346 
FOREST AND STREAM 
INDIAN CANOES. 
A WEEKLY JOURNAL. 
Davonsn T ° Field and Aquatic Sports, Pfaoticai, Natural History, 
Fish Culture, tbs Protection op Qank,Pre8Ervation of Forests, 
AI D THE INCULCATION in Men and Women op a healthy interest 
IN Oot-door Recreation and Study : 
PUBLISHED BT 
forest and <§ treaty publishing ^oinpayn, 
AT 
17 CHATHAM STREET, (CITY HALL SQUARE) NEW YORK, 
[Post Office Box 2832.] 
Term*, Fite Dollar* a Year, Strictly In Advance. 
A discount of twenty per cent, allowed for Ore copies and upwards. 
AdterllPlne Kate*. 
In regular advertising columns, nonpareil type, 12 lines to Uie Inch. 21 
cents per line. Advertisements on outside page. 40ccnts per line. Reading 
notices, 50 cents per line. Advertisements In dunble column 25 per cent, 
extra. Where advertisements are inserted over 1 month, a discount of 
10 per cent, will be made; over three months, 20 per cent ; over bIx 
months. 30 per cent. 
NEW YORK, THURSDAY', JULY 8, 1875. 
To Correspondents. 
All communications whatever, whether relating to business or literary 
correspondence, most be addressed to The Forest and Stream Pub- 
lishing Company. Personal or private letters of coarse excepted. 
All communications intended for publication must be accompanied with 
real name, as a guaranty of good faith. Names will not be published if 
objection be made. No anonymous contributions will be regarded. 
Articles relating to any topic within the scope of this paper are solicited. 
We cannot promise to return rejected manuscripts. 
Secretaries of Clabs and Associations are urged to favor ns with brief 
notes of their movements and transactions, as It is the aim of this paper 
to become a medium of useful aud reliable information between gentle- 
men sportsmen from one end of the country to the other ; and they will 
find onr columns a desirable medium for advertising announcements. 
The Publishers of Forest and Stream aim to merit and secure the 
patronage and countenance of that portion of the community whose re- 
fined intelligence enables them to properly appreciate and enjoy all that 
is beautiful in Nature. It will pander to ’ho depraved tastes, nor pervert 
the legitimate sports of land and water to those base uses which always 
tend to make them unpopular with the virtnons and good. No advertise- 
ment or business notice of an immoral character will be received on any 
terms ; and nothing will be admitted to any department of the paper that 
may not be read with propriety in the home circle. 
We cannot be responsible for the dereliction of the mail service, if 
money remitted lo ns is lost 
Advertisements should be sent in by Saturday of each week. If possible. 
i II WILES II ALLOCK, Editor. 
11 ILLIAM I*. H VRIllg. Business Manager. 
CALENDAR OF EVENTS FOR THE COM- 
IN G WEE K. 
Thursday, July 8th — Racing at Monmouth Park, N. J. Trotting at 
Lowell. Mass.; Detroit, Mich , and Greenville. Penn Base Ball. Ath- 
letic vs. Boston, at Boston: Philadelphia vs. St. Louis, at Philadelphia; 
Union of Newark vs. Reliance, at Irvington, N. J. 
Friday, July 9th.— Trotting at Portsmonth, Ohio. 
Saturday, Jnly 10th.— Racing at Monmouth Park, N. J. Trotting at 
Portsmouth, Ohio Regatta of Dorchester Yacht Club. Bise Ball. 
Philadelphia vs. St. Leois, at Philadelphia: Concord vs. Nameless, ai 
Capitoline grounds. 
Monday, July 12th. — Meeting National Rifle Association at Wimble 
don. Regatta at Cape May. Cricket, Staten Island vs. Prospect Park 
Club, at Staten Island. 
Tuesday, July 13th.— Racing at Monmouth Park, N. J. Boaid of Ap- 
peals National Trotting Association meets at Saratoga. Pigeon Shooting 
Tournament at Syracuse, N. Y. Cnpe May Regatta Intercollegiate 
Freshmen Race, at Saratoga, 
Wednesday, July 14th. —Trotting at Newport. Ky.. Conneantville, 
Pa . and Montreal. University Race, Saratoga. Pigeon Shooting 
Tournament at Syracuse, N. Y. Base Ball. Union of Newark vs. Mutual 
of Mcadville, Penn., at Irvineton, N. J. 
