St. Paul daily globe., 1896-03-30
HOW THE PRESIDENT PURSUES
THE COY CANVASBACK ON
THE POTOMAC.
IMPOSING AND PICTURESQUE
is THE FIGURE HE PRESENTS IN
LEATHER COAT AND GUM
BOOTS.
PATIENT WAITER AND SURE SHOT
The Presidents Good Luck - HIS
FavOrite Hunting Ground at
Wide Water.
Special Correspondence of the Globe.


WASHINGTON. March 27.-When
President Cleveland goes forth to seek
the coy canvasback on the marshes
down Currituck way, he is an impos-
Ing and picturesque figure. He has
lately donned new outfit that he has
! had manufactured to order, and that
is calculated to be both serviceable and
comfortable
The most conspicuous part Of the cos
tune is leather coat. It is a won
der, that coat, and is said to be the
largest one of the kind ever made in
this country At the point where it
buttons around the place where the
presidents waist ought to be, but isn't,
1t has a circumference of 5S1a inches
that is. if it were spread out on the
| floor it would stretch almost five feet
from button to buttonhole. The chest
| measure is 80 inches. The coat was
furnished by Washington dealer in
| sporting goods. but it was made in New
York.
A pair Of gum boots, reaching well up
on the presidential thighs, and a slouch
marsh hat Of canvas cover the two eX-
tremities Of the presidential sportsman.
Around the presidents waist line is
| clasped a broad belt loaded with car
| tridges, and snugly tucked under his
arm is his favorite ducking gun, No.
IL choke bore. 1t weighs nine pounds
and is Of the double -barreled. hammer
| less pattern.
The president has been making these
sallies down the Potomac very fire.
quently of late. During his former term
he went occasionally, but it is said
that he has become fascinated with the
| sport and Notwithstanding that he re
! Gently turned fifty-nine, he has laid
plans to continue his ducking cam
paign until the close of the season,
which comes late in April.
! Nobody in Washington outside of the
! White house can predict at just what
! moment Mr.. Cleveland will take a no
tion to HE himself to the ducking
shore. He generally makes his de-
! parture late in the evening, and is &C
companied to the pier by the mysteri-
Gus Thurber, who has had charge Of
the preliminaries, and DR.. Reilly, Capt.
Lamberton, or some of the others
| whom he selects to accompany him on
these trips. At the wharf the light
! house tender is found waiting, and as
soon as the traps and the party are
aboard the little steamer gets under
way for her journey down the Poto-
mac.
The president and his friends turn
| in at once, and by the time the duck
| ing shore Is reached, which is gener-
ally before daybreak, they have had a
| good nights rest, have breakfasted
and are ready for the fray.
Just at present the presidents IA
vorite hunting ground is a spot known
as Wide Water, place forty-six
miles down the Potomac where the
river broadens out. On the Virginia
shore are extensive marshes, where
the shooting is excellent. The pro-
prietor Of the shore is Withers Waller,
a plain man, but an enthusiastic
sportsman, whose latchstring is al
| ways out to Mr.. Cleveland and his
| friends. All about the place there are
fine shooting grounds, and one of these,
| known as the Arkandale property, Is
likely to be purchased by the presi-
| dent.
| After the lighthouse tender has
| dropped anchor the party distribute
| themselves about at various places Of
| vantage and wait for the unwary teal,
redhead or brant. The ordinary light
weight duck hunter can take advan-
tage Of the inconspicuous float or the
low lying sneak box, but the president
is altogether too portly to trust his
| avoirdupois to such frail and unstable
| craft and gets into an ordinary sized
skiff. Then he is rowed down to a
| blind. a sort Of screen made of bushes,
behind which he waits for the ducks
| to come within easy range.
This Is the part Of the business that
| tests the qualities of the hunter, for
| If he is not good waiter, then it
| may be safely set down that the enthu-
| siasm Of the true sportsman does not
| fire his soul. The president has lots
| Of patience. He has been known to
wait for hours when ducks We're scarce
without getting a chance at one of
| them. Generally, however, he is not
| put to this test, and on an average
! Of once in every fifteen minutes his
| gun will be heard to speak out. When
1T does, something is almost sure to
| drop. for the president has a true eye
| and is ready on the trigger. He Oft
| en- bags as many as two dozen ducks
| in forenoon, and generally has as
much to show at the end Of the day as
| most of the party.
By the time that the folks In Wash
ington have discovered that the chief
executive is absent, and the reporters
| have learned from Private Secretary
Thurber that the president is away
duck shooting, Mr.. Cleveland has had
| days sport and is either preparing
for another one on the morrow or is on
board the Maple and steaming back to
take up once more the cares of state.
Clarence P. Skinner.