Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1891-09-01
TIE WELSH C0RACLE.
THE ORIGIN AND CONSTRUCTION or
AN OLD TIME CRAFT.

Hunters- Easily Repaired.
Every schoolboy knows, or, at any
rate, has been told, that the coracle Is
the ancient Britjsl, boat; but how many
people have seen . coracle or know the
method OF its navigation The case for
the antiquity Of coraclee Is pretty
strong one. for there is evidence Of their
use by the British in the time Of the Ro
mans: but such has been the uprooting
OF cherished beliefs in recent times that
few people probably would be surprised
TO hear that coracles had never been
heard Of before the middle Of the last
century. and that the first had been used.
not by Noah. as the prevalent belief In
Wales is. but by one David Jones (of
locker celebrityl OF Llangollen. There
10 much In the coracle. however, which
favors the ide; that it is primitive boat.
That large wicker basket covered with
skins would float is an idea which might
occur TO man at an early stage Of civ
ilization. that it might be made big
enough to hold a man. or even two. and
that it would he convenient for crossing
rivers. and even for floating down them.
while its lightness would make it easily
carried up them. would merely be de-
veIopment Of the first idea We there
fore 1--WE hope not rashly) believe in the
Welsh legend Of the antiquity Of the
ccracle. not going further back. however
at present. than Roman times
But the present coracie is, as might
be expected. a development. but by no
means very advanced one; the wicker
has given place to ashen laths and the
skins to tarpaulin. CoracIes vary in
shape slightly. and also in size. There
are single and double ones-i e., to hold
one person or two The largest size
OF double coracle weighs about sixty
pounds. the smallest single one, per-
haps, thirty pounds The nearest thing
to it in shape that we can think of is
one of those large walnut shells into
which Limerick gloves used to be
slowed. and which in bygone ages were
considered suitable presents for ladies'
There is considerable bilge. the bottom
of the coracIe being much wider than
only two or three inches of water; a
narrow plank is fixed across the center
for a seat
The extreme crankness of the craft
may be inferred from the method of
getting into it; you put one leg in, sit
ting down with the same action, and
then draw the other in carefully after.
To people Of some temperaments it is
somewhat exciting to know that there is
Cv,lr - LA.
them and raging flood. and that there
are rocks and fallen trees under the dis
| colored water. but a good coracleman
manages his boat very skillfully with his
single paddle held in one hand, and just
as you are in the middle of the turmoil
of fearful rapid, with rocks ahead and
on each side, on which shipwreck seems
inevitable. "A dexterous sweep of the pad
| die takes you between the breakers, and,
before you can wink comfortably, you
find yourself in the pool below. gliding
along in perfect serenity
| Coracles are used in many Welsh
streams and on the Severn, but, we be-
lieve, little elsewhere in England. The
most systematic use of them, and the
longest voyages made, are on the Dee, in
the Vale of Llangollen, the wizard
stream" of Milton; the "holy Dee," 1.-THE
dear brother of Severn" of Drayton, the
sacred Dee of Tennyson; and verify
the scenes through which the coracle
fisherman on the Dee passes are ever re-
curing scenes of enchantment
From no position can river scenery be
so well seen as from the middle of the
stream. and when one pictures to ones
self ii voyage of dozen miles along the
| windings of river in such vale as that
lovely bits of scenery are repeated at
every turn.
Now the frail craft dashes down a
rapid, the waves boiling on either side OF
it; now it glides on the surface of long,
deep, silent pool. buried in the woods,
over the tops of which the purple hills
appear. The foliage is rich beyond be-
lief. and in the spring and autumn its
varied colors give the most charming eff
feet Cool MOSES deep" clothe the
banks, wild flowers peep forth.
Animals are not very shy of the
coracle, trout take the fly close to it
sandpipers fit about with the most
transparent pretense of being there only
for amusement and of having no nest
anywhere in the neighborhood, water
ousels show their white threats and lit.
tie round bodies on the rocks for mo
ment and are gone, an occasional king
fisher flashes past, his splendid color
glowing in the sunlight, willow wren:
hop jerkily about on the banks, anc
bright eyed water voles eye you curious
ly before they take their plunge.
Accidents rarely happen in a coracle
Where the river is very difficult, the
man who paddles makes the fisherman
get out, and sometimes the ship itself il
landed and carried past dangerous
place Formerly coracles used to b,
carried for long distances on the mems
backs; now the railway has come to the
fisherman's assistance, and his boat goe.
with him to the station nearest to hi!
starting point, and from thence is carried
to the river If hole is knocked in tn,
bottom of the boat by a rock or tn,
branch of sunken tree, the coracle mar
paddles TO the bank. lifts out his coracle
lights piece of taper he always carries
with him. melts the tar on a patch O
tarpaulin he produces from somewhere
and sticks it over the hole like a larg,
piece of sticking plaster, in few min
utes it dries, and you are off again. =
Saturday Review.