A Weekly Journal of the Rod and Gun. 
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A Copy. 
} NEW YORK, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 2B, 1897. 
VOL. XLVIX.— No. 13. I 
No. 346 Broadwa?, NeV YobS. 
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headers are imited to aend us tlie names of f riends who 
might be interested in a current copy of the Forest and Stream. 
We shoM he glad tofortcard a specimen number to any address 
which may he furnished -us for that purpose. 
I read an anecclote the othef day of Dr, Beale^ 
the Bishop of Durhanv which seems to me full of 
good sense. When wfiting: one of his important 
Works he was asked when it wottld he finished. 
He replied with great good humor and perfect 
sincerity: "Oh, I will undertake to take hold of 
that and push it to an accomplishment as rapidly 
as possible after the fly-fishing season is over/* 
Henry Russell. 
THE OENEROUS STORE. 
What a generous store of reading is contained in the 
columns of Fokest and Stream every w eek — surely the 
best and most acceptable ever put into print for sports- 
men readers. The fund of experience, observation, fact, 
fancy and opinion comes from every quarter of the great 
continent, and reflects multifarious phases of field life. 
Many a word written and spoken and a growing host of 
readers attest the appreciation in which the paper is held. 
Now, as for many years past, the Foeest and Stream is 
the accepted representative of the field sportsmanship of 
America and its interests. 
THE FOULING OF MARKS IN YACHT RACING. 
The recent fouling of a mark by Vigilant, and the conse- 
quent loss of an important race, has brought out numerous 
comments upon what is called a "technical'' foul, which to 
many minds is supposed to be a devious device of yachting 
theorists, and opposed to the true interests of sport. The 
Marine Journal takes the following view of the matter: 
IQ the recent race off Newport Vigilant beat Navahoe fifty seconds. 
Unfortunately, 1 lie old International cup defender's b'>om whenjib- 
iQg struck cne of ibe buoys which marked the course, and enabled 
the ovsner of Navahoe— the losing boat— to claim a foul and thereby 
be awarded the race in conformity to yacht racing ruleg. In a con- 
test like this, however, sailed for the purpose of seeing how two of 
the flrst built Herreshoff flyers held their own, would it not have been 
more sportsmanlike for the owner of Navahoe to have withdrawn his 
protest after the owner of Vigilant had acknowledged his foul, as 
it did not make a second's difference in Vigilant's favor, or that min- 
ute measure of time againsD Navahoe? Every yachtsman knows that 
Navahoe won the race, while being fully aware that Vigilant proved 
herself the fastest boat. This is as unsatisfactory a race, though on 
a much smaller scale, as that between Defender and Valkyrie III. 
This is very pretty in theory, but it is not, and never 
can be, yacht racing. The racing rules of all clubs are 
most defloite and peremptory on this point, stating that a 
yacht must go fairly over the course without touching a 
mark in any way. Every racing man knows this rule, 
and presumably has it in mind, with ,the penalty of dis- 
qualification hanging over him, all the time he is sailing. 
He knows that, unless in close quarters and pocketed by 
other yachts, he can avoid all danger of the penalty by 
making a fair wide turn of each mark. If he prefers to 
shave close and so save a few seconds over a more cautious 
opponent, he has a perfect right to fake the risk; but he 
has no right to cry about "technical" fouls if by an error 
of judgment or by sortie unforeseen accident he should 
touch the mark. 
It would certainly be most unjust to the man who has 
sailed the course fairly, keeping well clear of every mark 
and losing some time, however little, thereby, if all his 
pains went for nothing, and his opponent was allowed 
the privilege of disregarding the rules and shaving each 
mark, with the penalty suspended in case of a "technical'* 
failure. 
A little reflection will show that there niust he some 
penalty for touching a mark however slightly, otherwise 
collisions with marks and markboats would be the rule in 
racing instead of the exception. Thus far, tooj no other 
penalty than absolute disqualification has been devised; 
and harsh as this may seem, it is inevitable. It is not 
possible to place a time penalty on fouling; so many sec- 
onds for touching the flag on a mark, so many for hitting 
the markboat herself, so many for capsizing her, and so 
many for sinking her and drowning those on board. 
Yacht racing has not yet reached this stage of advance- 
ment, and for a time at least there seems no alternative 
but to enforce the rule of instant self-disqualification on 
touching, to the slightest degree, any part of a mark; of 
course, unless forced by another yacht. 
The enforcement of this rule sometimes works to the dis- 
appointment of all parties, as in the late races for the Sea- 
wanhaka cup, where Glencairn was disqualified beyond 
all remedy by her fouling of the mark at the line. Every 
one wanted to see a race — Momo's men had no desire to 
score even a single race in such a way; but there was abso- 
lutely nothing to be done. As soon as she touched the 
mark, Glencairn was out of the race by all yachting law 
and precedent, and Momo could only sail the course alone 
and score one if she finished it within the time limit. The 
action of Glencairn's skipper under the circumstances was 
most praiseworthy. Rather than spoil the whole day and 
disappoint the many people interested, he continued over 
the course, though with the knowledge that under no pos- 
sible contingency could he be ofiicially recognized as in 
the race. 
A similar mishap occurred the year before to Mr. Dug- 
gan in sailing Sothis, at Ogdensburgh, the boats were mov- 
ing very slowly, with barely steerage way; Sothis had 
passed the mark, a light skiff, when a slight scend of the 
sea threw the latter out and she struck Sothis. The foul 
was not seen by the committee, but was reported by Mr. 
Duggan on the finish of the race and it was generally 
recognized that Sothis was disqualified. The only conten- 
tion in the matter .was between Mr. Duggan and the sec- 
ond man, Mr. Butler; the latter declining to take the 
handsome $300 cup, and Mr. Duggan insisting he should 
do so. 
