£78 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[March 81, 1894. 



Coursing in South Dakota. 



E'-The Huron Coursing Club has decided to offer a ".sapling" 

 stakes, to be run at the meeting there on April 10. It will be 

 for eieht or ten puppies whelped since April 10, 1893, and 

 will be run in connection with the twenty-four-dog stake 



The meetings at Oaks, Huron and Mitchell are expected to 

 be large, as there is so much interest manifested among the 

 overs of the leash in those towns. Mr. H. G. Nichols writes 

 us that the weather at present is fine, and the ground could 

 not be in better condition. tt .„ 



After April 1 that enthusiastic courser, Mr. J. H. Rew, will 

 be located at Artesian, S. D., in the general merchandise 

 business. He will also keep his kennel of greyhounds there. 



HUNTING AND COURSING NOTES. 



On March 9, while E. Gray Griswold, M. F. H. of the 

 Meadowbrook Club, with E. T. dishing, E. W. Roby and H. 

 L. Herbert had a pack out on Hempstead Plains, L. for 

 an. exercising run, a fox was found near Hone's Wood which 

 afforded the liveliest sport for nearly two hours. Reynard 

 ran through Wheatley and then through a pretty stiff fence 

 and rail country, finally being run into near Stanley Morti- 

 mer's place in the Wheatley Hills. This is said to be first 

 wild fox put up by these hounds in some years. 



8 • • • 



■"■flu Queens county, K Y., the county law, passed at the 

 last session, authorizes the payment of $5 bounty for each 

 fox and $1 bounty for each weasel, 'possum, racoon, skunk or 

 woodchuck killed, 



^drifting. 



The article by "Thalassa," on the length and sail area of recent 

 British yachts, which we reproduce this week from The Yachtsman, 

 is interesting in connection with a similar investigation of yachts built 

 under the old tonnage rule and the then newly adopted rating rule by 

 the same writer in 1887, and also with the comparisons of American 

 yachts made by us in 1889. The diagraphic method followed in all 

 three cases appeals immediately to the eye, end is clearer and more 

 convincing than any tables of figures; and the curves as plotted throw 

 much light on the comparative development of the different sizes of 

 racing yachts. It is worth noting that in our investigations the 30ft. 

 and 40ft. classes showed an abnormal proportion of sail area, and a 

 similar excess is found in the present diagram in the nearly equivalent 

 classes of 10 and 20 rating. Owing to the lack of a few well developed 

 small classes, our comparison was not carried below the 30ft. class, 

 but from that class upward the curve was very similar to that shown 

 n the present diagram for the old tonnage boats, the smaller ones 

 being more heavily rigged and the ratio of sail to length decreasing 

 rapidly as the size increased; the largest ratio in the 30 and 40ft. 

 classes being 150%, while in the schooners of about- 100ft. l.w.l. it de- 

 creased to less than 100%. The result of the rating rule, as here shown, 

 has been to produce craft of much less sail area than is found in con- 

 nection with any given length on this side of the water; while the pro- 

 portion of sail area is very small in the open sailing boats, such as the 

 y 2 and 1-raters, but comparatively large in the yacht classes. 



There are two points in "Tbalassa's" letter with which we cannot 

 agree, his conclusion as to the effect of lighter materials, and his sur- 

 prise, as expressed in the final paragraph. As we understand the case 

 the use of lighter materials in hull or rig means an increase of ballast 

 and sail-carrying power on the same model, permitting a larger rig 

 and increasing the length of the ordinate of the curve instead of de- 

 creasing it. As regards the comparative power of the large yachts 

 built under the tonnage and rating rules, it has been known to Ameri- 

 cans for some years, in fact, since Genesta raced here in 1885, that the 

 old tonnage cutters, in spite of their weight of ballast and displace" 

 ment, were vessels of low power. It is with regret that we note that 

 while in 1885 there was a large fleet of American racing yachts to 

 which such investigations might profitably be applied, to day there are 

 not only no live racing classes as the basis for such work, but practi- 

 cally no racing yachts in any class. 



The condition of yacht racing on both sides of the Atlantic at the 

 present time shows a curious paradox. In spite of Navahoe's defeat 

 last year, the great event of the season was the successful defense 

 for the eighth time of the America's Cup, and the defeat of the 

 sixth British challenger. The victory of Vigilant over Valkyrie was 

 no less complete and notable than in former years, and the honors 

 of the season clearly rested on this side of the A tlantic. As the 

 natural result of thi3 state of affairs one would look to see life and 

 activity on the part of the victors and corresponding discourage- 

 ment and apathy on the part of the vanquished. Far from such 

 being the case, however, the result is exactly opposite; in England 

 and Scotland designers and builders are busy with new yachts and 

 alterations on those of last year; in America there is no talk of 

 building or racing, in fact the only new yacht of any note in the 

 shops of the builders of the successful yacht of last year is for a 

 Scotch owner. Of course the prevailing business depression is an 

 important factor in the condition of yachting, but that it is not the 

 only one is proved by the similar dullness that has prevailed in 

 former years, though never to so great an extent, immediately 

 after a successful defense of the America's Cup. 



