March 10, 1894. 1 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



213 



Our readers may remember the case of an "inventor", fully describe^ 

 in the Forest and Stream some three years back, who sent out 

 circulars among canoeists claiming to hold a patent on the familiar 

 battened lug sail, with its parrels and other gear, and demanding a 

 royalty from all who nsed it. Serious claims for damages and royalty 

 were made on some canoeists about New York, backed by intimations 

 of legal proceedings, but needless to say, were never pressed. We had 

 the pleasure of an interview with the "inventor," in which we were 

 able to refer him to full descriptions and illustrations of the sail, then 

 just introduced here from England, which we had published some 

 years prior to the date of his alleged invention and patent. The mat- 

 ter dropped and nothing more was heard of it; but we are reminded 

 Of it by the rudder gear described in the Yachtsman, and which is 

 identical with another and much older device which, by his own con- 

 fession, was well known to the new claimant. 



A Simple and Ingenious Invention. 



From The Yachtsman, Jan. 25, 1801,, 



The accompanying drawing represents a very ingenious invention 

 for shipping or unsbipinng the rudders of small boats The idea is 

 simplicity itself, and will be easily understood. A is a gndgeon work- 

 ing on a rod bolted to the stern of the boat. C and D are two gudgeon 

 hooks, which catch the rod from opposite sides. To unship the rud- 

 der, all that is required is to lift it until A comes off the rod, and then 

 pull the rudder to one side so as to clear one of the hooks, push it a 

 little way aft, and it is unshipped. To ship the rudder again, engage 

 the hooks on the rod before slipping the gudgeon A on the rod. The 

 drawing is slightly misleading, for it shows the gudgeon hook C 

 slightly bent round the rod on the near side, whereas it should leaVe 

 that side entirely open in order to avoid any difficulty in unshipping. 



Mr. Dickson J. Laker, the inventor of this contrivance, writes as 

 follows: 



"I inclose for your inspection a rough model showing method 

 adopted by me in fitting the rudder to a 14ft. center-keel boat. 

 Doubtless you have seen, or are otherwise familiar with, Stephens' 

 rudder gudgpons, and the fittings now sent you resemble them gen- 

 erally; the essential point of difference lies in the two lower hooks 

 placed one above another, and separated by a distance of 3in . or so 

 in the rudder tested. Most owners of small boats bave experienced 

 difficulty at one time or another in shipping the rudder as generally 

 hung, in a bit of a jump. Fitted, however, in the way illustrated it 

 can be shipped without difficulty and without profanity in rough 

 water, the hooks being slipped on the rod at its upper part, and 

 then lowered until the eye on the rudder embraces the rod. I think 

 this plan simpler than the one originated by Mr. Stephens, as no 

 casting is necessary for the lower gudgeons, and any smith can make 

 the hooks, etc. The cost also would, I think, be less. The rod on 

 boat's stern is %\n. Muntz metal. It is riveted to a copper eye at heel 

 of post, and runs through another, screwed through transom into 

 post. The hooks and eye on rudder are copper. In conclusion, I 

 have tested the gear thoroughly during a whole season (on an excep- 

 tionally large and heavy brass rudder), and it has given entire satis- 

 faction, being amply strong and efficient, and I have no hesitation in 

 recommending it for boats, canoe-yawls, etc. ; in fact, any small craft 

 in which the rudder is not a fixture." 



d. J. o. laker's rudder gear— 1894 



Mr. Laker is a benefactor to boating men, for he has not patented 

 his idea. It is open to any one to use. 



The following is from the Yachtsman of Feb. 15, 1894: 

 To tlie Editor of The Yachtsman: 



Sir— After a good deal of consideration. I have decided to patent the 

 invention so kindly noticed in your issue of the 25th ult. That there 

 appears to be nothing to deter others from adopting this course seems 

 to me a sufficiently substantial reason for my so doing, without taking 

 into consideration any pecuniary benefit likely to accrue therefrom. 

 As I imagine you -will require some public avowal of my intention, 

 please accept this rather laggard notice as such. I may add that I 

 have taken steps to secure the invention, and have made arrange- 

 ments with a prominent firm for its manufacture at an early date. 

 Yours, etc., Dickson J. C. Lakeb. 



