Oferr. iO. 1896.] 
f^ORESl' AND' STREAM. 
2 9S 
roinutpg'the benzine evaporates and leaves thia paraffine. 
Any t xcess that may run through to outside of chain can 
be removed with a rag. Then v^ith the other tooth brush 
apply the soap and graphite mixture on inside of chain 
and sprocket teeth. By inside of chain I mean that por- 
tion ttian runs against the sprockets. 
A chain treated in this way does not gathet dtist, the 
pius or rivets are lubricated, and the surface of bhain 
;md sprocket teeth acquire a glassy surface and do not 
wear. 
The entire operation requires but a few minutes. One 
of my wheels has run some 4,000 miles under this treat- 
ment ; the sprockets are not worn, the ghain is in good 
order and has not stretched to an amouiit io impair its 
efficiency. 
If the soap and graphite mixture iS applied to chain 
and sprocket when new the graphite appears to more 
readily adhere to the metal. 
One word of caution: do not open the paraffiae-benzine 
mixture near a light or fire. Also, it is best to have both 
chain and mixture at a temperature of 70° or over. 
Low Gear, 
SECOND-HAND BICYCLES. 
Thebe is much to be said on both sides of the subject 
of buying a second-hand wheel, and a great deal depends 
upon the individual requirements of the rider. Second- 
hand bicycles are often sold for ridiculously low prices, 
and many people are tempted by this consideration alone 
to buy them. Such purchases frequently turn out poor 
bargains, and after a little while it will be found that the 
wheel is only fit for the junk dealer. 
As a general principle it is safe to assume that there is 
a reason for a bicycle becoming second-hand, which rea- 
son if known would not tend to enhance its value. The 
number of persons who part with good bicycles" on 
account of some whim, or from straitened circum- 
stances, or for any reason other than that the wheel is 
not up to mark, is not large. 
As a rule, the bicycle is very heavy and old-fashioned, 
or the bearings are worn and the wheel runs hard, or the 
fork has been bent and is liable to break, which conscious- 
ness does not have a soothing effect on the nerves of the 
rider when going down a bad hill; or the frame is racked 
and shaky, or none of the nuts will stay in place, and the 
whole thing is on the verge of disruption. The unsuspi- 
cious buyer is sure to learn these facts sooner or later, and 
he wiU then wish that he had paid more money and got- 
ten a reliable wheel in the first place. 
However, the second-hand bicycle has its uses, pro- 
vided it has no dangerous defects, It is useful for the 
rough and tumble struggle of learning to ride, and it is 
useful to lend to the kind of people who borrow. 
It insures more exercise than a new bicycle, and if you 
want to get good and tired you can do so in half the time 
it would take ori the other. ^ 
The second-hand wheel does not require to be cleaned, 
as does a first-class bicycle, and one need not worry if it 
is left out over night in the rain, or if the baggage man 
finds a position for it near a pile of trunks. 
While some second-hand wheels go to pieces on the 
slightest provocation, others are practically indestruct- 
ible. From time to time one sees old relics of ten or 
fifteen years ago that have been in hard service con- 
stantly. 
These old wheels are heavy and hard-running, but they 
are proof against the thank-you-mams, ruts and stone 
walls, and pnint to a moral in bicycle construction that 
some of tbe manufacturers of "strictly high grade" 
bicycles would do well to reflect upon. 
The Mather Wheelmen. 
Brooklvn, N Y, — Editor Forest and Stream: The very 
fi uteri ng notice of my articles made by a Matherite on 
page 274 is the cause of the pink tint in this ink; it was so 
strong that it even made my ink stand. Seriously there 
is no offense in his speaking of me as "old," for it is a joy- 
ful fact that I was born in time to get more fun out of 
this world than seems possible to be extracted now, unless 
a boy has a rich father who wiU shell out the shekels to 
let him go to the far-off game country which was close to 
my boyhood door. But as to naming a bicycle club after 
me, that is a serious matter. I shall insist on knowing 
how he pronounces my name before consenting. The 
mail carrier who serves me insists on calling me 
"May ther" and the law says I must not kill him. If my 
young friend will solemnly promise to pronounce the "a" 
as in "father" or in "fat" in naming his bicycle club, I 
will be happy to sit on the fence and review the parade; 
but if he follows the example of the postman he may not 
have the approval of F. M. 
