^02 



fDEO. 8, 189g. 



The Cruise of the Elsa. 



{Continued- from paae 1,51.) 



After a eight's rest in the gupst chamber on a feather bed, wWcli 

 the skipper did not appreciate, be turned out eagerly into the gray 

 morning to see what ibe prospi cts were for getting nhead. Barome- 

 ter stiU obstinately refusins to rise, but the wind lijftit v^ith a little 

 south in it. A start was made at 8 A. M , and a quiet, enjoyable run 

 followed, past the stone mills and the '-Lake ot the. Mountain," a 

 natural curiosity which we were recommended to examine, but did 

 not like to waste the fair wind for, past Fredericksburg and Adolphs- 

 town until we bore down upon the extreme eastern point of the 

 Prince Edward Peninsula. 



Between this point and Amherst Islaud is a channel locally Imown 

 as the "Gap"— some three or four miles across. The stroma signal 

 was up at the lighthouse and the wind coming down in heavy puffs 

 out oE thfl southwest, driving a heavy roll in from the lake, and a 

 steam barge and consort were making fer a lee under the point. 

 Things looked had again, but the wind was well aft this time, so we 

 concluded to try the passage, and putting a reef in the mainsail and 

 snugging everything else down close, Elsa was headed for the open, 



It was bad enough with the swell of the Bay of Quinte meeting 

 that of the lake nf^arly at right angles and raising a nasty cross chop, 

 but the lake wind came steady though strong, and there were none 

 of the angry spitfire squalls of thelday before, and the little boat 

 though tossed about in marvellous fashion, went along easily and 

 comfortably with a dry deck. Leaving the bay behiud us the swell 

 became more and more regular, and Elsa sped alo"g, rising and fall- 

 ing upon the great broad-backed rollers in inost exhilarating fash- 

 ion, until just as the sun reachp.d the meridian we rounded to oppo 

 site the little village of Bath, and to give the cook a holiday, went to 

 the old-fashioned country hotel hard by the wharf for dinner. 



The morning's run had been a good one and the spirits of the crew 

 •were high. 



Again Elsa was underway, and we sped down the now compara- 

 tively shelcered north channel toward Kingston. The dreaded 'mine 

 mile'poiul" was ahead of us, and seeing the angry look of the weather 

 it was hardly exjjected that we should go further than Collins Bay, 

 but getting abreast of it with the afternoon still yoimg we concluded 

 to run out to the point of Amherst Island at any rate and have a look 

 at the open. 



The survey being more encouraging than we expected, and the 

 wind lulling a little, the temptation ro get ahead was too strong, and 

 out we went. The wind had now got round due south, and occasional 

 rain squalls drifted in from the lake, but there was nothing more 

 than a stiff bref ze blowing, and the great swells were so long that 

 we did not realize their size until we met a steacher coming w^st roll- 

 ing to her guards, and a little later a great lighter, sloop-rigged, 

 pitching to her hawse pipes. 



On a close reach El'sa danced along gaily, and in an hour we had 

 the Cage Island Light abeam and the spires and masts of Kingston 

 in sight ahead. As it became dusk the wind died almost away, and 

 we ran slowly past the wharves looking for a berth. A great 

 iron steamer came majestically out the Campana bound for 

 Chicago. As 6 o'clock struck we ran into a snug httle slip and made 

 fast alongside a couole of other small craft, and the skipper begat 

 himself to a hotel with the half-regretful, half -relieved consciousness 

 of having successfully wrestled with Lake Ontario diuiug the equi- 

 noctials, and that henceforth his lot would be cast on sheltered 

 waters, and that he had little to try his nerves except perhaps a bump 

 on a sunken rock near by the Thousand Islands. 



Morning broke bright and clear, the first really flue day yet, and 

 the white-caps were chasing one another down the lake "gaily and 

 fast as Elsa turned her stern toward Kingston. The storm signal, 

 which had so far confronted us at every port, was down at last, and 

 the wind was back in the west again. With keen enjoyment the 

 skipper took his seat on the weather deck. A fair wind, a blue sky, 

 a good boat under him and a good breakfast inside, what sailor man 

 would not be happy under the circumstances. 



