192 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Sept. 7, igoi. 
about it. A great many people were carried away and 
drowned in the numerous mills and houses that were 
swept off, and this was one of the most fatal spots on^the 
entire river. Keep close in to that island, George," I 
shouted, as his canoe emerged from the wilderness of 
reefs, ahead of the rest of us, and was caught up in the 
whir! of the final pitch of the falls— a seething, rock- 
studded half mile of rapids, which, like the final pitch of 
Kemple's Falls above, is the worst section of the falls. 
His canoe darted down the slope, pitching and tossing, 
rolling right and left in the big waves and throwing the 
spray in sheets over her bows. She struck a reef about 
half way down, and swung round sidewise in the full rush 
of the stream. She careened dangerously close to the 
water's edge, when the rock let go its hold on her bilge 
keels, and, after buniping along heavily once or twice 
more over the sunken rocks, while George used his paddle 
vigorously in shoving right and left to extricate himself 
from among the reefs, she straightened out again and 
dashed along her course, until, reaching the lower part of 
the island, she turned to the left and was lost to view. 
I followed, and, by veering to the left a little, I dodged 
the ledges upon which George hung, and shot at an ex- 
hilarating rate down the rapid, which I succeeded in 
accomplishing without touching a rock, which difficult 
feat went far toward removing the chagrin which I still 
felt over my clumsy muff in Kemple's Falls a few days 
before. 
On reaching the short but swift stretch of smooth water 
above the big fish dam, which is built on the terminating 
ledge of the falls, I beheld George standing on the end 
of the dam, which seemed to come to an end some 20 
or 30ft. from the bank, intently surveying the massive 
ledge, which extended in to the bank. The fall, which was 
some 3 or 4ft., and broken into two or three terraces, was 
about a boat's length in extent. The water swept heavily 
over the fall, which, as I approached, looked ominous and 
decidedly rockJ^ 
"Come on !" he shouted, as I hesitated before approach- 
ing too closely into the irresistible "draw" of the water. 
"Come on ! I think you can make it all right." 
As I approached f heard a vigorous yell from up the 
river. The yell was repeated, but my attention was too 
much absorbed by the work in hand of successfully shoot- 
ing that ledge, to admit of my looking around. As T 
approached the verge of the fall I saw that it could not be 
safely made, but it was then too late to draw back. I 
was in the remorseless clutches of the flow over the ledge 
and had no alternative but to make it. so. dippmg my 
paddle firmly into the stream, I put on a full head of 
steam and boldly made for the fall, while George watched 
my progress with anxious interest, his canoe, meanwhile, 
drawn well up on the rocks at his feet in the still water 
above the dam. 
The shout from up the river was again heard, and he 
turned his head for an instant to look. 
"The Colonel is capsized!" he shouted, as my canoe 
shot out over the fall. "We'll have to go back and help 
him." 
"All right !" I shouted in reply, above the roar of the 
waters, as my canoe landed with a crash on the ledges in 
the middle of the fall, and lirought up all standing, while 
the water rushed over my decks from astern, and poured 
in sheets over the wash board along each side of the 
cockpit. "As soon as I get out of this little scrape! I 
may possibly need a little assistance myself." 
As mv canoe struck the rocks squarely on her keel, I 
felt her "timbers start and crack, and was certain her back 
was broken; she hung shudderingly on the ledge, while 
the remorseless rush of water from above caught her 
by the stern, and began to throw her around across the 
fall, when a capsize would have inevitably resulted. By 
strenuous pushing and shoving with my paddle, I suc- 
ceeded in freeing her bow. and she let go just in time to 
avert the impending capsize, and groaned heavily down 
the one or two remaining terraces, and swung free, into 
the deep, foaming water below, wdiere I rushed her ashore 
as quicklv as possible, to escape swamping, for I had no 
doubt but that the bottom was ripped clear off the boat. 
Reaching the bank, which was but a boat's length away, I 
quickly sprang out, painter in hand, and drew the canoe 
as high up ashore as possible, and then quickly made an 
examination from the inside. To my inlinite surprise no 
water was rushing in. There was half an inch or so of 
water in the bottom of the canoe, now rapidly running aft 
from the uplifted bow. Evidently the patches put on at 
NeAvport had rubbed oft', or, more probably, I had shipped 
the water while hanging on the reefs above, but 1 cer- 
tainly had not smashed my boat on this fall. Having 
made sure on this point, I started off on a run back up 
the bank to where the Colonel could be observed, standing 
out in the river, half way to his waist, loayds. above, w^iile 
Lacy Avas already wading out to his assistance. 