The last number of Le Yacht to hand, that of Sapt. 19, contains an 
interesting article on the 15tt. class in America, by Mr. L. More, the 
well-known French writer. Following the bad example of The 
Yachtsman, Le Yacht neglects to state that the lines of El Heirie 
which help to illustrate Mr. More's article are reproduced directly 
Jroni the Forest AND Stream of Aug. 23. We have no objaction to 
such a use of our illustrations, but as we make a custom of crediting 
to its rightful owners everything which we reproduce from another 
journal we look for the same courtesy in return. 
Oke of the strongest arguments we have yet seen for the Payne bill 
is the new counter which has been carried through the season by one 
of the principal steam yachts of the New York fleet. This counter, 
of which a good deal has been said by the daily papers, was put on 
during the winter in the laudable attempt to modernize the yacht, In 
view of the higher standard of taste in such matters now prevailing 
in this country. The original counter, put on when the yacht was 
built, a dozen years ago, was of what may be called the Tweedle Dee 
1 j pe, modeled mainly after that homely but useful article, the dish 
pan. The new md presumably fin de sUcle counter may be called, to 
dis inguish it from the other, the Tweedle Dum type; further than 
which, no description of the details Is necessary. The only gain ig in 
deck room, and brth in design and construction the work calls for 
only adverse criticism; the joining of the old and new work in visible 
at a great distance, a careless piece of handiwork, and the sheer is 
carried out so badly that the taffrall has the appearance of having 
dropped at its after point. 
That such work as this needs all the protectiofl from the com- 
petition of the Clyde shipyards that a paternal government can bestow 
upon It, Is too plain to be disputed; whether it deserves such pro- 
tection is another question which the yacht owner, who pays the 
bills, should consider carefully. 
The victory of Quisaetta over Amorita is one of the remarkable 
events of the yach Jng year, and from one point of view at least is a 
matter for congratulation on the piirt of all old fogies who still cling 
to the nearly extinct notion that there are certain standards of 
beauty in naval architecture to which all craft other than ear floats 
and garbage scows may and should conform without undue detriment 
to speed and other essentials. Though the work of an expert de- 
signer with many handsome craft to his credit, as well as a marine 
artist by profession, Amorita was designed in up-to-date fashion 
directly counter to this theory. The one end in view was extreme 
speed under the conditions that provail on the Sound in summer, and 
to attain this end under the rule as it stood, the topsides were spread 
out beyond the under-water body to an extreme degree, especially at 
the eiidB. The bow in particular is quite as ugly as anything that 
even the flnialler classes have yet produced. 
The winning yacht, a smaller craft than Amorita, is first and fore- 
most a very handsome vessel, in appearance much like her single-stick 
sister, Norota, one of the handsomest yach'is in the fleet. 
We have no great love for the type to wh ich both of these schooners 
belong; a draft of laft. on a waterline of 70', or of lift, on 66ft., unflts 
them for all work but racing in the waters '/yhere their lives are spent, 
and they are not of a type for offshore work. At the same time we 
have a strong preference for the handsomer of the two, and conse- 
quently take pleasure in her victory in raci ng. 
It is now reported that the Emperor of (Jermany will take up the 
matter of the Meteor-Isolde collision and push the investigation fur- 
ther, with a view to settling the responsibility on the proper person. 
From some of the comments on the disaste r it might be inferred that 
the Emperor was personally concerned, and that vital international 
Issues were involved. AH this is absurd; tiie ownership and national- 
ity of the different yachts Involved do not affect the matter in the 
slightest degree, and so far as the Emperor is concerned, as he was in 
Germany at the time and his yacht in the h.mdsof an expert and prop- 
erly qualifisd skipper, no blame whatever can attach to him, even 
though the responsibility be ultimately fastened on Meteor II. We 
hope that the report is true, and that the whole matter will be 
thoroughly and impartially investigated. 
One of the silly rumors of the silly season ia to the effect that De- 
fender is to be purchased and converted into a schooner for the 
regular racing of next season. Such a use of the yacht is manifestly 
impossible on account of her great draft, 19ft. as she now is, and even 
more as a schooner with interior furnishings. With such a draft it 
would be practically impossible to sail her over the course of the 
New York, the Larchmont and most of the other yacht clubs; she 
could find very few safe harbors; she could not haul on any of the 
yacht railways, but would have to be docked at great expense in the 
Erie Basin Docks. Colonia is the extreme limit of practicable use, 
with her 15ft. ; another 5ft. in addition is out of the question ; and it is 
equally impossible to lessen Defender's draft without sacrificing her 
speed. 
