New-York tribune., 1898-12-25
S6goRE5*SS8 s QoRTsr1t}By y
ITS ORIGIN AND PRACTICE-sOME NOTED
AMERICAN CIJTBS

AMERICAN CLUBS.
Several attempts have been made to suggest that
the icehoat was originally the invent on of people Of
'o's continent There is no doubt that the high est
iceboat speed has been attained here but the origin
OF me craft must be found along the shallow frozen
waterways Of Holland 1t seems probable too.
mat similar primitive craft were used in different
parts OF Northern Europe by people who had TO
take their market produce long distances for sale.
These We're in shape much like the body OF the
ordinary market wagon. and the suppostion is
that the body Of the wagon in cases
lifted off the wheels In winter and put skates.
1t may now he several hundred years too late 10
prove that these ice craft could be made to beat
to windward. but although the Dutch did not get
10 windward very fast in any kind OF craft. II
seems reasonable 70 suppose that seafaring folk
would soon develop in their Ice market boats
ability 20 sail the whole Journey spite of head
wind.
The first boat that is said TO have appeared In
America one of much the kind 10
shape The runners Of this square craft still
preserved at Poughkeepsie. the Hudson. II is
said to have been built in 1890. and perhaps It may
hardly be called a coincidence that II appeared
here in the centre Of Dutch colony. A lapse OF
sixty years then seems to before there
any further iceboat- building. In 1850 another
brought out. and in 1858 rectangular. wagon-box
affair built Red Bank. the Shrewsbury
River. that carried a small lug sail. and ap
parently no better than. II good as the ancient
Dutch craft for market produce. Even az late as
1866 the iceboats of this region In highly
primitive condition. some in this year having been
built with four runners.
The next records seem 20 be Canadian. In 1858
the iceboats used on the bay Toronto prac-
ticaly the same as they are to-day Except IN
special builds for racing there Is little difference.
The iceboat then owned and sailed by George
Evans. of the Royal Canadian Yacht Club and the
subsequent boats owned by him and by Thomas
Timing he
all Of triangular shape with the single steering
skate aft. In this region the ioeboat was devel-
oped not primarily for racing. but for the taking
out Of large parties from the yacht clubs and FOR
general tollity in the long winters.
Since those early dates ice yach; clubs have been
established in all directions. Like the Alpine edel-
weiss the sport thrives in an ICY grip. Nearly all
the lakes which IN summer now sailed by the
yachtsmen of the Inland Lake Yachting Associa-
tion have their iceboat fleets ready for the winter
Lake Mnnetonka has lots Of them. Commodore
Theodore Wetmore. who got his iceboat training
on the Hudson. responsible for good deal OF
this. After going 10 live in ST. Paul he saw before
him better fields for iceboatng than We're usual on
the Hudson and he soon had the Reindeer and the
ST. Nicholas taken out 10 the West These two
cracks from the Hudson River courses started
fashion that is only in its infancy. yet counts
a vast number Of votaries. In the Pepin Ice Yacht
Club of Lake Pepin Wis. Commodore r. NJ An
derson fast craft the Irene and the
Lauda. over a course Of twenty miles the Irene has
made the circuit in thirty and half minutes, and
she now holds the champion pennant In light
wind the Lauda has made triangular twenty mile
course Chree times around In thirty-nine minutes
and five seconds
A number of iceboat clubs are. now situated on
the shores Of Lake Winnebaso, In Wisconsin,, and
last accounts the winning boat was the Serns.
which belongs to F. l.; Gates. OF Oshkosh. WIS;
racers of the Hudson River. At Burlington, VT.
and at Lake George y. y there are several active
Yesterday the Kingston Ice Yacht Club OF Kings
ton. ont; received a challenge from the Cape Vim
al once. This trophy has already been held by the
Capc Vincent Club through the winning OF its
nj y Wke hfoneh hg he fq Kngson b
For his racer the Breeze, Howard s. Folger
Of Kingston has JUS ohtsined set Of racing sails
will probably meet the Cape Vincent challenger
The large silver trophy. known. as the Calvin
Macnee Cup. will now be raced for by the homo
WINS Blizzard Is well-known boat as Is also W. =
Kent's Whistewing. which was the champion OF
one OF the most perfect ice-yachting waters IN
the world is the Bay of Quinte. which winds up
widtb from one TO three miles. The lands passed
are nearly all farmed. but the high banks OF the
waterway are left In wild state There are . no
newly formed covering can be taken early in the
year before the spoils the surface this sixty
mile run is simply wonder Picion. l)eseronto
and I}ellevue are the chief calling places. or
rather refugees in case Of a snowstorm. and care
has to be taken not 10 get caught IN ia, ozzardd
hv The neighboring highlands. the best iceboot
speed is never maintained here throughout the
~ in an hour But It be done, lulls and all in
shour three hours average going, and II is prob.
ably the nearest thihg 10 % the % d nsenis
so far And II is well 70 say SO iar because
ways Of the Northern Pacific have yet 10 be heard
ron