Dec. 2, 1893.1 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



478 



charges are only slightly increased, will still produce 

 permissible bursting strains. 



The question now remaining to be answered is: How 

 will the several jjowders behave if the charges are in- 

 creased, say by one-half of their bulk or weight? It l-as 

 been considered necessary to solve also this question. 



Clean and Corroded Gun Barrels. 



The preservation of a person's teeth depends to a great 

 extent on their cleanliness. If they are neglected, if the 

 remnants of food are allowed to accumulate, the teeth 

 will decay, and, sooner or later, fail to answer the pur- 

 pose for which they are intended and needed. A good 

 housekeeper will take pains to have her cooking utensils 

 bright and clean. From a person moving in good society 

 and laying claim to culture and refinement, it is expected 

 that he should never allow dirt a resting place under his 

 finger nails, and a good mechanic will always see that his 

 tools are clean. 



A gun is the shooter's tool; it is and ought to be also his 

 pride. He should never allow the residue of powders to 

 exercise a detrimental effect on the barrel, and this can 

 only be prevented if the gun is cleaned immediately after 

 it has been used, or perhaps one or two days thereafter. 



A clean gun will do better service than a neglected one. 



Some gunners cherish the preposterous belief that a 



fun with the '-soul" full of rust spots and cloaked with 

 irt will shoot sharper and kill better than one where the 

 interior of the barrel is spotless and bright. Occasionally 

 a person of this type will even go so far as to create rust 

 in the soul of his gun artificially. It is hardly worth 

 while to argue with such persons and to endeavor to con- 

 vince them that they are doing a foolish thing. Against 

 such stupidity the gods even will fight in vain. 



The residue of all gunpowders, if left in the gun barrel 

 for any length of time, will show a tendency to corrode 

 them. Black powder, as a rule, will corrode the metal 

 less than some of the nitros, which all contain more or 

 less acids of some kind, and these will facilitate the cor- 

 rosion of the metal. This effect may in some cases be 

 strong enough to show its influence even in the case where 

 the barrels are cleaned within a reasonable time after 

 use. Such a quality of a powder is certainly not a desir- 

 able feature. 



This question, too, has been considered important 

 enough to be made the subject of a test. 



Soft or Chilled Shot. 



The question whether soft or chilled shot will give the 

 better penetration or exercise the best killing effect is one 

 of those frequently discussed in gunners' circles. A 

 great many gunners hold that chilled shot, owing to its 

 being somewhat harder than the soft shot, will penetrate 

 the skin of an animal or the feathers of a bird more 

 readily than soft shot. 



The difference in the effect of both in this respect is 

 very small indeed, so trifling that it will practically cut no 

 figure. While it is true that the soft shot pellets will 

 more easily deform than the chilled shot pellets, the kill- 

 ing qualities of both are yet about the same, because, as 

 previously pointed out, it is the shock brought about by 

 the pellets striking the game which produces the most 

 effect, and this effect is nearly the same with both kinds 

 of shot. The chilled shot is principally preferable to soft 

 shot on account of leading the barrels less rapidly than 

 soft shot. 



The Effects of the Primer Upon the Qualities 

 of Gunpowders. 



On a previous occasion it has been said that the primer 

 may influence the behavior of a propelling agent. This 

 I'ule aj)plies more particularly to the nitro powders, which 

 generally — and as the Clricago and Carney's Point tests 

 have again clearly demonstrated — cannot be exploded 

 satisfactorily with the common or black powder primer. 

 These powders require a special or strong primer, such as 

 in this country is known as primer No. 3. These primers 

 are made with due regard to the nature of the nitro 

 powders. The fulminate is chosen with a view to bring- 

 ing about a more effectual ignition than can be produced 

 with the ordinary primer. To accomplish this requires a 

 great deal of skill and knowledge of the action of the 

 fulminates; since certain fulminates may, under certain 

 conditions, cause too A'iolent an explosion of the powder, 

 and thus create a serious element of danger. On the 

 other hand, the force produced by the explosion of the 

 fulminate may prove so powerful that instead of igniting 

 the powder it will develop sufficient gases to start the 

 shot charge before the flame of the primer has found time 

 to take proper efl'ect upon the powder. 



The question now arises: Do some of these strong 

 primers as such and as lately introduced for the use of 

 nitro powders, really repi'esent an element of danger? 



This question has been considered of so great import- 

 ance that, although the Chicago test ha^ solved it pretty 

 satisfactorily, it was concluded to arrange a special 

 primer test, which has been since carried out, and the re- 

 sult of which is herewith submitted to the American 

 sportsmen. 



All powders tested at Chicago were subjected to another 

 test at Carney's Point, where the new Schultze powder 

 •called Pomptou, and a new leaf powder made at Walsrode, 

 ••and which reached me after the Chicago test had been 

 concluded, were tried under the different conditions, and 

 the result of this ti'ial is now embodied in this report. 



