San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1895-08-09
cANoEIsTs TO MEET.
On Lake champlain for a Few Days
Sport on the Water-A Large
Attendance Expected.

1 ApoC0cus
PLATrsBURG, n. Y, Aug. 9.-The
annual meet OF the American Canoe
association will be held from today
to the 23d on Lake Champlain, at
Bluff Point, about four miles south
Of this place. The meet will be
under the auspices of the Central
division Of the association, and
canoeists from the Atlantic to the
Mississippi will attend. The tents
will be pitched on a gently sloping
plateau about eight feet above the
lake, in the edge of woods extend
ing back about a mile from the
shore. The water has sufficient
shelter from high seas, and yet is
open enough to secure good sailing
breezes. Among the eastern clubs
which will send delegations are
the New York, Brooklyns, Cries.
cent, Ianthe, Knickbocker, Hobo
ken, Palisade, Orang, Arlington,
Yonkers, Jersey City Marine and
Field. An elaborate program of
sailing and padding races has
been arranged for the meet, extend
ing nearly every day of the two
weeks. The American Canoe asso-
citation is now in it's fourteenth
year, and embraces in its member
ship nearly every conoeist
and canoe club OF any size
this side of the Mississippi
river. The officers are: Com
modore, Walter G. Witherbee; Sec
rotary and treasurer, Charles +.
Crsgg; librarian and custodian, w.
P. Stephens. The association is
divided into four divisions-the At
lsntic, Central, Eastern and North
ern. 1t is just fifteen years since
a handful Of canoemen met in a
convention at Crosbyside, Lake
George, and organized the Ameri-
can Canoe association. Since then
the sport has grown steadily to it's
present very respectable proper
tions. 1t is estimated that there
are over ten thousand canoemen in
the United States, of which over
one half are in the eastern part.
There are also several thousand in
Canada, where the sport is very
popular. Canoeing was brought
into popularity by a scotchman
named John MacGregor, who built
a canoe thirty years ago, which he
called the Rob Roy. He put
small sail in it and was the first to
ombine paddle and sail. In this
queer little boat he explored the
waters Of Europe. The records Of
his experiences entitled "The
Cruise Of the Rob Roy" was a sem
sation in the literary world, and
hundreds were drawn toward CO.
noein. The Royal Canoe club was
founded in London with the Prince
OF Wales as commodore and
MacGregCr as captain. In 1871 the
first canoe club in America was
formed in New York by we'll
known writers and artists. Among
them were w. l.. Alden, G. Liv-
ingston Morse, A. Cary Smith, NJ.
Livingston Schuyler and Charles
L. Norton. Interest in the race has
fallen of of late years, because the
fast boats have become mere racing
machines like the Defender and
Vigilant among yachts. The or
binary cruising canoes have &C
cordingly dropped out of the races.
A pleasant feature Of the meets
is the ladies' camp, "Squaw
Point" it is called, where the mar
ried men live with their families.
This feature OF the camp was in
troduced about five years after the
OF the association, and
has ever since been very popular.
Many Of the ladies own their
canoes and are as expert with the
paddles as are the men. A ladies'
race is held at the meet
every year. The attendance OF
canoeists at the annual meets is
usually between 200 and 300.
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