One of the minor incidents of the destructive cyclone which tore up 
the Atlantic coast on Sept. 39-30 was the destruction of the 15-footer 
Ethelwynn, at her moorings, off Bath Beach. The yacht had been for 
three weeks in the charge of the United States Marshal, having been 
libeled by Thos. Manning for a bill of $56 for storage and fitting out. 
She was advertised to be sold at auction on the afternoon of Sept. 30. 
At about 8 o'clock in the morning of that day she parted her mooring 
lines and went into the wooden pier at Avoea Villa, Bath Beach, where 
she was very badly smashed up. In the afternoon the wreck was 
bought in by a junk dealer for the sum of $11.50, and after reserving 
the sails and gear the hull was resold by him for $5. The 
report is now in circulation through the American and Canadian 
papers that she cost last year the magnificent sum of $2,500. 
The Niagara Tanks. 
DuRiNO the past week the following letter was cabled from London 
to New York: 
"Savot Hotel, London, Sept. 26, 1896.— To the Council of the Yacht 
Racing Association: Gentlemen — The yachting season of 1898 is now 
at an end, and we are returning to my home in America, but before 
departing from England I feel It my duty to send you this communi- 
cation. I had hoped all summer to receive a letter from your Asso- 
ciation which would have made this communication unnecessary. 
"My yacht Niagara, which has two small water tanks of 30 gallons 
each for the ordinary supply of her crew, was in 1895 measured by 
one of the ofQcial measurers of the Yacht Racing Association for a 
racing certificate, and entered in the races of that year, sailing some 
fifty or more. These tanks were constructed by Herreshofl in ac- 
cordance with the original plan of the vessel solely for the above 
mentioned purpose. The manner in which the tanks were constructed 
was visible to the eye, known to many of the members of your Asso- 
ciation, and was no secret. The Niagara was in a like manner meas- 
ured in 1898. These tanks were not altered. 
"After the race of the Royal Thames Y. C, on May 33, 1896, in my 
absence, without any previous communication with me, without any 
notice to me— although such notice could easily have been given— and 
without any prior knowledge on my part, a committee of your Asso- 
ciation suddenly boarded the Niagara and made certain examinations. 
Notice of this visit was made to me five days later in the following 
letter from the secretary of the Yacht Racing Association: 
" 'Yacht Racing Association, 24 Sussex Gardens, Hyde Park, Lon- 
don, W., May 27, 1896.— Dear Sir: A report was made to the Council of 
the Yacht Racing Association that your yacht Niagara was fitted with 
a tank under the seat on each side of the cabin, and that these were 
connected by a pipe so as to make it possible, by merely turning a 
cock, to run water from one tank into the other, and thus use them 
as shifting water ballast, which might be advantageous in certain 
cases. 
" 'Three members of the council were in consequence requested to 
inspect the tanks, which they did immediately axter the race of the 
Royal Thames Y. C, on May 22, and in your absence were offered 
every facility by Capt. Barr. 
" 'The members of the council do not wish to convey any Idea on 
their part that the tanks were used for the purpose Indicated. On 
the contrary, their impression is the other way. But I am requested 
to suggest, In order to place the matter beyond suspicion, that it ia 
desirable to make Impracticable the run of the water from one tank 
to the other, which could readily be done by a small alteration in the 
pipes. 
" 'I should be glad to hear, for the information of the council, that 
this will be done at once. DrsoN Kemp.' 
"I repeat that this communication was the first notice 1 had from 
the Yacht Racing Association of this extraordinary action on their 
part. I was never informed who constituted the committee, who 
failed even to leave their names with my sailing master. I answered 
this communication on June 2, expressing my sense of the discourtesy 
shown and implied by such procedure. My answer follows, which 
was not to my knowledge included in the correspondence given out 
to the press: 
" 'Niagara, Harwich, June 2, 1896.— Dear Sir: I beg to acknowledge 
the receipt of yours of May 27 regarding the Niagara's water tanks 
I greatly regret not having h^d the courtesy of notification of the in- 
tended visit of the committee, as it would have afforded me much 
plwsare to have been present and personally shown them over the 
yacht, but I am pleased to hear from you that the investigation was 
satisfactory. Any report that the tanks were used for shilting water 
ballast is absolutely false, and upon reading the YachtJ Racing Asso- 
ciation's rules carefully, I fail to see that they in any why conflict with 
-them. 
