210 
FOREST AND STREAM 
I 
May, 1922 
THE SEMINOLE CANOE 
'"T HE dugout canoe of the Seminole 
Indian is very different from all 
other canoes of the North American con- 
tinent. Living, as the Seminole does, 
in a swamp prairie, which has no parallel, 
he demands a type of canoe which has 
many interesting features. 
A canoe for use in the saw-grass-mat- 
ted streams of the “Glades’*’ must pole 
easily, be stable and strong, and must 
not bunch the floating grass under the 
bow. The Seminole dugout fulfills all 
the above conditions, as shall be ex- 
plained. 
First, however, I shall describe its con- 
struction. The canoe is dug out of a 
cypress log, in one piece. The canoes 
range from 18 to 30 feet in length. Al- 
though the cypress is light, the canoe is 
very heavy, as the sides and bottom are 
very thick. As the Seminole docs not 
widen his canoe like that of the North- 
western Indians, the canoe is rather nar- 
row. A seat is built in the stern and 
sometimes has a thwart forward of amid- 
ships. The canoe is oftentimes strength- 
ened with ribs throughout the greater 
part of its length. The construction of 
the pole and sail is shown in the drawing. 
The canoe, as a design, is marked by 
a flat bottom, low freeboard, a high, bold 
bow and elliptical stern. Most of them 
have a straight bow with a club forefoot. 
Such a canoe is shown in Fig. 2. Some, 
however, have a round bow, as in Fig. 1. 
All have the great flare forward, how- 
ever.. 
E are depending itpo7i the 
frieyids and admirers of our 
old correspondent Nessmuk to 
make this department worthy of 
his name. No man knew the woods 
better than Nessmuk or ivrote of 
them with quainter chaimi. Many 
of his practical ideas on camp- 
ing and “going light” have been 
adopted by the United States 
Ar^ny; his canoe has been preserved 
in the Smithsonian Institution; and 
we hope that all good woodsmen 
will contribute to this department 
their Hints and Kinks and trail- 
tested contrivances ., — [Editor.] 
In the past the canoes were painted 
white, with red marking about the bows, 
but now are black or unpainted. 
The paddle is seldom used. 
This canoe is perfectly fitted for its 
use. The sharp entrance keeps the grass 
from bunching under the bow, while the 
flare tends to press down the standing 
grass. The draft is light, and with her 
flat bottom she can be wiggled over the 
mud flats with ease. 
The peculiar sheer is plainly shown in 
the drawings. A deadwood counter is 
sometimes used, such as shown in Fig. 5. 
H. Chapel, Florida. 
A COMPACT FIRST-AID KIT 
T N camp, on the river or when hunting, 
there are innumerable small accidents 
which might occur and prove of more or ' 
less consequence if neglected. A small 
kit which I have found highly efficient, 
for dressing small wounds is made up 
as follows : 
1. One dozen bichloride of mercury 
tablets in a corked bottle. 
2. One ounce of iodine. il 
3. One ounce of powdered boric acid. 
4. One-half ounce of luna caustic (sil-J 
ver nitrate) for cauterizing poisonousj 
bites. It is best to buy this in stick 
form. 
5. One roll of Fa-inch adhesive tape. ' 
6. One roll of 2-inch gauze. j 
7. Two rolls of 1-inch gauze. 
8. One roll of absorbent cotton. » 
9. One spool of white cotton thread. ; 
10. One package of assorted needles. . 
These items may be bought in any local 
drug store for the sum of less than two 
dollars. They are best kept and carried 
in a small watertight metal box, 8 inches 
by 6 inches by 2)4 inches. j 
Tounly Price, New Jersey. 
— 
OUTDOOR CAMP OVEN 
/^NE of the most useful and conve- 
nient things about camp is a good 
oven, and as a cookstove cannot be trans- 
ported to all places, I am going to tell 
you how to build one. 
Secure an old tub, the larger the better; 
one that has been thrown away will do. 
With a hammer and chisel cut a hole in 
one side of the tub, nine by twelve inches,' 
for a door. Then in the bottom cut al 
round hole five inches in diameter; then, 
cut the tin around the hole in strips one 
inch wide, cutting in one-half inch, and! 
bend the strips up ; then place the tub* 
bottom up on the spot where you want! 
your oven, with the door towards the 
camp. 1 
Now place an eighteen-inch length of 
stovepipe over the hole in the bottom of 
the tub, and bend four pieces of wagon 
tire or other flat iron to form an arch 
in front of the door, being careful to 
make the arch just a little wider and 
higher than the door, sinking the ends^ 
of the irons into the earth to make them] 
solid. 
Get some good clay or other sticky' 
earth, dampen it and pile it around andj 
over the tub. making the sides and top 
about one foot thick. Then smooth the 
sides and top with a shovel, leaving the 
top. well rounded. Build a small fire in it 
Diagrams showing dimensions of the Seminole Indian canoe 
