March 9, 1901.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
191 
It was Mr. Perry's intention to eflter her in a number 
of the trials of this year, and I am positive she would 
have given a good account of herself. The loss to her 
owner is quite a severe one, as he paid me a good fee for 
breaking, and had just refused $100 for her a very short 
time ago. 
Mr. Perry has offered a reward of $50 for information 
that will lead to the conviction of the party who placed 
the poison. Dr. Bill. 
— $ — 
Notice. 
All communications intended for Forest and Stream should 
always be addressed to the Forest and Stream Pubhshmg Co., and 
not to any individual connected with the paper. 
'Mid Reef and Rapid. 
BY F. R. WEBB. 
II. 
"Now, by the great horn spoon, but that's too bad !" ex- 
claimed George, as we scrambled aboard the train at the 
Staunton station, all primed and eager for our long ex- 
pected and much planned Harper's Ferry cruise one br'ght 
Monday morning in August, our destination Mount Craw- 
ford Staiion, on North River of the Shenandoah, where 
our canoes were awaiting us. 
"What's too bad ?" queried the Colonel. 
"Why, I've walked right off and forgot my kodak, 
and " 
"The mischief you have!" 
"You're a pretty blockhead to take along on a cruise !" 
"What's the use of possessing all that intellect if you 
can't make better use of it?" 
"You'll go oft' some day and forget your canoe !" were 
some of the exclamations hurled at the luckless George 
by the entire strength of the company, for George is 
notoriously forgetful, and would go off and leave his head 
if he wasn't reminded of it. 
"Yes, that's all right," he replied, meekly and de- 
jectedly; "at any rate I didn't start off on a cruise and 
forget my paddle," at which inconsiderate remark I be- 
came thoughtful and had no further comments to make. 
"The main point is, what's to be done?" he con- 
tinued. "I'd rather stay at home than make another cruise 
without the kodak. Talk quick," as the engine bell began 
to ring. 
"There's another train down at noon," the Colonel re- 
marked. "We might wait till then." 
"I have it," cried Lacy, seized with a brilliant inspira- 
tion — that boy is occasionally subject to them, although 
you wouldn't suspect it to look at him — as he caught sight 
of a friend on the platform. "Here, Dabney !" he cried, 
thrusting himself half out of the open window, just as the 
same idea occurred to me, as I caught sight of Frank, 
my hopeful son and heir, standing wistfulW on the plat- 
form gazing at the train, and wishing with all his boyish 
heart that he was a few years older, that he, too, might 
go on a cruise. 
Dabney promptly responded, as did also Frank to my 
hail, and the situation explained and the location of the 
kodak described to them — in the middle of the floor in 
Lacy's room, where George had carelessly placed it 
temporarily, and then gone off and left it — and Frank in- 
structed to do what "trotuing" Dabney might require of 
him, and the train moved out, with assurances from both 
Frank and Dabne}' that when we reached Port Republic, at 
the head of the Shenandoah, to-morrow, we would find the 
kodak awaiting tis in the express office, with which 
assurance we were fain to content ourselves as we settled 
comfortably back into our swaying seats to enjoy our 
morning smoke, while the train rattled and jolted along 
down the beautiful valley toward our chosen stream; al- 
beit, we knew that in the day's cruise on North River be- 
tween Mount Crawford and Port Republic that kodak 
would be needed a score of times, of which fact, it is 
hardly necessary to add, the luckless George was freely 
reminded, as we rumbled along. 
Reader, are you a canoeist or fisherman? If so, did you 
ever, as your train dashed around a curve or around a 
bluft' or rocky spur, or perchance thundered across a 
bridge, and you noticed a stream (of course you noticed 
it, else are yon no true fisherman or canoeist^ brawling 
and foaming along beside the railroad track as you sped 
along; I say, did you ever come upon such a stream with- 
out at once taking note of all its points? 
