Jan. 5, 1893.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



17 



St. La-svrence Kiver and the G-reat Lakes. 



Lake Ontario and St. Laweence Bivbb. 



Canals dp the St. Lawrence River. 



I u regard to the navigation of the lakes and eamals. an Eastern 



yachtsman writes ns as follows: 

 Editor For<>f: t a nd SI rea m : 



Why will not some (if the ^ aehtsmen on the lake-s tell us tlu-ough the 

 f'oREST AND STREAM of the trials and triljulations that niav Ive looked 

 t'oi' in taking a small yacht from Nefl- York to Cliicasco bv way of the 

 Erie Canal or the St. Lawrence River-; 3Iany yachts' lutve been taken 

 through the canals in the past \'ear or so. and their experiences would 

 ' be of value to all who contemplate a similar trifi. A short tmie after 

 Mr. Kunliardt went South in the Coot in 18B5-6, 1 followed in her wake 

 H'ith a large sharpie and found the information given in the Ii'orest 

 AND Stream of the gi-eatest value to me. The yacht clubs on the lake 

 could tell ns of the weather we would be likely to encounter, the facil- 

 ities foi- towing and many cither important iteojs. W \ 



We will gladl.v give space to any further information that, will prove 

 nseful to ya<;htsmen. 



Sef fable o n page 15. 



YACHT NEWS NOTES. 



May, .steam yacht, owned by Ninian B. Stewart, one of the finest of 

 the new English steam yachts, has been chai-tered byRoluUt x I i 

 foi- a cruise to the I\rediterranean, and in the meanwliile has been sold 

 to an Amei'icau yachtsman, to be delivered on termination of her 

 charter. Of course rumor has it that Vice-Corn. Morgan is the pur- 

 chaser. 



Smuggler, the 25-footer. has been sold to Thomas Pritchard. of the 

 Eochester Y. C, and will meet the Fife 35-footer Nox next season 



Conqueror steam yacht, is fitting out at Newport for a Southei-n 

 cruise with Mr. and 3Irs. Vanderbilt on board. 



Reverie, steam j'acht, has been sold by S. AVilcox to P. G. Bourne 



Atlantic, schr,, will sail in a few weeks for a Southern cruise 



Rensselaerwyck. 



Albany, N, Y,. Dee. 29.— Some im\isaUy fine scores wer" made to- 

 day at Rensselaerwyck range by memljers of the Third Bi ide Pifle 

 Association ^\iijle indulging in the re.tcular weeldv pi-actiec M-ujor 

 Gaus made successive scores of iJi and ii2 respectively, and Mr 

 Gomph made the extraordinary score of 115. Shooting was at ust 

 SOOyds., on Standard American target. No telescope' sights were 

 employed. Following are the scores: 

 Rest. 



Ma,ior Chas H G'aus 1;> lo 12 10 lO 12 11 12 ia 10—111 



, 10 13 12 13 9 13 12 11 ]] ll_li.J 



Win C Gomph 12 IS 9 9 9 9 T 13 12 10—101 



^ „ . 12 11 12 IS 11 12 10 1.5 11 12-11 J 



Leonard Geiger 13 11 9 9 fl 9 9 1.3 12 12—104 



Oflf-Haud. 



Col WmE Fitch 10 567 10 790^ 8—75 



5 8 7 7 9 8 10 9 5 7-7.5 

 95857689H K-7^. 



Chas VFrey (j 7 10 10 7 8 6 0 10 4-74 



66 9 876887 7—72 

 „„ 10 6 fi 7 6 r 6 10 10 0-76 



WniCGomph. 9 9 6 10 9 6 6 10 10 9—84 



Lake Hi'ron. 



The Revolver as a Military Arm. 



Is or is not the revolver a militai'v armV It appear.* on the list of 

 weapons fur'iusheil men m unitorm: vet Ironi the wav m which it is 

 ti-eated when it comes to ajijjlvuig tlie rule that practice inaltos per- 

 fect one might reasouabh- thmk that no such thmg as a revolver ever 

 existed. The Ar'ujy of the United States has adopted for its use the 

 Colt .4.5; the >avy. too. has a modification of the same arm. yet the 

 several departments and cUvisions of the Army have their regular 

 yearly tests of marksmanship with scarce a mention of the revolver 

 01- any arrangement tor a trial ot the proheiencv attained m its use. 

 In lb88 General urook. who trom his frontier experience had been able 

 to see just what a revolver can do as a weapon ot olfense and defense, 

 wished to i)ut on revolver competitions along wiih the otficial rifle 

 scores. He v\'as very promptly intormed trom the red tape home 

 oHice 111 \\ asliuigtou that there was no authoi-itv ttu- mtrfxluciug any 

 such matches into the regular meetings and that he must await 

 authorization trom the headcfuarters of the Army before extendmg 

 any such encouragement to those who might care to perfect them- 

 selves m revolvei' work. 



