Marc« 23, 1901.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
283 
What Sailors Read, 
"I RECEIVED a mighty queer present to-day," said a 
newsdealer on lower Canal street, "and the story con- 
nected with it is about as quaint as anything you would 
run across in a month of Sundays. I make a specialty 
of handling cheap fiction of the blood and thunder 
variety," he continued, "and, being rather convenient to 
the water front, I sell a good deal of the stuff to sailors 
who want to lay in something to read before starting on 
a long voyage. It's a curious fact that the fo'castles of 
nine merchantmen out of ten are full of sentimental novels 
and tales of the Old Sleuth brand, and when strange 
sailormen happen to fall together in the shop I've noticed 
that those dizzy romances form their only point of con- 
tact. Instead of speaking about some of the wonderful 
things they have both seen while voyaging around the 
world, the chances are that one of them will scratch his 
head and ask the other fellow whether he has ever read 
'Demon Dick, the Terror of Dead Man's Gulch.' If he 
has, both become instantly engrossed; they go over the 
Yacht Ouh Notes, 
The racing fixtures of the Seawanhaka Y. C. for the 
coming season are as follows : 
Thursday, May 30 (Decoration Day) — Races for race- 
abouts, Seawanhaka knockaboiits and club catboats ; open 
to club members only. 
Saturday, June iS — First series race for the Centre 
Island cup. The races in this series are open to Seawan- 
haka knockabouts owned by club members. 
Saturday, June 22 — Second series race for the Centre 
Island cup. 
Thursday, June 27 — First of three days open races; 
classes to be announced later. 
-Friday, June 28 — Second of three days open races; 
classes to be announced later. 
Saturda3% June 29 — Third of three days open races, an- 
nual race for all classes ; the Leland Corinthian Challenge 
cup will be sailed for by raceabouts owned by club mem^ 
bers. * 
Thursday, July 4 — Special club races; classes to be 
KATONAH. Designed by A. Cary Smith. Photo by Jackson, Marblehead, 
yarn in detail, exchange opinions on this and that episode 
and discuss the preposterous characters exactly as if they 
were people they had met in real life. However, all this 
is prefatory to what I set out to tell you, and I mention 
it merely to show what an important role trashy fiction 
plays in the life of the average seafaring man. 
"About a year ago, to come to the point, a little English 
sailor wandered into the shop and told me, with con- 
siderable embarrassment, that he was looking for a novel 
that a bunkmate had been reading aloud to him during 
his last voj^age. Unluckily the bunkmate had deserted 
at Rio and taken hi.s book with him, and the little Eng- 
lishman, who was unable to read himself, was consumed 
with curiosity to know how the tale ended. He had never 
learned the title, but he had a very distinct recollection 
of the plot, and thought possibly I might be familiar with 
the work and give him a clue. 'The 'ero was Sir Rupert 
Harden,' he remarked, mournfully, and, strange to say, I 
at once recalled the exact piece of rubbish he had in mind. 
I had been looking over it and chuckling at its absurdi- 
ties only a few nights before, and I pulled it out imme- 
diatel}'' from the stock of cheap fiction on the shelf. 'The 
heroine is the beautiful Lady Claribel, isn't she?' I asked, 
to cHnch the case. 'That's her!' said the little English- 
man in great excitement, and when I put the book in his 
hands he recognized it at once by the design on the cover. 
He wanted me to allow him to pay a fancy price for the 
treasure, and when I positively declined to accept more 
than two bits he took my card and said I should hear 
from him. This morning, much to my surprise, a big 
Danish seaman came in with an inlaid workbox, which 
my English friend had made with his own hands and 
sent me clear from Durban, South Africa. On the inside 
of the lid is a picture in colored ink of Sir Rupert Arden 
and the beauteous Lady Claribel, copied from the title 
page of the novel. It is a striking piece of work. Sir 
Rupert resembles an Italian barber and Lady Claribel 
looks like a vaudeville ballad mangier. All the same, I 
prize the box highly. I shall preserve it as a unique sou- 
venir of literature and art." — New Orleans Times-Demo- 
crat. 
Katonah. 
Katonah was designed by Mr. A. Cary Smith, and 
was built by the George Lawley & Sons Corp., of South 
Boston, in 1896. She is 53ft. 6in. over all, 3sft. long on 
the waterline, T3ft. beam and draws 8ft. 
fleet a triangular flag with blue ground and large arrow; 
head of white extending across the middle of the flag. 