Perchance it is muddy and there is no hope of a 
strike, or perhaps it is clear and in fine fishing condi- 
tion, or at a good canoeing stage. There, just at the 
foot of that little rapid or behind that rock, yoix are 
sure to get a strike from a bass or a rise from a trout ; 
or down that smooth, deep looking fall between those 
two big boulders, and right down that line of big waves 
below, is a splendid shoot for a canoe — perhaps if you 
were actually in the canoe and at the head of that shoot 
you would think twice before you took it, and it is not 
unlikely that you would flunk and not take it at all; but 
from the train window — with the usual tendency of an ele- 
vated position to flatten the appearance of rough water- 
it looks practicable, and you tell your companion with 
careless self-confidence that that would make a fine, ex- 
citing shoot, and you would love to have the opportunity 
to try it. 
Too rough? Oh, no. You have tackled lots worse 
places than that — shoots compared to which this one is 
but_ child's play; you run on, with the offhand men- 
dacity of the practiced canoeist and fisherman, filling your 
friend full of the most thrilling stories of adventure and 
hairbreadth escape. 
Here, where the water spreads out am.ong those reefs 
and ledges and breaks into miniature cascades, with little 
foaming curls trailing off into long lines of white water 
at the foot of each one, you note that there would prob- 
ably have to be some wading done to get a canoe through, 
and that you would work along over and among those 
reefs with a fly-rod to good advantage. 
That was the way it looted to us, as our train broke 
out of a deep cut and burled itself with a roar and a 
rattle across the lofty iron' bridge over North River-^ur 
chosen cruising stream — that bright Monday morning in 
August, and the stream meandered alongside of the road 
as we rushed along, now wiriding away, out of sight for a 
brief space, behind the red clay screen of some deep 
cut; or perchance a bold, bluff-like knoll crowned with a 
dense growth of trees intervenes, arotmd whose cliff- 
like base the river winds in serpentine curves from our 
sight, again suddenly appearing in view, directly under 
our car windows at the foot of some steep, high "fill" or 
lofty trestle bridge, spanning a ravine or small side 
stream, occasionally taking a header and coming up on 
the other side of the road, or winding close alongside of 
us, as our train shoots swiftly and boldly along the face 
of the high cliffs that line the river, in a narrow little 
terrace, cut high up above the water, with many a dizzying 
swing and sudden lurch around some sharp curve. 
"Great Scott ! isn't it low," exclaimed Lacy, as we 
studied the stream. 
"Yes; I expected to find it low after such a long, dry 
sttmmer," said I, "but this beats my expectations." 
"It's beautifully clear, though," said the Colonel, "and 
the fi.shing will undoubtedly be good. Look! You can 
.see every rock and ledge in the bottom." 
"Yes, you can see entirely too many rocks and ledges 
in the bottom," said George, discontentedly. "You can 
see_ altogether too much bottom. In fact, "the bottom is 
entirely too close to the top." 
■"Yes, there might be a little more space between the 
bottom and the top," put in Lacy, as he knocked the ashes 
out of his pipe and put it in his pocket. 
"I'll tell you what, fellows! We'll never make it in the 
world," George continued. "We'll have the canvas cut 
clear off the bottoms of our canoes long before noon on 
this water, or rather on this lack of water." 
"Oh, I think not !" I replied. " We'll have to be careful 
and will have a great deal of wading to do, and we'll 
have to portage all the fish datns and falls, but we'll get 
along all right after a fashion, and after Middle and South 
rivers come in, we'll have water enough." 
"Well, we'll soon find out. Here's our station!" ex- 
claimed the Colonel, as the brakeman threw open the door 
and — his voice half-drowned in the roar and rattle of the 
train, the clang of the wheels on the joints of the rails 
and the cyclone of dust, smoke and cinders that rushed in 
with him through the open door — yelled, "All out for 
Mount Crawford !" 
The agent at Staunton had obligingly placed an empty' 
car at our disposal on Saturday, in which the four canoes 
had been placed, and the provisions, outfits, etc, duly 
packed in each boat, after which the car was locked and 
sealed and sent down to Mount Crawford, AVhere, on our 
arrival, we found it, standing on the siding, so all we had 
to do was to report our arrival to the station master, who 
broke the seal and unlocked the car and disclosed the four 
canoes, just as we had left them, ready packed for launch- 
ing. 