The long, tapering bow^ and stern of Mary Lou could 
just be seen above the surface of the river, whose swift 
waters were breaking over her submerged decks and 
hatches, which were piled high with duffle, the Colonel's 
mattress, coat, seat, mess table, clothes bag, paddle, etc., 
which he was holding down with all the hands and arms 
he possessed, struggling desperately with the river, to 
keep them from being carried off bodily, all the while 
yelling lustily and impatiently for assistance. 
As I ran I was joined by George, Avho had swiftly 
paddled across from' his position on the dam above the 
shoot, as soon as he saw that I was safe. 
"Get your kodak!" I exclaimed, breathlessly, as I ran. 
"Good Lx)rd, yes !" he replied, as he turned back and 
dived down the bank to his canoe. 
"Hurry up there, you fellows," shouted the Colonel, as 
I dashed down the bank, and splashed out into the shallow 
water; "you're slower than crabs. I'll lose everything I've 
got! Where in thunder's George? Oh. confound the 
kodak!" he continued, angrily, as he caught sight of 
George deliberately pausing on the bank, while he trained 
that implement of torture on the scene of the disaster. 
"Don't stop to waste time over those infernal pictures, but 
hurry on out here, quick I" 
"Don't be alarmed. Colonel," exclaimed Lacy, fairly 
bursting with laughter, as we reached him, and began to 
secure some of his plunder. "We'll help you take care of 
your things; go ahead with the pictures, George! Get 
several exposures while you are about it!" 
The situation was truly laughable. Mary Lou lay com- 
pletely submerged, across a narrow little channel, her 
oose agaiust one *sef and stern against another, while the 
water rippled in a swift, transparent sheet across the open 
cockpit, and over the decks and hatches, piled high with 
camp duffle, which all three of us were doing our best 
to hold, as we stood, nearly waist deep, alongside of the 
simken canoe, to prev^ent the swift water carrying it all 
away. 
There was no possible danger, and everything the Col- 
onel stood possessed of was already as wet and well 
soaked as water could make it, so George heartlessly kept 
him there while he made several exposures, after which 
he also waded out. and it took the entire strength of the 
company before Mary Lou could be budged fronj'her 
rather damp location. 
"Well, sir!" excitedly exclaimed the Colonel, as we all 
straightened up from our work of piling the Colonel's 
plunder on the rocks, out of our way, before tackling the 
sunken canoe again. "Well, sir ! I had made a good run, 
and was right here at the bottom of the falls. This was 
the last shoot I had to make before reaching the slack 
water above the fish dam there ahead. The shoot through 
the reefs was over to the right of the channel I was run- 
ning. I made a bold dash for it, but missed it. My canoe 
shot past the shoot a little too far to the right, and her . 
bow hung on the rocks. Her stern swung right round 
across the channel and caught on the rock on the left, and 
over she went in a jiffy. I jumped out and tried to hold 
her up, but it was no go. The water made a dash over 
the coaming, and the mischief was done. You never saw 
a boat fill and go down so quick !" 
"I told you you were entirely too brash. Colonel," ex- 
claimed Lacy, as we pulled and tugged at one end of the 
sunken canoe, which, ftdl of water as it was and firmly 
held against the rocks by the force of the swift current, 
seemed to weigh a ton. 
"Not a bit of it," exclaimed the Colonel, earnestly, as, 
with one final lift altogether, the stern was lifted over the 
rocks and the canoe instantly straightened out and swung 
round into the channel at the end of her bow painter. 
"Hold on to her. Lacy. Don't let her go," yelled the 
Colonel. 
"I will if I can," replied Lacy, setting his teeth hard and 
bracing his feet firmly against the rocks, while in spite 
of his efforts, he was dragged, step by step, down the 
river by the heavy, water-logged canoe, as she tugged 
fiercely at the painter in the swift stream. 
George came to his rescue, and, together, she was 
checked and brought round into the lee of a projecting 
reef, upon which her bow was lifted, while her painter 
was made fast among the rocks, while with tin cups, 
paddle blades, footboard and sponge and whatever else 
came to hand that would hold or throw water, she was 
speedily lightened of her load of water. 
"There was but one way to make that shoot." ex- 
claimed the Colonel, as, with tin cup in hand, he reached 
down between the floor boards for the last few inches of 
water, while the rest of us suspended our efforts, "and 
that was to shoot it quickly, with a rush, and that was 
what I was " 
"That wasn't the way I made it," George cut in. "I 
checked my canoe several boat lengths above it, and by 
back paddling. I drew gently over in line with it, when 1 
let go and dropped easily through wMthout striking a 
rock." 
