The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-05-24
HOWTO MANAGEACANOE
HANDLING THE CsAsKT CRAFT IN
AND OUT OF WATER.

HANDLING TIE CaASKT CRAFT IN
AND OUT OF WATER.
Coed Advice From an Expert-The
Birch Bark Canoe and How 60 Treat
it on Long Journey-The Art of
Paddlng-working With Two Pad
dies.
tCopyri0htl
NEW YORK, May pa canoe is a dan
gerous thing for a greenborn to meddle
with. but a safe thing in the hands Of an
Indian or an expert The first rule Of
safety is 20 keep your own weight and the
weight Of your load close to the bottom Of
the canoe. II this caution is followed few
accidents need happen. for the lower the
weight center of the cargo is kept below the
water line the more will the buoy ancy and
lightness Of the craft tell In favor OF sea-
worthiDess; she will ride the waves like
| duck. Tho birch bark canoe is the model of
all open padding canoes. aud one who has
become thoroughly at home in that ship Of
the woods may safely trust himself in any
other.
The ordinary birch bark canoe, such as is
made by the Indians OF Maine. that home
| OF canoeing. is about twenty feet long, and
| will carry two paddlers, with couple of
hundred pounds OF baggage. II can be
bought for fifteen or twenty dollars, fresh
| from the stocks; few years ago ten or
twelve dollars would buy a small one, but
as the barque gets scarce and long journeys
| have to be made to get it, the cost increases.
Let us suppose we have one Of the beautiful
pieces of handicraft, finished only yester-
day, and delivered this morning in your
riverside dooryard. How shall we get the
N nf ~ md rail
thing taut and neat for four or five years,
the extent of canoes lifes
First, while the shining yellow cedar
ribs and Inning are fresh and clean give the
inside, the bars aud gunwales, a good coat
OF raw paint Oil. This may be renewed at
midsummer, and each spring thereafter.
The outside may with advantage be given
coat of oil, varnish, and drier, mixed in
equal proportions; this will preserve the
small eyes OF the bark, and effectually keep
the bark from getting water soaked on a
long journey, as old canoes are apt to do
The rosin for mending seams and leaks
should be melted with about one-eighth its
bulk Of clean lard or paint oil. The exact
proportion can best be learned by rule of
thumb, as it must vary with the season; in
hot weather more rosin will be needed to
keep the mixture from melting in the sun
after 1t is applied, while in cold weather
more grease will be needed to keep 1t from
cracking and chipping off through brittle
ness. In all cases it must be put on as hot
as possible, with silver of wood, and care
must be taken to have the cracks or eyes
perfectly dry when 1t is applied. Now, If
our canoe is ready and tight from stem to
stern las you eau easily see by putting a
couple Of buckets Of water in her and
Watching for any drops to leak through let
us have q first lesson in padding.
To get our vessel to the river, stand by
the canoe as she rests on her keel on the
ground, grasp the middle bar near the gum
vale with your right hand and at its center
with your left hand raise the canoe to your
knee and give 1t a flip as If you were throw
ing rail across your shoulder; let the
middle bar fall into place on the thick
muscle between the neck and the bony point
OF the right shoulder, at the same time let
ting go with the left hand and shifting it to
eaten the gunwale couple Of feet in front
of you on the left hand side, extending the
arm far enough forward to give you
command in balancing the load the right
nand may now be shifted from its hold on
the bar, and the gunwaie grasped with it
the fingers on the inside of the cancel
about foot In front Of you. You will now
find tho canoe resting lightly on your
shoulder, the middle bar extending across
the hollow Of your right shoulder aud out
onto the muscle of the right arm. If you
Ao bbLODE1 q LlObio pEhCblC0 Will GuaUlo you
to carry the canoe, using the right hand
alone; you may stop and pick up your
paddle with the left and march off An
expert canoeist will take his kneeling cush-
ions and paddle in his left hand first, aud
then shoulder the craft with his right hand
alone. But this is needlessly troublesome,
and usually the canoe is kept on rests up
side down so that one only has to walk
under and lift her off.
Then when we come 10 the water; you
must set her afloat lightly from some land
ing pace, taking care not to let her touch
bottom anywhere while loading Place the
load as low as posRlSis, and mass it amid
ships as far as is convenient. Let your bow
man get in and sit down on q cushion on
the bottom of canoe, with another cushion
at his back. Upon no account allow him to
kneel up against the bar or to sit on his
| heels; this rule is Imperative; the Indians
never violate 1T unless, perhaps, in racing.
More accidents occur through the bowman
kneeling up than any other way. 1t looks
clumsy and top-heavy and is always dan
gerous.
In stepping into canoe never stick your
paddle in before you aud lean on it; lay it
across the gunwales in front of your place;
put hand on each side of the canoe and
step in properly. You are now in the stern
where the canoe is just wide enough to al
low you to kneel sitting on your heels, with
your toes together close back against the
end bar A thin cushion under your knees
if you wish a thicker one under your instep
will give most comfors. The gunwales of
the canoe ought now to come close to your
waist just above the hips, and should fit so
snugly without perhaps actually touching
YOU that you can by twist of your body
| control the rolling Of the canoe in sea.
When you become thoroughly at home in
the birch you will fnd this a great help in
| climbing the shifting hills
Now for the paddle. 1t is made Of rock
maple. The older IL ia the better, for it will
bs dry and light and spripgy. A new paddle
is apt to be good for a couple of hours only:
then the blade twists and the spring will all
be gone out Of it. But an old stager, brown
with age and oil, is a treasure to be guarded.
The paddle cannot be oiled too often. As to
size, it should be the length OF the paddler,
though some prefer a short handle. 1t
should balance in the hand when held just
where the blade joins the haft
When you are seated in the canoe, with
the paddle lying across the gunwales in
front Of you, will suppose you are to he-
gin work on the left or port side. your bow
man, of course, padding on the starboard.
Take the paddle i'll your left hand at the
thickest part, just above the blade, the
fingers and thumb uppermost; the right
hand may be placed in the same position on
the upper end, or fiat handle. or it may be