The velocities were taken at Carney's Point by one of 

 the gentlemen connected with the firm named, and the 

 bursting strain was again taken by Mr. Thomas, of the 

 U. M. C. Co., with the assistance and under the control of 

 myself and others. The Chicago test pointed to the fact 

 that some of the powders would likely undergo a material 

 change in their behavior if tried under different condi- 

 tions and in another section of the country. This opinion 

 has been fully verified by the Wilmington trial. 



The primer test, as far as this problem mvolves the in- 

 terest of the shooting fraternity, was made as thorough 

 and exhaustive as ijossible, and the result of this trial in 

 connection with that of the povrder tests will, I think, set- 

 tle quite conclusively many questions in the iiremises on 

 which the opinions of the gimners of this country are at 

 great variance. 



In order to enable the reader not conversant with Con- 

 tinental European standards of weights and measures to 

 digest all figures herein quoted, the equivalents of the va- 

 rious European weights and measures may here be given 

 in American standards. One meter is equal to 3.2807ft. , 

 ten meters are equal to 32. 8087ft. (In the tables of this 



repoi't the meter has been reckoned as being equal to 3ft. 

 and 3fin.) One millimeter is equal to .03937in. One gram 

 or gramme is equal to 1.5.4233grs. One atmosphere is 

 equal to 14.71bs. pressure to the square inch. Ten atmos- 

 pheres are equal to 147.01bs. 



All powder charges were carefully measured or weighed 

 and the shot counted for each load with the shot-counter 

 or trowel. 



Watson's Park was selected for the Chicago tests. The 

 proprietor of this celebrated shooting ground, IVtr. John 

 Watson, afforded us all possible opportunities for con- 

 ducting the trial, and his son, I. Watson, rendered us 

 throughout the test much valuable assistance. Both of 

 these gentlemen and fellow sportsmen are entitled to the 

 thanks of those called upon to conduct the test, and to 

 those who witnessed the trial, for their complaisance dis- 

 played in the premises. 



I am further under great obligations to Mr. William 

 Thomas and Mr. C. S. Hisey, who volunteered to serve at 

 Chicago as expert witnesses, and who devoted much time 

 and rendered valuable assistance in the execution of the 

 work. They controlled all experiments, and every gas 

 pressure figure quoted in the report on the Chicago trial 

 has been ascertained by these two gentlemen. 



The primer test like"wise bore a public character, and 

 was carried out at the shooting ground of Messrs. E. 1, 

 DuPont de Nemours Co.'s gun cotton factory at Carney's 

 Point, New Jersey, near Wilmington, Delaware. These 

 gentlemen placed the grounds named and some of their 

 instruments kindly at my disposal, and rendered us all 

 possible assistance to bring the test to a satisfactory issue. 

 The experiments conducted at Carney's Point were 

 carried out under different climatic conditions from those 

 at Chicago; and they constitute, therefore, a valuable 

 link in the trial as a whole. 



[TO BE CONTINUED,] 



BOSTON MEN IN MAINE. 



Boston, Mass. , Nov. 25. — Of late a big number of big 

 game huntei's have been happy. There has been one or 

 two "good tracking snows" in Maine, and deer have been 

 obtained so much more easily than had previously been 

 the case, with the ground deeply covered with dry leaves. 

 Hunting, up to these snows, had, in fact, become "a game 

 of chance," with the chances against the hunter. Deer 

 are very wild animals to approach at the best, and with 

 the woods fuU of dry, crackling leaves, the chances have 

 been decidedly against the hunter. "This brings me to 

 mention what I am asked to mention by a gentleman well 

 known to the hunting fraternity, Mr. L. Dana Chapman, 

 treasurer of the Megantic Club, a gentleman greatly 

 interested in fish and game, and well posted on fish and 

 game subjects. His name here I use, not by his authority, 

 but for the force it carries. He is surprised at the manner 

 in which the newspapers of the day are treating the sub- 

 ject of big game hunting, especially this fall. "One 

 would think, by reading these articles, that there were herds 

 of game around loose, and to get a moose or deer, all the 

 hunter, even the novice, has to do is to select his location 

 in Maine and go there and come home with a fuU quota 

 of game. There never was a greater mistake. While 

 deer are really plenty," says Mr. Chapman, "it must be 

 remembered that it takes hard and earnest hunting to get 

 them, and sometimes for a good deal of time. Deer are a 

 shy game to hunt, and oftener than otherwise the chances 

 are decidedly against the hunter. This is right and does 

 not discourage the genuine hunter in the least." 