Ahead, everythiug was new and strange, and as the boat bowled 

 along with a creamy streak on either bow, he made up his mind that 

 nothing short of Brookville. fifty miles off, would satisfy him for a 

 day's run. "L'homme propose." Six miles down, and" just as the 

 islands began to get thick a.nd close, and the navigation intricate, a 

 slight "clink!" was heard astern, and the man at the stick meeting her 

 at the next scend, felt no resistance; the tiller lines v,'ere slack. The 

 horrible truth rushed upon the skippsr. The nut at the top of the 

 rudder tshaft had gradually worked loose and the rudder had dropped 

 off into deep water. This was bad, but it would have been worse 

 yesterday, and uncomplainingly the crew got out the single sweep 

 and with considerable exertion at last got the boat before the wind 



Steering with an oar in half a gale of wind with a following sea is 

 no easy work on the Elsa, and the crew had httle leisure to enjoy the 

 lovely scenery at first, but soon we got into the river-like channel 

 inside Howe Island and the work became less arduous. 



The run was hugely enjoyable after all, in spite of the mishap, and 

 the inevitable delay ahead at Gananoque. Sweeping through the 

 narrows at last we ran into the mouth of the river just after noon 

 and inquired for a black.smith. We were in luck as regards the local- 

 ity of the mishap at any rate, and if there are better boat black- 

 smiths than J. J. Moore I have never struck them. Before the skip- 

 per had finished his dinner the new rudder was well under way and 

 at 3:80 it was finished, with shaft and doubhng plates riveted on 

 either side in the neatest way, complete. Mr. Moore make.? a 

 specialty of boat work and flnishos in beautiful .style with a eoatiuK 

 of pure tin, which is bandsotner than the ordinary galvanized sur- 

 face, at very moderate cost. With the consent of the Fjhest anp 

 Stream I tender him this free advertisement in grateful acknowl- 

 edgment of his excellent and rapid work, 



At 4 P. M. Elsa was under way again, and bowlmg down river under 

 whole mainsaU and mizen. Soon we swept past Stave Island, and as 

 the sun sank in the west, taking the wind with it, we ran into the 

 meadows at the "'Fiddler's Elbow," and felt the first decided current 

 We had left Lake Ontario behind us, and were drifting on the ed- 

 dying bosom of the mightiest of North American rivers. It was the 

 loveliest evening and the loveliest scene we had met with for many a 

 day; westward stretched the placid surface of the lake, doited with 

 tairy isles and rocks, and just rufQed by the dying wind, the whole 

 brilliantly lit no by the setting sun. An old paddle steamer passed 

 us, bound for Kingston, with two great lighters in tow, the quiet 

 breathing of her engines and the light streak of smoke from her fun- 

 nel as she went by rather heightened than detracted from the quiet 

 beauty of the scene. Against a dark islaud gleamed the white sail of 

 a skiff which we had outrun all the way from Gananoque. To the 

 east there showed the white lighthouse standing on a dark rock and 

 marking the entrance to the river running swiftly awav into the 

 murky and mysterious looking east. A boat stole out of the gloom 

 between the islands and ghded toward the lighthouse, ieavine the 

 light keeper to his charge. A little further dow n the channel one of 

 the great turreted mansions of the wealrhy summei- residents showed 

 dimly between the trees, its rather staring facade and gaudy paint 

 softened by the lazy atmosphere into harmony with the landscape 



As we glided into thB channel the river seemed n type of voune 

 manhood setting out from his quiet, peaceful home for the great un- 

 known world. On it goes, sometimes chafing and foaming ano-rilv 

 against opposing rocks and anon resting in quiet expansion, gather- 

 ing sediment as the man gathers wealth in its struggles with the 

 world, end dropping it again in the lakes as he spends it in the inter- 

 vals of rest and pleasure. Smaller streams join with him at everv 

 bend and increase his power and dignity. Sometimes he divides his 

 torce into different channels the better to overcome the opposition to 

 his progress; but the division is only momentary, and the channels 

 reunite when the opposition is overcome. In the prime of his life he 

 meets his consort, the 0:tawa, and together they go rolling past the 

 wharves of Mon real, and settling down to a steadier but no less 

 majestic swing, go sweeping past the cities of men. serving his pur- 

 poses and carrying his commerce, but none the loss exacting their 

 own trltiute of sediment m return. ^ 



Belo w Quebec the course expands, and the beginning of the end is 

 felt when the chill salt current of the Labrador coast is met, but the 

 river still quietly and slowly presses forward, and stul cfincs to its 

 sedimentary wealth until at Cap des Monls it loses itself and its gains 

 m the all-absorbing ocean. s-nus 

 thus, Elsa and I glided slowly down between the islands 

 ■until a prodigious couglung and spluttering iq heard and whh a 

 shower of sparks a fussy, praaical little steam launch goes dartiSg bv 

 waking the echoes with iis unearthly screeching steam whistle Con: 