" 'However, for the sake of harmony I am willing to make any 
change to meet the approval of the councU, providing such change 
shall not increase the weight to be carried. As it is, she races with 
every possible pound of weight out of her, and I iio not wish any 
alteration that would make hei" any heavier. In order that the ques- 
tion cannot again arise, kindly let me know exactly how the council 
suggest making the change and still leave three days' water carrying 
capacity for the needs of the crew in making passages. Yours very 
truly, Howard Gould.' 
"I append herewith the reply to the above: 
" 'Yacht Racing As.3ociation, 24 Sussex: Gardens. Hyde Park, Lon- 
don, W.— Dear Sir: Your letter of June 2 was placed before the com- 
mittee of the Yacht Racing Association council yesterday. I am 
directed to state that the committee received with satisfaction your 
assurances that you will carry out their suggescions These sugges- 
tions are that the pipes and cocks connecting the water tanks under 
the sofas be removed at once, and that a separate supply pipe service 
be provided for each tank. The change will involve about lOlbs. ad- 
ditional weight. When these are carried out please cause Mr. A. B. 
Payne to be informed of the same, and he will inspect -the tanks and 
make a formal report that the suggestions of the committee of the 
Yacht Racing Association's council have been complied with. I am 
faithfully yours, DisoN Kemp.' 
■'Had I been communicated with prior to this discourteous and un- 
usual visit I would gladly have established the following facts: First, 
that the Niagara was measured with her water tanks empty; second, 
that the water iu the tanks had never been used, and was not used in 
any instance as shifting ballast; and third, that it was impracticable 
to make advantageous use of the tanks for such a purpose had I de- 
sired to do so. Tne report that the tanks were connected by a pipe so 
as to make it possible, by merely turning a cock, to run the water 
from one tank into the other, and thus use them as shifting water 
ballast, which might be advantageous in certain cases, conveyed an 
unjust reflection, and it is not true that advantageous use of the tanks 
for such a purpose could be made. 
"My objection is not to the fact that the examination of the tanks 
was made, but to the mode of proceeding adopted. Despite this action 
on the part of your committee, and to prevent further unjust sus- 
picion, and in the interest of harmony, I made certain alterations in 
severing the pipe connection between the tanks, much to the discom- 
fort of the crew, lessening thereby their water supply. I am sur- 
prised that I never received any explanation of the course pursued in 
boarding the yacht without communicating with me, althougii I char- 
acterized such action as discourteous at the time. 
"In the absence of such explanation or disavowal on the part of the 
Yacht Racing Association, X consider the course pursued not only dis- 
courteous, but personally offensive and essentially destructive of the 
bmicable relations which lie at the very foundation of the existence 
of international contests of this character, which should be founded 
upon gentlemanly intercourse, fair and open dealing, and high and 
scrupulous honor. 
"Certainly, self-respecting yachtsmen of other countries will not 
hereafter voluntarily subject thetnselves to similar treatment if the 
course pursued toward me is held and declared by the Yacht Racing 
Association to be according to its ideas of what is proper, fair and 
just. As the matter has received so much publicity, lam sending a 
copy of this communication to the press. Faithfully yours, 
"Howard Qottld." 
The following interview with Lieut.-Col. Sir George Archibald 
Leach, K. C. B., of the council of the Y. R. A., has been cabled frona 
London: 
"Mr. Gould's letter is absurd. It really raises a tempest in a tea- 
pot. 
"I know nothing about the report of the measuring of Niagara in 
1895. Anyhow, the rule was changed after 1895, 
"I was on the committee's steamer Tilbury, accompanied by other 
members of the council. Dixon Kemp suggested that inasmuch as it 
was the first time enough members of the sailing committee had ' 
ga hered together to form a quorum it would be advisable to hold a 
meeting to consider matters awaiting the action of the committee. 
"Among these matters was the subjt^ct of Measurer Payne's report 
upon the measuring of Niagara, in which details were given In refer- 
ence to the tanks used. It was decided that a sub-committee of three 
be appointed to inspect the tanks, as all the members of the commit- 
tee were unwilling to act simply on the measurer's report, which 
alleged nothing, but reported the tanks to be unusual in form of con- 
struction Anything unusual concerning the construction of a yacht 
the measurer is bound by the rules to report. 
