or at any rate 

 give some idea of how it should be construed, as its meaning at 

 present seems very vague and uncertain. 



Rule Xtl. states: "The paddle shall not be used in sailing 

 races, except for steering when the rudder is disabled, or for 

 shoving off when aground, afoul of anything, or in extreme 

 danger, as from a passing steamer or from a squall." 

 ^ The question is, when is one in sufficient danger to justify its 



The facts in my case were as follows: The record sailing race 

 was one of the hardest races I have ever experienced, and the 

 wind and sea was probably one of the worst that an Association 

 race has ever bpen sailed in. 



The first leg was a beat to windward, and as I rounded the buov 

 m the lead I let out my mizen sheet as I squared away for the run 

 to tbe second buoy. As I did so I lost the sheet, which let the sail 

 out far more than at right angles. In my eflEorts lo regain the 

 sheet a squall struck me when on the top of a wave, which yawed 

 the canoe around suddenly and capsized her. I righted heV. and 

 then both sails jibed, and over she went on the other side. It was 

 very hard work to right her this time, and as I did so she rolled 

 over again on the other side. By this time I was completely 

 tangled up in halliards and reef lines, and had I gone out of the 

 canoe might have been in a serious predicament. On account of 

 insufficient rubber packing, my deck hatches leaked, and by the 

 time I righted her for the third time, which was very hard to do, 

 the compartments were partly full and center of the canoe en- 

 tirely so. 



I then laid to and bailed out the cockpit, when I proceeded to 

 get my sails in trim, particularly the mizen, which was badly 

 tangled with the aforesaid sheet, so that I had to lower the sail 

 to disentangle it. 



While in this position the bow of tbe canoe fell olf the wind 

 and I was in danger of going over again, so took about six or eight 

 backward strokes on the windward side to bring her head up 

 again. 



What else could I do? I could not get my sail up in time, 

 as in that weather it took the canoe but a short time to determine 

 what she would do next. And to meet her I resorted to the only 

 thing that seemed possible to accomplish the desired end. 



By the time I had sail on again the fleet was far ahead of me, 

 but I continued in the race and worked my way to second place, 

 which earned me a tie fou second nlace on the record, with a pro- 

 test against the other man. 



No protest was made against me, and I felt so satisfied of my 

 position that I did not report it; but the regatta committee took 

 it up, though they did not see it, but simply heard some one say 

 what I had done, and late that afternoon, without any warning, 

 called me up and asked me for my evidence in the matter. 



It was a hard thing to give a very clear version of the affair 

 without thinking it over, for between the gybing of those booms 

 and keeping on top of the canoe, things were happening so thick 

 and fast that aU was not clear in my own mind at the time. 

 There was no claim that I improved my position by the use of the 

 paddle, and the fact that nearly ev^ery one in the race either 

 broke down or upset, and that I had never hefoi-e in all my ex- 

 perience used a paddle in a sailing race would seem to me to be 

 sufficient excuse, to say the least, for using it as I did. 



I shall be glad to have my action criticised, especially by those 

 who were in the race or saw it, as if I misinterpret the meaning 

 of the rule I am ready to be convinced by practical racers: but if 

 I was right there would be a good deal of satisfaction in knowing 

 it, even at this late date; and while the past cannot be undone, it 

 may help to give some one justice in the future. 



Newark, N. J., Oct. 30. George P. Douglas. 



TOLEDO C. C— The Toledo C. C. is now in a flourishing condi- 

 tion, having paid off all its debt. Measures are now being taken 

 to incorporate the club. 



mw^H to ^ams^andmts. 



||^~ No Notice Takea of Anonymoaa Correapoudenta. 



N. G.— We do not know of a game preserve at Hicksville, Long 

 Island. 



E. C , Albany.— 1. A rifle of small caliber made by any of the 

 American makers. 3. See our advertising columns. 



An Old Subscriber.- Would you kindly inform me if the eat 

 commonly known in the northern New England States as the 

 "coon cat," is a cross between a domestic cat and coon, or a dis- 

 tinct breed? Ans. It is not a cross between the cat and coon, but 

 a distinct cat. 



A. G. B., Holland, Mich.— While skinning a rabbit which I 

 killed this morning I noticed a worm or grub about lin. long and 

 i^in. m diameter in the middle, between the skin and the flesh on 

 the side of the neck. Color, brown. I have often been tnld of 

 rabbits having "grubs," but this is the first I ever noticed. Would 

 you kindly let me know the cause of it and if it injures the flB=h 

 for food? Ans. The grub is the larva of:the rabbit-bot flv (Cuter- 

 efrj-acioiicttH); it does not injure the flesh of the rabbit for food, 

 but bores through the skin, which it spoils, and completes its de- 

 velopment in the ground. The fly deposits its eggs under the 

 skin, usually on the neck. See Eorest and Stream, VoL IX. 

 W;, p. 207. 



L. M.. Norwalk, Conn.— 1. There is a firm in New York that 

 makes tin cans by the name of Ginna & Co. Please give their ad- 

 dress? 2. If a man gets out a patent, can another person make an 

 improvement on the same article and get it patented if he has to 

 use the first man's article to attach his improvement to? 3 Are 

 all trout baskets made in France? 4. If there is any firm in the 

 LTnited States that makes trout baskets, please state their address? 

 o. Please state the address of a New York firm that makes cork 

 floats? Ans. 1. No. 53 Beach street. 3. One may patent an im- 

 provement on a patented article, but may not use the original 

 article, nor may his improvement be used by maker of origioal; 

 each patent is separate. 3 and 4. Trout baskets are imported from 

 Prance and Germany. 5. American Net and Twine Co., Fulton 

 street. New York. 



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