Sept. 19, 1903.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
223 
was aided by a bright moon. The ropes were then 
secured to the beach with stakes and the flopping of the 
huge tails was all that remained to prove that the whales 
still Hved. Watch was kept all through the night, but 
when the tide came in they were too far gone to escape. 
One lived until about 9 o'clock this morning, notwith- 
standing the fact that huge holes had been cut in their 
carcasses jiist below the head with sharp axes. 
"The arrival of such prominent tourists from the 
north, they having probably passed all the beach resorts 
on their way down, speaks well for Anastasia Island as an 
attraction. But were the truth known, it would be that 
the whales, evidently mating, had ventured too near the 
shore, and had been thrown into shallow water by the 
fury of the storm that prevailed during the time. It was 
observed that there were many other whales a short dis- 
tance from the shore before the three captured ones were 
seen struggling in the breakers. 
"Awake to the opportunity, the management of the 
South Beach Railway Company issued dodgers early this 
morning, and ran trains every hour for the convenience 
of citizens desiring to visit the beach. They went by 
train, in carriages and on wheels. Even the only automo- 
bile at present in service here made the run with a party 
to view the unusual sight. 
"No one here seems to know how much sperm oil whales 
of the size of those captured will produce, but the find 
must be worth many hundreds of dollars, as the oil is 
vi'orth upward of one dollar a gallon. Under the direc- 
tion of Mr. Reddington, a gang of men is now at work 
securing the_ blubber and cutting up the flesh to be ren- 
dered into oil. The whales are imbedded in the sand so 
that ho more than one-half of their bodies is exposed to 
view. This half has been stripped of the outer cuticle, 
which peels of? easily. It is black and glossy, and looks 
exactly like a camera film. 
"The whales are shiny black, with heads more than ^ 
one-third the length of their bodies. Their eyes are back 
of their heads, the apertures being very small. They 
have thick fins on either side of the body, and tails sim- 
ilar to those seen in pictures. They lie stranded not fif- 
teen feet apart. Two lie with their heads to the shore, 
and the other with its head toward the sea. He evi- 
dently managed to turn, and would have escaped if the 
rope had not been there to detain him. They have square 
snouts and small mouths, with teeth something like an 
alligator's. The jaws will be preserved for exhibition. 
"Cottagers on the beach are anxious that the monsters 
be reduced to oil as speedily as possible. The blubber 
does not decompose rapidly, but it is feared that the flesh 
will send forth anything but a pleasant odor if not 
quickly disposed of. The 'rendering' will be done in 
sugar kettles, and the oil will be stored in lard barrels. 
"It will require several days to dispose of the car- 
casses, and meanwhile hundreds of people will be at- 
tracted to the beach to view the sight." 
Camps on State Lands. 
UticAj N. Y., September 6. — Editor Forest and Stream: 
There appears to he quite a difference of opinion as to 
the wisdom of the policy which the New York State 
authorities have inaugurated in regard to the parties who 
have erected camps on State lands. It is not many years 
ago since Adirondack lands were frequently sold for un- 
paid taxes, and in those days men could locate their 
camps almost anywhere they pleased in the wilderness 
region without danger of protest or molestation from the 
owners of the property. They hunted in any portion of 
the woods and fished in any of the waters, and there was 
no desire or attempt on the part of anyone to prevent 
their doing so. Some of those whose homes are now on 
State lands have spent nearly all their life time there, 
and others have resided for a score or more of years 
where they do at present. Possibly when they located 
and built on the land it did not belong to the State, and 
the settlers had no thought that it would ever become 
the property of the Commonwealth; but however that 
may have been, the probabilities are that they felt they 
were injuring no one by their action, and anticipated no 
attempt to dispossess them. Many of the men who have 
dwelt for a long time in the woods and retained peaceable 
and undisturbed possession of their homes have come to 
feel that they have some rights there which others, as a 
matter of justice, ought to respect. They love their wil- 
derness homes, and would naturally be deeply hurt if 
compelled to give them up. Notices have been sent by 
the Forest, Fish and Game Commission to quite a num- 
ber of campers an State lands in the Adirondacks, mak- 
ing them defendants for illegally withholding the land 
from the use of the State, and naming the sum of dam- 
ages as $1,000, and these notices served to throw the 
occupants of the camps into a panic. Indignation is said 
to run high in one part of the woods at the action of the 
Commission, and it is freely hinted in that section that if 
the campers are compelled to vacate their summer homes 
the fires of this season will not be a circumstance to what 
the Commission may expect next year. 
