648 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Oct. 27, 1906. 
MS 
MlIMMiTM 
tytfSS 
HMOT 1 
Boating in the Philippines. 
The strangest types of boats may be found in 
the Philippine Islands. While I was there I 
noticed the various types constructed according 
to the Filipino' idea. There are several types of 
boats in use in the country. Those of the crudest 
descriptions are made from the great hard wood 
logs of the forest. The native boat builder will 
spend days searching for just the right piece of 
timber. Then he will devote a week or more to 
getting the tree leveled where he can get at it. 
He will put up his little shack and go into camp 
there. As the days pass, the selected portion of 
timber begins to assume the shape of a boat. 
There is considerable cutting, gouging, hacking 
and burning of the interior stock of the log, for 
the purpose of removing the wood to' shape the 
interior of the craft.. In the first class of boats, 
the boat is no deeper than the log proper. The 
sides are finished off, the end properly pointed, 
and the boat is done. In the second class of 
boats, this portion of the log forms only the 
base. The sides are built up with heavily matted 
palm and silanga material. Considerable pitch 
is used to secure the surfaces and assure a tight 
joint. Coatings of tar are ultimately applied, so 
that in the end, the added sides are as tight as 
the solid timber of the lower portion of the boat. 
In order to get the necessary resisting power, 
ribs are expanded in various directions. Much 
cordage' is used in binding the parts. 
The natives make a third class of boats in 
which there is a deck and masts. These boats 
require that outriggers be used. The outriggers 
are of long bamboo poles, one for each side of 
the boat, and of alpout the same length* The 
poles are secured so as to float on the water 
about eight feet out from the sides. They are 
fastened to cross pieces of bamboo, which ex¬ 
tend through the sides of the boat, about the 
waterline, or are roped just above the gunwale. 
The outriggers prevent the progress of the boat, 
but they are * the salvation of the craft. The 
native boats would upset unless something of the 
kind were used. 
The Filipinos are very ingenious in the con¬ 
struction of odd forms of water craft. Upon one 
GOVERNMENT BOAT IN MANILA BAY. 
occasion I noticed that several natives had utilized 
four tight barrels for supporting and propelling 
a ferry across one of the branches of Pas ig. The 
builders first constructed two metal shafts, from 
inch-rod iron, and proceeded to bend them in 
the center for foot cranks. The axles were made 
sufficiently long to extend out and over the side 
of the boat to carry a barrel on each end. Thus 
four barrels were carried, two on each side. The 
metal axle was passed through reinforced wooden 
heads and keyed to the same with iron pins. 
The barrels rested hard enough upon the water 
to divide the weight of the craft with the shell 
of the boat. Hence, when the two natives sat 
on seats near the cranks and revolved the same 
by foot power, the barrels were made to turn, 
carrying the boat along on the water at moderate 
speed. 
These navigators did quite a flourishing busi¬ 
ness transporting passengers and packages across 
the stream. In another case, the builders erected 
a boat with outriggers, and furnished it with 
side paddle wheels erected according to the Fili¬ 
pino idea of things. The boat itself was light, 
but the outriggers were bulky and clogged the 
passage of the little craft. The paddle wheels 
were designed with heavy hubs and to> these 
wood hubs, some thin blades of hard wood were 
fixed by mortising. Then the two side wheels 
were arranged on a shaft of wood which was 
fitted to journals along the gunwales. A grooved 
wood wheel was fastened to the center of the 
shaft and a rope extended from the wheel to the 
smaller wheel of the driving shaft up at the 
bow. Here a native sat and operated the driv¬ 
ing shaft with a common hand crank. The boat 
was slow in action, but managed to bring a 
revenue to the owner for hauling freight. 
There are some good native boats in the 
islands, some of which are fitted with little boilers 
and engines for the traffic of the rivers. Some 
of the power is derived by the installation of the 
power plant of some abandoned sugar mill or 
hemp works. In fact, almost any kind of old 
steam power apparatus is put together and made 
to do the work for some of the power boats. 
MAHOGANY RAFT. 
NATIVE BOAT. 
A WHARF AT MANILA. 
