New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-08-09

sional oarsmen. rowing clubs college crews and
others have brought the science OF buiidins
these swift. fragile craft to high degree OF ex-
ceence. The boats are usually built OF ceoar
mahogany, and excellent time has been maze
in shells of paper. moulded on frame ana var
nished. Ash or beech forms the rails. ana long
strips of pine are used for the keelson, OF inner
keel and for the inside of the upper cage oi 'ne
boat. On the keelson rises strip OF Woou 10
the level of the seats or thwarts the latter pcihb
placed low in the boat for the purpose or carrying
the sliding seats, which shift forward OF oaoN
ward with the movement OF the oarsmen
The boats used in races are DIVIDED INTO thIee
sections by bulkheads. the largest peIns .ae
centre cockpit for the rowers. and the otneIs .ie
covered air-chambers fore and art, Whlch are
decked over with tightly stretched linen cover
ing. we'll vanished. This is supported from sag
ging by q centre piece running lengtnWlse' anu
occasional crosspieces of slender pine Stretchers.
made of oak are placed at intervals In the Dot
tom Of the boat to which straps are iasteneo
which hold the feet of the rowers ana give
purchase for the push and pull of the work OF
rowing. The outriggers are generally mace OF
four round iron slaves. the rowlocks consisting
of one fixed piece which takes the pressure or
the pull a thole pin to aid in the recovery or
the stroke and the sill. the being held In
place by hinged iron rod, fitted with latch
which snaps over the oar when II Is In place.
but allows of its being unshipped easily In case
of accident
These boats vary in length from the ffty-eight
feet of the eight-oared racing boat win us
beam of two feet. and depth OF snghtiy more
as II Is called. which is only one foot four inches
wide and draws only eight and half inches
II may easily be seen from the depths mentioned
that one of the first lessons 10 be learned III 'he
art of handling one of these boats Is that or
keeping afoat. They are built without keei
to bite the water the bottoms being almost
perfect segment of circle. and Vanished ana
polished until they shine like mirrors the gen
eral slipperiness being increased by liberal
coating of potlead when an important pull is on
the slate 1t is no uncommon sight TO see an
ma dpSperatp
overturned boat when in midstrealrl he seher-
ally finds that it is an easy matter. nut the trou-
BILE comes when he attempts to resume MS pace
on the sliding seat. This little trick or upsettng
can be stopped by sitting exactly in the mlddlc
of the boat swinging the body in aperpendlcular
plane, having all the weights OF the boa! event.
balanced and finally by resting the fiat of the
oarblades on the water and holding the handles
firmly. .
Canoes the famous craft which the Indians
used in the rivers and along the sea coast, nave
not made any appreciabe inroads on the popu-
larity of the heavier boats around New. fork
but on the rivers of NewJersey and on the 81
Lawrence and upper Hudson there are clubs de-
voted to the sport of canoe padding and sailing
Its devotees insist that there is no finer aquatc
sport to be had. The Passaic is the home OF the
canoe in the suburbs of Newly ork. and there are
several nourishing clubs on that river rms
primitive style of boat, even with It's later DAY
notifications. is more difficult to handle imam
even the racing shell, from which II diners IN
that It is pointed at both ends, so that II can De
propelled in either direction. The paddle IS me
means Of propulsion the boatmsn facing in the
direction in which the boat is going
VARIOUS KINDS OF CANOES
Made of birch bark In the Maine woods ana
the Adrondacks. of pine logs on the Chesapeake'
and of finely polished cedar or mahogany on the
Passaic and Hudson the canoe is the llghtest
and most graceful of all the boats used for pleas
ure and propelled by hand One Of the most
popular of the various styles in which the boats
are made is the Rob Roy. made famous by NC
Gregor and Baden-POWell. II is or me ceudr
planking built on the lapstreak plan. and pro-
PEELED by double bladed paddle. The Doals VIII
average fourteen feet in length. twenty-sX
inches in beam amdships nine inches in clear
inside depth, with the we'll four or I'VE feet long
and eighteen inches wide. This well is where ihe
boatman sits the rest of the boat being decked
with canvas, unless the craft is puilt Oh .ne
omen plan. in which case there is no we'll An
other REGULARITY of the canoe is that once IN the
boat the paddler may feel secure, as the centre
of gravity is so low down, the cniel uilne .
being to get into the tpsy little craft without up
setting It, This is q knack in ITSELF ana Is pest
accomplished by bringing the boat TO the sloe
of the float. placing one foot on the bottom poatu
at the forward end of the well, placing the hanu5
on either side of the combng and quietly put
quickly dropping the body into the seat Inc
paddle may then be taken and the fun Will begin.
The canoe and it's relatives more or less re-
mote but all bearing family resemblance, mas
It's own unassailable place in the poetry, story
and history of the Nation. and II Is matter Oh
regret that more of the dainty delicate, gracelui
little craft are not seen on the waters arouhu
the upper end of Manhattan Island Canohs
is especially adapted to those who wish 10 eN-
More the quiet reaches of river away from the
furry caused by passing vessels. or the hooks
and corners of lakes. and all the ut-of-the-Way
places where there is only slght dep'n Oh
water and not room enough for the spreading
sweep of oars needed to propel heavier boat
Although a majority Of the pleasure poats are
built for one occupant, 1t Is not always heces-
sarv TO follow out the rule laid down by the cluD
of college girls in the naming of their organHa-
ton the PAS d Incur Rhone qui nous clup
This name was puzzle for a long time, the mys-
ter,, haing solved by one or the girls who con-
fessed one day that 1t was a new way OF spelling
paddle your own canoe