It is possible that from a legal point of view some of 
the woods dwellers are trespassers on State lands; but 
admitting it to be true that the titles to the sites upon 
which their homes stand are vested in the Common- 
wealth, what can the State hope to gain by peremptorily 
ejecting them? It might be quite difficult in most cases 
to show that they are doing any actual harm to the prop- 
erty or that the land is lessened in value because of their 
occupancy. On the contrary, there are understood to be 
instances where the actual cash value of the site has been 
materially enhanced because of the improvements which 
have been made by the settlers, and instances, too, where 
these men have rendered good service to the State in pre- 
venting or suppressing forest fires, or aiding in efforts to 
insure the observance of the game laws. What hann can 
it do to allow them to retain their homes for life or for a 
term of years at least, subject to certain conditions or 
regulations? While the presumption is that the State has 
the authority to eject parties who are occupying camps 
or cottages on its lands, there is no law, so far as can 
be learned, which renders it mandatory upon such parties 
to vacate unless explicitly ordered to do so; or, in other 
words, nothing in the statute books which makes it illegal 
for them to occupy their present homes providing the 
State does not object to it. It is also understood that 
the State is a% perfect liberty to allow then^ to Remain 
if it is disposed to do so. Section 7 of the new con- 
stitution of the State adopted in the fall of 1894, says : 
"The lands of the State now owned or hereafter acquired 
constituting the forest preserve as now fixed by law, shall 
be forever kept as wild forest lands. They shall not be 
leased, sold or exchanged, or be taken by any corporation, 
public or private, nor shall the timber thereon be sold, 
removed or destroyed." 
For some time the policy was adopted of permitting 
those who had buildings on State lands at the time the 
new constitution was adopted to retain them, although 
emphasis was laid on the fact that no additional struc- 
tures of a permanent nature would be allowed. More re- 
cently, however, the authorities seem inclined to get rid 
of all settlers, and that they have the authority to do it 
appears' evident, for section 222 of the forest, fish and 
game law provides that : "Actions may, on the order of a 
commissioner, or of the chief game protector, be main- 
tained in the name of the people, through special counsel, 
whose compensation shall be fixed by the commission, 
to recover damages for trespass or waste on lands in the 
forest preserve, or to prevent trespass or injury thereto 
with relief by temporary or final injunction; or to recover 
possession of lands belonging to the State within the 
forest preserve," etc. 
Beyond a doubt many of those who now reside on 
State lands in the Adirondacks would feel that it was a 
very great hardship to be compelled to give up their 
homes, and possibly some might think they had a just 
cause for grievance. Reference has been-made to the hint 
thrown out to the effect that if campers are compelled 
to vacate their summer homes that the fires this season 
will not be a circumstance to what may be expected next 
year. _ Of course it may be argued that such expressions 
as this ought not to influence the action of the State or 
to be given a moment's consideration, but it is well to 
look at every matter of business from a business point of 
view. The State is confronted by a condition rather than 
a theory in this connection. It is fair to assume that if 
the State insists upon ousting all occupants of its terri- 
tory that it hopes to gain something thereby, for other- 
wise why should it undertake a movement which neces- 
sarily involves a great deal of labor and expense and will 
occasion serious inconvenience to many of its citizens? 
Everyone who is at all familiar with the Adirondacks 
knows that a few determined men could cause the State 
an endless amount of trouble if they started out to do so; 
for by setting forest fires in a dry season they could bring 
about a general conflagration there which no force that 
it would be possible for the State to muster could hope 
to control or check. It is true that if a calamity of such 
a nature should occur a few of the oflfenders might be 
captured and punished, but that would not in any degree 
compensate the State for the loss incurred. It "must be 
borne in mind that when the primitive forest of the 
Adirondacks has been destroyed by fire, this means the 
destruction of the soil as well, hence hundreds of years 
must elapse before the original growth of trees can be 
duplicated. To put the matter in a nutshell, it would 
not be a difficult feat for a few incendiaries to cause a 
thousand fold more damage to the forests than the 
monetary value of all the camp sites on State lands, and 
it could be done in two or three days. Futhermore, there 
are many other ways in which the' State's interest could 
easily be injured by parties who undertook to do it, and 
this is notably true of the fish and game, which, if certain 
illegitimate methods were resorted to, might soon be 
practically exterminated. It would be a source of grati- 
fication to law-abiding citizens if there were no such pos- 
sibilities as have been suggested, but they apparently 
exist, and the question as to whether it is wise to ignore 
them seems a very pertinent one. The State has recently 
I'.ad a very expensive object lesson in regard to forest 
fires, and it is one which should be profited by. The 
Adirondack wilderness covers a vast area, and in order 
to thoroughly protect it from fire and guard its fish and 
game, should enemies of the State attempt to work havoc 
in that region, would require regiments of trained and 
trustworthy .men. It is always better to avoid trouble 
than to court it unnecessarily. Viewing the situation in 
J', practical light, therefore, it would seem to be the part 
of wisdom not to act too hastily in regard to the eject- 
ment of_ settlers on State lands. Possibly some arrange^ 
ment might be made with many of them by which they 
would agree to aid the State so far as possible in pre- 
venting forest fires and protecting fish and game in con- 
sideration of being allowed to retain their present homes. 