Washington's Personal Appearance.— It is a remark- 
able fact that Washington's personal appearance, although 
well known lo so many, has but rarely, if ever, been de- 
scribed by his historians. Even in Irving’s “Life" there is 
nothing satisfactory on this point. The Journal of Com- 
tmtcc having been written to on the subject has given the 
following description gathered from various sources: 
“Washington was six feet two inches in height, with a 
very erect, robust, stalwart frame. He bad a fine breadth 
of chest; long, well-shaped, and very strong arms; a broad, 
large hand, with a grasp like a vise, and very straight' 
well rounded lower limbs. He had a large bead, set on 
a strong full neck, with a commanding carriage. His hair 
was brown, or dark auburn; his eyes a grayish blue, set 
far apart, and kb complexion ruddv, or florid. Stuart 
who painted him, declares that the sockets of his eyes were 
larger than he had ever met with before, and the upper 
part of his nose broader and fuller. All of his features 
were indicative of the strongest passions, although his 
judgment and great self command made him seem differ- 
ent in the eyes of the world. He appeared with great dig- 
nity in any position, either sitting, standing, or walking 
but he was a bold, expert rider, and never looked better 
than on a fiery horse, whom he always kept perfectly un- 
der his control. He was diffident on occasions, hut never 
abashed or ungraceful, and his personal presence always 
inspired confidence and respect. We have gathered these 
particulars from a dozen different authentic records, with- 
out finding anything like a satbfactory description in one 
of them. 
Pigeon Shooting at Syracuse.— We publish in another 
column the programme of a pigeon shooting tournament, 
to be held at Syracuse, this State, on the 13th, 14th, 1.5th, 
and 16th inets., under the management of the Central City 
and Onondaga Clubs. About $3,500 will be given in pri- 
zes, and only Bogardus. A Kleinman, Payne, Ward, and 
Close are excluded. We predict an enormous gathering 
of pigeon shooters and much sport.. 
W IIAT memories of a wild, free life arc revived by 
the sight of an Indian canoe! of drifting noise- 
lessly down stream, or dashing over surging cascades. 
What romance we attach to there little birchen boats! 
The mode of life that Indians lead makes their light 
boats of greater importance to them than either ships or 
steamers, for in the former they can pass over very shallow 
water, and if they come to plnccs where it is not deep 
enough to float their shells they can take them ashore and 
carry them on their shoulders until they come to deep 
water again, and this they could not do with ships or steam- 
ers. The red hunter can lie in wait in his canoe for the 
lordly deer when he comes to the river to quench his thirst, 
or push it among morasses where wild fowl dwell; and if 
he is away from his wigwam at night he can turn it keel 
up, and by crawling under have a comfortable shelter and 
a means of protection against the savage animals of the 
forests. 
The simplest and most readily constructed canoes are 
those made of bark, such ns those seen at Niagara, Old- 
town, in Maine, and on the upper Missouri River. The 
birch canoe is that in use among the Indinus of the East- 
ern States. The outer rind is first peeled off the tree in 
long rolls, which are taken to the spot selected for the 
building of the canoe. At this place a framework the re- 
quired height and length is suspended on four posts. The 
light gunwale is tuude first, aud to this arc attached the 
ribs, which are close together and arc formed of very light 
pieces of wood. These are then sheathed with thin, flat 
and flexible pieces of cedar, placed lengthwise. The frame 
being ready, the bark is placed upon it and sewed together 
with a large straight awl, the thread being made of the 
fibrous roots of the cedar after they have been soaked in 
water. The seams are next rendered waterproof by a coal- 
ing of gum, procured from the pitch pme. The rude dec- 
orations are^subsequently added. 