We can heartily indorse the remarks of the Yachtsman and of its 

 correspondent as to the ingenuity and simplicity of this device; in 

 fact, Mr. Stephens, after puzzling for a very long time over the prob- 

 lem of getting what was in effect a solid ring on to the rod with both 

 ends closed, was rather elated over its successful solution by means of 

 two split braces (or gudgeons) placed one above the other, with the 

 open sides facing in opposite directions. The idea was new then— some 

 time in 1883— and we have never since come across any device involv- 

 ing the same principle. So far as Mr. Laker's part in the device, as 

 described in the above quotations from the Yachtsman, it may be 

 summed up very briefly: What is good in it is not new, and what is 

 new in it is not good. 



The use of a rod and four braces, or gudgeons, is very old, but the 

 splitting of the lower rudder brace introduces an entirely new 

 mechanical principle, original so far as we have been able to learn 

 with Mr. Stephens. 



In first experimenting two common cast braces were used, one side 

 of each cut away, being placed a little distance apart, juBt how much 

 mattered very little. Later on a pattern was made for a single 

 reversible casting which, when two pieces were properly fitted 

 together, made a neater and more shipshape finish than the two 

 braces. This was a mere immaterial detail of construction and did 

 not affect the principle. The device was never patented by Mr. 

 Stephens, but was given freely for the use of fellow boating men and 

 canoeists, being fully described in the Forest and Stream and "Canoe 

 and Boat Building for Amateurs," the description being copied in 

 various nautical publications, and the gear used in this country and 

 England for some years. We are not posted on the British patent 

 laws and the legal aspect of the case, but there is a moral side to it 

 on which we hold some very fixed opinions by no means compli- 

 mentary to the honesty and good faith of this eleventh hour ' 'inventor" 

 who now proposes to exact from his fellow boating men a tribute for 

 something which does belong to them as surely as it does not belong 

 to Mm, The following description and illustration of the rudder gear, 



as originally published in the Forest and Stream, will enable our 

 readers to judge just how much of a novelty there is in the device 

 illustrated in the Yachtsmayi. The construction is really very simple, 

 though difficult to show in a drawing. 



Stephen's rudder gear— 1883. 



"The rudder shown is of mahogany, a cruising rudder, but as effect- 

 ive for ordinary work as a drop rudder. The lower side, below the 

 keel, is sharpened to a fine edge. The rudder hanging is shown in the 

 small drawing. The part attached to the boat or canoe consists of an 

 upper and lower brace of the usual form. A and C, with a rod E. J4 

 in., running through them and screwed into C. On the rudder is a 

 common brace, B, at the top. At the bottom is a split brace, D, made 

 of two castings, a and b, both exactly alike, but fastened on opposite 

 sides of the rudder. The upper sides of the pair are shown at 1, the 

 fore ends at 2, and the lower sides at 3. It will be seen that by laying 

 the rudder horizontally with the port side, D uppermost, the opening 

 between a and o, Fig. 2, will admit the rod E. Now if the rudder be 

 raised to a vertical position, the two hooks embrace the rod E, the 

 upper brace B is dropped over the top of E, and the rudder is fast, 

 only to be released by raising B off the rod and dropping the rudder 

 horizontally. In practice the split brace can be put on or off the rod 

 by inclining the rudder to an angle of 45 degrees, without laying it 

 horizontal. With this gear there are no detached parts, the work may 

 all be done at the upper part of the rod, just below A, and it is not 

 necessary to grope under water to ship the lower pintle. The rudder 

 can only be detached by raising B from the top of the rod, and the 

 rudder lines when attached prevent it rising so far of itself." 



Forest and Stream, Nov. 22, 1888. 



Reforming the A. C. A. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



Anent the Holden-Burns-Cartwright controversy regarding reform 

 in the A. C. A. : please come with me and we will call on a couple of 

 the Atlantic Division clubs. 



Let us first take the Fourteenth Street Ferry and visit the land of 

 the Boo-Hoos. Here we find the Hoboken Canoe Club, a flourishing 

 little organization, with a membership of about 25. About one-half of 

 these are A. C. A. men. As a rule, do they attend the Association 

 meets? No. Why not? Because they haven't time to go so far from 

 home, and if they" had they wouldn't consider it worth tLe expense and 

 trouble. Is that all? Then, too, they do not care enough for racing. 

 Is racing all they do at the Association camp? Theoretically, four 

 days are given over to racing, but somehow the days are too short to 

 admit of all the races, so some of them have to be* postponed. Then 

 there are camp-fires and entertainments, and individual parties make 

 short cruises and go on picnics; but eliminate the racing feature and 

 the Association camps would be dull places indeed to spend two weeks. 

 There probably would never be another Association camp. Why is 

 this? 