So far as true racing goes, there is nothing in the condition of busi- 

 ness to hinder the building of racing yachts, as the best sport to-day is 

 to be had in the classes below 46 ft. If yachtsmen really want to race, 

 there is ample opportunity for good sport in the 21, 25, 30 or 35ft. 

 classes at a moderate outlay; in fact now. when many of the large 

 steam yachts and expensive craft are likely to be laid up all the sea- 

 son, is the very time for yachtsmen to seek the keenest kind of sport 

 in the smaller racing classes. It is an interesting question why, after 

 being beaten on this side, British racing goes on as usual, while a vic- 

 tory here is as likely as not to be followed by a dull season. While 

 Vigilant lies rusting on the beach and Colonia in the water, Valkyrie is 

 busily fitting out for her return voyage and a busy season with 

 Britannia and Satanita. In the next class, the 40-rating, there will be 

 one new and several old yachts; the 20-rating class promises to be 

 especially good this year; the fight in the 10-rating will be hot enough 

 through the attempts to beat the new Herreshoff boat, and there is a 

 certainty of good raeing in the smaller classes. A careful review of 

 he outlook on this side will show that every class from the smallest 

 up is practically dead, so far as continuous racing through the season 

 s concerned, and there is no saying when building and racing will take 

 a turn upward. The course of designing, building and racing in Great 

 Britain of late years has been by no means all that could be desired ; 

 but at its worst it is far better than on this side, where regular class 

 racing seems a thing of the past, and where the national prestige 

 depends on a successful spurt at intervals rather than a regular pro- 

 gress from year to year. Just now that course of experiment and im- 

 provement has absolutely stopped in America, while on the other side 

 is going on steadily in the building of new boats and the racing of 

 them with older ones. 



After a prosperous existence of five years, the New York Yacht 

 Racing Association has lately been threatened with serious trouble 



from within through the attempt to pass an amendment to the consti- 

 tution which is obnoxious to a number of clubs The two prime func- 

 tions of such an organization are first to promote good feeling and 

 harmonious action among all local clubs, and second to promulgate 

 uniform regulations and rules for racing. The first end has been very 

 successfully accomplished thus far; a number of olubs about New 

 York have been brought together and have worked very harmoni- 

 ously, their esprit clu corps in fact being the mainstay of the organiza- 

 tion, as local conditions prevent the holding of more than one Associa- 

 tion race each year, and interfere with any general attendance of a 

 majority of the fleet in the club regattas of the various Association 

 clubs. 



In the second end the Association has been less fortunate, as the 

 measurement rule adopted by it at the start and retained ever since, is 

 diametrically opposed to all modern tendencies in yacht racing. While 

 for a certain limited class of boats the rule answers well enough, it 

 places a heavy tax on everything of modern design, and its adoption 

 and retention has undoubtedly retarded the growth of the Association. 



The principal if not the only argument in favor of the rule has been 

 that it was acceptable to a majority of the clubs in the Association, 

 and that its adoption prevented the disputes and dissensions which 

 must inevitably follow an attempt to adopt any rule taxing sail as well 

 as length. As a matter of expediency, this reasoning carried some. 

 w T eight five years ago, and the adoption of the rule was acquiesced in 

 by those who were opposed to it as wrong in principle, merely because 

 it smoothed a way for the union of the varimis clubs. The recent 

 attempt to rivet this same rule on all Association clubs, to the exclu- 

 sion of all other rules, presents a strange state of affrirs; the same 

 men who in the interests of union and harmony have opposed all 

 attempts to replace a poor rule by a newer and better one, have now 

 deliberately sacrificed the general interests of the Association in an 

 attempt to force a general compliance with the old rule. 