They would certainly make very efficient helpers, if they 
could be sufficiently interested to act, and it seems ad- 
visable to give the matter careful consideration before any 
decisive steps are taken which are likely to antagonize the 
woodsmen. "W. E. WoLCOrr. 
Uric A, N Y. 
Vefmont Fish and Game Leagtie* 
The annual meeting of the Vermont Fish and Game 
League was held at Fort Frederick on September 4. 
Among those in attendance were Congressman Sibley, 
Justice D. J. Brewer, of the Supreme Court of the United 
States, Senator Redfield Proctor, Congressman D. J. 
Foster. 
President F. L. Fish, in his address, spoke of some 
features of Vermont's present fish and game laws. He 
said that in the lower part of Lake Champlain eacla spring 
there were taken thousands of barrels of wall-eyed pike 
when they were on their spawning beds, and when they 
were then valuable to the fish interests of the great lake. 
Ne^v York has already passed a law forbidding the spring 
seining, and Vermont had a statute co-operating with the 
laws of Canada. He asked the assistance of the league in 
securing the passage of a law in Canada forbidding all 
seining in Lake Champlain. He also called attention to 
the law passed by the last Legislature allowing an open 
season for black bass in Lake Champlain the year around. 
Certain fishermen have gone on the spawning beds of this 
valuable fish and committed great depredations as a result 
of this law, and he asked that an effort be made to repeal 
it. Another need was more wardens, especially to pro- 
tect the deer in this State. During the past closed season 
seven deer in this immediate vicinity had been shot and 
their hides hung up in the woods to dry. Some of the 
league's money was being used for wardens, but more are 
All communications intended for Forest and Stream should 
always be addressed to the Forest and Stream Publishing Co., 
New N ork, and not to any individual connected with the paper- 
Ftxttirea. 
BENCH SHOWS. 
Oct. 6-9.— Danbury, Conn., Agricultural Society's show. 
Oct. 20-23.— Frederick County, Md., Agricultural Society show. 
J. Roger McSherry, Sec'y. 
Nov. 17-19.— Boston, Mass., Terrier Club show. 
FIELD TRIALS. 
Oct. 26.— Clare, Mich.— Sportsman's Field Trial Association 
trials. E. C. Smith, Sec'y, Midland, Mich. 
Oct. 26.— Washington Court House, O. — Monongahela Field 
Trial Association trials. A. C. Peterson, Sec'y, Homestead, Pa. 
Oct. 27.— Paradise Valley, Nev.— Nevada Field Trial Association 
trials. Dr. C. E. Wilson, Sec'y, Elko, Nev, 
Nov. 2.— Washington Court House, O.— Ohio Field Trial Asso- 
ciation trials. G. R. Haswell, Sec'y, Circleville, O. 
Nov. 3-6. — New York.— Annual show of Ladies' Kennel Associa- 
tion of America. 
Nov. 9. — Fourteenth annual beagle trials of the National Beagle 
Club of America. Charles R. Stevenson, Sec'y. 
Nov. 9.— Missouri Field Trial Association trials. L. S. Eddins, 
Sec'y, Sedalia, Mo. 
Nov. 9.— St. Joachim, Ont.— International Field Trial Associa- 
tion trials, W. B. Wells, Hon. Sec'y, Chatham, Ont. 
Nov. 9.— Hutsonville, 111.— Independent Field Trial Club trials. 