Because the average canoeman attending the Association meets does 

 not care enough for cruising and camping. If he could afford it he 

 would be, and he is when he can afford it, a yachtsman. Aren't the 

 races interesting? Yes, very. But a horse race is interesting, and so 

 is a bicycle race or a yacht race, or a pugilistic encounter, or a 

 wrestling or fencing bout. In fact, any competitive trial of strength 

 and skill is interesting. 



You say the Hoboken Club does not go in for racing. What do they 

 do? They have an annual club cruise lasting two or three weeks, 

 which every member is expected to attend, and there are usually 

 fifteen or more participants. They cruise up the Hudson probably as 

 far as Poughkeepsie, or down to the Shrewsbury or up the Sound. 

 They know their home waters, the Hudson River, like a book. They 

 are familiar with all the desirable camping spots. Egg Beach, Croton 

 Point, Grassy Point, Camp Cowslip, Cold Spring, Polopel Island. 

 During the balance of the season you may come over here on any 

 Saturday afternoon and you wdl find five or six of the members get- 

 ting ready for a cruise to Egg Beach or somewhere eke, to spend Sun- 

 day in camp. They have a club house on the Shrewsbury. They are 

 all musicians and several of them are vocal artists. The club also en- 

 courages the culinary art, giving prizes for new camp dishes, and the 

 men are all accomplished chefs. Do they have fun? Lots of it. And 

 are they enthusiasts? You bet ! And you say they do not attend the 

 Association meets? No, they do not. They enjoy cruising better. Do 

 they know the Association librarian? I am afraid not. Could they 

 give him some points? Perhaps. 



Now we will go out to the Passaic River. What day is it? Why it is 

 Labor Day, sure enough. This is the Ianthe Canoe Club, is it not? Yes. 

 What is it noted for? Chiefly for having the largest percentage of A. 

 C. A. men in its membership of any canoe club in the Association, and 

 for being the best represented club at all the Association and Atlantic 

 Division meets. It has, perhaps, forty A. C A. members, among them 

 some of the handsomest and best known canoemen in the country. 

 Are they fond of cruising? They were once, but they have "gradu- 

 ated" from that class. What do they do now? They hold a regatta 

 on Labor Day, and build racing machines, and attend the Association 

 meet. Is that all? No. They give a few "smokers" every winter. If 

 you were to call here on a Saturday afternoon or a Sunday during the 

 summer what would you see? You'd see several of them holding 

 down chairs on the balcony and swapping fishy stories. 



What are those two buildings across the river? They are two other 

 canoe clubs. How do they compare with the Ianthe Club? Why, 

 where Ianthe sits there is the head of the table. Do they ever hold 

 regattas? Certainly. Does the Ianthe Club take part? No, they take 

 all. Then they must be a very active club? They are — on Labor J)&y. 

 Why on Labor Day particularly ? Because all three regattas are held 

 on that day. 



Who are those four handsome men down on the float? They are the 

 champion club four, Palmer, Douglass, Stewart and Duguid. What 

 have they done? They have never been beaten in a club four race. Is 

 that remarkable? Well, now! Who is that distinguished looking man 

 in the white duck sailor suit? Does he own the river? No, but he is 

 captain of the club. Oh, I see! Who is the man that they are all 

 taking their hats off to? That is Mark Freeman. What has he done? 

 Why, he is even a bigger man than the Captain. He has beaten 

 Douglass in the single paddling race. How nice! Will he attend the 

 Association meet? Most decidedly. 



Who are those men huddled together at the end of the float? They 

 are from up the river. Who is the one with the yellow whiskers? 

 That's McLees. What does he do? He leads forlorn hopes against 

 the Ianthe men in paddling races. Doesn't he ever winy Never in the 

 paddling races, but generally in the swimming and hurry-scurry races. 

 Why is it that he excels in those races? Because he is generally the 

 only entry. Would it not be a good idea to give him the prize withou 

 a contest? It might save the spectators some fatigue. 



Where did you say he was from? Rutherford. Where is Ruther 

 ford? Up the rivei; about six miles. For what is the place noted? 