From all accounts, Vigilant's mishap seems to be partly 
hard luck, she would have gone clear save for an unex- 
pected jibing of the boom, but stich is often the case. A 
man may make all his calculations to turn the mark at a safe 
distance and they may be upset by a strain of tide, a drop 
in the wind, or a scend of the sea that throws boat and 
mark together in an unlooked-for manner. At the same 
time it is obviously impossible to make allowances in such 
case, only one line can be drawn, either the boat goes 
clear of the mark or she touches it. Why she touches it 
(unless forced by another boat) or how much, cannot be 
considered; each yacht must stand by her own accidents 
in this as in other details of racing. 
In international races the question of fouling and dis- 
qualification is a most important one. All hands are out 
to see a race; a failure and resail is in every way regret- 
able; neither party wishes to score a point by default. At 
the same time there exists no possible provision by which 
yachts can be recalled and a race restarted after a foul, 
either of a mark or of one yacht by another. At the time 
of the famous Valkyrie-Defender collision no end of senti- 
mental twaddle was indulged in, even by yachtsmen, 
about "technical" fouls and the possibility of the recall of 
both yachts by the regatta committee. Such an action 
would have been utterly contrary to law and without pre- 
cedent, and would have been universally condemned by 
yachtsmen. In such a contingency, of a foul of any kind 
at the start, as in the case of Valkyrie and Defender, and 
of Glencairn in the late races, the only party free to act is 
the other yacht; she may if she choses lie to or withdraw 
as soon as she perceives that her opponent is disabled or 
disqualified, the two making a new start later on. At the 
same time such action is purely voluntary; there is noth- 
ing, either in the law or the ethics of yacht racing which 
would compel a yacht to withdraw merely on account of 
tha disqualification or disabling of her opponent. 
Even among practical yacTitsmen there exists a peculiar 
idea that a yacht is at liberty to start more than once in a 
race, and instances are not uncommon where such a prac- 
tice has been recognized by race committees. A yacht 
makes a start and bumps into a markboat, whereupon she 
deliberately comes about and tries again. Such a practice 
a absurd and entirely prohibited by the rules; if a yacht 
fouls a mark on the line she is out of the race, and unless 
there are grounds for doubt as to the responsibility being 
shared by another yacht, she has no right to continue over 
the course. 
The talk in the case of Vigilant has been confined en- 
tirely to outside parties; the principals, one and all, treated 
the incident in a business-like manner; Mr. Chubb re* 
ported to the race commi<-tee that Vigilant had fouled a 
mark of the course, and the committee thereupon declared 
her disqualified, and awarded the prize to the next yacht 
which completed the course in accordance with the rules. 
PREAOHINQ MUBDEB. 
Recent atrocious murders in Massachusetts, Rhode 
Island and elsewhere, have provoked extended discussion 
of the prevalence of village hoodlumism, the increasing 
impatience of restraint among young men, and the alarm- 
ing growth of lawlessness and disorder so characteristic of 
many New England neighborhoods. A new and startling 
light is thrown upon the demoralization by the utterances 
of anarchistic journals, notably a Boston publication, 
and Fabric, and the Providence Evening Telegram. Both 
are moved to comment upon the recent murders of game 
wardens in a manner which, if not actually commend- 
ing the deeds of the murderers, nevertheless excuses 
and makes light of them. "One or two men," says the 
Telegram, in an editorial which we quote elsewhere, "are 
already in New England prisons for the offense, and a 
very small part of the population of their States look upon 
them as great sinners." Nobody considers breaking the 
game laws a crime, it explains, and "what wonder then 
that the violator saves himself at the cost perhaps of the 
warden's life." 
This is preaching murdej, pure and simple; and we sub- 
mit to students of New England lawlessness that such 
journalistic incitements to murder are more significant 
than the murders themselves of the extent to which the 
demoralization has progressed. 
SNAP SHOTS. 
Dr. Geo. W. Massamore, the very efficient Deputy Game 
Warden of Maryland, presents some facts concerning the 
pollution of the Potomac River, which should have the' 
immediate attention of the Legislatures of Virginia, West 
Virginia and Maryland. It has always been the custom 
in this country for tannery, mill and factory projectors to 
conduct their enterprises without the slightest heed to 
public rights in the waters; and while individuals follow- 
ing this custom may not be blamed perhaps, the commu- 
nity itself is at fault for having permitted the ruin of its 
natural resources. It is taking us a long time to get beyond 
the prodigal backwoods, frontier settlement disregard of 
economy in such affairs; and in many cases it is now un- 
fortunately too late to repair the ruin which has been 
wrought. There is a better way to treat a fish-producing 
river than to turn it into a sewer. 
If the United States went to war a whole regiment 
might be enlisted from the Maine licensed guides, and a 
capital body of men it would be too. More than eleven 
hundred of them are now enrolled; and the Commission- 
ers tell us that the guide question is gradually settling 
itself; little opposition has been manifested except 
in two or three localities; and even there it has not 
amounted to so much in actual strength as -in newspaper 
reports of it. The Commissioners believe that the system 
will very materially benefit the cause of protection. 
The Paris Exposition of 1900 will have classes for ex' 
hibits of sporting arms, products of the chase, fishing 
tackle and products and pisiculture. The United States 
should be represented by some of our fishing tackle; in 
that line we compare favorably with any country on 
earth. 
This is proving a great year for salt-water fishing all 
along the Atlantic coast from Maine to Florida. Fishing 
in the Indian River waters of Florida is said to be im- 
proved, owing to the opening of the inlets along the lower 
East Coast; and tarpon are found there in increasing 
numbers. 
