April 13, 1898.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



827 



House -Boats and House -Boat Life. 



THE FIRST HOTISE-BOAT. 



I.— Auxiliary House-Boats. 



THF, wonderful growth 

 of water sports in 

 America witbiti the 

 last ten jears has brouKht 

 into general notice almost 

 all sorts of craft, and in 

 the various branclies of 

 yachting, both under sail 

 and steam, in large yachts 

 and in small single-hand- 

 ers and launches; in boat 

 sailing, in canoeing and iti 

 rowing, there has been a 

 rapid but healtliy clevploii- 

 raent which lias r- 1 1 ' ■ 

 inamultiplicatioiji ii r i ^ 

 and models, and an unprecedented advance in design. In tliis KC-n..-ral 

 develojmieut of pleasure craft, how ever, there is one tjije ^ hicli, m 

 spite of in:iny obvit.us advaiitages, has been almost entirely neglected, 

 and which is only beginning to receive that attention which it really 

 deserves as a most convenient, economical and pleasant means of 

 enjoying a healthful open air life about the water. 



The tiistor^- of the house-boat in America is mucli hlce that of tin? 

 canoe: tbe latter in its primitive form, the Indian birchbark or dugout,, 

 is distinctively American, and yet it is to the river Thames and rr, 

 the British canoeists that the introduction of canoeing in its raodei n 

 form is due. In the same way the primitive house-boat dates bad; to 

 the early days of American histor.y and the Indian wars, a typical 

 craft of tins description, on one of the lalces of central New York, 

 plays a very important part in Cooper's novel of the ''Deer Slayer,'' 

 and these crnde house-boats or even house-rafts gave comparative 

 security to many an isolated familj' of settlers. The house-boat of to- 

 day, however, is found in its perfection on the river Thames, and 

 there at least house-boat life has approached the standing of a social 

 institution. 



The Thames house-boat, witia its gayly striped awnings, its flower 

 boxes, flags and Chinese lanterns, is Imown all over the world, thanks 

 to several modern novelists and many newspaper writers, so much so 

 that the mere word "house-boat" at once suggests it and no other, 

 and at a first glance the task of definition and description would seem 

 a very easy one. 



As will appear later, however, there is a wide difference among the 

 authorities as to the pro- 

 per meaning and scope 

 of the term, and no small 

 amount of ingenuity is 

 required to frame a "defi- 

 nition that shall be ac- , 

 cepted by all. In one 

 sense every yacht or ves- 

 sel is necessarily a house- 

 boat, in that she possesses . ..*£* 

 in the accommodations 



for her crew, all the com- ^.«* ' 



ponent parts of a house ^' 

 on solid groimd; and * ' 



■while one could hardly 



mistake a schooner like , ' 

 the Yampa or a steatn 

 yacht like the Corsair for 

 a Fifth avenue residence 

 or a Newport cottage, the 

 links in the connecting 

 chain are so numej-ous 

 and so closely graduated 

 that it is very difficult to 

 locate the exact spot 

 where the identity of the 

 vessel is lost in that of 

 the dwelling. 



The house boater of the 

 Thames, who certainly 

 must be recognized as an 

 authority, would probab- 

 ly repudiate with indigna- 

 tion the claims of the en- 

 tire family of "auxiliary'' 

 house-boats, such as the 

 Pinson. Caiman, Studio, 

 and even that of our es- 

 teemed correspondent, 

 "Podgers"; but he would 

 be hard pressed to make 

 good his contention in 

 the face of "Podgers's" 

 presentment, even if he 

 were successful in prov- 

 ing that the first men- 

 tioned craft were strictly 

 vachts and not house- 

 boats. 



■While recognizing as 

 entirely proper the use of 

 the term in its more lim- 

 ited sense, as applied to 

 the stationary craft of 

 the Thames type, it is 

 essential to include in 

 anything approaching a 



comprehensive treatise „. , j. 



on the subject a number of craft which are very closely allied to 

 yachts; and as some Une of demarkation between the house-boat and 

 the yacht is necessary, we propose to draw it to include only those 

 vessels in which the form of superstructure, and in most cases that of 

 hull also is dictated by the requirements of the dwelhng rather than 

 of the sea-going or navigable vessel. To illustrate this distinction, in 

 any modern yacht the aiTaugements for the convenience and comfort 

 of the crew are as complete and elaborate as in the finest houses; 

 comfortably furnished apai'tments, bath-rooms and running water, 

 perfectly equipped kitchens and store-rooms, with ranges, ice hoses 

 and other essentials for luxurious living. At the same time all ot 

 these arrangements are subordinate to the demands of the naval archi- 

 tect, the prime requirements of safety, seaworthiness, stability and 

 speed compel the owner to put up with rooms of limited dimensions, 

 irregular shape, and devoid of large windows, and the same subordina- 

 tion of the features of the dwelling to those of the ship controls the 

 whole design. 