"That was the way I made it, also," I added. 
"Yes, that's all right," returned the Colonel, as he pro- 
ceeded to replace mess table, tent, clothes bag. mattress, 
etc., in the now'nearly empty canoe, which floated lightly 
alongside of him at the length of her painter, as he stood 
knee-deep in the swift water. "That sort of tactics will 
do in some places, but it won't do in this place, I tell you 
now. You want to take it with a rush, like I did." 
"Like you didn't, you mean. Colonel," said Lacy, with a 
laugh, in which we all joined, the Colonel included. 
"Well, like I intended," he admitted. "The principle is 
correct, but I admit I busted in carrj^ing it out." 
He finished his repacking, drew his canoe up alongside 
of the rocks, and stepped aboard. 
"Let's land over yonder on that broad, flat beach, under 
those trees below tlie dam, and I will put my things out to 
dry; perhaps there may be a spring there, and we can 
lunch while we're re':ting," he continued. 
"That's the place w^e were aiming to reach for lunch," 
I replied. "The spring is there, right at those trees on 
the bank," I continued, as George and I waded ashore. 
"The dickens it is !" exclaimed the Colonel. "Then I 
was shipwrecked in sight of land !" 
"That's about the size of it," I replied, as I started down 
the bank to reach my canoe, followed by George. "Don't 
try to jump the dam. Colonel," I shouted, as he and Lacy 
got under way and dropped down toward the shoot. 
"I haven't the slightest intention of it, I assure you," 
he shouted in reply. 
"The Colonel's no pork; he knows when he has had 
enough of a good thing," Lacy sang out, with a laugh. 
Royal C» C* 
LANGSTON HARBOR. 
Word received from Herman D. Murphy, the Win- 
chester canoeist, shows that although beaten in the series 
of races for the challenge cup of the Royal C. C, he made 
a good showing in some of the preliminary events. On 
Aug. 7 there was a sweepstake race for cruisers and 
canoes, in which Mr. Murphy landed Uncle Sam a win- 
ner. At the end of the first ; round Gadfly led Uncle 
Sam by 26s., the latter passed Gadfly on the reach up to 
the Saltern Buoy, and the race ended with Uncle Sam 
leading by im. 57s. 
On Aug. 8 there was a race for cruisers and canoes. 
They all started under reefed mainsails or trysails. China 
won by 7m. Uncle Sam was second and Coral third. 
Uncle Sam finished fifth on Aug. 13, in a club race for 
cruisers and canoes. That same afternoon Mr. Murphy 
had better luck, Uncle Sam finishing first in a sweepstake 
race for cruisers and canoes. Uncle Sam took the lead 
before reaching the Sword Buoy, and led all through the 
rest of the race. Snark several times came up on her, but 
was never quite able to get the lead, and Uncle Sam won 
by 5SS. 
Aug. 14.— The first race for the challenge cup was won 
by Mr. F. W. Hodges' Snark, Mr. Guy Ellington's China 
taking second place. Mr. H. D. Murphy's Uncle Sam 
finished third, 2is. in front of Mr. O. F. Gason's Nana. 
Snark, the winner of the first race and holder of the cup, 
beat the American challenger, Mr. H. D. Murphy's Uncle 
Sam, by iim. los. 
Aug. 15. — The second race for the R. C. C. international 
sailing challenge cup was won by Mr. Guy Ellington's 
racing canoe China. Mr. Gason's Nana finished second 
and Mr. Murphy's LTncle Sam fourth, lom, s6s. behind 
the winner. China and Snark were thus left tO' contest 
the final, fixed for the following day. 
The third race on the i6th was won by Mr. Murphy, 
the canoes Snark and China not having entered. 
Herman Dudley Murphy, of Winchester, Mass., who 
went to England to sail for the challenge cup of the Royal 
C. C. at Langston Harbor, was defeated. Mr. Thomas 
W. Lawson, of Boston, was the financial backer of the 
scheme. The American canoe was named Uncle Sam. 
Three races were sailed, all of which were won by China, 
an English racing canoe. According to all accounts this 
boat developed'wonderful speed. The result of the races 
is a distinct disappointment to the friends of the chal- 
lenger. 