 found a steam launch anyhow. "What businels has such an krtic^e 

 in fairyland." Bat it the launch has broken the skipper's reverie it 

 hfm flfnMP'^J.l^^."'.^ ^VV^rn^, and the darkness and^Shhly ah^wLn 

 that he had better seek a restmg place for the night 



^f*"^* fT'P^?'' '^^^'^'^ ^^"^ voices from unseen people in 

 the gloom are heard. Elaa's nose is tcu'nod shoreward and in a ff'w 

 minutes she is alongside a whca-f piled with cord wood, aud her crew 

 IS mak-hig a hearty meal in the bouse which held the 1 ehts and ro-^^ 

 Vl^^^J^ r'^'^^^ >«<^^es who owneffivo^s^^ 



a solitary traveler of a somewhat retiring and bashful temperament 

 rfSi'^H':^^' ^ gray hairs in his head withal can blSos^d to 

 40 with propriety. Darlings they were by name, darlhigsTe Xp 



per pronounced them in his heart to be for the interest and hospi- 

 tahty they tendered. 



In the standard sensational novel of the day these stars represent 

 an interval of years during which the hero is absent in a foreien 

 land making his fortune. In the present case they represent a few 

 days during which the skipper went home to attend to some press- 

 ing business, while Elsa rested quietlj behiud an angle of the wharf, 

 rocked occasionally by the swell of a passing steamer. 



On a bright October afternoon the skipper stepped off the train 

 and wended his way to the wharf to find everything in go^d shape, 

 and in a few minutes sail was made and we shot out into the stream. 

 The wind was east and up the river, but with current under us we 

 made good headway for a mile or two. Presently a steam yacht 

 came down and hailing her we asked for a line, when rather to our 

 surprise the yacht immediately lay to and tendered it. It was the 

 old story of the pretty boat and the solitary cruiser winning their 

 way to the sympathies of the captain, and not only did he tow us to 

 opposite his home port, Alexandria Bay, but three or four miles 

 below, and the only remuneration which he would hear of was a 

 model, or the "lines," of the little cruiser, which had taken his ej e 

 and which we gladly promised to forward. 



With a hearty "Good-bye" Elsa was cast off again and filled away 

 for a long stretch toward the American shore. Commg about, she 

 approached the Canadian as dusk was coming pn, and headed for a 

 solitary light. On landing the crew readily fOuud a supner, but a 

 bed was denied us owing to an already full house, ancTTve wero 

 directed to the next bouse, a half mile lower do^vn, and warned lu 

 look out for reefs and shoals. Out we went cautiously into the dar': 

 and soon arrived opposite the bouse in question. The night was so 

 serene that we were tempted to run a little further and lay for a 

 harbor fm'ther on, but after being half scared to death by burapiof 

 over a reef and nearly running foul of a spar buoy, the skipper con 

 eluded that beating: through the Thousand Islands on a, dark night 

 was too trying to the nerves, and made for the landing. Again wo 

 found a friend and a boating man who sent us on our way rejoicing 

 at gray dawn. 



It was almost calm, the first calm we had had, but the current and 

 an occasional air, "now east, now south," brought us six miles on 

 our way before 9 o'clock. 



A great dredge came out from the New York shore and at once 

 went to work in the channel, and a great black steam tug went by 

 quietly but steadily, cutting a furrow through the calm waters. 

 Away over in the marshes on the Canadian shore we could hear the 

 popping of gTjns and even the voices of men at work. Presently 

 came a steadier air from the westward, a slight murmur came from 

 under Elsa's bows. The murmur grew louder and louder until it 

 became a roar, and in half an hour we were bearing down on Brock- 

 ville wing and wing at a good (i-koot gait. In an hour we were abreast 

 of the outskirts of the prettiest probably of Canadian towns. A sail 

 appeared ahead, which we overhauled hand over hand, and at 11 

 A.. M. we rounded to at the boat house of Mr. McLean, a St. Lawrence 

 skiff sailer, well known to fame. 



Four hours were enjoyably spent in bis society, and we visited 

 Sauvc s boat building establishment together. Elsa's style and 

 model were pronounced upon favorably, and Mr. McLean went so 

 far as to say she was the prettiest boat hailing from west of Brock- 

 ville. As this covered Clayton, Alexandria Bay and Gananoque, the 

 declaration was rather a sweeping one, and may be set down as judi- 

 cious flattery, but it was pleasant to the skipper's ears at any rate. 