"Three members of the committee, Dixon Kemp, Col. Wilkinson 
Cwho is almost the father of yachting on the 1 hames), and myself, 
went on board Niagara as soon as she went into her dock. We sup- 
posed Howard Gould was on board, as he was aboard during the race. 
However, we found him gone. We told Capt. Barr of our official 
capacity and what we wanted. 
"Capt. Barr replied: 'Certainly.' He showed us the tanks, and we 
measured them, Th^y were 4ft. long and about 1ft. wide at the top 
and 1ft. deep, doubtless sloping at the bottom. I should say each 
contained about 7cwt. of water. 
"The sub-committee reported to the committee, which decided to 
send a letter to Howard Gould. This letter was written to Mr. Gould 
by the secretary. Mr. Gould replied to this letter, and we certainly did 
not understand that Mr. Gould expressed any displeasure because of 
our action. 
"This is the entire story of what happened, 
"Mr. Gould says we ought to have given him notice. That was Im- 
possible. We do not do that when inspecting yachts for the purpose 
of seeing if there is any thing which might be unfairly used during 
the racing. Our inspection had no relation to the fact that Niagara 
was a stranger yacht. 
"We should do the same thing to-morrow if a measurer furnished 
a similar report concerning any Engligh yacht. In fact, we did pre- 
cisely that thing a few years ago with an English yacht which we had 
reason to believe was not sailing with the same ballast as reported on 
the day of measuring. 
"We did not go on Niagara for the purpose of catching Mr. Gould 
at any trick. Y^e> never believed he would do anything of that sort. 
"Many hasty rumors were flying about. We did not pay any atten- 
tion to them whatever, but acted solely on the report of our measurer. 
The inspection was quite as much for the purpose of protecting Mr. 
Gould by reheving him of any suspicions of this nature as for the pur- 
pose of protecting the Y'acht Racing Association. 
"Anent the matter of leaving our names when we inspected Niagara, 
it should be remembered that we inspected the yacht officially, and 
not personally. Capt. Barr knew Dixon Kemp, if he did not know any 
of the other members of the sub committee. 
"If Mr. Gould considers our letter discourteous, I don't. As to dis- 
avowing our action in this matter, the council will do nothing of the 
sort. At the next meeting of the council we will send Mr. Gould a 
courteous letter deeply regretting the incident which has given rise to 
so much feeling, and sincerely deploring the friction caused by these 
international contests. As for the remarks about cads, etc., that is 
simply scurrilous. We can afford to ignore discussion of this charac- 
ter." 
Without discussing the propriety of the committee's action in visit- 
ing Niagara In the absence of her owner and giving him no oppor- 
tunity whatever to defend himself from some sort of indefinite ac- 
cusation, we are of the opinion that the committee has acted most 
foolishly and unfairly in doing anything else than to indorse the whole 
arrangement of the tanks and connecting pipe as perfectly legitimate 
and proper. Though not known in British yachts, such tanks and 
pipes are almost universal on this side, and no case has ever been 
known where they have been used for shifting ballast. According to 
Mr. Gould's statement, each of the two tanks Is of 80 gallons capacity, 
or capable of holding when full SOOIbs. of water. Any theory of the 
improper use of the tanks is based on the assumption that one, the 
lee one, is always empty and the other full, so that the total weight 
involved cannot be more than SOOIbs. It should be evident to expert 
yachtsmen and intelligent men that this weight of water could not 
pass through a %in. pipe, the size as we understand of the connecting 
pipe, in such a way as to permit the shifting of the water from the 
weather to the lee tank in tacking, and that such a use of the tanks 
and pipe was practically impossible. Further than this, even if the 
pipe were large enough to admit of an almost- instantaneous shitting 
of the water, the effect of SOOIbs. in a vessel of Niagara's size, of a 
dozen tons displacement, and with more than half this weight disposed 
in her bulb at a draft of lift., would not be worth considering. 
If all the circumstances were totally different, if Niagara were a 
shoal centerboard boat with a moderate weight of ballast and with a 
large watertank in each bilge connected by a pipe of 2 or 3in. diame- 
ter, the committee would have been justified in condemning the ar- 
rangement as at least open to suspicion. As the facts are, with two 
small tanks capable of holding a weight that is insigniflcant compared 
with the displacement and ballast of the yacht, connected by a very 
small pipe, the committee and council have shown themselves in a. 