The inevitable little crowd of loungers and depot idlers 
quickly gathered around and stared at us and our unique 
little fleet of canoes disclosed in the open car with great 
curiosity and interest, and readily lent us a helping hand 
to get them down out of the car and onto the platform. It 
i-s quite a long, tedious carry of some 200 or 300yds. down 
the' long hill from the station to the river, and we were 
quite glad to engage four of the before mentioned idlers 
to do the carrying for us, and their quarter apiece was 
well earned before the last of the canoes was deposited at 
the water's edge. 
George rigged up his large Anthony camera and took a 
picture of the scene as they brought in the last canoe, after 
which the boats were shoved into the shallow, pebbly pool 
at the ford above the railroad bridge and led through it 
by their respective crews — ^the water being barely ankle 
deep — to the steep, gravelly bar just below, down over 
which the water rippled and trickled in a thin, flat sheet 
an inch or so deep, and over which the canoes had to be 
lifted and carried bodily to the deeper water below, where 
we embarked, just above the huge iron railroad bridge 
which towered high in the air above lis, and irpon which 
the entire able bodied male population of the little station 
had assembled to see us off. and at just 9 o'clock our 
long, adventurous and exciting cruise of 172 miles and 
eighteen days was begun. 
[to be continued.] 
Recently Cal Knapp, coming mto his chicken yard, 
found a fox lying dead on the ground. The animal seemed 
to have just died, and Knapp's first impulse was to take 
him by the tail and throw him over the fence. He 
finally concluded to take it in the house and show it to 
his family and then skin it. His wife held it in her lap 
a while, remarking that the body was still warm, and 
the children played with it for some time. Suddenly som_e 
one opened a window and like a flash the fox leaped from. 
Mrs. Knapp's lap and bounded for the window. He fell 
about an inch short and the window was closed. After 
some lively chasing about the house, Reynard was caught, 
and in an hour or so he became quite docile. — Carson 
(Nev.) Appeal. 
The increase of foxes along the Eastern Shore accounts 
for the scarcity of diamond-back terrapin. The fox re- 
gards terrapin eggs as a special delicacy, and during the 
breeding season tracks the terrapin in the sand, scratches 
up the freshly laid eggs and devours thetp.—'VVashington 
National Republica,n, 
Auditing* 
— ® — — 
Our Boston Letter. 
Boston, March 2,— At last the Boston Cup defender has 
been christened, and the name is one that appeals to all. 
She will be known as Independence, a name that has more 
than one significance, especially in regard to the yacht and 
the attitude of her owner. It is a name that is dear to 
every American, and will make a beautiful combination 
with Eagle, Eagle and Independence have always gone 
hand in hand, but it is to be hoped that no one will regret 
a friendly competition between the two during the coming 
racing season. 
It has generally been the custom among yachtsmen to 
select a name for their yacht which contained seven 
letters. All manner of out-of-the-way names have been 
dug up, so that this combitiation might be maintained 
without having a constant repetition of names. But this 
feeling is now commencing to die out, and the yachts- 
men are putting names on their yachts that have all num- 
bers of letters. The number of letters is the only thing 
that yachtsmen have questioned, many thinking that it is 
too ponderous ; but the task of Independence will be 
very ponderotis, and it seems only right that she should 
have a name in proportion. B. B. Crowninshield is en- 
thusiastic over the name, and this feeling can readily be 
accounted for when one thinks of his own name and 
ancestry. 
Work on Independence is progressing rapidly now. 
There have been times when the interested yachtsmen 
thought that she was growing too slowly, and Capt. Haff 
when he was in Boston recently expressed this opinion. It 
may or may not be that it was on account of Capt. Haff's 
remarks that greater efforts have been employed on the 
yacht, but it is certain that since his visit there has been 
great hustling to get the parts together. She is now al- 
most entirely in frame and the lower streak of plating has 
been started. There are two gangs of riveters at work 
riveting the floor plates to the frames. Most of this work 
on the fin has been completed. 