 At 3 P. M. w^e concluded we had lost sufficient of the fair wind, and 

 that if we wished to make any sort of a day's ruu we must start at 

 once. So Elsa was headed do'wn wind again, and with mainsail and 

 mizzen winged out we made some 13 miles without touching tack or 

 sheet. Henry K. WtoKSTEBD. 



CoBOL'BG, Can. 



[concluded next week]. 



CANOE NEWS NOTES, 



A new boat btiilding company has recently been organized at Gan- 

 anoque, Can., under the natne JSf. Gilbert Boat Bmldlng Co. Mr. 

 Gilbert has made a reputation through the very successful St. Law- 

 rence River skiffs designed and built by him, as well as by gome 

 handsome sailing canoes. He is personally a vei-y skillful wood- 

 worker, having been in charge of the machinery of the Gananoque 

 Carriage Co. for some years, and he has devised a system of canoe 

 and boat building in which modern woodworking machinery is largely 

 used. Tne company is just putting up a line of open Canadian 

 canoes, and other models of canoes and boats will be built as fast as 

 the moulds are ready. Planking, ribs, stems and all parts for any 

 required number of boats are got out to exact size by machinery, the 

 parts being yut, together with varnish in the seams. 



A meeting of the executive committee of the Atlantic Division was 

 held on Nov. .SO at the Astor House, at which it was decided to hold a 

 division meet from July S to 13, the camp ground being available to 

 campers until July 16. The site will probably be on Pleasure Bay, 

 near Long Branch, N, J, 



The Knickerbocker O. 0. had a very large attendance of canoeists 

 at its smoker on Dee. 3. 



The Hoboken C, C. held its smoker, as announced, on Nov. 16. 



THE REVOLVER CHAMPIONSHIP, 



W. E. Petty, a memher of the New York Police Force, is now 

 the holder of the Amateur Revolver Championship of America, 

 and the custodian of the Winans Trophy, the emblem of that 

 championship. He won it from Geo. E. Jantzer at the gallery of 

 the New York Pistol Olub, No. 13 St. Marks place, in this city, on 

 the evening of Dec. 8. The match was a very interesting one, 

 and the record as made shows that the men are each of them ex- 

 perts of experts in getting shots clo.sely bunched about the very 

 small black of the .5in. cardboard disk upon which the measure- 

 ments are taken. 



Roundsman Petty has not been satisfied since he shot in the 

 initial open to all competitors, which Introduced the match and 

 the trophy to the revolver shots of this country. In that struggle 

 by over forty of the best revolver shots of the country he came in 

 fifth with a score of •ZiMin. for his l-S shots. In that same match 

 Jantiier put up a score of .20.401n. Dr. Louis Bell was the first 

 holder of the trophy on his score of 17,62in. His winning record 

 was announced on June 9. Mr. Jantzer was promptly at hand 

 with a challenge, and on the afternoon of Aug. 3 the pair of re- 

 volver sharps met at the St. Marks gallery and fired a record 

 which was decidedly.off thelchampionship standard. Jantzer won 

 with a score of 3.?.5in. against fj.Bin. for Bell. 



The next challenge came from Henry Oehl, the president of the 

 N. Y. Pistol Olub. The shooting when they met on Oct. 15 was fair 

 but each of the men has shown better scoring in private practice 

 and club matches. Only one full string of 6 consecutive shots on 

 the 5-inch disk was made by each, Jantzer scoring 6.83 inches 

 and Oehl 7.78 inches in the 6 shots. The result of this failure to 

 keep the strings on the measuring disk was that the record of 

 this match was taken on 16 shots, and the figures were Jantzer 

 19.11 inches, Oehl 19 83 inches. 



The fourth and next match in this series was that of Saturday 

 evening last, when Jantzer, after his twO' victories, was com- 

 psilled to acknowledge the superior ability ot his official friend. 

 The two have done much practice together, and their instructions 

 and advice each to the other has been of mutual help. In the 

 match they each used S. & W., .44eal., 6in. barrel revolvers, firing 

 a light charge with a round bullet. It was a fair square test of 

 shooting ability and neither man had any fault to find with his 

 weapon for not responding to his demand tipon it. The opening 

 shot of Petty's second string fell just off of the disk, and this he 

 thought might be due to the cleaning the barrel received after 

 the first round. At any rate, it was not cleaned during the re- 

 mainder of the match. Jantzer 's method of cleaning was by a 

 current of breath down the barrel after each shot. 