In the case of the house boat, however, the designer, even though a 

 naval ai-chitect, works with a freer hand. 'While he produces a craft 

 that will float, that will not capsize, and that may even be sailed with 

 reasonalile speed umier favorable conditions, at the same tune lie 

 departs widely from the conventional ship form, his hull is practically 

 a box or scow, and on it he rears a rectangular structure which at 

 once proclaims the relationship of the entire craft to the house rather 

 than to the boat , ., , 



This, large or smaU. making a speed of seven or eight miles under 

 sail or steam, or anchored for the whole summer in some qiuet nook, 

 is the house-boat of civilization, but the house-boat family is .-i very 

 large one if we take the world over, the rivers of China alone teeming 

 with smaU craft, each inhabited by a family, the members of which 

 are born and pass their whole life aboard, seldom setting foot on dry 

 land, and Icnowiug no other home than the rude sampan vnth its hut 

 of reeds and primitive hearth for the family fire. 



Every great river, the Mississippi, the Danube, has its distinctive 

 fleet of house-boats or shanty-boats, mhabited by a numerous floating 

 population. ■ , ,. , , , 



Over six years ago the Forest axd STHEAii published a warm pJea 

 for the hon'se I v.ai. aroompanied bv a very attractive design,_both by 

 Mr. Frank W, Westi'u. a Boston architect; but the article was 

 evidently ahead i.f its time, as it attracted far less attention than it 

 deserved, and failerl to awaken any widespread interest in the subject. 

 "Within the past three ^^ears. howerer, the d;iily papers and the maga- 

 zines have given considerable attention to the house-boat, and the 

 increasing number of inquiries wiiich reach us for information indi- 

 cate that Americans are about to take up the subject in earnest. The 

 many advantages of the liouse-boat are set forth at length by our 

 various correspondents in this and the following number, and we need 

 not recount them here; we hope, however, that they may induce others 

 to build and to make known then- experience. We propose m the 

 present number to describe some of the larger auxiliary house-boats, 

 and next week to give the plans of various sizes of the simple boat, 



"'^ The^lar'^S and most pretentious of American house-boats is the 

 steam craft Caiman, owned hy Pierre Lorillard, and built m ISO' o.^ 



- ^. , ^ ^, — - /.....^ , HiU- 



The arrangements are shown in the plans, for which we are indebted 

 to the courtesy of Music a7id Drama, in which they originally ap- 

 peared. The forward deck is enclosed, making a space where horses 

 can be carried. The engines are triple compound. 5, 8 and 13x8in , 

 driving twin screws 38in. diameter and Gft. pitch'. The main floor is 

 elegantly furnished, and the house is Ughted by electricity and heated 

 by steam. The Caiman has been in use for two winters in Florida 

 waters, making a most comfort-able home; in addition to the size of 



ordinary appurtenances of a house ashore, The estimated speed of 



this boat is Ave to six miles. , , * 



The apphcation of sails to a house-boat may vary m extent from a 

 simple squaresail set when the wind favors and it is desh-able to shift 

 froin one semi-permanent berth to another, up to the full schooner 

 ris A craft of the latter type is found hi Gravesend Bay and about 

 the adjacent waters of Sandy Hook and New York Harbor being m 

 constant use as a yacht almost as much as a house-boat proper, 

 though from her general arrangement and the nature of her cabin 

 house she. must be classed with the latter craft The Studio was 

 nlanned bv her owner, Mr. M. .1. Tobin, of New York, a naval veteran, 

 whofindshischief plea.'.urestOlina life afloat although engaged in 

 nctivp biisiuess in New York. She was built in I8!)0 by Terrv Bros., of 

 Keyport N J.! akd was originally 40ft.. over all, 28ft. l.w 1. 13ft. beam 

 3ft'. (iin. hold and 1ft. 6iu. draft. Her house proper was 28ft. long, and 



.r theBrookivn Y. C. and sailing with the other cratt on the ciul) 

 ■rnises. As the result of a couple of seasons' trial, she was lengt-hened 

 forward 8ft.. her bow bemg improved, and her house was cut down 

 .n.ewhat, ))ut it is still a house rather than the cabm trunk of a 

 -,r-ht. Below deck, or perhaps more properly mdoors. she is very 

 •laborately fitted up, the large amount of space being utflized m a 

 rtiomy kitchen and store-rooms and in state-rooms, cabin, etc. Her 

 i iome portis the club station at Gravesend Bay, where the Captain 

 and his little daughter keep open house, but she may be seen during 

 i l.e season under way on the bay or anchored for the time m some 

 eoluded spot. 



