Deo, Sj 1896.1 
FOREST AND STREAM, 
487 
architecture and to the sport itself, both in British and Contlnenta 
waters, and it is essential, it this improvement is to continue, that a 
souDd and seaworthy type should be encouraged and maintained. 
The failure of the small classes in this respect to fulfil anticipations 
has fully justified the free expression of opinion and sea of corre- 
spondence which bns surrounded theraiing rule. No widespread in- 
terest, however, can be aroused in the questions attributed to Soak- 
age, which has led to feverish excicement among small yacht 
owners. 
A Mew Steam yacht. 
An order has just been pla<'ed wi'h the Harlan & Hollingsworth Co., 
of Wilmington, Del., by G. W. Childs-Drexel for a se»-Koing steel 
steam yacht, fr'^m deeiens oy A. 8 CoefebrouKh. She will be l70ft. 
Sin. over all, 160ft. Sin l.w 1., a4ft. beam and 14ft. Oio. draft, with triple 
expansion engines and single screw. Mr. Drexel is now the owner of 
the steam yacht Alcedo. ■ 
AMERICAN CANOE ASSOCIATION, 1896-97. 
Commodore, John N. MacKendrIck, Galt^ Canada. 
eec'y-Treas , John R Blake. Gait, Canada. 
Librarian, W. P. Stephens, Bayonne, N. J. 
PtntSERS. 
Atlantic Division, H. W. Fleischman, 1611 N. Slst St,, Phila., Pa. 
Central Division, Laurence C. Wor dworth, Gouverneur, N. Y. 
Eastern Division, IT. J. Burras;e, West Newton, Mass. 
Northern Division, Francis H. ISIannee, Kingston, Canada, 
Annual dues, $1; initiation fee, $1. 
WESTERN CANOE ASSOCIATION, 1895-96. 
Commodore, C. P. Pennewell, Detroit, Mich. 
Vice-Commodore, Nat. H. Cook, Chicago, 111. 
Bear-Commodore, E. H. Holmes, Milwaukee, Wis. 
Sec'y-Treas., W. D Stearns, Detroit, Mich. 
Executive Committee: R. M. Lamp, Madison, Wis.; 0. J. Steadman, 
Cincinnati, O.; F. W. Dickens, Milwaukee, Wis. 
THE AMERICAN CANOE ASSOCIATION. 
The ending of the sixteenth year of the American Canoe 
Association, as marked by the annual meeting of the execu- 
tive committee this montb, shows a condition of aifairs 
that is in nearly all respects highly satisfactory. This year 
the various officers have been up to time with their reports, 
all but one heinfc presented to the meeting, so that the condi- 
tion of the Association's finances was made plain to all pres- 
ent. We are personally indebted to several officers for their 
courtesy in forwarding advance copies of their report', thus 
making it more easily possible to publish them with the gen- 
eral report of the meeting. 
The most important report as showing the financial stand- 
ing of the Association was the report of the board of govern- 
ors, and this is most gratifying. The serious deficits that 
existed prior to 1892 hive since that time been converted into 
a handsome balance of $1,237 in cash safely invested. The 
most satisfactory thing in connection with this balance is 
not the mere possession of so much cash in the general treas- 
ury as the assurance of wise and economical adtniQistrations 
in the future — a matter that will be appreciated by those 
older members who have witnessed so many useless and 
costly experiments in the past. The credit for this work of 
placing the Association on a sure and permanent financial 
basis is due principally to ex-Commodore Cbas. V. Winne, 
the turn of tbe tide being marked by a balance of $158 
turned over by him at the end of his administration in 189^, 
after paying the debt of over $500 which he had inherited 
from previous adminstrutions. His efforts did not stop here, 
but it was largely through his iniiuence that a new era of 
careful and economical management was inaugurated; and 
it is through the efforts of the men whom he called to his 
aid on the various committees in 1892 that the Association 
has been run at a small but substantial profit each year. 
