The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1898-05-14
A DEADLY BOOMERANG.
A NEW YORKER WHO MAKES AND
THROWS 1T WITH PRECISION.

a
THROWS IT WITH PRECISION
He Learned the Secret From the Natives
of Australia The Quality Of Wood
Used Has Much to do With the ::Ex-
cellence of This Very Strange Weapon.
Civilized people, especially Of the
English speaking races, pride them
selves upon their discoveries in elec-
tricity with which they now operate
the guns of great ships OF war, and
they point with fear and trembling as
we'll as satisfaction to the perfection
in all sorts of dynamite bombs and
explosives which they may, on occa-
sion, use to kill people by the hum
dreds; but with all their cleverness,
says the Detroit Free Press, they have
never learned to make what savage
can fashion out of o crooked stick.
It has been stated that there is moth
ing made of wood which a Yankee boy
cannot copy with the aid Of his jack
knife, but the man who said that had
probably never heard Of boomerang.
Horace Baker Of New York, who
spent several years in Australia, and
went boomerang crazy" is said to be
the first white man who ever made
boomerangs that would "go," and he
learned to make them by almost llv-
ing with the savages and watching
them as they sat whiting away at
piece of wood with their crude stone
hatchets and sharp shells.
Besides those which he has made
himself, Mr.. Baker has the largest
collection of real Australian black
mans boomerangs in this country.
There are almost hundred Of them,
and queer lot they are. Some of
them are haggled as if the savage had
used his teeth to make them, yet as
true to the boomerang principle as the
perfectly carved specimens which dec
crate his walls. He keeps them hung
up in clusters as some men have their
guns and pistols arranged with view
to proud display before their friends.
A few of these date away back to the
time when Captain Cook landed on
the coast of Australia.
"Why is it so difficult to make q
boomerang?" said this connoisseur of
the crooked stick. 'Well, because it
is so delicately balanced that the least
divergence from the proper angle will
alter its course in the air and prevent
the perfect revolution which is neces-
sary to its flight. When correctly
made, boomerang should balance ex-
actly on a knife blade held at its Gen.
tire. If it doesn't balance, some more
whiting must be done on the heavy
end. That seems easy enough-to
white piece of curved wood into a
fiat shape so that the ends balance ex-
actly-and if that were all there is to
it, any boy could make one. The hard
part Of it isto cut the edges in such a
way that they will strike the air at a
certain angle in one part Of the curve,
and at another in another part, and so
on until every line Of both edges con-
tributes to the perfect y rsfy9l4ti9A| Of
it has two motions, the rotary one,
which is a result Of its shape, and the
forward one, given it in the throwing.
It's pity that the baseball players
cannot get onto those black fellows
Curves A pitcher who could do it
would make his fortune.
'The quality Of wood used has a
great deal to do with the excellence
of boomerang. The Australian brave
will tramp miles to find a branch Of
the right shape, and a wood of the
proper density. Gnarled trees are at a
premium there, and the heaviest wood
is the best. Our lignum vitae CORE
spends the nearest to the tree they
like best. The piece for the boomer
ang is usually cut where branch
curves out from the tree trunk, for
this is the most natural crook in the
trees formation.
'In throwing boomerang, the saw
age holds it by one end over his right
shoulder, his body turned to the right,
then without Strengthening the arm be
whirls the body back to ontposition,
bringing the weapon with the arm
still bent, with it, then suddenly lets
go, Strengthening the arm at the elbow
as he does so. This adds the force of
the whole body to the momentum of
the weapon, instead Of depending en-
tirely upon that of the arm. It will
go whirliug around, keeping straight
ahead for certain distance, then grad
ually swerve to the left and at last re-
turn to the thrower.
"When savage wants to kill or
disable kangaroo, he throws it so
that it will strike the ground at
stated distance from him and then be-
gin turning somersaults until breaches
the kangaroo, striking him even then
with such force as to break q leg OF
kill him, if it strikes on the head.
cor suppose he sees a flock Of
ducks swimming about on the river.
He creeps up softly behind clump of
krooa throwo hio 1,oor oronr ovirl;nr