The London Field in commenting on the boats and the 
races says: 
The Royal C. C. has certainly given a very fine exhibi-' 
tion of sailing canoe racing during the past fortnight, fif- 
teen races and fifteen canoes sailing therein. The weather 
up to the time of writing has not been all that could be 
desired, for there has been a persistent show of hard 
winds, and the canoes have mostly been sailed under small 
spare suits, intended for rough cruising rather than for 
racing ; out of th.e whole fifteen races only three were 
sailed under whole racing sails. Then, again, the force 
of the wind, though it was hard, and even savage, in the 
squalls at times, was never up to gale strength, and it 
wotild have been a very instructive lesson on types and 
rigs to have seen the performances of the various canoes in 
a gale; with the closest possible reef in, and a mere rag 
of a jib set, we should certainly expect the bulb-keeled 
cruising carioe to beat the plain plate, and in the sea that 
would be running we should expect them also to beat the 
sliding-sea light-weight racing macliine canoes; but it is 
still conjecture. 
The fresh winds and smooth water experienced in pretty 
nearly all the races has been distinctly in favor of the 
racing canoe class; and though it is a fact that some, 
indeed all of the machines except China, have been beaten 
b5' the cruising class canoes, there can be no doubt that 
a suitably modeled racing canoe built under the very lax 
rule of the R. C. C. can win every race from the cruisers, 
except, it may lie, perhaps in a gale or a very light air of 
wind, of course, fluky days excepted. The two types 
are so utterly different that they cannot be fairly matched ; 
the nearest possible mode of bringing these two types into 
fair competition would be by awarding sail area in pro- 
portion to displacement; that is, motive power for weight; 
even then the unlimited length of the racer versus the 
limited length of the cruiser would, in reaching winds 
and generally in hard winds, be heavily in favor of the 
racer. 
Unfortunately in the question of types, out of the six 
racing class canoes present at the meet, four are the canoes 
of the challenging visitors, so the nine cruising class 
canoes are in no sense racing on fair terms against the 
challengers. Of the two machines owned by R. C. C. 
men, one, China, has won every race she has started in, 
thus debarring the cruisers from first prizes ; and the 
other machine is many years old and by no means of a 
model which the present rule permits. We have said 
before that China was absolutely necessary to the club 
for the defense of the cup, and we believe that it is a very 
general hope in the club that she is to be the last of the 
tribe. Even if the classes were separated in the ordinary 
races, it is absurd that the challenge cup should be given 
almost of a certainty into the locker of one racing canoe 
against some ten racing cruisers — that is, leaving out the 
old machines and the seven or eight non-racing cruisers, 
Over and above this is the possibility of the visiting rac- 
ing canoes beating the cntisers, again no match, and 
therefore not a desirable combination. 
The two American canoes, Uncle Sam and Old Glory, 
we have previously described; they are racing machines 
pure and simple, and though they are not on quite the j 
same model principles as China, they are quite as up to 
date in their own way. But in regard to the two other 
challengers, we were led, by descriptions given of them ' 
by their designers, to expect something very novel, nothing 
less than a "bona fide cruising canoe," built under the rac- i 
ing canoe rule. We examine them in vain to find eitlier 
real novelty or any special feature suitable to cruising. 
Even as traveling canoes they appear to be unsuitable, 
being about the crankest of the craft in the fleet, even 
under reefed sail. They are fast on a reach, poor to wind- 
ward, and very unsteady at running, and their capsizing 
has been so frequent that we should say that the man whc 
took either of these canoes for a traveling tour would ^ 
be well advised to stow everything but his day bathing' 
suit in water-tight bags, and especially so if going any- 
where in open water. 
Of the two above mentioned, Coral, Mr. Howard's 
canoe, is undoubtedly a fast boat on the reach, and she 
is a pretty model, evidently entirely intended for racing 
but she, in idea of design, comes nowhere near China 
in taking full advantage of the rule, and thus she falls 
short of being a perfect racing machine, while she does 
not. on the other hand, come down either in model or' 
hull fitment to a good form of traveling canoe. The 
other canoe, Mr. Holbeche's, is simply or apparently built 
on lines similar to those of Prucas. called a "modified! 
sharpie" — that is. with the urgly, flat sides of the sharpie. ' 
but without her flat and stable bottom. In weight of huli 
this little i6ft. by 3oin. canoe compares about level wit! 
some of the cruisers which are 17ft. by 42in., and half a 
deep again in body. The best feature about her is that she 
is amateur-built by her owner, a very creditable piece of 
work. 
A* C. A4 Amendment* 
Brooklyn, N. Y., Aug. 3. — Editor Forest and Stream 
In accordance with Article 12 of the Constitution of tht 
American Canoe Association, I beg herewith to publish ir 
general terms, to be voted upon by the Executive Com 
raittee at as early a day as possible, the following amend 
ment to ATt'cle VI,. Section .5. of the Constitution ; 