Canoes of this kind are of various sizes, from the punt 
used in the chase, and capable of holding only one or two 
persons, lo one having a length of forty feet and requiring 
from ten to sixteen paddles to propel it. The first canoe 
can be carried on the shoulders quite easily by any ordi- 
nary person, but from six to eight men would be required 
to transport the latter. The paddles used for the propul- 
sion of this sort of canoe are short, with broad blades, as 
the power must come from the quantity of water caught 
rather than from its depth and density. A fleet of the 
larger variety, when running down a river, presents a hand- 
some sight as the numerous paddles are dipped into the 
water together, just as if they were under the guidance of 
a single piece of machinery. The bark canoes belong spe- 
cially to the Northern tribes, such as the Iroquois, and arc 
the pretliest made on this continent. As wc go furlhcr 
West we fiud the forms changing, for the red men have 
different styles, just as their pule faced friends have various 
types of boats or yachts. 
The Mandasa tribe, in the far West, have a very simple 
but exceedingly good canoe, which can be built in a short 
time. They first take two sticks, about three inches in cir- 
cumference, and fasten them together so as to form a round 
hoop. This makes the bow. A similar contrivance forms 
the stern, and both are then united by light pieces of wood, 
which extend along the sides and keel. Over these an ox 
or buffalo hide is drawn closely and tied to the brim and 
ribs with thongs. When finished it looks like a large basin, 
and is about twelve inches deep; but slight as it looks it 
will carry from four to eight men. It is very buoyant, so 
that in passing over cascades it will 6hip no water. 
When we cross the Rocky Mountains we find the canoes 
still simpler, as birch is very scarce in some portions of the 
region adjoining thete peaks; and even to get the pines and 
firs one must go lo the higher ranges of hills. The conse- 
quence of this is Ikat few of the tribes there have any 
boats. The Shoshone Indians, of Idaho, when desirous of 
crossing a stream that will not permit being forded, make 
a raft of bundles of long reeds, which are tied together 
with the same material. This has sufficient buoyancy to 
sustain a couple of persons, and by using a long stick they 
can push it from one shore to another. As the rivers in that 
Territory are narrow, and not very deep, the Shoshones do 
not need canoes very often— only during the Spring floods; 
so their most cherished property is the small, coarse-haired 
mustaDgs they use for traveling or hunting. 
When we reach the Columbia River, however, wc are 
among tribes that travel almost entirely by boat. The 
canoe in use among them is made from a tree, aDd before 
the advent of the white man the construction of oue was 
the labor of months, and perhaps years, for it must have 
taken a loDg time to hew it out of the solid log with the 
blunt stone implements that they employed. Now that 
they can procure sharp axes quite readily, their labor is 
comparatively trivial to what it was. The industry and 
unwearying patience required to build a canoe about thirty 
years ago was undoubtedly the cause for the high value 
placed upon it by the fortunate owner. Even to-day u 
canoe is the standard value among all the tribes frequent- 
ing the sea coast. The Indians that dwell along the Upper 
Columbia have a small, narrow, light boat, which they use 
for traversing shallow streams and marshes. They do not 
require the heavier sort, as they seldom have to travel over 
water. One advantage the former possesses is that it can 
be carried on the shoulders over portages, whereas the lat- 
ter cannot, at least not without much trouble. The t ribes 
dwelling on the Lower Columbia, near the ocean, have 
canoes much larger and deeper than the preceding, for as 
nearly all their traveling is done by water they must have* 
boats large and substantial enough to withstand the hcavv- 
swclls which frequently agitate the river during storms 
These are constructed of the Inigo fir trees that grow so. 
luxuriantly in Oregon and Washington Territories; but th 0 
most desirable material is cedar, ns that has more buoyancy- 
than tir or spruce, and also stands the decaying notion of 
water better than nny oilier wood. When the outlining, 
and excavation are completed, the canoe is filled with water 
into which hot stones are thrown to generate steam in. 
order 10 make the wood more flexible, and thus enable the 
constructor lo extend the sides, which lie does by inserting 
stout pieces of wood between them until they have attained 
the required width. The prow and stern me of the same 
height, and extend above the middle, and are frequently 
decorated with grotesque figures of men, birds, and beasts. 
