482 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
! 
[May 31, 1902. 
editors along the Florida coast can any hope be indulged 
in that this useful item of a former food supply can be 
saved to us. 
A gentleman told me that some years ago, before the 
turtles had become so near extinct, the stupid and 
thoughtless crackers would come from the country in 
the ; r carts and camp on the beach for days at a time and 
go home with cartloads of turtles and eggs. Yet not the 
slightest effort was made to prevent the outrage. 
As in the case of the beautiful Florida birds, our wise 
authorities may. when the turtles are quite extinct, wake 
up and enact some laws for their protection. 
Now, the bears, that are as destructive to the turtle 
tribe as the boors, cannot be blamed for indulging their 
natural instinct. It no longer pays the thoughtless cracker 
to continue his exterminating work, but it is now in- 
dulged in on a smaller scale along the whole Florida 
coast by hundreds of people who ought to be ashamed of 
it, and it strikes me that the responsibility of preventing 
the utter extermination of the turtles rests on the more 
intelligent shoulders of the editors and State authorities. 
DlDYMUi. 
Illinois Croppies* 
Chicago, May 23. — A party of us went out fishing Sat- 
urday, May 17, out to Deep Lake, Lake Villa, 111. Satur- 
day's catch was very small, but on Sunday the fishing 
was very successful, one of the party catching 150 crop- 
pies in less than two hours. The catch weighed 117 
pounds. J. E. K. 
ffxehting. 
open races, 
® 
Yachting Fixtures, 1902* 
Secretaries and members of rape committees will confer a favor 
by sending notice of errors or omissions in the following list and 
also changes which may be made in the future. 
may; 
SO. to June 4. Corinthian, cruise, Chesapeake Bay. 
30, Indian Harbor, special, Greenwich, Long Island Sound. 
SO. American, club, Milton Point, Rye, Long Island Sound. 
30. Fall River, open, Narragansett Bay. 
30. Harlem, Y. R. A. of L. I. S., open, City Island, L. I. Sound. 
30. Manhasset Bay, club raceabouts, Port Washington, L. I. Sound. 
30. Columbia, club regatta, Chicago, Lake Michigan. 
30. South Boston, M. Y. R. A., open and tender race, City Point, 
' Boston Harbor. 
30. Seawanhaka Corinthian, club races, Oyster Bay, L. I. Sound. 
30. Atlantic, club, Sea Gate, New York Bay. 
31. Seawanhaka Corinthian, Y. R. A. of L. I. S., 
Oyster Bay, Long Island Sound. 
31. Wollaston, club race, Quincy Bay, Boston Harbor. 
31. Hull-Massachusetts, club, Hull, Boston Harbor. 
31. Winthrop, elub, Winthrop, Boston Harbor 
JUNE. 
7. Knickerbocker, annual, College Point, L. I. Sound. 
7. Boston, Cheney cups, City Point, Boston Harbor. 
7, Atlantic, Y. R. A. of Gravesend Bay, Sea Gate, N. Y. Bay. 
7. Knickerbocker, Y. R. A. of L. I. S., open, College Point, 
Long Island Sound. 
7. Manhasset Bay, club raceabouts, Port Washington, L. I. Sound. 
7. Seawanhaka Corinthian, club, Oyster Bay, Long Island Sound, 
7. Corinthian, club, Essington, Delaware River. 
7. Winthrop, club, Winthrop, Boston Harbor. 
9. New York, annual regatta, New York, Lower Bay. 
14. Hull-Massachusetts, club, Hull, Mass. 
14. Seawanhaka Corinthian, club race for Centre Island Cup, 
Oyster Bay, Long Island Sound. 
14. New Rochelle, Y. R. A. of L. I. S., open, New Rochelle, 
Long Island Sound. 
14. Bayswater, J. B. Y. R. A., open, Jamaica Bay. 
14. Kennebec, club, Bath, Maine. 
14. Quincy, club, Quincy Bay, Boston Harbor. 
14. Beverly, club, Monument Beach, Buzzard's Bay. 
14. Hull-Massachusetts, club, Hull, Boston Harbor. 
14. Columbia, race to Michigan City, Lake Michigan. 
14. Corinthian, open, Essington, Delaware River. 
14. Winthrop, club, Winthrop, Boston Harbor. 
14. Boston, cruise, racing run, Boston to Marblehead, Mass. Bay. 
14-17. Boston, cruise, City Point, Marblehead, Gloucester and Hull. 
15. Boston, cruise, racing run, Marblehead to Gloucester, Massa- 
chusetts Bay. 
15. Bergen Beach, J. B. Y. R. A., open, Jamaica Bay. 
15. Gloucester, annual, Delaware River. 
16. Boston, cruise, racing run, Gloucester to Marblehead, Mass- 
• achusetts Bay. 
17. Quincy, club, Quincy Bay, Boston Harbor. 
1". Atlantic, annual, Sea Gate, New York Bay. 
17. Boston, cruise, racing run, Marblehead to Hull, Mass. Bay. 
17. Hull-Massachusetts, Y. R. A., open, Point Allerton, Boston 
Harbor. 