The arrangements of the match under the care of the Zettlers 

 was, of course, perfect, and the shooters did not lack for good- 



natured raillery and advice at each shot, with Oehl and "Barney" 

 Walther, Bishop and the rest of the clubmen there. The meas- 

 uring of the targets was done by President Oehl, who is an expert 

 manipulator of the machine by which Messrs, Zettler have de- 

 cided so many important rifle and revolver contests. 



When the figures were totaled it was seen that the shooting had 

 b^enofa high order, and Jantzer hnd iost, buthehad not been 



/ 



beaten by any "fluke" shooting but by close, clean skill from flrst 

 to last. Mr. Petty has the best single shot, the best six-shot 

 string and the best three strings" out of five under the conditions. 



Mr. Petty ought to win and win again and again, if intelligent 

 attention to his pastime of revolver shooting goes for aught. He 

 is strictly temperate, never using either drink or tobacco. In 

 build he is solidity from sole to crown. He was suffering some- 

 what from weak eyes, a remainder of a recent attack of measles. 

 Roundsman Petty frequently gives his fellow officers an exhibi- 

 tion of fancy shooting, lying down, snap work, side wise, 

 backwards, any way in fact, and vrith the .38cal. S. & W. 3in, 



W, E, PBTTT'S TAB RET. 



barrel, which is the oflicial arm of the N, Y, police force. The 

 very skill of Mr. Petty only makes the absolute helplessness of the 

 other 3,000 policeman as revolver shots the more conspicuous. 

 The record of the match of Dac. 3 stands as follows:, 



yfUL E. PEITT, 



1st stHhg. 



SdBtftliK'. -^d string. 



4th string. 



.■ith string 



.5:1 





.58 



.56 



1,43 



.51 



1.^1 



1.67 



.65 



1.55 



1,25 



2.i)0 



.&S 



1.03 



.63 



-73 



1.03 



1.13 



1.19 



1.61 



1,72 



.S9 



.9H 



,66 



95 



,18 



.63 



.86 



.48 



1.33 



4.90 





"5^84 





7.49 



Record strings, 4.90, 5.84, 4.67. Total, 



15.31in, 





GEO. 



E. OANTZER. 





1.17 



1.17 



.41 



-■77 



2.20 



3.49 



.73 



1.51 



.67 



1.54 



1 25 



.?« 



M 



.80 



.91 



1.37 



i.or 



.67 



3.17 



1 30 



1.79 



.83 



.90 



1.15 



3.14 



.76 



.55 





1 91 



.31 



8.«3 



4,72 





7.47 



8.30 



Record strings, 4.73, 



7.47, 8.30. Total, 20.49in. 



The Winner Challenged. 



No. 12 St. Marks PmcE. New York.— Editor Forefit a/Hd Sfreaja.- 

 I hereby challenge W. E. Petty to shoot a match wiTh revolvers 

 for the Winans trophy. ^ B, Wai>THEH. 



Cincinnati Rifle Association. 



CiNCiNJSATi. O,. Dee. 4.— The Cincinnati Rifle Association held 

 its regular practice shoot at its range to-day and made the scores, 

 as appended below. Conditions, 200yds., o£fhand, at the standard 

 target. Payne used open sighi: Martin shot from a rest and 

 Schuster used a sporting rifle. The 8Core«- 



Gindele ....85 86 88 Wel]inger..84 79 88 Simon. . ..80 80 77 



Liuis 79 *5 68 Drube 76 76 81 Martin 85 74 73 



WeinheiVr73 73 78 Topf 73 70 64 Schuster.., .56 48 37 



Payne 83 79 83 



New York Rifle Club. 



NEAy YOHK, Dec. 5.— The following scores were made by the 

 members of the New York Revolver and Pistol Club at their 

 last regular weekly practice shoot, held on the 3d Inst, at head- 

 quarters, No. 12 St. Mark's Place. Ten shots on standard Amer- 

 ioan target, distance 20yds.. ,44cal. S. & W. revolver: G, E. Jant- 

 zer 89, C. B. Bishop 86, B. Waltbar 84. H. Oehl 81, A. Bertrand 81. 

 F, HecMng (.38cal.) 72, E. Walz (.33cal. Stevens .pistol) 82. 



F, Hbcking, Secretary.:; 