Save for one purpose, there is no reason why the Associa- 
tion should accumulate property, or why the total receipts 
of each year should not be at once expended in lessening the 
cost to the individual members. This purpose for which a 
surplus may properly be accumulated is the purchase and 
preparation in the near future of a permanent camp site. 
Apart from this it would in some ways be desirable to carry 
over small balances in sucb accounts as that of transporta- 
tion to meet occasional contingencies or special expenses; 
butyin the main it is neither necessary nor desirable that the 
Association should accumulate a large permanent surplus. 
The great benefit, however, of a certain surplus each yeir, 
apart from the question of the purchase and imp'-ovement 
of a permanent site, is that it offers to each su ceeding body 
of officers an incentive to careful and economical manage- 
ment, at least equal to that of thfir immediate predecess >rs. 
If each set of otficers must assume a certain amount of debt 
with their office the chances are that the debt will be in- 
creased rather than diminished; but with an example of 
economical management to guide as well as to stimulate 
them, they are liliely to do ciuite as well as their pre- 
decessors. 
One important aid to the work of financial reform is the 
new board of governors, created from the hard necessities 
of several j^ears of bad management as both an aid and a 
restraint upon the executive of the year. Tbis board, a 
permanent body gathered from the oldest and most experi- 
enced members, with a four-year term for each, is naturally 
different in its composition from the annual executive and 
committees. The experience of three years inaicates that 
the experiment is a success. 
While the actual cash profit this year is small, the condi- 
tions are very different from those of .the preceding year ; 
then the mess shed and other appurtenances of tbe camp 
were provided by outside purties, the approach was entirely 
by land, no steamer being necessar}'^, and considerable ma- 
terial was sold' at the end of the meet. This year it was 
necessary to build a wharf, kitchen and a large floor for the 
mess tent, all of which were left for the present year; a 
launch service had to be maintained between Clayton and 
the camp, five miles, and nothing was sold at the end of the 
meet. In addition to all this the Association has for the 
first time in its existence provided all prizes without solicit- 
ing donations, in itself a very desirable change. Taking all 
things into consideration, the result is quite as good as could 
be expected. 
The Association has at last reached a point where a dearly 
bought experience may be turned to profitable account in 
many details of its yearly business. First, as to the camp 
site; many will agree with us that the experience of the nine 
meets at different and widely distant points has been a fail- 
ure in most respects, and in none more so than in the in- 
crease of membership. One strong reason for the departure 
ivom Grind-tone in 1887, after three most successful meets 
there, was the expectation that a meet in a new locality 
would result in a material increase of members from 
that locality, men who under ordinary circumstances 
would not join the A. C. A, and attend a meet at one 
central hut distant po"nt. With this end in view the 
meet of 1887 was held at a beautiful spot nn Lake Chnmolain, 
easily acci'S^ible for tbe member' of the E'^^tern Division, 
and since then three more cnrip^ have been held in th'^ same 
locality, at Wilhbiro .i.id Bluff Poi^t. At n<->nfi of th°se 
meets, even that of 1891, h'ls the Eistern Division been 
present in such numbers a 1 to place it on a par wilh the 
others, and though the division shows a lar^e m"mbPT=ihio 
to-day. it has alwsvs been noted for tbe slight interest which 
its members, out^-i ie of a small body, have taken in the gen- 
eral meets, and the very small attendance. 
The meet of 1890 was held on salt water for th°, same rea- 
son, to interest th^ canoeists within the limi'sof the A.tlantic 
Division, and tbi^ it did to a Rertain extent; but i*: is safe to 
say that both the Jt>ssup's N^ck aud the Croton Po'nt m°ets 
have cost the Association more members than they have 
gained. Both of thpse sites were unknown and purely ex- 
perimental, and b"th were failures, the former in the matter 
of transportation and mess, owing to the isolated location; 
the latter in the thatter of a verv DOor namp ground. The 
Jessup's Neck meet, though looked back to now with pleas- 
ure, after its discomforts are forgotten, marked the last at- 
tendance at camp of many valuetl mpmber^ and the Croton 
Point meet not only failed to dr<)w out a go'^d attendance 
from New York and the Passaic River, but did its share to 
deter men from making another trip to an entirely new camp 
ground. 
