' April 6 , 1907 . | 
'.inters also found the region worth visiting. 
Of late years the Norwegians are the people 
ho pay most attention to this field. In the 
.'■ar 1906 six different Norwegian whaling ex- 
■ditions, with crews aggregating 420 men, made 
leir stations there. Besides these, a great num- 
|»r of smaller craft from towns of northern 
orway visit the islands every summer, hunting 
id fishing; some hunters also pass the winters 
icre. The cargoes brought home consist prin- 
pally of oils, furs and eider down. The aggre- 
ate yearly outcome is estimated at $500,000. 
Game, such as reindeer, polar bears, ptarmigan, 
jeese, ducks and other birds are still fairly plen- 
I ful in the islands, but as no one is in control 
ie animals are being wantonly exterminated, 
Sing killed at all seasons of the year. One of 
1 ie visitors up there last summer reports that 
party of tourists killed upwards of 100 rein- 
eer. leaving the carcasses where they fell, only 
ringing away with them a few of the finest 
eads and antlers for mounting. The eider 
uck is so tame while hatching that it often may 
e lifted hy hand while the nest is robbed of 
ovni and eggs. In Norway stringent laws have 
: een enacted in protection of this bird. 
It is stated on good authority that the walrus 
y this time are nearly extinct, the white whale 
hicli formerly was very abundant, is becom¬ 
ing scarce, the numbers of seals and polar bears 
1 re largely reduced, and that the reindeer and 
firds are being hunted at all seasons and becom¬ 
ing exterminated. 
No nation has as yet taken possession. It 
Gould seem high time for the countries most 
irectlv interested to come to an understand¬ 
ing, whereby the islands, including Bear Island, 
ither were formally turned over for annexation 
i\> one certain power, or else that a combination 
| f the powers would make arrangements whereby 
!iw and order could he maintained, game and 
sherv laws made and enforced, and mining 
Naims protected. The prospect for paying coal 
fining is good, and the claim is made that in¬ 
dications of valuable minerals _ are present, 
j ourist steamers of different nationalities visit 
I he islands every season. 
The climate is claimed to be quite fair, con- 
j idering the high latitude. A clear sky is said 
I 0 prevail week after week in the summer sea- 
on. The warmest part of the year is the first 
ialf of August, when the thermometer sorne- 
imes reaches 16 degrees Centigrade (60 de- 
;rees Fahrenheit). The interior of the islands 
5 little known, being difficult of access owing to 
daciers and mounatins. Violent storms, with 
now, sleet and rain, are frequent, except during 
he short summer. 
Rust Preventives. 
Newark, N. J., March 23. — Editor Forest and 
Stream: My attention was called last summer 
o the use of camphor as a rust preventer and 
Iressing for weapons. Mr. W. H. Lawrence, of 
his city, was showing me his splendid collection 
d military arms and pistols and had just handed 
ne a new rifle. After examining it 1 returned 
it with the remark that it would be a good idea 
o wipe it with an oiled rag, although my hands 
[were not moist as a general thing. He smiled 
[ s he said that he found once in two years often 
notigh to wipe and oil the weapons in his col- 
I ection. 
I asked him if he used a mercurial ointment 
i nd he replied that he had found camphorated 
Gil to be the best thing to use upon steel to 
' revent the encroachment of rust, lie makes 
he preparation by placing small pieces of gum 
| ‘amphor in pure olive oil and making the oil 
I ake up all the camphor it will at a temperature 
! >f 150 to 170, in a water bath, keeping up the 
; ieat. for twenty-four hours or more. This oil 
j s simply wiped upon the weapons with a rag 
I, md allowed to dry on The result is an almost 
j mperceptible Fenner which resists corrosion in 
I I most remarkable manner. It would be diffi- 
■ 'lilt to find a spot of rust on any of the weapons 
n Mr. Lawrence’s remarkable collection, and yet 
! ie has not given any of the pieces a second wip- 
: ng since he first treated them with this prepara- 
1 'on. Harrimac. 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
537 
two of Norway’s famous ski jumpers. 
Skis and Ski Running. 