The adoption of a rule that would be up to the times and suitable 

 to the present trend of yacht racing might have cost the Association 

 some members, and have temporarily interrupted its successful 

 growth, but with the final result of placing it on a stronger and better 

 footing, and of attracting to its membership those new yachts which 

 are so rapidly outnumbering the old square-ended craft. Now, the 

 Association has met with a serious setback, and with no possible 

 good results to follow; it will take no short time to heal the present 

 breach between the advocates and opponents of the disputed amend- i 

 ment. The latest proposal toward a compromise is most unsatisfac- 

 tory, the pressing of the amendment in a mutilated and emasculated 

 form, which makes it inoperative in practice, but retains it in the 

 constitution as a constant source of irritation to both sides. If 

 those who have already pressed the matter to a point where it has 

 wrought serious injury to the Association are houest in their pro- 

 testations of allegiance, and unwilling to sacrifice much good work 

 that they have done in the past, they will see the propriety of quietly 

 dropping the whole matter and using the powerful influence which 

 should still remain with them to smooth out all recollection of it. 



The local conditions in the vicinity of New York are decidedly un- 

 favorable to general interclub racing, such as maintains about Bos- 

 ton ; the clubs on the Hudson River proper, the Upper Bay and the 

 Sound are separated by distance and by tidal waters covered with 

 steam craft, so that a trip from Qravesend Bay to New Rochelle, or 

 even to Y onkers, is too lengthy and troublesome to be undertaken save 

 for some special occasion; and yet such trips are necessary to a large 

 number of yachts which would enter any local race. Under such cir- 

 cumstances the Association cannot hold more than one open race in a 

 season, and it must be coutent with an indirect influence on the club 

 races. Its true field is a wide one, but still it has limits; the ordinary 

 jealousies and disputes that afflict all local organizations, afloat or 

 ashore, must be subdued by allegiance to the general association as a 

 body, and by respect for its officers and laws. While the first object 

 is to secure harmony and unity of action, and the observance of 

 uniform rules, it is hardly less important that all rules should be 

 brought to the highest standard, and that the Association should be 

 progressive. 



The question of a measurement rule is the most difficult one which 

 the Association has yet been called on to settle. The "mean length" 

 rule was in 1889 in use by most of its clubs, and a large proportion of 

 the yachts were built to race under it. Apart from other considera- 

 tions, the practical difficulty of measuring a fleet of at least 100 yachts 

 from twenty different clubs was a serious one, and would have been 

 much greater under a rule including sail area as well as length. Even 

 at that time, however, the length and sail area rule was almost uni- 

 versal, and since then it has become the recognized rule of American 

 clubs; while the length rule in its various forms has disappeared, save 

 from the smaller New York and Boston clubs. 



To-day the objections to taxing overhangs and the desirability of 

 taxing sail are recognized by clubs and yachtsmen wherever yachts 

 are raced; and in striving to force the Association to the sole recog- 

 nition of the "mean length" rule, its leaders have placed themselves 

 in opposition to everything which is modern and progressive in yacht- 

 ing. 



The whole question may be summed up briefly: If the New York 

 Yacbt Racing Association is right in prohibiting overhangs and com- 

 pelling the building of yachts with plumb sterns and stems, then 

 Herreshoff and Watson are wrong, the great yacht clubs of America, 

 Great Britain and Prance are wrong, and yachtsmen throughout the 

 world have fallen into grievous error. 



New York Y. C. 



The phenomenal growth of the New York Y. O, which began just 

 after the Puritan-Genesta races in 1885 and has gained impetus with 

 each succeeding contest, has made necessary a very general revision 

 of its laws, which work has been in the hands of a committee for some 

 time, and was finally submitted to the members on March 22, at a reg- 

 ular meeting. In the absence of Com. Morgan, Vice-Corn. E. M. 

 Brown presided. After the routine business, the report of the special 

 committee on the admission of ladies as members, Messrs. Win. P. 

 Douglas, J. D. Smith and P. T. Robinson, was taken up and the follow- 

 ing amendment, proposed by the committee, was adopted, subject to 

 ratification at a future meeting: 



"Any woman owning a yacht is eligible for election to the club as a 

 flag member, and shall upon election pay annual dues, but no initiation 

 fee. Such membership shall continue only during the period of a 

 yacht ownership and carries only the following privileges: The right 

 to fly the club burgee, to have private signal registered with the sec- 

 retary, to enter yacht in club races and the use of the club stations and 

 floats." 



The following amendments were discussed and adopted: 



CONSTITUTION. 



Add to Article III., paragraph entitled "Treasurer," the words 

 'which he shall keep in two accounts, to be known as principal ac- 

 connt and income account respectively. To the principal account shall 

 be transferred and therein kept all moneys now invested in bonds or re- 

 ceived from life membership funds, and all moneys which shall here- 

 after be received by tne club from life memberships and admission 

 fees. In the income account shall be included all other receipts of the 

 club." 