TWO AMEHICAN HOUSB-BOATS. 



the rooms, and their light and ventilation, as compared with a steam 

 yacht, she has the advantages of hght draft and of self-propulaion at a 



*^^^A smafler and different steam house-boat is the Pinson. built last 

 year iu France by the Societe des Ateliers et Chantiers d'Argenteuil, 

 for use on the European canals. The Pinson is 65ft. Tin. over all, lift. 



-MXILIARY TWIN-SCREW HOL'SE-BUAT. Di;.su;.sKu nv Ci..\v cV ToRnisNsES. 



6in. beam, and 3ft. *iri. draft, with a two-cylinder high pressure engine, 

 each cylinder 5}4y7}4ia.. and a three-bladed bronze screw 3ft. 4in. 

 diameter and 5ft. <lin. pitch She has excellent accommodations and 

 a speed of ten miles. 



Messrs. Clav & Torbensen, the steam launch and j^acht builders of 

 Gloucester City, N. .J., are among the first of the builders to appreciate 



Pusey & Jones. Wi'lnungtou,' Del., from the plans of Gustave Hil 

 mani. The hull is of steel. 96ft. over all. Hitt. Hm. beam ar I'^i an 



SAILINS HOtTSE-BOAT '"'STUDIO.'' 



Owned by M. P. TobiP, Brooklyn ¥. C. 



the possibilities of the house-boat iu American waters, and lave pre- 

 I i itared se\ erai dt-si^ins. one of which we produce by their permission 

 onS~7;<- i,".,t^„,« =,^r fiin denth the P-n i nK , u ei ) la n ^'iii If t . on i rom thei r ne v rata hjgue. This boat is 67ft. over all and 16ft. beam, 



^Ch tide The suii^tum^ hold , with twin screws, the engmes being in the. extreme after end, leaving 



reing used for stores eta the fiki floor or main deck for fheengmeer \ a large amount space _in^ the body _ot toe boat _torj|aloon,^stat^^ 

 and servants, and the second story containing the owner's apartment*. 



I rooms, etc, The kitchen is fitted with a range, set in brick, and the 



. l ars' stanrling. and one of the sailing division, too, but his ideal cratt 

 i - iruite different, his views on the subject being set forth m the fol- 

 io wine- chapter, which we quote by permission frorn his forthcoming 

 l-.ook on "Yachts. Yachting and Southern Cruises" : 



California in the winter season, as every true sportsman there 

 knows is the paradise of the nimrod who cares for quail, duck, and 

 snipe shooting. "When I say winter it does not imply benumbed fingers 

 and a red nose as the penalty of the sport. 



To follow a bevy of quail up the steep ascent of a mountain side or 

 gulch is work that causes a healthy glow, if not an occasional stop to 

 blow and mop the moist brow of the hunter. As to duck shooting, he 

 can sit in a boat shoved into the tules. making a blind by bending 

 their tall tops over his head and boat, which, being cradled as it were 

 by the supporting pressure on either side is kept steady, and does 

 not throw him off his balance and overbo.ard,'if in his excitement at a 

 passing bunch of sprigtails he fires straight up as they pass over his 

 head The kind of ducking boat used being narrow and sharp at 



either end, enables it to 

 be shoved well into the 

 tules, and can be pushed 

 back again, which is a 

 struggle with a square 

 stern boat. The finest 

 • i,, duck shooting in the vi- 



■ v. u. • : cinity of San Francisco is 



'^N-., ; at the mouths of the Sac- 



's, ramento and San Joaquin 



"■\ rivers, which empty into 



' Suisun Bav, a marsh ex- 



tending from river to 

 river for three miles 

 ■ above their mouths, inter- 



■\ sected with deep creeks, 



or, as they are called. 

 : :\ sloughs (slews), all navi- 



' _ gable at nearly all stages 



of the tide, with a high 

 growth of tules on either 

 bank, under which a boat 

 may be hidden, and good 

 shooting obtained, as the 

 ducks fly over or up and 

 down the creeks. 