17. Beverly, open, sweepstake. Monument Beach. Buzzard's Bay. 
17. Corinthian, club championship, Marblehead, Mass. Bay. 
19. New York, annual, New York, Lower Bay. 
21. Winthrop, M. Y. R. A., open, Winthrop. Boston Harbor, 
21. Corinthian, club, Essington, Delaware River. 
21. Duxbury, club, Duxbury, Massachusetts Bay. 
21. Corinthian, club championship. Marblehead, Mass. Bay. 
21. Norwalk, Y. R. A. of L. I. S., open, South Norwalk, Long 
Island Sound. 
21. New Bedford, cruise to Marion, Buzzard's Bay. 
?1. T.archmont, spring regatta, Larchmont, Long Island Sound. 
21. Seawanhaka Corinthian, club race for Centre Island cup, 
Oyster Bay, Long Island Sound. 
21. Brooklyn, Y. R. A. of Gravesend Bay, Sea Gate, N. Y. Bay. 
22. Wollaston, club, Quincy Bay, Boston Harbor. 
23. Eastern, open, Marblehead, Massachusetts Bay. 
24. New York, club, Glen Cove, Long Island Sound. 
26-28. Seawanhaka Corinthian, Y. R. A. of L. I. S., Oyster Bay, 
Long Island Sound. 
28. Beverly, club, Monument Beach, Buzzard's Bay. 
28. New York C. C, Y. R. A. of Gravesend Bay, Sea Gate, New 
York Bay. 
28. Quincy, club, Quincy Bay, Boston Harbor. 
28. Kennebec, club, Bath, Maine. 
28. Indian Harbor, club, Greenwich, L. I. Sound. 
28. Corinthian, club, Essington, Delaware River. 
28. Duxbury, club, Duxbury, Massachusetts Bay. 
28. Winthrop, club. Winthrop, Boston Harbor. 
28. Boston, Y. R. A., open, City point, Boston Harbor. 
28. Hull-Massachusetts, club, Hull, Boston Harbor. 
28. Wollaston, Y. R. A., open, Quincy Bay, Boston Harbor. 
28. South Boston, club handicap, Citv Point. Boston Harbor. 
29. Old Mill, J. B. Y. R. A., open, Jamaica Bay. 
30. Bridgeport, Trial races for selection of representative for Sea- 
wanhaka cup contest, Bridgeport, Long Island Sound. 
For Cruising Yachtsmen. 
With the purpose of stimulating the interest in cruis- 
ing, and the keeping of a detailed log by cruising yachts- 
men during the- season of 1902, the publishers of Forest 
and Stream offer prizes for the best stories of cruises 
submitted to be published in Forest and Stream. It is 
believed that these will form not only entertaining records 
of pleasant summer days spent afloat along our coasts and 
waterways, but will furbish ^formation of practical, yalue 
to other yachtsmen making subsequent cruises on the 
same waters. 
Prizes will be awarded to the three best stories as fol- 
lows: t 
First prize, $50.00. 
Second prize, $30.00. 
Third prize, $20.00. 
Contributions are invited under the following condi- 
tions ; 
1. The cruise must be made itt waters of the United 
States or Canada in the season of 1902. 
2. The cruise must be made in a sailing yacht, power 
to be used only as an auxiliary, if at all. 
3. The story must be prefaced by a description oi the 
boat. Cruises should be treated in as interesting and 
readable a way as possible, but should be practical and 
contain all possible information and data that would be of 
value to men going over the same route. A description 
of the handling of the ship in all weathers will be re- 
garded very favorably in making awards, and it is sug- 
gested to writers that an accurate account be kept of all 
incidents happening while under way. 
4. An outline chart suitable for reproduction, showing 
the course taken, must accompany each article. When 
possible, articles should be accompanied by amateur photo- 
graphs taken on the cruise, including one of the boat. 
Good photographs will be considered in making the 
awards. 
5. The story should contain about seven thousand 
words, written on one side of the paper only, and must 
be received at the office of the Forest and Stream Pub- 
lishing Company, 346 Broadway, New York city, on or 
before Nov. 15, 1902. 
Mr. T. C. Zerega has very kindly consented to act as 
judge and to make the awards. 
How to Build a Launch from a 
Set of Plans. 
BY C. G. DAVIS. 
Floors, 
Maybe you have noticed in rowboats how the ribs or 
frames are reinforced across the keel by another frame, as 
you may have called it, though its technical name is floor. 
Its use is this : The frames coming together meet at 
the keel and are nailed to it, but as they only touch the 
keel for about iin., it is apparent there is not much 
strength there, so these floors are fitted in to give the 
necessary strength. 
In sailboats it is customary to put the floors aft of the 
frames in' the forward part of the boat, and forward of 
them in the aft part ; this is done because the floors were 
usually fitted after the frames were in place, and it was 
easier to fit them in against a bevel, but in launch build- 
ing the floors are fitted in first and put just the reverse 
of sailboats, forward of the frames in the forward half 
of the boat and aft in the after half. These floors are the 
next thing to put into our launch. 
