384 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Sept. 3, 1910. 
boat and larger gross earnings; but it is ex¬ 
tremely doubtful whether, when all the work¬ 
ing expenses are deducted, the net earnings 
are better than or even as good as those of 
the motor boat. Fishermen are very reluctant 
to give details of their earnings and expendi¬ 
tures, and as few, if any, of them keep accounts 
it is very difficult to obtain reliable data for 
comparison, but the opinions of those who have 
fair opportunities of making an estimate are 
as above stated. 
“On one point those best qualified to judge 
are emphatic, and that is that fishermen who 
possess first-class sailing boats should certainly 
have auxiliary motors installed instead of sell¬ 
ing their boats at a lo,w price and purchasing 
steam drifters. As has already been pointed 
out, one bad season has a disastrous effect on 
the fortunes of the owners of steam drifters, 
and a series of bad seasons would probably 
spell ruin to many. There is little doubt that 
not a little of the neglect of motor auxiliary 
power up till recently was due more to the 
spirit of emulation among fishermen not 
to be behind their neighbors in the matter of 
the speed of their craft, and that the pros and 
cons of the subject were not carefully weighed. 
It is to be hoped that in future, however, the 
wisdom of considering capital outlay, working 
expenses, etc., as well as gross earnings, will 
appeal to fishermen wdio contemplate adopting 
mechanical power for the propulsion of their 
boats. 
“This is obviously not the place to institute 
any comparison between the various types of 
motors now on the market or to discuss the ad¬ 
vantages claimed for their engines by different 
makers. Fishermen will be guided partly by 
knowledge of how existing motor boats com¬ 
ing under their notice have worked, partly by 
personal predilection and partly by the terms 
offered by manufacturers. It may, however, 
be useful to indicate generally the considera¬ 
tions which ought to weigh in the selection of 
a motor engine. The prime essential is clearly 
reliability, while the other important factors 
are ease of management and control and fuel 
consumption, the latter of which enters so 
largely into the question of working expenses. 
As regards these points, fishermen ought care¬ 
fully to note the performances of different types 
of engine observed by them and consult the 
owners as to the power of the engines, the 
speed attained, the number of breakdowns and 
the causes thereof (frequently not the engine’s 
fault), the kind of oil used, the cost of running, 
e'c. 
“No fewer than fifteen types of motor en¬ 
gines have been installed in Scottish boats. The 
majority of the east-coast boats are fitted with 
engines of from 50 to 75 horsepower, the re¬ 
mainder with engines of from 30 to 35 horse¬ 
power; and the speed attained ranges from six 
to nine knots. Some of the boats are run on 
paraffin alone. The cost per hour’s running works 
out at from 30 to 48 cents, according to speed, 
type of engine, etc. The engines employed on 
the smaller west-coast boats are from three to 
nine horsepower, with which a speed of four to 
seven knots is attained. The boats are worked 
mainly with paraffin (petrol starting), but a 
few use petrol alone, and the cost of running 
is about 20 cents an hour. 
“The 35 east-coast boats, including their fish¬ 
ing gear, were valued at $219,280, and were 
manned by 226 fishermen. The seven small 
Orkney boats and their gear were valued at 
$3,197 and gave employment to 29 men, while 
the value of the 33 west-coast boats and their 
gear was assessed at $32,362, the crews totaling 
148 men. 
“As already stated, it is somewhat difficult to 
get the fishermen to divulge their earnings,, but 
judging by the figures furnished by those who 
have been willing to state them, as well as by 
careful inquiries in other quarters, it seems clear 
that the motor installation has been a distinct 
success. 
The large addition to the number of motor 
fishing boats in the year 1909 would appear to 
warrant the conclusion that the marine oil en¬ 
gine as an auxiliary is making distinct head¬ 
way among the fishermen. In certain districts, 
chiefly in the Moray Firth, the motor is still 
regarded with doubt, some fishermen holding 
that it is unsuitable for the large type of boat 
employed by them, while others consider the 
engine still in the experimental stage. In most 
other districts, however, the general opinion is 
more favorable. Of course, on a number of oc¬ 
casions the fact that engines have broken down 
has given a setback to the popularity of auxil¬ 
iary motor propulsion, but there seems little 
doubt that the cause in most cases has been the 
inexperience of the fishermen. To remedy this, 
it has been suggested in several quarters that 
a qualified man should acompany the boat dur¬ 
ing its first season, and although this would 
mean extra working expenses, it would probably 
prove economical in the long run. In any case, 
it is to be hoped that as the Scottish sailing 
fleet is so large (consisting of between 9,000 and 
10,000 boats, of which nearly 2,800 are first- 
class vessels of the largest size), the subject 
of auxiliary motor propulsion will receive the 
most careful consideration of fishermen, as it 
certainly appears to hold out reasonable possi¬ 
bilities of success without the risks attendant 
on the purchase of an expensive steam drifter.” 
Snubbin’ Through the Canals. 
Some ten or fifteen years ago snubbin’ 
through the Erie Canal on one of the slow 
mule-propelled arks of commerce then in com¬ 
mon use was made temporarily popular by an 
artist and author of renown, who undertook 
the trip from Albany to Buffalo and made more 
or less fanciful notes of his experience with pen 
and pencil. Then others, awakened to the pos¬ 
sibilities of this new method of recreation, tried 
it; but there is no record of any one repeating 
it. Once experienced, the journey lost its 
picturesqueness. The slow speed, the unpleas¬ 
ant odors of bilge water and unsavory cooking, 
the narrow confines of the canalboat cabin, the 
flies, the heat, and the everlasting monotony of 
trying to get somewhere and never apparently 
moving toward the goal—these and a few more 
experiences discouraged the most hardy ex¬ 
plorers of the unusual in life. 
But within a year or two snubbin’ through 
our canals has come into prominence again, 
and its popularity is increasing at a remarkable 
rate. But there is a difference! The modern 
method is with a motor boat, large or small, 
where your speed is limited only .by the laws 
of the canal company, and your living quarters 
are as clean and pleasant as you care to make 
them. When the first motor boats tooted their 
whistles at the canal locks, they were frowned 
upon by the'attendants and by the companies 
owning and operating the waterways. They 
were looked upon as toys, as nuisances, al¬ 
though they paid the regular lockage tolls that 
a big, clumsy canalboat paid. In so much dis¬ 
favor was the motor boat regarded then, that 
passing through a dozen locks was almost 
equivalent to sending her to the scrapheap, for 
the men operating the locks and inclined rail¬ 
ways had a knack of scratching and scarring 
her sides until the paint was nearly worn off. 
A STOPPING PLACE ALONG THE CANAL. 