Some good work is being done by the Megantic Club in 

 the way of stocking with landlocked salmon, under the 

 dii-ection of Mr. Chapman, Secretary Arthur W. Eobinson 

 and Supt. Robert Phillips. These gentlemen have recently 

 retm-ned from a trip to Big Island Pond, one of the ponds 

 of the Megantic preserve, where they went to put in their 

 new home 1,000 landlocked salmon of last season's hatch- 

 ing. The little fish are some 3in. in length. They took 

 them in cans up to Kennebago Stream. It was a job to 

 keep the water sufliciently aerated till the cans reached 

 the Phillips & Rangeley Railroad, when it was found that 

 the roughness of the track gave the cans sufficient motion 

 to keep air in the water. From Kennebago Stream the 

 fish were carried in wire-covered pails, to their home. Mr. 

 Chapman says that not more than three or four fish were 

 lost, notwithstanding the long carry through the woods, 

 and he very kindly says that much of this success is due 

 to the carefulness of their three guides, James Mathison, 

 Will Haines and Jerry Wilbur. These guides take great 

 interest in the restocking business in Maine waters. Tiie 

 little salmon were liberated in a brook that runs into Big 

 Island Pond. They kept together for a time, but in the 

 course of an hour or two they had all disappeared. The 

 club, under the superintendence of Mr. Phillips, has built 

 a hatchery at the same pond, wliere the location seems to 

 be excellent, and the plan is to obtain a lot of trout eggs 

 and hatch them. Mr. Chapman is also interested in 

 obtaining a lot of smelt eggs from Lake Auburn in the 

 spring and hatching them at the Big Island Pond hatch- 

 eries. This measure is proposed, in order that the land- 

 locked salmon may have food. Commissioner Stanley is 

 of the opinion that the success of landlocked salmon in 

 Maine, or any other waters, is contingent upon a plenty of 

 landlocked smelt for food. It has been found to be com- 

 paratively easy to get the smelt eggs, at their spawning 

 time in the spring, and they hatch out in a few weeks, 

 reqmring no great care, when they are ready to be 

 Uberated. 



Mr. Chapman's restocking party did not succeed in get- 

 ting any big game on their trip, though in an excellent 

 deer country. They saw them, heard them run and ' 'heard 

 them skulk," but the leaves were too dry to get within a 

 gunshot. But at the same time over 40 deer have already 

 been killed at the Megantic Club preserve this season ; 

 severdl since the recent snows. Dr. Heber Bishop, so well 

 known as one of the promoters of the club, with a couple 

 of friends is there at the present writing. They will hunt 

 in the Kibby Valley. The Doctor usually brings out a 

 moose. 



Mr. A. R. Justice, A. W. Kelley and their friend Mr. 

 Voorhees, of New York, have been to the Megantic Club 

 preserve, with good success this fall. Mr. E. A. Best and 

 friend Mr. Currier, of New York, have lately returned 

 from Spencer Bay, on Moosehead Lake, where they got 

 three deer. Mr. Henry V. Cunningham, attorney, with 

 Melvin C. Adams, at .20 Pemberton Square, was to leave 

 Sunday evening for Aroostook county. Me., on a much 

 needed vacation. He is hoping to get a deer, though his 

 stay will be necessarily limited. Dr. W. L. Simpson of 



Boston, and D. L. Sj^arry have just returned from King 

 and Bartlett with a couple of deer. Mr. S. C. Dizer, of 

 Prouty & Dizer, of Boston, is back from the Maine woods. 

 He got a deer. 



The Harry Moore party got back to Boston on Monday. 

 The party went away with small expectations, but the 

 gentlemen have come back greatly pleased. They went, 

 as the readers of the Forest and Stream will remember, 

 to Gerrish's Camp some 15 miles in from the Katahdin 

 Iron Works, in Maine. They are charmed with the region, 

 under the very brows of White Cap Mountain, one of the 

 larger of the Katahdin region, in a deep valley. Early in 

 the trip the ground was bare and the leaves dry, and they 

 found it very hard to get shots at deer. But still they did 

 secure one doe, which Mi-. Calvin Austin, who was obliged 

 to leave for home after two or three days' hunting, brought 

 out. About the fourth day there came Bin. of snow, 

 and the right royal fun began. The whole party was 

 delighted with the multitude of deer, as evinced by the 

 tracks. Indeed the tracking of deer was almost bewilder- 

 ing, even on the first day after the storm. They found 

 that the deer were amply able to take care of themselves, 

 and had to be approached with a great deal of caution. 

 Almost invariably the deer they were trying to approach 

 would be behind some "blow-down," and often he would 

 skulk; or if the hunters had got too near, he was off with 

 beautiful bounds. Mr. Leroy S. Brown carried a shotgun. 