Strike out of Article VIH. the last clause thereof, reading as follows: 

 "These payments shall constitute a reserve fund to be deposited in a 

 New York trust company by the treasurer, and no disposition of this 

 fund shall be made except by a voce at two meetings, one of which 

 shall be a general meeting." 



Amend Article IX. to read as follows: 



"At the first general meeting in each year or as soon thereafter as 

 an election can be held there shall be elected on separate ballots a 

 regatta committee, a library committee, and a committee on club 

 stations." 



"The flag officers, together with the secretary and treasurer, shall, 

 ex-officio, constitute a finance committee. 



"At the last general meeting in each year there shall be elected by 

 ballot a nominating committee. 



Strike out of Article X., paragraph "House Committee," the words 

 "They shall, at the second general meeting in each year, submit to the 

 club an estimate of the amount that they may deem necessary, inclu- 

 sive of tbe rent of the club house, to properly carry on and maintain 

 the said club house until the first general meeting of the club, and an 

 appropriation shall then be made which shall not be exceeded except 

 by special action of the club." 



Strike out of Article X., paragraph "Library Committee," the words 

 "At the second general meeting of each year they state what appro- 

 priation should be made for the ensuing year." 



Strike out of Article X., paragraph "Committee on club sites, sta- 

 tions and floats," both from title and body of the paragraph, the words 

 "sites" and "and floats." 



Add to Article X. as amended the following: 



"The finance committee shall consist of the flag officers, the secre- 

 tary and the treasurer. 



"The finance committee shall hold a stated meeting at the club house 

 on the third Tuesday of February in each year, at which meeting all 

 applications for appropriations of club moneys for the use of the sev- 

 eral committees and of the secretary and treasurer for the ensuing 

 year, and also an abstract trom the treasurer's accounts for the past 

 year, showing the income of the club during that time in four separate 

 items, namely: 



"First— From life memberships. 



"Second -From admission fees from new members. 



"Third— From annual dues. 



"Fourth — From all other sources; and also showing the amount of 

 principal funds in the treasury, shall be submitted in writing by the 

 chairman of each of the said several committees and by said secretary 

 and treasurer. 



"The finance committee shall have supervision of all appropriations 

 of club moneys for use of officers and committees, shall revise all ap- 

 plications for the same, and upon the basis of the abstract of the 

 treasurer's report shall estimate the income of the clu o for the en- 

 suing year. 



"At the second general meeting in each year, under the head of 

 'miscellaneous business, 1 the finance committee shall submit to the 

 club its estimate of income of the club, together with a statement of 

 the several amounts which it deems necessary tor the use of each 

 committee and officer for the ensuing year, for the performance of their 

 several duties and for the maintenance of all club property in charge 

 of said officers and committees respectively, which several and respec- 

 tive amounts said finance oommittee shall then move be made by the 

 club as general appropriations 



"All applications for appropriations shall be submitted to the 

 finance committee at its stated meeting, or at any other time, pro- 

 vided that if not submitted at the stated meeting a special meeting of 

 said committee shall be called as soon as convenient after such applica- 

 tion shall be made to consider the same. 



"The finance committee shall report on such application at the 

 next meeting of the club, when, if it approve the application, it shall 

 recommend the same and move that the necessary appropriation be 

 made by the club, or, if it do not approve the same, it shall so report 

 to the club. 



"Application for all appropriations shall be made by addressing the 

 same in writing to the finance committee at the club house." 



And to Article X. the parapraph entitled "Nominating Committee." 

 and at present constituting Article XI. of the constitution, except the 

 last clause thereof, to wit, the words "This committee shall be elected 

 at the general meeting in each year," and except that from the second 

 paragraph there shall be stricken out the words "First general meet- 

 ing in each year," and inserted in lieu thereof, "Meeting of the club at 

 which action shall be taken thereon." 



Add to Article X. the following: 



"No change as to yacht ownership on the part of any member of any 

 committee shall disqualify him from serving during the full year for 

 which he shall have been elected. 



"Each of the committees mentioned in this article shall have power 

 to fill vacancies in its membership occurring during the year for 

 which it shall have been elected." 



Amend Ar.icle XI. by transferring the existing provisions thereof as 

 thus amended to Article X., and inserting in lien thereof the following 

 provision: 



"All expenditures of club moneys shall be authorized by the club 

 upon recommendation and motion of the finance committee, or against 

 or without the same only as herein provided. 



"Appropriations shall be classified as general appropriations, which 

 shall consist of all appropriations made and paid from the income 

 account. 



"Special appropriations, which shall include all made and paid from 

 the principal account. 



