Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1889-06-20
THE BOOMERANG.
Fables About the Weapon and What Z,
Can Actually Accomplish.

Fables About the Weapon and Vbatr.
Can Actually Accomplish.
A letter from Hobart Town. IL.
mania, TO the Springfield (Mass1 h.
/ publican says: More has been write,
and less is understood of the booms..
ang than of almost any other weapon
| 1t is generally known to be a fat Std.
of wood bent into a shape which sgg.
gssts the combination of Y and II
although with the extremities spread
apart until they are at right aDrIss
with each other. In point of fac.
boomerangs are Of almost every shape,
from semi-circular to nearly STRAIGHT
and seem to depend for their efficiency
not So much upon their eyideu. form
as upon the curves which ara
shown upon their flat sides If
one takes a boomerang aud looks alopg
its sharp outer edge it is seen that th.s
edge presents q wavy Appearances
delicately adjusted sinuosty line of
long screw. The curve is not elabor.
ately fashioned or smoothed into sren-
ness; the hard wood Of which the boom
erang is usually made, being picked
out with short blows made from
sharpened flint held in the hand. IL
most always shows, indeed, infinite iy-
regularities. What rule of consuuc.
ton the savage artibcer follows even
he himself would probably De unable
to say. Yet he has some definite plar
in mind, no doubt, for while he chips
and pecks away at the wood be takes
frequent squints along its edge 20 see
{ f.f a. 81 Z
have never seen two boomerau-s Chat
were just alike. but all are similar iu
their relations of curves along lhe flat
side. The boomeraug-maker knows
instucliycly just where his boomerang
will 60 when he throws it, although DO
never seems to aim any two in the same
way.
More lies have been told about the
boomerang than can be we'll enumtg-
ated and nearly every Australian
( traveller comes back with fresh as-
/ sortmeut. One hears Of men who can
so throw q boomerang that it kills am
enemy behind Il tree and then comes
/ Checrfully flutteriug back 10 its owner,
who tagrcupou hurts 10 on fresh mis-
sion If carnage. A flock of ir.gH.eu-
] h
gyrdtipu- through air 10 escape the
attack oi natives who want bird for
dinner. are pursued at every turn by
THESE pgrauc weaupus, which strike
I jhrm duWH dozen each. and So re-
/ turn ID the hand tlat east them Old
wives fables these, mt which Austria
. ijau- laugh, knowing In the nature of
/ things their it.5.ty. In the first place
\ the war-boomeranr IS not made for re-
/ turn, and is oaiy slightly bent. so that
I it may 90 hopping and bounding along
/ the earth ike q aoop. and make aapl-
I cious holes I'D the bodies of the udyet
sary These are of hard. heavy wood
and ugly things TO be withal but .he
I return boomerang is simply play
thing, or to DE used in light hunting,
4 and although it might give "a man q
/ painful rap. could not seriously ui1t
him. As for the c0ekatoo story ii has
/ this much Of truth, that a native BOOM
F.. ertu- hurler, if he saw q flock flying
+ by him I'm straight course, could so
. east his weapon as to come upon them
. unawares NJ given point in Their
. flight. aud, perhaps, knock one down
/ but his boomerang would drop 100
. having no power OF flight after 1t has
struck anything
The boomerang is sufficiently re-
. markable without being regarded 10
the light Of a long bow, and drawn by
/ every tourist ia the colonies. il
( held perpeudicularlr and taken firmly
In the hand by one of its eNtrem'ueA
with the other pointed forward and is
hurled with q full arm and assisted by
a run and swing of the whole body
a slight turn OF the wrist at the mo-
meut Of discharge causes IL % assume
/ various erratic courses. Sometimes t
/ viii ilv straight forward for 100 OF
even 200 yards. then rise sharply 70 o
/ great Height. lose It's force. and hutIes
down to the feet ofthe thrower. Again
IL viii rise I'm the air. swOup ''.eWA
with immense rapidity, and shim
around In great semi-circle te"
4 inches from the ground, rise one more
and return TO the pot whence it STARE
/ ed. II VIII also start off iu q great
swoop 10 the right, reverse it and turn
to the left. skim around the thrower u
series of eveg-uarrowj wing circles, and
finding their center, IAN into it liAe an
exhausted bird. There something
uncaauy about the thi. Fl, move
I ments are So unexpected and out g.,
reason THAT seems Ia he alive, aaA
to take savage delight IN strange
shoots and d4she. which make ,ie
.uew chum' australian equivalent
f3r "teudertu0t dodge every TIME Z
turns, .ast Il should knock him on me
I head