It may be that the regidar army control is waiting as it waited 20 

 years ago tor the nulilia force to lead oil lu this direction. Then it 

 was the rifle which was the disused arm. Then the rifle, as the revol- 

 ver to-day. Avas dealt out to the men. carrred by thent (h-iUed with 

 displayed on parade, but never on an V aecnunt studied or pi-Hrti....d 

 with as an arm ot precision m fu-mg. It \vould be a waste of sp.-ti-.^ f,, 

 give the convincing argument used by olhcers to sIk.m hu^- r-isVi 

 inquirers that the wav to become a marksman with a rifle \vas never 

 on an account to shoot it oft. This rrdn uf learning to swim witli- 

 out going near the water w-as laughed out of sight as soon as the 

 great public became aware ot the facts m the case. 



With the revolver It IS a 1)1 1 rlifferent 111 that manv i ,f the officers 

 declare that a i-ev<ilver < night not to make up part of the regular 

 equipment ot either otncers or men. It is well enough to carry a re- 

 volver when on special dutv or on an isijlated mission, they will sav 

 but as for drdhng evervbodv m its use. that, they assert, is a waste of 

 time. Gen. Robbms. who, as a director ot the National Bifle Assoeia- 

 tion. and the head ot the Department of Rifle Practice in Nevv York 

 State for many years, may be assumed to have studied the subject 

 was particularly vigorous m his denunciation ot the revolver as au 

 arm for a soldier. He was not alone m this, for it is an opinion very 

 lire^ aleiit among those wlio have the direction ot rifle practice that 

 the re\ olver is a pesky httle thmg that it were better to keep in the 

 background as far as pos.sible 



It cannot be said in tau-nass that the revolver amII not do good work 

 and at comparatively long fhstance. too. Ihe ( 'hevulier Ira D- Paaie 

 settled that que.stion very conclusivelv 111 the course of his many 

 A ears of high class marksmanshiji. In isss. on the nri-nunu ■;ptf Gun 

 Club grounds, shootmg against a March lili/zard. he <i , - ti^-s; 

 flrmg at 100yds.. usmg a .SScal. S. iV A^ . army revr.lvei 

 thefirmgwas at a 40in. square target un which a ti;.. 1. .in 

 wide had been drawn horizontally. This wa.s a test for elevation each 

 shot being measured verticaUv up or down to the center hne of the 

 band. The band might represent the breast level of a platoon of 

 'umng on .shoulder to shoulder toward the firing point In 

 " listaoces lor each ot the 10 shots 



;oldier 



t he diagram of the target made flu 

 stood OS follows: 



Iirst.sliot Sijjin. Sixth shot SSkIu 



Second shot ''^'it.w. Seventh shot :^...iii 



I hird shot %m. Eighth shot WJn 



hvuirth shot m^m. Ninth shot .'ji.Jn 



I itth shot a'la'n- Tenth shot 2in 



I Ills was an average of 3.62in. per shot, or a fatal fire ff.r the in- 

 proaching enemy. He fired ten targets of this sort during the day 

 and the grand aggregate average was 4.6Uin. per shot. 



On the second day the test was for line holding, the target now I jeing 

 a 40-inch Square with the .'5-inch black band standing verticallv This 

 might represent a single man approaching on horse or foot: 100 shots 

 were fU-ed m lu targets ot 10 shots each. In the best target the shots 

 stood as f ollow s l)y individual measurement: 



Fust shot kiiu. Sixth shot 34in 



Second shot 

 Ihiid shi t 

 Fourth shot 

 Fifth shot . 



..l%m. 

 . . %in. 

 ..Ij^n. 

 .;^in. 



Seventh shot. . 

 Eighth shot... 



Ninth shot 



Tenth shot. . . . 



S , m 

 ,.l%in. 



_ rotal 



This target gives an average of 1.66ln. oer shot, "(vhile for the entire 

 day the avera.ge was 4..^9«. or less than .5iu. from the center line aimed 

 at. such flrnig means tliat the Uhevaliei- could have kept a single 

 enemj' at bay and at this range would ha\'e dealt out a great deal of 

 destruction. 



On the third day of his ttjst of what ihe revolver was really capable 

 oi doing the shooting was at the standard American target with its 



possible 100 in 10 shots. In his first target tlie score .stood 91 and foP 

 the 10 targets the total was 6.51 in the possible 1.000. 



Ihc^ clievalier set the measure tor it high grade of revolver >ork hi 

 tins notable three days test. It must not be saiil by those who decrv 

 revolver work that the weapon is a mere toy. Any revolver worthy 

 of the name and likely to be ;i,dopted as a military model is fully up to 

 the grade ot ^vork set m that three days' shooting. There is another 

 argument urged against revolver practice as compared with rifle 

 work. T leel perfectly .safe witli a squad out at rifle practice " says . 

 an expert, though soniewhat prejudiced instructor in inarksm-anship 



lHtius( lunkdpim im on what tht \ lu doing uid ho-\\ lhc\ lie 

 pointing the anus; not so with revolvers. \ou can never he certain 

 whether a revolver m a man s hands and the trigger of which he may 

 be cli(.-limg IS loaded or not. If tins argument is against anything it 

 is a strong one against the lack or dtsciifline showm in a mob of rol- 

 licking, hammer clicking, cavorting guardsmen present on a range 

 under pretense ot getting revolver jjractice. 