The Interlake Yacht Racing Association has been 
strengthened by the admission of the Canandaigua Y. C. 
As the Association races will take place on Cayuga Lake, 
it will be necessary for the Canandaigua yachtsmen to 
transport their boats by rail. The Seneca Lake Y. C. 
is on the point of connecting itself with this Association. 
Geneva yachts may be taken to Cayuga Lake via the 
Erie Canal and the Seneca- River. 
^ ^ 
The Stuyvesant Y. C. met March 13 - and elected the 
following officers for the season: Com., W. J. Hoag ;; 
Vice-Corn., A. VV. Strong; Rear-Com., S. Wright; Treas.,. 
J. H. Smith ; Fleet Surgeon, F. L. Dowe, M. D. ; Sec'y,. 
C. S. Ogden; Steward, G. Wagner; Sergeant-at-Arms; G.. 
Ligmger. The Board of Directors consists of ex-Com.- 
G. W. Ritter, A. W. Smith, A, J. McKenzie and H.. 
Beach. On the House Committee are J, A. Miller, J.. 
Krauss, 11. P. Hough, T. Young, A. Ostinger, R. Start: 
and Charles Yost. Com. Hoag owns the sloop Pirate 
and the Vice-Commodore the sloop Yankee. A report 
was received from a committee appointed to consider 
plans for a new club house, which it is hoped to have 
efected before the close of the season. 
at H 
The Gloucester Y. C. held its annual • meeting at 
Gloucester City March 3. The following officers were 
elected: Com., Benjamin Wilson; Vice-Com., John 
Minihan; Rear-Com., Gilbert Taylor; Treas.,, John 'Cas- 
net; Sec'y, Frank Smith; Ass't Sec'y, Americus Brinton; 
Steward, George Benchert; Trustees, Robert Murray.. 
Robert McDonald, George Kurtz; Measurers, Robert 
-Murray, George Kurtz and John Minihan. The club is in 
a good financial condition and now has a membership of 
nearly 100. The members are actively preparing for 
their spring regatta on the lower Delaware. '; 
^ ^ ^ 
At the regular meeting of the Pavonia Y.^ C. on Tues- 
day evening, March 12, it was resolved formally to opera 
the new club house at Bayonne with the annual planked- 
shad dinner on May 5. ,. • 
. It was reported that the new building in piiocess of 
erection there, containing lockers, workshop, sail and 
spar lofts, would be ready for occupancy during the 
coming week, and the club will take informal possession 
before April i. Arrangements were completed for special! 
races, open to club yachts only, over the new course on. 
Metnorial Day. 
The Regatta Committee was instructed to arrange the 
annual regatta on June 17. Special . races for the Com- 
modore and Mclnnes cups, July 4; fall regatta on Labor 
Day. In addition to these there will be races for the 
»smdller classes over the short course on each Saturdav. 
Address all communications to tlie Forest nji^ 
announced later. 
Saturday, July 6 — Third series race for the Centre 
Island cup. 
Saturday, July 13 — Roosevelt Memorial cups ; open to 
all yachts owned by club members in the 30ft. class and 
under, sailing with arbitrary handicaps to be fixed by the 
Race Committee. 
Saturday, Julj'^ 20 — Fourth series race for the Centre 
Island cup. 
Saturda}', Jul}^ 27 — Fifth series race for the Centre 
Island cup. 
Saturday, Aug. 3 — Robert Center Memorial prizes ; open 
to raceabouts and Seawanhaka knockabouts owned by 
club members. 
Saturday, Aug. 10 — Sixth series race for the Centre 
Island cup. 
Saturday, Aug. 17 — Seventh series Face for the Centre 
Island cup. 
Monday, Sept. 2 (Labor Day) — Special club races; 
classes to be announced later. 
Thursday, Sept. 5 — Open races for special classes to be 
announced later. 
Friday, Sept. 6 — Open races for special classes to be 
announced later. 
Saturday. Sept. 7 — Annual fall races for all classes ; 
races with Corinthian crews. 
The Race Committee of the club is composed of C. W. 
Wetmore, chairman; Walter C. Kerr, Charles A. Sher- 
man, Clinton H. Crane and Johnston Dc Forest. Sec'y. 