Until recently it was 

 necessary after a day's 

 shooting to have a long 

 null to find shelter and 

 lodgings, unless the 

 shooter was up there in 

 his yacht, which could 

 a n c h o r in convenient 

 proximity, but even a 

 yaclit, unless of large 

 size, does not afford space 

 and all the comfort de- 

 sired, when returning 

 from a day's tramp wet 

 and muddy and a wee bit 

 tired, aud especially are' 

 all small yachts deficient 

 in the comforts of a warm 

 cabin or fire whereby to 

 drv wet clothes and take 

 off the chill of the evening, 

 or mayhap a sharo north 

 wind not felt while exer- 

 cising but decidedly mani 

 fest when the day's labor 

 is oyer. Considerable ex- 

 I perience in this discom- 

 fort led me to plan and 

 forthwith proceed to 

 build a nondescript craft, 

 half boat, part house, an 

 ark it might be called, not 

 planned after Noah''s exactly, and more than two of a bind eventually 

 came aboard. 



The preliminary step w-as the construction of a flat or scow with 

 raking ends, length 50ft., width 16ft., depth 3ft.: upon this, or rather 

 let down into it, a house was built, 80ft. by the full width of the boat. 

 TJ^ft. high, with two large windows on one side, on the other a tier of 

 ■berths, nine in all; on the starboard side a transom, cushioned, and 

 serving the purpose of sofas by day and sleeping at night. Apartition 

 or bulkhead was thrown across, making a cosy state-room with a 

 double bed, washstand aud conveniences, with a window for light and 

 air. This was the reserve for ladies or distingui.shed guests. A pass- 

 ageway on the right to the forward deck, with a smaller state-room ap 

 the quarters for cook and steward. At the after end, on either side of 

 the passageway to the after deck, was a large roomy kitchen and 

 pantry; alarge old-fashioned open Franklin stove at the forward end 

 between the two doors, an extension dining table, a couple of large 

 easy chairs, and several old-fashioned Boston rockers, a warm carpet, 

 a soft rug in front of the stove, several bracket lamps and a large 

 center hanging lamp completed the "tout ensemble." 



After a hard day tramping through wet ground for snipe or a long 

 row up the creeks, to come aboard at dark, wet and tired, shed rubber 

 boots and soUed garments, get on dry clothes after a dip of the feet 

 over the side, and a good wa.sh at the tank outside, hanging shoot- 

 ing clothes up under the projecting roof, making all tidy, then to come 

 down the three steps into the cabin or "saloon" and see the table 

 spread with a clean linen cloth, a cheerful fire in the stove, the lamps 

 burning brightly, and our old cook and steward and crew combined in 

 the person of that incomparable old salt. Captain Cutter, just placing 

 a roast goose or a couple of pairs of mallards on the table, smoking 

 hot, with the announcement, "Dinner, gentlemen," was enough to 

 make one say there is something in this kind of a Ufe worth living for, 

 and such was a dinner in the cheerful cabin of the old Mud Hen way 

 up there in the tules. How we commiserated and sympathized with 

 friends who were not there to enjny it all with us. 



Then, after the dinner, to which good cooking and good appetites 

 gave a zest, came the cigar and pipe. The table was cleared oif , the 

 cover spread, the large lamp with its pretty colored shade Ccontributed 

 by a ladv) set in the center. Some played cards, but the old guard, 

 the old comfortables, took to the rocking chairs or lounged on the 

 cushions, and gave themselves up to the perfect sense of enjoyment' 

 of a cigar or the meerschaum, looldng into the bright firelight or 

 watching the rings of smoke ascending. Waistbands were slacked up. 

 slippered feet were elevated to the fender or mantel, and if outsiders 

 could have peeped in on us at such a moment they would have said, if 

 there is peace and comfort to be found in the wide world it is here. 



"VVhat glorious times we did have on the old craft. She was not a 

 beauty, and her name was not originally the Mud Hen. She rejoiced 

 in the more sentimental one of Tule BeUe, but some unappreciative 

 fellow that did not shoot gave her that derisive appellation and it 

 stuck to her ever after, varied by such disreputable cognotiaens as In- 

 cubus. Old Torpid, Flv-up-the-Creek, etc., but it was noticeable that 

 these facetious gentlemen never faUed to accept an invitation to come 

 aboard and more frequently to come without any. 



TheTuleBellewasintended just for a floating shooting box. to be 

 anclioi-ed up the river in a good location and remain as an objective 

 point to which we con\6 run up on Saturdays by rail or steamboat, 

 having the man in charge meet us with the skiff at the landing. Then 

 when we wanted to move her, which was seldom, 'we hitched on to 

 some passing tug and took up another location, 



At fli'st the Mud Hen had no other means of naoy ing about except by 