•■I would have my artillei-ymen stand by their gun and not desert it 

 to w^ork ott their excitement banging away witli a revolver " says an- 

 othti olh (1 \.„aiii It 1-^ inidtci (f dis<ipliii( ml the u^iuiKiit is 

 th It IS x^oi^dsokhn tlu aitilliiMiiui is to In deiiiu d 1 i jx ssibie 

 and because as a had soldier lu^ may make what is considered an im- 

 proper use of It.. 



jKkmu tlie caA'alr.\' otticei- says: '"l would have luy men when 

 ju( united use their sabers, and when they are acting dismounted why 

 ot course tUey will use rifles. 



Agam.st all these argtmieiits are the facts that ui the re.--enf rising 

 clouds of trouble at Buffalo and Homestead the New York and Penn- 

 sylvania militia officers went forward with revolvers privately pro- 

 cured m addition to the publicly provided swords. The U ^ Cavalry- 

 men -Jin the plains are also clever with the revolver One rencontre 

 between two bodies ot mounted men, one with revolvers In addition to 

 sabers and the others with carbines only, will settle the question of 

 revolver use. The great endeavor, m small arm fighting particularly 

 IS to liave your men armed as well, or thmk they are armed as well or 

 a trifle better, than their antagonists. The man who thinks he has 

 an advantage fights with a. confidence springing from that knowledge 

 This IS the explanation m part of the vast sums spent in smokeless 

 powders, m longer range guns and rifles, m magazine and breech- 

 loadei- devices, etc. May not the revolver come m the s.ame category^* 

 But to be worth carrying, practice to some measure of ptrfection In 

 its use IS necessary. It is already m the hands of troops enough to 

 show Its advantages when necessary, but the criticism now^ is against 

 the I'ustful neglect which is so generally the fate of this compact little 

 side arm. Perhaps some explanation of the present state of affairs 

 may be tound in the tact that it is much easier to become an evpert 

 or a. partial expert, with the rule than with the revolver This ought 

 to make it the othcer s iveapon as against the rifle, which the officer is 

 suppo.sed to Iniowthe use ot fully betore his commissioned days ar- 

 rn'e. One of ilie most, hoyielul aspects ot this revolver ipiestion is the 

 formation ol revolver clubs bv tlie officers of manv of the crack 

 mihtia 01^ uu/ttions Iheic is no ntitci ind mou sUisfiLtoi\ im 

 sonal use ot hrearms than tlie deft mampiilation of a well balnnced 

 revolver. To caU it a tov is to confess ignorance of its capabilities 

 and whde there is something inappropriate m an officer's drfll on the 

 range with a rifle for \\'hich he has no use m any system of practical 

 service tactics, there is something very appropriate in making the re- 

 vol\ e- I Lie , un. ■,,.]■ - spi'L-itil wcapou lu all arius ot the service and look- 



1 ' ' ' ' rom the more diflicult revolver in the hands of 



'in.' 'I ! - !i ' m the hands of privates 



To ,uM..uei .,< a:- ijiatlou on the measure to wluch the small side 

 arm Jiad ^^oI-ked its wa.-s into recognition, a series ot queries were sent 

 to the Adjutant-tjenerals of . the several States of the Union and a 

 large number ot responses have come 111. The questions put were- 



Are revolvers carried by either oflicers or men in the militia of vour 

 State 



How long have revolvers been an oflicial small armv 



By what officeis carried, iion-comiuissioned. hne or staff and in 

 what arm ot t lie serviee-- 



What make t- issued, calilier. size etc •• 

 lin" i'''i.'^ 1 ' ' " "' 'I'tantiiy is ammimitlon regu- 



Is ptd.,ticc ie..i lined, and what are the distances and rules for same' 



What taeilities tor practice are provided'' 



Are prizes ottered for merit in shooting'' 



What records have been made-- 



\hbuni i.pni 11 ( h is 1 1 „ s \.d]utanu-Gi.nei al that the 

 ai tflleiy and cavalry Imd revoh ers ot the regulation U. 8. Army pat- 

 tern, Tlie rule tor ammumtiou was for each companvto keep" 1 000 

 luunds m store, and new ammunition was issued only when that in' 

 stoi c became used, unserviceable or lost. No practice «-as requu-ed 

 ofiiciall} , but m some instances the men got up matches and were 

 generaUy good shots. No oflicial record was taken of the .scores At- 

 the annual encampment, fl: tacihties offered, tai-get teams were of- 

 ganwed. Gen. Jonea says: 



