906 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Dec. 3, 1910. 
Motor 'Boating. 
Sparks. 
John F. O’Rourke is having two 60-horse¬ 
power motors installed in his twin-screw yacht 
Lady Jane. 
John D. Archbold’s steam yacht Vixen has 
been put out of commission and will have a new 
type of water tube boiler installed. 
Commodore Frederick G. Bourne is having a 
new 4-cylinder motor installed in his launch 
Express, which he uses at his summer home on 
the St. Lawrence River. 
The Dubuque Motor Boat Club, under whose 
auspices the annual regatta of the Mississippi 
Power Boat Association is to be held on July 
4, 5 and 6, 1911, have raised a fund of $10,000 
which they intend to blow in, in true Western 
style, on prizes, fire works and entertainments 
for the visiting yachtsmen. 
The first motor surf boat to be used by the 
United States Navy made a perfect trial run 
recently from Greenport, L. I., to the point of 
delivery at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. More 
boats of this kind have been ordered, all 
equipped with gasolene motors and identical in 
every way with the surf boats used in the life 
saving service. 
The following are having new boats built: 
Geo. C. Campbell, Columbia Y. C., a 20-foot 
speed launch; L. J. Bell, of Lake Charles, La., 
a 45-foot cruiser; C, C. Fisher, of Indianapolis, 
Ind., a 90-foot twin-screw motor yacht and a 
39-foot speed launch, the latter having a guaran¬ 
tee of 34 miles per hour; A. Y. Gowan, of 
Cleveland, O4 a 77-foot twin-screw, high-speed 
motor boat, to be used on the Great Lakes. 
A number of New Yorkers are perfecting 
their equipments for motor boating in Southern 
waters this winter, among them being Horace 
L. Kent, who is having a 35-foot runabout 
built with a speed guarantee of 18 miles per 
hour. C. K. G. Billings is having built three 
very unique fishing power dories to be carried 
on his steam yacht Vanadis for an extensive 
fishing trip down South. Mrs. Spencer Trask 
has sold the 56-foot teakwood motor boat 
Swallow to B. R. Kittridge, who will use the 
craft in Southern waters this winter. 
The last steam-driven working boat running 
on the lower Mississippi between New Orleans 
and Fort Eads, La., has been put out of busi¬ 
ness, as far as steam propulsion is concerned, 
and is now being driven by a gasolene motor. 
The last man to hold out against a gas engine 
was a party by the name of Renaud, who 
operated a boat 125 feet in length in which he 
has just installed a ioo-horsepower motor. An¬ 
other boat, named the Little Tom, completed 
her first trip to New Orleans from the lower 
coast a few days ago, with a cargo of 1,600 
boxes of oranges. This boat had recently in¬ 
stalled a 50-horsepower motor and is now mak¬ 
ing a handsome profit for her owner as against 
a losing proposition during most of the time 
that the. boat has been operated on steam. The 
■owners of these boats state that the efficiency, 
.available cargo space, economy in operation, 
and decrease in wages of the crew, are all 
strong points in favor of the gasolene motor 
•of to-day for commercial uses. 
Coming Fleet of Hydroplanes. 
The success of the hydroplane this year sug¬ 
gests that the announcements as to new boats, 
which the Royal Motor Y. C. and the British 
Boat Club circulate with unfailing regularity 
■each spring, will contain frequent references to 
these wonderful skimmers—the latest develop¬ 
ment in the building of motor boats, according 
to the Yachtsman. The remarkable speeds at¬ 
tained by such boats as Pioneer, the Ducal craft 
which so unluckily failed to bring back the 
British International trophy, Columbine. Mi¬ 
randa IV., Pierrette, etc., imparted more life 
into an already healthy sport, and the result 
is the ever-increasing popularity of the racing 
side of marine motoring. It used to be that 
heavy expense prevented enthusiasts from build¬ 
ing fast craft, but the era of the hydroplane has 
made it possible to run a 30-knotter at com¬ 
paratively little cost, and there is plenty of ex¬ 
citement to be obtained from small boats, such 
as Vice, better known as Defender II. Last 
year that extraordinary little vessel won every 
race for which it entered under M. M. A. rating, 
and again this year it was extremely successful. 
It has had the field pretty well to itself, since 
it was in a class of its own; but next season 
there will doubtless be other boats of the type. 
It may even be that this unique craft of 1910 
will be but one of a fleet in 1911. 
The Dangers of Hell Gate. 
It is claimed that recent collisions in Hell 
Gate, this port, have been caused through the 
inability of vessels navigating this difficult chan¬ 
nel to keep clear of Hallett’s Point and the 
Government dredges at work blasting out Flood 
Rock, says the Marine Journal. The necessity 
of removing the latter, thereby adding largely 
to the safety of vessels passing through this 
sharp turn in the “gate,” is paramount, and as 
a consequence too much care cannot be exer¬ 
cised in approaching it. No master unfamiliar 
with this dangerous entrance to Long Island 
Sound should attempt it without a Hell Gate 
pilot, and before entering from either end, due 
consideration should be taken as to what kind 
of craft is coming from the opposite way, 
whether a steam or sail vessel, or barges being 
towed, as it is easy for those familiar with this 
route to judge how such would be handled 
under existing conditions. 
Clearing this channel of rocks and ledges that 
have been the dread of mariners for a century 
more or less, beginning with the blowing up 
and removing the end of Hallett’s Point, has 
been an expensive as well as a colossal under¬ 
taking, and during all this time regular Hell 
Gate navigators have heartily welcomed the 
dredges, even if they do at times interfere with 
safe navigation, as they know they keep out of 
their way as much as possible, and that event¬ 
ually their work will practically result in plain 
sailing through the most tortuous channel that 
forms the outlet and entrance to a harbor of 
any in the United States. 
