The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1885-06-25
old.Fashioned Birch oanoes.

The canoe has become so populaE
among sportsmen and tourists, writes
o Bangor, Me-, correspondent to the
NesO York Sun. that the building Of
this light and graceful craft has grown
to be an important industry In Maine.
especially on the Penobscot river. Jack
Darling of Lowell, . famous hunter
and guide, and an adept at building
the birchen craft, says that when All
the work of getting the materials from
the woods and putting them together
In proper shape Is considered, $S5 Is
not big price for q canoe. Time was
when the big birch trees were to be
found near by, and clear straight cedar
was at hand in plenty, SO that the ma
terials for canoe were easily obtained
Nowadays the birches are from fifty to
one hundred miles from the up-riyer
towns, and two suitable trees are sell
dom found within sight of each other,
while the cedar is also distant.
All bark for canoes come from the
white birch's outer coating. the inner
side of which in winter has 3 reddish
brown coat, while in summer 1t is
smooth and yellow. The winter bark
is preferred because it is tougher, and
because of the opportunity afforded by
its brown coat for tracing various de-
signs with knife. The canoe-builder
fells q white birch, which is at least
one foot in diameter eighteen feet from
the butt, allowing it to fall across some
small logs to keep it from the ground,
and then strips off the outer bark. The
bark is hard to handle, curling mp In
eccentric coils, and must be warmed or
toasted over fire before it can be
Strengthened out and rolled up proper
~. The bark and a lot of clear,
straight cedar are carried from the
woods to the building-yard In canoes
or boats. At the yard, stakes are
driven into the ground in the shape OF
q canoe, and the bark, after more toast
ing, Is fitted to the frame. Next the
gunwales, strips of spruce and cedar,
are shaved out and fastened to the top
side of the bark with copper nails.
Then the whole inside of the bark is
lined with lenghtwise strips of cedar,
and over these about fifty transverse
timbers of the same material are
sprung in, their ends being secured un.
der. the gunwales. All cuts made In
bringing the bark to the required shape
are sewed up with strips of cane and
gummed over with 8 mixture of oil and
rosin. Ash thwarts, very narrow, art
fitted, and strips of tough canvass are
glued over the lap of the bark at each
sharp end, and the canoe is done. With
two smoothly shaved, widebladed pad
dies of poplar, maple, or ash, she il
ready for service.
If the canoe is intended for deep
water, where there is a sea, she il
fashioned deep; if for small lake anC
trout streams, she is shallow. Nearly
every Indian tribe has q model of it
own, and the white men use entirely
different forms. A good canoe of the
ordinary length-eighteen feet-wil
carry four men safely if properly man
aged. Tho only tool used by white
man or Indian in making the graceful
birch are q knife with curved blade
an awl, drawshave, and hammer
The Indian often has only the knife.
The red man is not so neat a builder al
many white men are, but he navigatel
a canoe with greater skill 1t comes
natural to the Indian-even q IA
squaw paddles with dexterity.
About ten years ago canvas was In
| troduced as a substitute for bark fol
covering canoes, and many clotl
canoes have been built in this vicinity
| since. The duck craft is covered with
a thick coat of paint to make it water
tight, and is lighter, while fully a.
cheap as birch, but not SO symmetrical
Birch will never be displaced by canvas
/ for II hands IN VoYaffjar