
944 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Dec. 14, 1907. 

in motion, under power, and tiny “kickers” suit- 
able for the smallest launches, for dinghies or 
for power canoes. Many of these small motors, 
as well as some of fair size, will be shown with 
sections cut away so that every working part 
can be seen in actual operation, driven by electric 
motors. 
There will be a goodly number of exhibits 
which, though not either motors or motor boats, 
are very nearly related to them. For instance 
there will be a magnificent silver trophy made 
from the silver service of the captured Spanish 
battleship Maria Theresa. This is inlaid with 
coins found in the cabin of her commander, and 
is perhaps the most unique and the most his- 
torically interesting trophy ever offered for com- 
petition. It has been offered by Commodore 
Allen, of Florida, who has consented to its ex- 
hibition at the Grand Central Palace. 
The long, needle-like eight-oared shell in 
which Cornell won the intercollegiate rowing 
match and smashed all rowing records in the 
summer just past, will be the center of interest 
for many prominent oarsmen, among whom will 
be found the great coach Courtney. There. is 
really a very close connection between rowing 
and the motor boat. Until recently the neces- 
sity for fast coaching launches has led to the 
employment of steam launches. This neces- 
sitated the employment of men to look after the 
boilers and engines. Delay was of course ex- 
perienced in getting up steam. Coal and ashes 
were always a nuisance. And there were many 
other disadvantages, which were all swept away 
by the adoption of the gasolene launch. Now 
the coaching is done much more easier. There 
is no delay in getting started and a skilled en- 
gineer is not required. Moreover, speed is much 
more easily maintained and there is no difficulty 
in keeping near the spurting shell full of sturdy- 
backed college athletes. The fast gasolene launch 
is now the accepted type of craft for coaching 
a crew, and for this reason there will be many 
rowing enthusiasts at the Grand Central Palace 
while the big Cornell shell is there. 
A great many prominent officials of various 
departments of foreign governments will attend 
the show, both as invited guests at the opening 
night, and as interested spectators during the 
week. Many of these have received instructions 
from their governments to critically inspect the 
exhibits and make official reports on what they 
see. It is hardly necessary to say that the United 
States army and navy will be represented and 
that the progress of the boat and motor industry, 
as indicated by the show, will be made the sub- 
ject of searching investigation 

Colonial Y. C. Elects Officers. 
THE Colonial Y. C. has elected the following 
officers: Commodore. George J. Vestner, re- 
elected; Vice-Commodore, Frank Trotter, re- 
elected; Rear-Commodore, Arthur W. Chatfield: 
Fleet Captain, Alfred Colville; Fleet Surgeon, 
Dr. Roderick Fraser; Secretaries, Ernest Eber- 
lein and John P. J. Tully; Measurer, J. A. K. 
Whipple; Master-at-Arms, Theodore Hopper; 
Board of Directors, John T. Canavan, Charles T. 
McGlore, Charles H. Newman and Charles A. 
Sheffler. A special meeting of the club will be 
held on Thursday, Dec. 12, to inaugurate the 
opening of the winter quarters, known as “The 
Cave,” in Colonial Hall, Columbus avenue and 
IOIst street. 

A Challenge for the Manhasset Cup. 
Tue Indian Harbor Y. C., of Greenwich, 
Conn., intend to do some yachting in 10908, at 
any rate, as they have sent in a challenge to 
the American Y. C., of Milton Point, who are 
the present holders of the Manhasset Bay chal- 
lenge cup for 30-footers. 
This cup was put up in December, 1902, as a 
perpetual challenge trophy by the Manhasset Club, 
and several good series of races have already 
been sailed for it. In 1908 we will now see some 
more if the challenge is accepted, as it no doubt 
will be by the present holders. 