Hamar, Norway, March 10.— Editor Forest 
and Stream: 1 was just going to try to give 
some of the information Mr. Spears sometime 
ago asked for, regarding skis and ski running, 
when Mr. Charles Moody got ahead of me; but 
as there are several things that are done in a 
different way here, a few remarks may prove 
of interest, as Norway is the home of the ski. 
First I will give the dimensions of my own 
ski. which is the model most in use. The ma¬ 
terial is hickory. As your correspondent says, 
it is heavy, but it is a wood that can be de¬ 
pended on, and a broken ski in the mountains 
is often a matter of life and death. Ash is also 
much used, and birch, in the cheaper qualities. 
The full length of the ski should be as far as the 
person using it can reach overhead with the 
middle finger, both heels on the ground. Width, 
at the rear end, zVa inches; middle (below toe 
strap), 2)4 inches; widest portion of forward 
bend (12 inches from tip), zVa inches. Side view: 
Tip, inch for 2 inches, tapering down to J 4 
inch (in the bend), 8 inches from the tip, con¬ 
tinuing for 6 inches, then gradually increasing 
to iVg inches. 49 inches from the tip. There 
the toe strap is placed, then it tapers down to 
14 inch at the rear end. Underneath is cut a 
groove in the center, not quite J4 inch deep. 
This is to prevent side slip. 
The skis here are seldom bent up in the 
rear, as being of little advantage and besides 
making so much less bearing surface on the 
snow. In the middle it is bent up about 1 inch; 
this makes it keep up better in loose snow. 
Now, regarding the fastening *to the foot, 01- 
binding. as we call it, Mr. Moody says: “The 
man who binds his foot securely to a ski is 
either a novice or a fool.” Well, we do, every 
one of us, and I am pretty certain if he saw 
the boys here on skis he would not call them 
either novices or fools in that line. It is abso- 
THE HUITFELDT BINDING. 
lutely necessary to use binding, in order to have 
command over the skis, and if Mr. Moody will 
try the binding I describe, most of the work 
will go out and a good deal of sport come in, 
and, if the toe strap is placed right (see cut), 
there is no danger, as the foot will, as a rule, 
slip out of the fastening in case of violent 
tumbles. 
The most popular binding is the Huitfeldt 
which is patented here, but I do not suppose 
it is in the United States. Its advantages are: 
firm holding of the toe between the iron ears, 
allowing no side play, no back slip, and leaving 
the foot perfectly free to move up and down. 
The cut shows the manner of fastening to the 
foot. The ears going through the ski are 
inches wide, about ks inch thick and made of 
soft iron, with an opening through the middle 
(like cut). On the inside is fastened, with two 
rivets at each end, a piece of fairly thick leather 
to prevent chafing of the foot. The ears should 
fit snug against the sides of the soles of the 
boot, which should be fairly thick. This is very 
important, as there must be no side play. The 
toe strap is in one piece, slipped through the 
ears and buckled on top. The opening through 
the ski for the ears must be big enough to allow 
the button strap to go through also. It has a 
buckle on each side, by tbe instep, where it 
connects with the heel strap. A thin strap goes 
underneath the instep, to prevent the binding- 
slipping up. 
To fasten on the ski, first tighten up the heel 
strap as much as possible, then the second over 
the foot. Now, if the ski is lifted up and swung 
from side to side, it should follow the foot 
without any slipping at the toe. I have on the 
rear of the shoe, down by the heel, a little 
strap with buckle sewed on; with this I secure 
the bottom strap so it positively cannot slip 
down. A piece of rubber packing is nailed on 
tbe ski underneath the foot, to prevent snow 
accumulating; deer skin with the hair on can 
also be used. Fastening skin underneath the 
ski is out of date, as there is little advantage 
in it. 
Now, a few tips as to using the skis may 
prove useful. Along roads, a pair of light ash 
sticks, with steel points and about shoulder high, 
with straps made as a loop to slip the hand 
into, is useful to push oneself along with. They 
should be used alternately. Going up short 
hills, on roads over fairly hard snow, lift the 
skis and set them down with a slap; then they 
are not so liable to slip back. In “tacking” up¬ 
hill, when a different tack is to be taken, lift the 
leg high and whirl the ski (point un) quickly 
around in the desired direction. This takes 
some practice, and requires a firm binding. The 