The great dilfioulty in the choice of a new site each y^ar 
is that entirely new arrangements for preparing the site, 
transporting and catering for the rapmbors must be made; 
and tbis, under most disadvantageous conditions, theofiicers 
having lo deal with local men entirely unknown to them. 
The result has u;ual1v been that a very larg^! sura his been 
wasted on the ground itself, the transportation arrangements 
have been not only costly but inadequate, an t tho mess has 
been a failure owmg to the dishonesty or incip^city of the 
contracting caterer. A too frequent repetition of unpleasant 
experiences, an inordinate expense of money and time in 
reaching a poor camp ground, and a week or two of poor 
catering, has driven away many an old member who should 
still be seen at the meets; and, on the other hand, the 
change of location and the catering to locil and Division 
interests hqve failed to bring in new niPinbers. The year 
book of 1897 shows a membership of 730, the highest num- 
ber on the roll being 1,105— the number enrolled in s'x years 
The bighes-t number in the 1896 book is 2,900, tbe total 
membership being 852. The e figures show that, while tbe 
Association has taken in 1,800 members in nine years, it has 
gained about 130. 
This great loss is due to two causes: in the first place, the 
apparently large giin in membership is caused by the recruit- 
ing through the efforts of theofiicers of a number of new 
members in the division where a meet is to be held, many of 
these members never attending the meet and many more at- 
tending but once. This enforced enlistment of men who 
really care nothing for caroeina: or for the Association is of 
no permanent good, as few of them remain, and as a rule 
tbey even do harm while their membership continues. One 
of the curses of the meets has been the young fellow, or old 
one too, who cares nothing for canoeing or camning and 
owns no canoe, but joins the Association and attends a meet 
merely tjecause the camp is near at hand and be has heard 
from liis friends of the good times they have. It is ibis ele- 
ment in a large degree that is responsible for the noise and 
liquor in camp, and it has cost the Association double in 
that the disorder and riot have driven away forever somp of 
the best and most esteemed of the old A. C. A. men. Tbe 
successive year books show apoarent large accessions of 
membership from tbe different divisions in turn, but the true 
facts of the case are also shown bv the item "Dropped for 
non payment of dues," in 1895, 153. At best this sort 
of meuibership is worth to the Association not over $2 
each, the initiatiou fee and one year's dues, and tbis is a 
poor leturn for the many objectioDatile features it presents. 
Atotber cause for the decrease of membership is tbe de- 
fection of old members as the result of costly and unpleas- 
ant experiences in reaching the camp As men grow older 
they very naturally desire to camp in greater comfort than 
in the primitive days of the A C. A., when a man's whole 
outfit was carried in his canoe, and tbey have found by ex- 
perience that it is a very expensive perform mce, compara- 
tively speaking, to ship the nec(!ssary duffle to and from 
caonp, and while m camp they must often put up with seri- 
ous inconveniences. Then loo they have formed new ties 
and are not so free to float about the country in happy-go- 
lucky fashion; their families must be consi lered in ihe 
queslion of me yearly vacation. The result is that Mr 
Benedict perhaps g^es so far as to unearth bis o'd tent from 
the garret, look it over regretfully, make a meutal review of 
tbe cost of his last attendance at a meet and of ihe poor mess 
he put up with, and decides that on the whole, while he 
would like to be with the boys aeain, it will be ea ier and 
but little more expensive to take his family to some recog 
nized summer resort. This is all wrong; it is these old men 
that the Association needs more than it does new ones, and 
they should be made to understand that they can and must 
come to tbe meet. The best way to this end, as we have be- 
fore maintained, is to confine tbe meets to one good central 
location for a leim of years at least, not moving until com- 
pelled to by the advance of civilization or some &imilar 
cause. The arrangements for transportation, mess, etc., can 
thus be made with the same men each year, taking them out 
of the domain of experiment and giv.ng to each mimrtr an 
assurance of cost aud time necessary to attend Ihe meet aid 
tbe conveniences which will be provided there. In this way, 
and witti the aid of the as'^ociations and ties that must grow 
up around any familiar camping ground, very much may be 
done to secure the continued attendance ot the best mem- 
bers of the Association, old and young, 
Now that Grindstone has been selected for another year 
the work of the camp site committee will be eas^y. In the 
very important detail of the mess, the buildings are already 
on the spot and the caterer of last year, Mr. McBlveney, has 
offered to renew his contract and to clear up and improve 
the surroundings of the kitchen. The principal improve- 
ment needed on the camp grounds is in the location of the 
ladies' camp, and sevtral means of accomplishing this have 
already been discussed. So far as the main camp is con- 
cerned very little work will be necessarj', and the expenses 
nest year should be very light. 
