The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-02-10
b BOAT FOR The ICE.


PARTY of Merry-Makers.
Early last winter my friend, Fred
Burdett and 1 decided to build an ice
| boat. We ransacked the attics of our
| houses for old skates, canvas, iron bolts,
nuts and clothes-poles After we had
| collected enough such articles and had
bought some planks from the carpen-
! ters, we were ready to begin work.
But here we met with difficulty-the
mast. Of course a clothes-pole would
not be strong enough to support the
weight of iron rings, canvas and the
broom-sticks which were to serve as
booms. Fred, however, remembered
that he had seen small spruce-tree in
a grove near his house, which he
thought would be just the thing for a
mast. We cut down this tree. and
although it was little crooked toward
the top, it made fairly good mast.
After three weeks of steady work the
framework of the boat had been built,
the mast fitted into it's hole, the canvas
for the sails hemmed, the two front
skates nailed to the broad runner
board, and everything was complete
except the rudder. We puzzled over
the rudder for nearly two weeks before
we found any satisfactory way to rig it
to the boat At last, by means of long
bent iron bolt with a hole in the mid
die, an old skate and small French
nail we patched up rudder which
steered the boat, and was perfectly safe
so long as the little French nail held.
Our ice-boat was now ready, and we
were only waiting for two or three
good cold days to test its sailing quail
tiles.
To our great JOY the Christmas vaca-
ton set in with very cold weather. We
had pretty hard time in getting the
heavy ice-boat over the frozen ground
down to the pond; but after we had
pushed, pulled and rugged for an hour
or more, we reached the pond. For the
first two days we allowed no one on the
boat while we tackled, jibed and sailed
before the wind as if we had managed
ce-boats all our lives.
The boat minded her helm very well,
but some times when a sudden puff of
wind came up, she would keel over and
skim along on one skate, with the other
skate high in the air. This always
amused the rest of the people on the
pond very much, but it did not seem SO
funny to US. After a little practice,
however, we learned when to expect
the squalls and how TO guard against
them. On the third day we thoughtwe
knew how to handle the boat well
enough to take parties of three or four
around the pond at fare of five cents.
We therefore put up a sign in con-
spicuous place, and on the very first
afternoon we made about two dollars.
Next day a very strong wind was
blowing; but in spite of this the boat
behaved better than she had ever done
before, and SKINNED along like bird.
We had already made several trips,
when party of three ladies and two
gentlemen came down to the pond and
asked for ride Fred was steering, and
everything went along splendidly until
we began to sail down the center of the
pond toward the long, low framework
of the dam at its northern end. When
we were within about one hundred
feet of this dam there was a sudden
cracking noise, and the whole stern of
the boat sank down and scraped along
the ice; but in spite of this the boat
hot on as fast as ever. The little nail
that we had fancied so strong had
given way, and the boat was flying at
lightning speed straight for the dam.
Roll of on the ice. Quick! The boat
is going over the dam" shouted Fred,
and almost before he had finished
speaking we all lay in confused heap
on the ice. An instant later there was
q crash as the mast struck the frame |
work of the dam and toppled back, |
while the hull. freed from the mast and |
sail, shot under the low framework. |
swirled over the dam and was carried !
swiftly down stream. We rose slowly |
from the ice for fortunately none of us |
had been seriously injured, and gath |
cred together the remains of the mast |
and sail; but they were all that was |
left of the boat, for we have never seen /
d single stick of the hull from that day /
to this.-George Converse Fiske, in /
Wide Awake.