Referring to the removal of Hallett’s Point 
on the shore of Astoria by the late Gen. New¬ 
ton, of the U. S. Engineer Corps, on that day 
the writer happened to be in the office of the 
late John Roach at the foot of Ninth street, 
East River. Twelve o’clock was the hour set 
for the mine that had been placed under the 
point to be exploded. Just before that time 
Mr. Roach told his son Garret to place a glass 
filled with water on the steam radiator to see 
if the, vibration would be sufficient to disturb 
it. The explosion was plainly heard, but the 
water remained in the glass without spilling a 
drop of it. 
Motor Boats on the Chesapeake. 
The Maryland Motor Boat Club held a 
special meeting at the Eutaw House recently 
for the purpose of nominating the officers of 
the club for the ensuing year. The nomina¬ 
tions were unanimous. The annual election 
will take place on the 'third Friday of January, 
when they will be installed. It came as a sur¬ 
prise to the members of the club when they 
heard President Bigelow make the statement 
that lie would resign as the head of the club. 
He further made a motion that Commodore 
Myer Rosenbush be nominated for the presi¬ 
dency and the vote was unanimous. This left 
the commodoreship unoccupied, and Myer 
Rosenbush in turn nominated Mr. Bigelow for 
that position and the vote again was unanimous. 
Both of these gentlemen have done much for 
the club and it would be a great loss to the or¬ 
ganization if they would step out of active 
affairs altogether. Vice-Commodore William 
W. Varney occupied the chair during the nomi¬ 
nation of the president. 
The report of Treasurer Weiler was read and 
the club is in a very flourishing condition. 
They will celebrate this by holding a “spread” 
sometime in December or January. The com¬ 
mittee on the crab and oyster feast were 
tendered a vote of thanks for the way in which 
they served the members on both occasions. 
The club will hold a theater party at Ford’s 
theater on Tuesday night, when they will wit¬ 
ness a production of “Katie Did.” Chairman 
Thomas DeFalco of this party is working hard 
and is fast getting the 2,000 tickets distributed 
among the members. 
The officers that were nominated were as fol¬ 
lows: Myer Rosenbush, President; W. P. 
Bigelow, Commodore; W. Wirt Steele, Vice- 
President; W. W. Varney, Vice-Commodore; 
Albert Likes, Rear-Commodore; Ambrose 
Vogt, Fleet Captain; Charles Counselman, Sec¬ 
retary; Edward A. Weiler, Treasurer. Board 
of Governors — Messrs. Swartz, Levering, 
Loane, Wickham, Marscheck and Dorton. 
The Baltimore Motor Y. C. has elected these 
officers: Commodore, C. M. Slagle; Vice-Com¬ 
modore, A. Stanley Zell; Rear-Commodore, Dr. 
Thomas J. O’Donnell; President. William F. 
Broening; Vice-President, Charles W. Winners; 
Secretary — R. G. Broome; Treasurer, William 
Hellbach. Board of Governors (three-year 
term)—John T. Mahon and J. J. Walsh. 
Such has been the increase in the number 
of motor boat enthusiasts in Baltimore and the 
added interests in motor boating that a new 
club was organized Oct. 15 by William Ganter 
with forty members, which now has passed the 
100 mark. 
The Middle Branch Motor Boat Club was 
selected as the name of the new organization, 
and that it has met with instant success is ex¬ 
pressing it mildly. The promoters of the new 
club had seen many clubs started in the early 
spring with a membership which knew no 
bounds, but which soon dwindled when the 
boating season was over. 
To secure only those for members who are 
boatmen in the winter months as well as the 
warm days of summer, it was decided to start 
this club at practically the end of the season. 
Quarters for the new club have been secured 
on the middle branch of the Patapsco River, 
west of the foot of Hanover street, and, as soon 
as the membership warrants, new buildings will 
be erected. 
The officers are: President, Charles Altvater; 
Treasurer, Jacob Bitzer; Corresponding Secre¬ 
tary, John Miller; Financial Secretary, Charles 
Schuerholz; Commodore, William Ganter; 
Vice-Commodore, Gustav Behrens, Sr.; Rear- 
Commodore, William Doell, Jr.; Fleet Captain, 
Henry A. Ulrich; Quartermaster, Charles J. 
Wolf; Fleet Engineer, August W. Behrens, Jr.; 
Measurer, Thomas L. Cardwell; Fleet Surgeon, 
Dr. Paul C. E. Hauser, and Steward, Paul 
Gauniel. 
ANGLERS BARRED. 
An angler took his rod upstairs with him and 
stood it.on the landing. He had been spinning 
for pike, and left a small sprat on the hook. 
He had not been in bed many minutes when he 
was alarmed by the screams of his landlady 
and her two daughters, mingled with the yells 
of the favorite tom-cat and the “singing” of the 
reel! He seized his rod, winding in as he de¬ 
scended the stairs, grassed the cat in the coal- 
cellar, when, as in the case of the poor little 
robin, the cat had not only swallowed the sprat 
but the hook as well. Where is the brave 
angler who would undertake the task of ex¬ 
tracting the hook from an infuriated cat? That 
cat died that night. That angler had to find 
somewhere else to sleep that night. That land¬ 
lady still lets apartments — but not to anglers. — 
Fishing Gazette. 
The Forest and Stream may be obtained from any 
newsdealer on order. Ask your dealer to supply you 
regularly. 