The transportation arrangements this year were most satis- 
factory, members being carried between the camp and Clay- 
ton promptly, quickly, and at a low charge — 25 cents per 
trip one way for the five mUei. The Canadian members 
had independent transportation on the small local steamers, 
but these are not allowed to carry passengers between two 
American ports — Che Port of Clayton afid the Portttf Grind. 
ctone Island Thh npcessitv for a donhle ae-vlce is a difiad- 
vantsge in that, h id th^ total att°ndanc8 at thp, c^mo been 
confined to the A, 0 A steampr P istime. th^^ coit would have 
bepn the s^ra 'and the ro-^e'pts minh great'^r; but undprtbe 
existing revenue ln.w« of both countries nn different arrange- 
ment is possible. At th-^ snme time it hts b -en demonstrated 
bv this year's rommittep, that a 8Rtisfact'>ry launch service is 
possible at a small outlav to the Association, verv much less 
than has a-^ oftpu been squinderpd in a servioe that was an 
utter failure. It is orobahlethTt the attendance next year 
from the Sutes will be mitenally grpater than this, thus in- 
creasing the receipts with the sara'^ outliv. and in any event 
there i« no rpason a oom^what higher fare should not be 
chara:ed if it bp drci led b'"st to make the launch service self- 
8U opovti n ?. Given a suitable st'>araer at the dock to meet 
the incoming and outsroinff train", no reasonablp objection 
can b" made to a cha.'-geo'' 50 cents in place of 25 for prompt 
transportation to camp. The great trouble in the p^st hag 
been that there was no A. C A. boat, and m^nabera were 
compelled to huit for and chartpr outside craft at a ffreat 
loss of time and a cost of $5 to $10 each. With a continu- 
ance of tbe transportaHon arraneements It the same manner 
as this year there need be no further trouble on this score. 
The priz^" qupstion has reached what seems a final and sat- 
isfactory setllement. It is in pverv way desirable that the 
Association should buy and not beg its priz'^a. as a matter of 
justice to the offi^'prs and the regatta committee, if for no 
other reason ; and 'his it is now able to do. The shields are 
handsome, appropriate and durable, far better than the silk 
flags, the handsomest of which soon soiled and decayed when 
hung up. 