These are formed of small pieces of wood, which are uni- 
ted by mortising, and then glued on. The sides seldom 
exceed an inch iu thickness, hence the lightness of the 
canoe; and being flat-bottomed it will float in very shallow 
water. The paddles used are from three to five feet in 
length, and have broad, long blades. About one third of 
the paddle is round, and is used for a handle; it then widens 
and is hollowed in sucli a manner that the centre forms a 
rili. The canoes vary from sixteen to fifty feet iu length, 
and from a few inches to two feet in depth . The smaller 
kind will not carry more than two or three persons, but the 
larger will bear forty, and if freighted could safely trans- 
port ten thousand pounds. The latter is used entirely by 
the coast Indians, who have to make long voyages by sea 
in traveling from place to place, or in pursuit of the fur 
seal, sea otter, and whale. As all the littoral tribes live by 
fishing, a canoe is a necessity they cannot do without; 
hence the wealth of an individual is measured by the num- 
ber of ounces he owns. If he lias two good ones hois 
considered quite fortunate, but if he has four or five he is 
an envied man. Greet is his power, and deep the respect 
for him, as he is the millionaire of his band or tribe. 
To handle a ennoe properly requires no small amount of 
tact in u novice, and he is fortunate if in his desire to learn, 
he does not receive a thorough ducking. When the Indians 
embark in their treacherous craft they enter quietly; one- 
seats himself in the stern and the others squat on their 
heoels aud paddle on one side or the other, according to- 
their position. To propel the boat rapidly, and without 
deviation from its course, the paddles are pushed into the 
water in a straight line close to the side and pressed back- 
ward. The strokes are short and quick, yet it seems strange 
how swift the craft cuts through the water. The women, 
handle one as dexterously as the men, but whenever they 
are called upon to work they sit in the rear and steer. This 
constant plying of the paddle has given the Indians of the 
northwest coast great strength in the arms, so that they 
differ from their kindred of the pluinsin this respect. Few- 
aquatic scenes are more picturesque than a fleet of these 
canoes riding the rolling, crested waves of Fuca Straits 
when out on a fishing expedition. As the billows rise they 
surge ouward with a heavy booming sound, and strike the 
fruil crafts with such great force that you expect them to 
he overthrown and their occupants hurled into the angry 
sea. When a canoe is struck by one of these enormous 
waves, and its upsetting seems almost an accomplished 
fact, the Indians on the upper side lean outward, sink their 
paddles deep into the water, and by this means obtain a 
leverage sufficient to prevent being overthrown. We have 
traveled much in canoes in all sorts of weather, and felt 
safer in them than in ordinary boats many times larger, for 
the buoyancy of the first enables them to rise and full with 
the billows, whereas the heavy specific gravity of the latter 
prevents this, so that their safely would be seriously en- 
dangered in a storm which the former could weather quite 
easily. 
Proceeding northward from Oregon until we reach the 
British Columbias, wc find the canoes of each tribe to be 
similar in construction and material, though varying in 
shape, size, and the character of the decorations; but when 
we arrive at Alaska, that wild, cold land in the frozen 
north, we see boats that differ from those found in any 
other portion of the continent. The Ingaliks make a very 
pretty and substantial canoe of birch bark. When the 
bark is peeled off, it is sewed on a light frame of wood 
with the roots of the spruce tree, or cedar. The paddles 
are shaped like a lance, are small and slender, and are gen- 
erally ornamented with fantastic groups of men and beasts, 
painted in red, black, and green colors. The two first 
colors they make from earth and the pine tree, but the green 
pigment is produced from a species of fungus that grows 
on birch wood. These Indians vend small models of their 
canoes to the whites, and even use them as an article of 
barter with other tribes. The Mahlemct Indians, away in 
the north, and the Esquimaux, have three styles of boats, 
made out of the skin of the seal, walrus, and other ani- 
mals. The largest variety they call o-otnuik , but it is known 
as the bularra among the Russians. It is large, open, and 
flat-bottomed, easily handled, and capable of attaining high 
speed. As the skins of which it is composed are oiled be 
fore being placed on the frame, it seldom leaks. A smaller 
boat, fit for one person, is made like this, but it is covered 
completely over, except a hole in which the pnddler sits. 
To prevent any water from entering the interior of the 
canoe, the occupant is enveloped in a waterproof shirt, 
called kamlaika by the Russians. This is tied around the 
wrists und face, ob well as around the rim of the cavity, 
and the head is covered by a hood. These canoes present 
a quaint appearance when first seen, as the occupants seem 
to be bundles of oiled skips, for all of them visible are the 