"General appropriations shall be made at the second general meet- 

 ing of the club in each year for the use of the secretary, the treasurer, 

 the regatta committee, the house committee, the library committee, 

 the committee on club stations, or any other general meeting or 

 special meeting called for that purpose, for any object not herein 

 specified. In the aggregate the general appropriations shall not ex- 

 ceed the estimate of income for the ensuing year as made by the finance 

 committee. 



"Special appropriations shall be made at any two meetings of the 

 club, but only upon vote taken upon call of the roll. 



"No appropriation shall be made without the recommendation and 

 except upon the motion of tbe finance committee, nor in amounts in 

 excess of those recommended by and moved for by that committee, 

 except by an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members entitled to 

 vote, present and voting, taken upon a call of the roll. 



"No member present and entitled to vote shall be excused from vot- 

 ing on a motion to appropriate money without recommendation of 

 the finance committee or in excess of the amount recommended by the 

 committee; upon refusal of any such member to vote he shall be 

 recorded in the negative. 



"It shall be the duty of each committee and officer named in this 

 article to prepare in writing a detailed statement of the expenses neces- 

 sary properly to be incurred during the ensuing year by the committee 

 or officer succeeding it or him, and cause the same to be presented to 

 the finance committee at or before its stated meeting in February. 



BY-LAWS. 



Strike out of Chapter 13 the last clause thereof. Amend Chapter 15 

 by striking out the clause thereof which reads as follows: 



"An appropriation shall be made at the same time to defray the ex- 

 penses of the regatta and all other club races held during the season, 

 which appropriation shall not be exceeded without the written consent 

 of a majority of the flag officers." 



The following new members were elected: John Moller, John 

 Habershaw, Henry W. BucknaU, Walter S, Logan, John 1. Waterbury, 

 H. O. Havemeyer, Jr., George B. Magoun, Franklin L. Gunther, 

 Alexander M. Proudfit, Henry H. Hendricks, Lieut. J. D. Selfridge, 

 U. S. N. ; Lieut. R. G. Davenport, U. S. N.; Eugene Tompkins, Vincent 

 C. King, Jr., D. Le Roy DreBser, John B. Mills, Robt. Stewart. W. H. 

 McCord, Caius C. Bragg and John H. Gourlie. 



Mr. J. S. Bergen, Secretary J. V. S, Oddle, Mr. A. B. Jones, Mr. F. T. 

 Adams and Treasurer F. W J Hurst were appointed a committee to 

 arrange for the proper celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the 

 club's organization, which will occur on July 30 of this year. 



Mr. Smith, chairman of the America's Cup committee, offered the 

 following resolution, which was unanimously passed: 



"That the members of the New York Yacht Club desire to officially 

 express their appreciation of the patriotic and sportsmanlike action 

 of those gentlemen, to whom we owe the fleet of splendid vessels 

 called for by the challenge of the Valkyrie in 1893, and on behalf of 

 the yacht clubs of this country to thank them for their noble efforts 

 to guard for us the emblem of the yachting supremacy of the world, 

 the America's Cup." 



Letters from Lord Dunraven thanking the club for electing him an 

 honorary member, and advising that the Valkyrie would not be raced 

 in American waters this year, were read. 



During the evening there was on exhibition a very handsome silver 

 trophy designed and made by the Whiting Mfg. Co., of New York, to 

 the club's order, for presentation to Mr. (J Oliver Iselin, the head and 

 representative of the Vigilant syndicate. Mr. Iselin being absent 

 through illness, the presentation was deferred, but Mr. J. D. Smith, on 

 behalf of the cup committee, transferred the cup to the club. 



YACHT NEWS NOTES. 



Valkyrie still lies on Tebo's drydock, but her racing spars were 

 shipped on March 17, on the steamer Ethiopia, and Capt. Cranfield 

 and his crew will sail for New York on April 4, to fit out at once for 

 the return voyage. 



Romola, steam yacht, sailed from New York on March 80, for Ports- 

 mouth, Eng., in charge of Capt. Hammomd, having been sold by Mr. 

 Pulitzer to an English owner. The price is stated at §25,000. 



Semiramis, steam yacht, sailed on March 23 from Marseilles for 

 Philadelphia, having on board her designer, Mr. Alfred H. Brown and 

 Messrs Pearce, Roberts, Forest and Danielson. Her new owner, Mr. 

 A. J. Drexel, will change her name to Margherita. 



Messrs. A. B. Sands & Sons, the yacht plumbers, have recently 

 patented a very compact and light folding lavatory for yachts, two 

 sizes being made. The smaller size complete, with pump, bowl, soap, 

 dish, etc., weighs but lSlbs. 