The racing rules now stand as they are for the coming 
year.no proposals for their amendment having, been pre- 
sented by or through the regatta committee; in fact, the 
committee made no mention of the rules in its report. This 
is to be rpffretted, though in accordance with custom it 
would be of material benefit to the Associalion if the retiring 
regatta committee, fresh from its active experience and ob- 
servation, would present to the executive committee its opin- 
ions as to the actual onera'ion of the rules and tbe necessity 
for c^anffes. At no time have the rules been so perfect that 
no changes were possible, and even if it is not desirablp to 
make any at present, that fact is worth recording. With 
such a careful overhauling of the rules each year by those 
most competent to do it, they might be put in verv much bet- 
ter shape than they are now in. Tbe only proposals for 
amendment were tho=e reecntly published intheFou'EST abd 
Stream, but not presented in the committee's report, 
and the proposal presented at the meeting. The 
former were very indefinite in their nature, and 
could only have been incorporated by a thorough 
rewording of the measurement rule, and they were not even 
discussed by the executive committee. The latter, not hav- 
ing been published two weeks in advance, could not be 
acted upon at the meeting, and its proposer was not present 
to pppftk for it. so that there is little likelihood of its being 
passed bv a mail vote, the worst possible way ever devised ' 
to amend racing rules. The proposal is a radical one, and 
will bpar much discussion, being nothing less than the aboli- 
tion of the trophy padding machine and tbe substitution of 
ordinary service canoes for the trophv paddling race. In its 
favor mav be urged the patent fact that nine or ten years of 
the paddling machine has produced nothing that is in any 
way a benefit to canoeing and in some years the paddling 
trophy race h^s h'^en a m-re farce. Tbe change is urged by 
some of tbe Northern Division members, the ones who have 
done the most to encourags and develop the paddling 
machine. We should hke to see a thorough discussinn of 
the matter now while it is fresh in mind, in order that if the 
change is to be made in the future all sides of the question 
may be tboroughlv understood. As to the sailing rules, the 
result of the past season was very satisfactory ag comoared 
with previous years, and the p'-osD3ct.s are good for the next 
season, so that matters may well be left as thev stand in the 
absence of decided proposals for a change. It mav be said 
that by dint of much careless amendment a general reword- 
ing of many of the rules has become necessary, but this is a 
matter of detail that is not of immediate consequ nee. 
Tbe most serious question before the Association to-day is 
that of its momb-rship, which is, as thp figures be'ore quoted 
show, much less than it should be. To secure a m°mberobip 
which shall be satisfac'ory both in numbers and composition 
thr^^e things are necessary. First, the rapidly dving interest 
of the original members of the A°sociation, including those 
who joined prior to 1889 or '90. must be reawakened to an 
extent which will induc^ them to keep closely in touch with 
the Association, to retain their membership, to treasure the 
opportunity for reunion which the annual meet= afford, and 
to take a more or less direct part in the affairs of the Asso- 
ciation, not necessarily on the active committees, wh'^re much 
work is required, but in an advi ory capaf^ity. We have 
found by sad experience ttat tbe number of these men at the 
meets and the execuiive committee meetings is less every 
year until but a cornoral's guard can be relied on, and the 
exchange of information about absent friends brings out the 
fact that they are not only out of active canoeing, but prac- 
tically out of the A 0 A. as well, even though .still retain- 
ing their club membership. Am'^ng those who are fast losing 
a bold on the Associali'm are sueb m^n as Olivpr, Gibson, 
Vaux, Poster, Stanton, Brown, Mix, Seavev,.Rathbun, Nat 
Smith, Ward and Nicki rson, all bard workers for canoeing 
and the A. C. A. at one time. It is no longer possible for 
such men to take part in the rac^s as racing is to-day, or to 
give valuable time to detail wotk in camp, but it should be 
that they retain a live interest in the Association, enough to 
bring them to the meet every year or so. 
As to the present active member-hip, still represented at 
the meets, it is only to be expected that those of the old fel- 
lows who still attend the meets with reasonable fr'quencv — 
Winne, Will Waokerhagen, Edwards, Brokaw, Whitlock, 
Robertson, Butler, Goddard, Parmele, and Gage — will 
before long succumb to the same infiucces that have sepa- 
rated their companions from thi't Association. Then, too, 
there is the main body of the present membership, younger 
members whose interest both in the meet and the races is 
still keen and active, but who may be expected to drop out 
after perhaps an average of six years' r 'gular attendance. 
Outride of tbe preseut membership it is absolutely neces- 
sary thai the Assf elation should take in new members and 
good members every year, training up men who will in turn 
do the work of tue older ones, and who will take the same 
pride iu the prosperity of the Association. 
It must bs admitted that for several years past the outlook 
has not been promising; many old members hare practically 
withdrawn, tbe work imposed on those who remain has been 
severe and arduous, the accessions of membership have been 
but slow and liave turned in few good workers, tither in the 