Measure off along the top of the keel and mark where 
each floor is to be put. Six inches apart they are in this 
boat. Take an oak board ^in. thick and saw it out to 
the various angles, so they touch the keel and the lower 
ribband, about iViin. deep in the middle, tapering to the 
same size as the frames (24in.) at the ribband. 
Boat builders have an ingenious device for measuring 
off the different angles each floor requires, which is shown 
in the accompanying plan, Fig. 17, and I have endeavored 
Fig-17 
3'wioe 
CZ 
Manner of usein^ the cruj7«, cjay&,. 
J /k' THICK 
in the sketch to illustrate the manner in which it is used. 
By resting the cross arm on the two ribbands and push- 
ing the slide in the center down until it touches the 
keel, the angle the floor is to be cut can be determined 
by laying • it on the ^4in. oak board and marking 
straight lines from the slide to the marks made on the 
cross arms, where the ribbands touched it. By this meas- 
uring each floor can be laid out. You can cut floors for 
every frame. In the ends of the boat, where the angle be- 
comes quite pronounced, and the floors would become too 
cross-grained if cut out of a plank, it is customary to get 
natural crook knees so the grain will follow the shape 
of the floor. A cross-grained floor would be of no use, as 
a nail w-uld in all probability split it in two. Fig. 18. 
Spike each floor to the keel with a 2*^in. galvanized cut 
nail. 
Framing. 
Now comes the frame of the launch, the part consid- 
ered the hardest to most amateurs, but. like everything 
else, it's easy when you know how. The most common 
trouble is in being too impatient to do what appears as 
unnecessary preparation. But sad experience has taught 
many a man before, and no doubt will many to come, 
it pays to do things right at the start, 
To get the right kind of oak for bending is of first im- 
portance. Oak that has been dried out is what you want. 
The sap makes it brittle, but when this has all evaporated 
the wood will be found much more pliable, and will bend 
without snapping short off as green oak will do. Try and 
get oak that has been cut from six to nine months. 
There are two ways of framing your launch that I am 
going to advise, both steam bent frames, Oile is to bend 
the Frames over a mould and then fit ahd bevel them to 
the ribbands wheh they are cold; the other way is to take 
them out of the steam box, bend them Over a mould, and 
while still hot clamp them into the boat, holding them to 
Fiq-18. 
Floor shoaJtn<^ natural 
crooked c^rajO-. 
Fr<*m6 aj.ttii crsss ^ram 
as tt will be if cot 
OUT of a board. 
the ribbands. By following this method there is Ho 
beyelittg necessary, and you have the full strength 1 of 
your timber. A slight twist, which the frame will easily 
take while it is hot, will do all the beveling necessary. In 
either case a form, called the "bending block," to bend the 
frames over, is a necessity. 
To make this, take two stout (say 2in.) pieces of spruce, 
pineor any cheap wood, andsaw out two shapes like Would 
No. 3. Make it of two pieces, if you can't get wide 
enough boards to make, it of one, and spike the two to- 
gether. Set the two shapes about 4ft. apart and nail slats 
of i^in. thickness across them, so you have what is 
called a bending block or mould over which to bend the 
frames. Nail a cleat across one end so you can put one 
end of the frames under it when you take them out of 
the " steam box and bend the other ends down, securing 
them with pieces of rope to the mould. It will take two 
or three moulds full of timbers to Complete the boat, so 
it is well to bend some frames at odd times while you are 
putting up the keel, taking the frames off the mould When 
dry, which they would be over night if bent in the after- 
noon and nailing slats of wood across like the strings 
of a bow to hold them bent, or put one end uidf- a *~Vat 
nailed against the side of the building and the other 
against the floor. 
The ways of bending are various, but this method is 
the most popular one. The greatest trouble experienced 
is in having the frames splinter up as you bend them. 
This can be prevented by getting some of this flat thin 
box strap iron and nailing it at one end on the side of 
the frame that is up when bending, to keep the splinters 
from getting a chance to rise. This also brings up the ques- 
tion of grain and quality of the wood to use for frames. 
The grain should run fore and aft, the same way as the 
planking will go, so a nail driven in through the plank 
will cross the layers of wood in the frames and not go in 
between the layers; as shown in the accompanying sketch, 
Fig. 19. 
topper fbarr. 
"Plonk 
/'/% 'Copper (Ajirt, (\Jad 
-Frame u/ith'^rain 
as \\ shoula be. 
Frame with ymm 
as it should not be. 
Fig, - 1 9. 
A knot in a frame will nearly always cause a break 
when you come to bend it, so in sawing up the frames in 
strips, discard any that run into knots. You can use a 
few by making the knotty end the straight end of the 
frame and bending the other. 
Steam Box. 
The bending of the frames also brings up the question 
of a steam box. 
Wood cannot be bent cold — it would snap — but by put- 
ting it into a box filled with steam and keeping fresh 
steam supplied, the wood in ^bout thirty minutes becomes 
