National Republican., 1884-08-02
CANOE AND PADDLE.
THE CRAFT WHICH SAILS ALL WATERS IN
ANY WEATHER.

ures on Sea aud SbOre-The Potomac u
Paradise for Canoeisis.
Now that Washington has full. nedged
Canoe club to number among her MINER
Gus attractions u good many Of her honest
citizens are asking what sort of thing a
canoe is, and what are the attractions IL
offers as means of recreation. A spare
quarter will buy w. L. Aldon's most de-
lightful little book, published in tho
Iarper's Half Hour Series, called "Tho
Canoe and the Flying Proa," aud it will
take n little time to read it. If tho
political situation and the hot weather
haven't bereft the reader OF every grain
Of enthusiasm the porussl of that little
volume will make him canoeist in half
an hour. Aside from the information IL
gives, which is just what is needed. tho
breezy, jolly, fascinating style of the
| author will capture tho reader, and he
| will join with him In saying that it has
taken the human race 6,000 years to de-
velope its highest work, to wit, the per-
feet cruising canoe.
But assuming that the leisure aud the
quarter are lacking, and Nr. Alden's
book, therefore, unread, it is here pro.
posed in feeble way to give some
"pointeis' upon the subject Of which 1t
treats.
There are canoes and canoes. Should
stranger to the sport get among a crowd
Of canoeists, or pick up one of their
papers, he might hear or road of padding,
sailing, cruising, paddleable-sailing, and
racing canoes, or oil cedar, canvas, decked
opon, centcrhOard, and tandom canoes or
still further of Rob Roy, Nautilus
Shadow, Pearl, Stella Maris, Racine,
Ontario, Lansinburgh, and st. Lawrence
canoes without having exhausted the
category. The canoes of the two first
named indicate their distinguishing fea-
turos by their titles. The others are
names now Familiarity associated by
canocists with distinct types of canoes.
SO many and varied are tho peculiar uses
to which the canoe can be adapted in
seeking recreation that no one type can
be said to be the best, some excelling
for one purpose and some for an
other. All of them arc made to paddle
and are distinct from rowboats
in that particular. But some are adapted
Tor threading narrow streams and run
ming rapids, while others are built to
coast along the shore from Maine to
Florida. Some are faster than others.
Some have moro stowage and better sleep
ing capacities, and so ON to the end of the
list.
An "all-round" canoo is one good for
all purposes to which a canoe can be put.
or course such canoe will hardly be
likely to excel in any one particular, but
as rule they are the favorites with
canoests who want to bo able to follow
the dictates of their own sweet wills on u
cruise, and sail or paddle. outside or inside,
camp or board, as the whim takes them.
y The length of canoes varies from four
teen to twenty feet, and the width from
nineteen to thirty-one inches. The long
narrow canoes arc built expressly for
padding races, and are not much in
vogue. The most popular dimensions for
all-round canoes are about fifteen feet in
length and thirty inches in width White
cedar is tho best wood to build them of,
and the decks and combings are generally
finished of in some of the finer woods,
such as walnut, rosewood, mahogany, or
California red wood, and as the metal
trimmings can bo Of brass, or nickel, or
silver-plated. very handsome results can
be obtained in the construction of this
little craft IL one has the means and is SO
disposed. AS natural result the prices
vary greatly. There are canoes which
have doubtless cost their owners several
hundred dollars, and there are canoes, the
joint product of the canoeiBt's short purse
and strong arms, that have cost their
owners considerably less than $50. Ono
OF the most popular canoes in the Wash
ington Canoe club was built by its owner
at an outlay Of just $3.50.
But, for the benefit of those who have
neither the time nor. disposition to build
their own Canoes II may be said that the
| hull of a p00d all ll.rnpnH ,aroa oan ho l.J
from the builders for prices ranging from
$50 to $40, according to dimensions. Tho
| rigging (masts, sails, &C.,, if purchased
from the builder, generally costs about
80 per cent of the price of the hull. If
the canOeist does his own rigging, the
cost is about 10 per cent.
Sailing canoes land with the execution
Of those built for padding races. all
canoes are now built for sailing) are gen
orally rugged with two sails The larger
in front of the canoeist or "crew," as he Is
facetiously called, is the mainsail, of
which there are many patterns, and the
small sail behiud him is called the
dandy" Some canoes carry also ibis and
topsails. A number Of patent center
boards have recently been invented.
which take up little or 10 room in the
canoe, and can easily be adjusted from
the inside. These add greatly to the
sailing qualities and considerable to the
safety of the canoes.
All builders put watertight bulkheads
fore and aft in their canoes, 30 IA to
render them unsinkablo in case of a fill or
an upset. Beside this, there is an ingeni-
ous arrangement of matches and apron by
which the crew can 30 cover himself To
the waist as to prevent drop of water
entering his boat, 30 that in case of rough
/ satVa hn h..u
rubber or oilcloth jacket and hat, and as
he sits in the bottom of his boat, thus
bringing the weight below the water
line, and can reef or strike his sail with.
out leaving his scat, it can be easily seen
that no ordinary combination Of wind and
rain can have any terrors for him.
Inside, under the decks, or slowed away
in matches made specially for them, are
the crews extra clothing, provisions,
cooking utensils, and tent Asa canoeist
on cruise should always sleep in his
canoe, number Of tents have been de-
vised, which are attached in various
ways to tho masts and button
down close around the cockpit, SO
folds the drapery of his couch about him.
and after inditing, by the light Of his
canoe lamp, letter to his sweetheart,
writing up his log for the day, and per-
haps reading until he gets sleepy, he lies
down to pleasant dreams.
Canoeing has become so fashionable that
numerous builders have sprung up all
over the country from Canada to Caiifor-
mia, 1t is the ono sport that can bo en-
joyed in all parts of the country wherever
there Is stream or water sufficient to
float the little craft. Canoeists have ridden
on the top OF tho mighty spring freshets
of our great western rivers canoeists
have crossed tho great lakes canoeists
have cruised along the rocky coasts of
Maine and explored Its far northern lakes.
In Florida they penetrate tho everglades,
and in San Francisco they sail out the
Golden Gate. Tine reason is that the
canoe Is the safest most comfortable, least
!