 Chiefly for being the home of Mr. John Trusty Holden, alias "Cycle 

 Oar." What does he do? Why, he writes letters to the papers. Why 

 does he do that? He wants to reform the A. C. A. Does it need re- 

 forming? Mr. Holden thinks it does. Well then, why doesn't he re- 

 form it? Because he never attends the meets, and he has nothing to 



say in the management unless he does. Why is that? Because only 

 those attending have an opportunity to vote. And they are usually 

 only a small percentage of the membership ? Exactly. Well now, 

 tell me more about Mr. Holden. What does he want particularly? He 

 wants more for his money. What does he get now? A list of his 

 fellow members. Is that all? No; occasionally he gets a prospectus 

 of a canoe cruise to Palestine or a circular requesting him to solicit 

 advertisements for the year book. What does he ask for? He asks 

 the Association to issue a monthly paper, I believe, containing general 

 information for canoeists, such as new styles in canoes, sails, paddles, 

 listings, cruising routes, camp sites, waterways; directions for stow- 

 ing duffle, making Jobscouse. etc. Would it be difficult to publish 

 such a paper ? Not at all. Who would collect and edit the informa- 

 tion? Mr. Holden might if he were asked. Is Mr. Holden a practical 

 canoeist? No, he is a theoretical one. Wherein? Why, he is a mem- 

 ber of the Association, but does not attend the meet. I see! Does he 

 sailor paddle? No. Does he cruise and camp? No. Does he race? 

 No What does he do? He rides a bicycle. Pulex. 

 New York, Nov. 2, J893. 



The Star and Crescent. 



The third annual dinner of the Hartford Canoe Club was held at 

 the Heublein, on Feb. 25. About thirty-five persons were present and 

 did full justice to the excellent menu provided. Among the canoeists 

 from out of town were Com. Dorland, ex-Com. Winne, Rear-Com 

 Schuster and Purser Knappe.of the Eastern Division, and several men 

 from the Springfield and Hoiyoke clubs. The dining room and table 

 were handsomely decorated with flags and flowers, and at each plate 

 was a miniature flag bearing the private signal of the individual mem- 

 bers. The menus were hand-painted, furnishsd by a friend of the 

 club. Com. Dorland was elected an honorary member of the club, 

 and was presented with a silk H. C. C. flag. The music was furnished 

 by the Oescent Mandolin Club of Hartford. Historian Cheney, who 

 so admirably "shook off dem weights" at the Haddam Island meet in 

 1893, read the club history for the past season and worked off all 

 manner of hits on his feilow-tnenibers, besides giving an excellent 

 account of the doings of the club. 



CANOE NEWS NOTES. 



The executive committee of the Hartford C. C. has made the follow" 

 ing appointments for the ensuing year: Regatta Committee: D. S- 

 Morfell, T. B. Lewis, T. S. Cheneyf Signal officer, R. A. Wadsworth; 

 Measurer, W. D. Morgan. 



The Washington C. C launched its war canoe on Feb. 22 for a paddle 

 on the Potomac. In the eveniug the eighth annual dinner took place 

 at the National Hotel. The annual election was held during the even- 

 ing resulting as follows: Com., A. Devine; Vice-Corn.. I. P. Libbey; 

 See'y, J. A Oliver; Treas., J. F. OerteL 



On Feb. 24 the Buffalo C. C. elected the following officers: Com., E. 

 W. Dunston: Vice-Corn., H. D. Pulsifer; Sec-Treas., F. D. Wood. Trus- 

 tees: &. L. Kelley, C. P. Forbush, F. R. Rosseel. 



A. C. A. Membership. 



Atlantic Division: J. Herbert Carpenter, Sing Sing; Richard M. 

 Woods, Arlington, N. J. ; Chester W r . Osborn. Wendell Andreas, New 

 York. Central Division: E. A. Tobey. Troy, N Y. 



Jerseymen at the Targets. 



The team match between Collins and Plaisted, of the Greenville Club, 

 and Hansen and Boyce, of the Excelsior Club, 50 shots per man, was 

 shot off in Armbruster's Park, on Saturday last. The weather condi- 

 tions were fine. There was a large number of local riflemen present 

 to witness the contest. Hansen shoe in good form, putting up the 

 good score of 1,079. His partner, Boyce, was in hard luck and gave 

 Hansen very poor support Plaisted was also somewhat erratic in his 

 shooting, but the good work of his partner, Collins, was sufficient to 

 win the match by the small margin of 10 points. 



After the finish of the match a turkey dinner at the Hotel Armbrus- 

 ter was in order, followed by rifle chat, speeches, etc. A return match 

 will be shot in the near future, when the Excelsior team expect to 

 down the Farmers. Scores: 



Hansen and Boyce. 



Hansen 19 20 17 25 23 15 22 19 23 23-206 



23 21 21 24 19 24 23 22 25 23-225 

 19 23 24 19 21 23 21 19 25 23-217 



22 19 18 22 24 21 21 22 22 19-210 



23 25 22 20 18 23 22 25 18 25-221—1079 

 Boyce.... 13 24 16 20 14 2-4 23 19 17 24-194 



23 18 21 18 24 22 25 23 19 9-202 



16 21 17 17 25 15 19 23 15 20—188 

 7 19 0 21 22 21 18 21 20 19—168 



19 18 17 21 20 21 15 22 22 22—197— 949 -2028 

 Plaisted and Collins. 