The Origin of the Sail. 
An Answer to G. A. J.’s_ Inquiry. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
Your correspondent G. A. J., in the issue of 
Nov. 30, “wants to know.” He invokes assist- 
ance from various sources to solve a question 
which reaches well down the vistas of time, 
through the twilight of the earliest historic 
periods into the darkness of the beyond or pre- 
historic. 
The rapid and constant progress of modern 
archeology is extending our views of ancient 
races to such a degree, that almost before the 
print is dry announcing a discovery, newer, and 
perhaps more startling facts, supersede them. 
Up to the present, the earliest representations 
of boats or ships propelled wholly or in part 
by the use of sails are by the Egyptians of the 
so-called ‘fold race,’ according to the theory of 
one school of anthropologists, of which the 
great and learned Jacques de Morgan is an ex- 
ponent. According to the other school this 
“old race” is but the father of the “new race,” 
which had been slowly evolved on the soil, and 
of Hamitic stock from the beginning. For the 
purpose of this discussion it is not necessary 
for us to take sides with either party. As 
briefly as possible, I will mention some of the 
stages in the development of sails, 
According to de Morgan (and there is no 
better authority), the pictorial writings, or 
“Grafitti,” on the rocks at Chatt-el-Regal, which 
he pronounces to be of the age preceding 
Menes, give us the pictures of two boats using 
sails. These ‘Grafitti’ were discovered and en- 
graved by M. G. Legrain. 
Menes, whether regarded as a conqueror 
from elsewhere, or as others regard him, as 
the first_general ruler over a united Upper and 
Lower Egypt, reigned in the fifth millennium, 
B. C., or about seven thousand years ago. 
The inclosed tracings from Monsieur Le- 
grain’s engravings (Fig. 492 in de Morgan’s 
Recherches sur les Origines d’Egypte) gives 
one the primitive artist’s idea of a boat pro- 
pelled both by sails and oars. This, so far as I 
know, antedates any previously discovered 
picture of a boat with applied sail power. In 
the case of one, the sail is apparently of cloth, 

MODEL OF THISTLE IN THE NEW YORK Y. C. 
while in the other the sail is a matting. Pos- 
sibly the matting was made of papyrus, as we 
have records of the use of this plant in later 
periods. If cloth sails were already «sed in the 
times of Menes, sooo B. C., it is almost certain 
that their use must have begun long before this 
early period, either by the Egyptians themselves 
or by the dwellers on the coasts of the Persian 
Gulf. The myth of “Dagon” certainly points in 
that direction. 
There are many references in Egyptian 
history of long voyages which would lead us to 
infer. that sails were used, the notable one of 
the XXV. Dynasty, under Neku II. (610 B. C.). 
This enlightened monarch organized an expe- 
dition of Phcenecians to circumnavigate the 
continent of Africa, which was accomplished in 
about two years. The successful completion of 
such a voyage as this denotes a great advance 
both in ship building and sail making. 
The Phcenecians were the great trading and 
colonizing people of ancient times. Their 
colonies were strewn all along the coasts of the 
Mediterranean as far as Gades (Cadiz) in 
Spain. 
In making such long voyages as these, the 
sail must have furnished the main motive power. 
In 550 B. C. and 500 B. C. the Carthagenians, 
Hamilco and Hanno, made long voyages in 
the Atlantic Ocean and discovered the British 
Isles. Each of these early navigators refers to 
sailing, the lack of wind, etc., showing their 
dependence on sails for progress. 
Possibly future discoveries on the shores of 
the Persian Gulf or advances in our knowledge 
of the Aegean civilization of the eastern Med- 
iterranean, which flourished from 2000 B. C. up 
to the period of the Doric invasion, may en- 
I:ghten us still further on the question of the 
evolution of sails; but, be that as it may, the 
facts so far as known warrant the belief that 
the invention of the sail is to be credited to the 
Egyptian. CLARENCE J. REYNOLDS. 
PouGHKEEPsIE, N. Y , Dec. 8, 
Tue new Florida cruising schooner, built this 
fall for Mr. Fleischman by the Seabury Co., of 
Morris Heights. from Cox & Stevens’ designs, 
started South last week in charge of Captain 
Horton. She will go by the inside route through 
the canals. 








































































