11. S. Humphrey, Sec'y, Indianapolis, Ind. 
Nov. 9.— Western Irish Setter Club trials. Dr. T. L. Fenn, 
Sec'y, Chicago, 111. 
Nov. 10. — Hampton, Conn. — Connecticut Field Trial Club trials. 
F. W. Smith, Sec'y, New Haven, Conn. 
Nov. 16. — Robinson, 111.— Illinois Field Trial Association trials. 
VV. R. Green, Sec'y, Marshall, 111. 
Nov. 23. — Robinson, III. — American Championship Field Trial 
Association trials. H. S. Humphrey, Sec'y, Indianapolis. Ind. 
Dec. 1.— Clay City, Ind.— Indiana Field Trial Club trials, C. F. 
Young, Sec'y. 
Dec. 5.— Thomasville, Ga. — Continental Field Trial Club trials. 
John White, Sec'y, Hempstead, N. Y. 
Nov. 16.— Holmdel, N. J.— Poi-nter Club of America's trials. 
C. F. Lewis, Sec'y, New York city. 
Nov. 30.— Chase, City, Va.— Virginia Field Trial Assod.ition 
trials. Charles B. Cooke, Sec'y, Richmond, Va. 
Pomtei" Club of America. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
Enthusiastic reports are now frequently received from 
reliable sources relative to the abundance of quail which 
are frequently seen on lands adjacent to the Holmdel 
estate, on which the fourth annual field trials of the club 
will be held. The property exceeds 4,000 acres in extent, 
and has always been preserved. The Field Trial Com- 
mittee may therefore be congratulated on having the con- 
cession granted the club for the holding of our trials. 
The trials will commence on Monday, November 16, and 
in addition to the stakes and added money, a valuable 
silver trophy will go to the winner of first money in each 
stake. 
The Derby, All-Age and Championship Stakes will 
close on October 15, the entry money, $5, with each 
nomination; balance, $5, $10, and $20, respectively, on the 
morning before starting. Members' stake will close be- 
fore starting. The championship stake has $50 added, to 
be divided between first and secoixl dogs, and is the only 
event on the card which is open to the world, and will 
also close on October 15. The placed dogs in all stakes 
Avill receive 50, 30, and 20 per cent, of the stake. 
Holmdel, N. J., is situated three miles from Hazlet 
Station on the New Jersey Central Railroad, 35 miles 
from New York, via Libertv street ferry. Excursion rate, 
$1.35- 
The headquarters of the club will be at Union Hotel, 
Holmdel, conducted by E. W. Perrine, who will furnish 
good accommodation at $2 per day. Ample provision has 
been made for the care of dogs. 
C. F. Lewis, Secretary. 
Yachting: F-xtwres fot J903. 
Members of race committee 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. 
SEPTEMBER. 
19. Chicago, special, Lake Michigan. 
19. Seawanhaka Corinthian, club. Oyster Bay. 
19. Larchmont, schooner cup race, Larchmont. 
19. Atlantic, fall regatta. Sea Gate. 
19. Bensonhurst, Y. R. A. of Gravesend Bay. 
19. Manhasset Bay, Y. R. A. of L. I. Sound, fall regatta. 
26. Riverside, Y. R. A. of L. I. Sound, fa'.i regatta. 
26. Seawanhaka Corinthian, club, Oyster Bay. 
26. Chicago, handicap. Lake Michigan. 
87. Williamsburg, open, fall regatta. 
OCTOBER. 
3. Seawanhaka Corinthian, club. Oyster Bay. 
3. Columbia, special, Lake Michigan. 
5. Southern, fall, New Orleans. 
10. Columbia, special, Lake Michigan. 
17. Columbia, special, Lake Michigan. 
For Cruising Yachtsmen. 
With the purpose of stimulating the interest in cruis- 
ing, and the keeping of a detailed log by cruisiiig 
yachtsmen during the season of 1903, 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 furnish 
information of practical value to other yachtsmen mak- 
ing subsequent cruises on the same waters. 
Prizes will be awarded to the three best stories as fol- 
lows: 
First prize, $75.00. 
Second prize. $50.00. 
Third prize. $25.00. 
Contributions are invited under the following condi- 
tions: 
1. The cruise must be made in waters of the United 
States or Canada in the season of 1903. 
2. The cruise must be made in a sailing yacht, power 
to be used only as an auxiliary, if at all. 
^ The story must be prefaced by a description oi the 