Plaisted 18 19 25 18 22 23 17 20 25 18-205 



21 23 24 21 23 19 24 25 22 25—226 



19 14 23 20 16 20 20 20 18 25-195 

 21 23 21 19 18 24 20 15 22 18-201 



25 22 23 24 22 2i 0 19 20 24—201—1028 



Collins 23 21 23 18 22 18 20 16 19 21—201 



23 19 23 25 21 19 23 22 17 24-213 



17 20 24 18 17 23 14 13 18 25-189 



20 20 19 21 23 24 20 16 23 24-210 



20 21 17 20 17 21 20 16 22 23—197—1010-2038 



Schmidt vs. Steuber. 



The first half of a 100-shot match between A. W. Steuber and L. 

 Schmidt was shot on the ranges of the Our Own Rifle Club, Hoboken, 

 N, J., for a purse of S50, March 4. The scores were very much below 

 the average of both men. but better results are looked for at the 

 next match, March 8, on the ranges of the Miller Rifle Club. 



AW Steuber 20 25 25 22 21 23 23 25 23 24 -231 



23 21 22 25 25 24 23 22 22 25—232 

 23 24 22 24 25 25 23 23 23 21—233 



23 23 24 25 25 22 23 24 23 24-236 



24 23 25 25 23 25 24 25 22 25—240—1172 

 L Schmidt 25 23 22 21 23 24 24- 20 23 25—230 



24 25 23 23 25 25 24 24 25 24 -242 



24 22 24 21 24 25 24 25 25 24—238 

 22 24 25 24 23 24 24 22 23 24-237 



25 24 23 24 21 22 23 25 24 24—234—1181 

 A team match, same day, scored as follows: 



Team No. 1. 



AMalz 114 



H L Hansen 118 



AW Steuber 116 



L Schmidt 122 



J H Kruse 114 



F Merker 101 



WBoehmke J 06 



AGueber 109—900 



Team No. 3. 



HEBoddey 117 



Jno Rebhan 115 



D Miller 115 



H Meyers 112 



GWendt 75 



T Davison 114 



D E Bird 113 



R Zoch 107—868 



Port Chester Bine Club. 



Port Chester, Feb. 26. — There was a match shoot here on Washing- 

 ton's- Birthday betw-een Val Horn of the Heidenreich Rifle Club of New 

 York city and J. E. Smith of the Port Chester Rifle Club. Conditions. 

 50 shots each man at 200yds., German 25-ring target, any rifle, and 50 

 shots at 100ft. open air range, ,22cal. rifles. Horn and Smith hf ve had 

 two matches previous to this and Smith was the winner in each case. 

 This match was for a dinner for shooters and friends and each man 

 seemed to have lots of them. Horn is a member of the Port Chester 

 Rifle Club also, and has made the boys hustle here on many an occa- 

 sion before. The shooting at 200yds. was done first and Horn made a 

 mistake in this respect as this was bis weakest end of the game. Had 

 he shot the short rauge match first the result might have been differ- 

 ent. Horn brought several of the Heidenreich boys up with him to 

 spend the holiday, and I guess they had a good time. He also brought 

 that old timer at the targets, "Birdie" Vogel, as his assistant and 

 coacher. The following are the scores. 50 shots, 200yds., in 10-shot 

 strings: 



Smith 200 200 212 193 195—1000 



Horn..; 188 198 186 189 183— 944 



Fify shots, 100ft: 



Horn , 818 235 221 233 230-1137 



Smith 224 228 226 227 224—1129 



RUDD. 



Beideman Rifle Club. 



Beideman, N. J., Feb. 24. — The following shows the weekly scores of 

 the Beideman Rifle Club, week ending Feb. 24. Conditions 25yds. 

 strictly off-hand, outside range. Targets J^in. ring, possible 250: E. 

 L. Gardener 246, Wm. Wurfflein 242, J. L. Wood 241, W. Gilbert 240. 



Pistol score, Miu. ring, possible 250. 15yds.: 



J L Wood 25 25 24 24 24 24 24 23 23 22-238 



E L Gardener 24 24 24 23 23 2:1 22 22 21 21-227 



W Gilbert 35 24 24 23 21 31 19 19 18 17—221 



W. Gilbert, Sec'y. 