^ ^ ^ 
The Larchmont Y. C. held a special meeting at Del- 
monico's, Fifth avenue and Forty-fourth street, March 
13, to pass upon certain amendments to the club racing 
rules. Com. Adams presided. The principal change 
under consideration was that of measurement. The new 
system proposed was the same that was recently adopted 
by the Seawanhaka Y. C. The amendment passed 
unanimously, but will not go into effect until Jan. i, 1902, 
during which time the committee in charge of the matter 
is continued. Changing the dates of "race week" was 
also considered, and the proposition to begin the week's 
racing of the season on Saturday, July 13. instead of 
Saturday. July 20, met with no opposition. 
»t »E Kl 
The Ravenswood Boat Club, of Long Island City, at a 
meeting held at .A.storia. appointed a committee for a 
reception after Easter. The club has been in recent years 
as much of a yachting club as a boating organization. 
It has sixteen yachts, and a committee was appointed 
at the above meeting to organize a yachting department 
with separate officers to govern tlie y.vhting affairs of 
Ij^e clul?. The dub f^dppted as jts burgee foi' tl^e yaichtin^ 
YACHTING NEWS NOTES, 
The sloop yacht Shylock, owned by Mr. E. M. Mound, 
of Jersey City, was damaged to the extent of $1,500, on 
March 16, by the explosion of a gasoline stove, while in 
her winter quarters at City Island. Capt. Dannigan, who 
was in charge of the boat, was cooking his supper when 
the explosion occurred; he was badly but not seriously 
burned. Owing to the prompt work of the caretakers 
on yachts lying close by, a bucket brigade was formed 
and the fire extinguished. None of the other yachts in 
the yard was damaged. 
1^ 
Mr. P. M. Inglis, a prominent English yachtsman, is 
having built from designs of Mr. C. F. Herreshoff, 2d., a 
6sft. linear rater, at the yard of Mr. Inglis' cousins, 
Messrs. A. & J. Inglis, Pointhouse, Glasgow. She was 
designed under the English Y. R. A. measurement rule 
and is S4ft. on the waterline and about 8sft. over all. 
The midship is of moderate girth, and she will carry a 
large sail plan. The frames are of nickel steel, and it is 
said she is to be planked with mahogan}-. The sails will 
be made by Lapthorn & Ratsey. Mr. Inglis has long 
been a racing yachtsman. He built the cutter Astrild, 
now in .'Vmerica, from designs by Mr. G. L. Watson, and 
is the owner of the cutter Carina, designed by the same 
man, while the yawl Caress, when a cutter, was his 
property. William Hogarth, the brother of the skipper 
of Shamrock I. w'hen she met -Columbia, will be the 
captain of the new Inglis boat. 
^ ^ ^ 
Mr. A. Howard Hinkle's 6sft. racing cutter Senta, from 
Southampton, England, for Greenport, L, L, arrived at 
Bermuda, March 15, after a passage of 41 days. When 
Senta first sailed from Southampton for America, she 
went ashore on Pennington Spit, in the Solent, and was 
compelled to put back for examination. Her hull was 
found to be uninjured, and she resumed her voyage on 
Feb. 2. Mr. Hinkle purchased Senta in December. She 
was designed by Mr. Fife, and was built at Fairlie in 1898. 
8^ 8^ 
The contract for the construction of a large steel steam 
yacht for Mr. LI. Clay Pierce, of St. Louis, from designs 
■by Messrs. Gardner & Cox. has been secured hy Mr. 
Lewis Nixon, and will be built at the Crescent Shipyard, 
Elizabetliport, N. J. _ She will have twin screws, and will 
be fast. The yacht will be named Orizaba, and her dimen- 
sions are — length over all, 2S6ft. ; beam, 30ft.; depth, 
2oft. : and draft, J4ft. 
»t *l 
The London Yachtsman d&votes much space in its 
current issue to "Notes from the States." 
It is understood that the ex-owner of one of the ex- 
ported 65-footers intends to build a new vessel of the 
same class. Apropos of the export trade in yachts, we 
have often expressed surprise at the ineffectiveness of 
the Payne law. An explanation of this has been given 
us by a citizen of the United States, who tells us tlia-t it 
is technically known as a hayseed law. Hayseed laws are 
the result of bills oromulgated bv representatives from 
Cent ral and Western States, the interests of which sv^ 
a^riquUvftllj i\pd \v)]fi therefore try ^et th? gmte^l 