 He had supposed that deer would not be plenty and that 

 he could get a few partridges while the others hunted for 

 deer. But when he found that deer were as plenty as 

 partridges, his idea changed. He found it very hard to 

 get within shotgun range of deer, though he had a 

 number of shots that would have been easy for a rifle. At 

 last he approached a "blow-down" with "a good deal of 

 caution, the tracks leading up to it in abundance. Out 

 popped a handsome doe, and was off. Naturally, and 

 earlier in the trip, Mr. Brown would have supposed that 

 the game had all flown, but he had learned caution, and 

 peered into the brush a moment longer. A big pair of 

 eyes met his. His gun came to his shoulder. A beautiful 

 buck fell at the discharge. 



Mr. Geo. C. Moore got a handsome buck. Mr. Faulkner 

 got a buck and Mr. Smith got a buck. Each of the party 

 had a deer, except Harry Moore. Alas for him! Always 

 the life of the party I Was he to go home without a deer? 

 Yes; it must be so! But there is something to tell. He 

 had shot a moose, a fat two-year-bull. Was Harry 

 frightened when he came upon the beast? No. He had 

 heard of the camel at the World's Fair, and his first 

 thought was that one of them had strayed. His next 

 thought was to shoot it. It was done. But oh, the misery 

 of getting the camel down three miles from the side of 

 White Cap Mountain and through dense woods to camp, 

 where it could be transferred by teams! It was done, how- 

 ever, and the moose came to Boston. It was taken out 

 to Harry's place at Jamaica Plain, and hoisted up into a 

 couple of trees in front of his residence, where it was 

 admired by a host of people. The next day Harry's pro- 

 vision man placed it standing on a couple of barrels, in 

 front of his store, and within an hour there were hundreds 

 of people looking at the creature. The amusing part of 

 the story is that all the servant girls thought it was a 

 camel sure. They had been riding in the electric cars, 

 and "Did'ut they see the hump?" Special, 



Dr. George McAleer of Worcester, H. S. Seeley of New 

 York, Senator Risteen and Dr. Heber Bishop, president of 

 the Megantic Club of Boston, left last week for a two 

 weeks' sojourn near the boundary moimtains in north- 

 western Maine. Their main camp will be in the Kibby 

 Valley, not far distant from the headwaters of the rivers 

 St. John, Penobscot, Kennebec and Chaudiere in Canada. 



THE MICHIGAN DEER SEASON. 



Dayton, 0. — Editor Forest and Stream: Your corres- 

 pondent from Marshfield, Wis., hits the nail on the head 

 in regard to the open season in that State, and the same 

 applies to the Upper Peninsula of IMichigan. I spent the 

 season up there this year, and talked with many hunters, 

 residents as well as'visiting sportsmen. All agree that 

 the open season should be November instead of from 

 Sept. 25 to Oct. 25. The change would protect the deer 

 for several reasons. In the first place, there would not 

 be nearly so many does and fawns killed. As any ex- 

 perienced hunter knows, at that season of the year the 

 majority of the deer kiUed would be bucks. Whereas, 

 under the present law, it is just the reverse. 



At the lake where I was camped there were three 

 camps, and the total number of deer killed was just fifty; 

 and I believe there were only ten or eleven bucks, the rest 

 were mostly fawns, This will doubtless seem a very large 

 score. But one of the camps was occupied by two pro- 

 fessional hunters, who killed and shipped thirty-three 

 deer. Is it any wonder that deer are getting scarcer? I 

 need not teU any brother sportsman, who has hunted in 

 that country, how they got so many deer; for we all 

 know they get them any way they can without regard to 

 law. 



And that brings me to my second point, which is, that 

 by making the open season in November much of this 

 slaughter of the innocents would be prevented, because 

 then they could not hunt at night with headlight, on 

 account of the snow and moonlight nights, but would be 

 compelled to get their deer by still-hunting in day time, 

 the same as the rest of us. And even they do not object 

 to that, because, being expert hunters, they could kill 

 their share of big bucks, and one big buck would bring 

 them more money than three little fawns. So even if 

 they only killed one-half or one-third as many, they 

 would be as well off", and it would make a vast difference 

 in the future supply of the deer. Of course this night 

 hunting is wrong, but I have my doubts if it can be 

 stopped. As nearly every settler in that country has a 

 headlight and uses it to get his supply of meat, it would 

 reqmre an army of game wardens to enforce the law, 



1 have hunted a number of years in both Wisconsin 

 and Michigan, and my experience teaches me that in 

 both States the open season ought to be the same and 

 should not begin before Nov. 1. I hope the sportsmen of 

 these States who enjoy legitimate still-hunting will bring 

 such a pressure to bear on their legislators as to change 

 the open season in both the States to November. It 

 would increase the supply of deer and give us all a 

 chance to enjoy legitimate sport. Besides, then there 

 would not be so much venison sjjoilt by warm weather. 



Buckeye. 