It is proposed to have the greater part of the riveting 
done by machines operated by compressed air, and the 
steam pipes which will supply the power to the com- 
pressors have been rtm in at the head of the shed. Rivet- 
ing by machinery is fast taking the place of the old hand 
method, and the results of the work are much more satis- 
factory. The hammer of the riveting machines makes from 
1,200 to 1,500 strokes per minute when operated by a 
pressure of about 95 pounds to the square inch. It may be 
imagined that under this rapid hammering the rivet is 
headed up rather quickly. This is where the advantage 
comes in. The rivet is completely headed up while the metal 
is still red hot, and as it cools it contracts, thus making a 
tighter joint than could be obtained by any system of 
hand riveting. 
There is enough of the boat now in ptisition to show 
her general otttline, which, to say the least, is beautiful. 
As one stands aft of frame 65 and looks forward, she 
appears to be a perfect wedge. The lines are not perfectly 
straight bj' any means, but the curves are so graceful and 
so true that the appearance of straight lines is obtained 
Looking aft from frame 8 the same effect is noticed, but in 
a lesser degree. She will be a much better looking boat 
when she is completed than she is on paj)er or in the 
model. I have never seen a yacht which has such a com- 
bination of speed producing lines. Those who have had an 
opportunit}^ of seeing her at the Atlantic Works have been 
enthusiastic in their praise. 
Her overhangs lay very close to the waterline. and she 
will get the maximum of that long, straight side of hers 
in the water when she takes a heel. Those sharp bilges 
will play an important part in such a case, too, for they 
will give her a remarkably fine entrance. The run is the 
prettiest ever seen on a racer. It does not rise as quickly 
as Columbia's, and appears beautifully proportionate to the 
general lines of the hull. It is in this harmony of lines 
tliat the greatest speed is produced, and Independence 
should certainly have a large amount of that necessary 
article. 
Frank P. Miller was at the Atlantic Works Friday and 
Saturday. Mr. Miller is to be second mate of Inde- 
pendence. He is very enthusiastic over the lines of the 
boat, and says that it will be a wonderful yacht indeed 
that will beat her. _ Mr. Miller will probably be at' the 
yard every day until the yacht is finished. Capt. Haff 
lias every confidence in Mr. Miller, who is one of he best 
light sail men in this country. He was with Haff on 
Volunteer and on Vigilant, and went on Vigilant at Capt, 
Haff's request wlien she went to England. 
Rigger Billman had a talk with Geo. F. Lawley a few 
days ago, with the result that when Independence is 
ready to be rigged Billman will do the work. Billman is 
to be on Eagle in all her races, but his foreman will be 
on Independence, and the interests of the boat will be well 
looked after. The fact that Billman is to rig the Herre- 
schoff boat will have no eft'ect on Independence, for the 
best men that can be obtained W'ill be put on her. 
At the meeting of the South Boston Y. C. it was voted 
to remain in the Yacht Racing Association ' of Massa 
chusetts. This is a wise move on the part of the South 
Boston Y. C, which it will see later. There are many 
yachtsmen who do not realize the importance of their 
membership in the Association. The Association is the 
only means of protection that the smaller clubs have in 
their open races. This has been proved in the past, and 
there is no reason to believe that the same conditions do 
not exist at present. 
A peculiar condition confronts the Massachusetts 
yachtsmen at present. Two of the clubs have arranged 
championship dates for the season which conflict. These 
championships are given principally in the 25-footers and 
the 2i-footers, the popular classes of the Association. The 
dates of one of these clubs is sure to conflict with some 
of the open dates of the Association, bat the club is going 
ahead_ nevertheless. The other club, which is an in- 
fluential one, has made its dates only provisionally, and 
is ready to change them so that they will not conflict with 
the Association races. 
This clitb is ready to consult other clubs In re-gard to 
dates, so that general racing will not be, hurt, as the 
majority of the members believe in interclub racing. It is 
(\ well-loiown fact that th,e yachfsra^n will where h^^ 
