The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1899-02-23
BOOMERANG THROWING.
The Strange Australian Weapon
and How to Throw IL

The Strange Australian Weapon
and How to Throw Ii.
The worst trouble about learning to
throw boomerang is the fact that the
thing is so contrary and its move
ment sare so unaccountabIe. You may
throw the thing in apparently the same
way any number of times, but it will
never go in quite the same direction or
perform the, same gyrations twice in
succession. S. ]. Rawson, who is said
to be the only man in the world who
can safely manipulate the Australian
weapon in a hall of ordinary size, writes
that he practiced many months on va
cant lots before ne began to master
the boomerang. After four years OF
daily practice he has become such an
expert that now he can make one OF
the triangular shaped clubs dart and
dodge, whirl, flutter all about a stage
and finally return gracefully to his
hand. He viii hold a boomerang at
arms length behind him and then sud
denly throw it forward and 1t will
soar like a bird. whirl in circles like
a pigeon settling to earth. dart out
from the stage and over the heads OF
the audience and then turn and come
back to him as if it were a live crea-
ture responding to its masters call.
And this is what makes the boomer
ang such a fascinating thing to play
WHITAKER you once begin to learn
how to throw it properly you make II
strike an object many feet away and
then dart back to you and fall at your
feet. Until you have mastered the Sc
cret of the throw, however, it will be
just as likely to land on your head with
a thump, bark your shins, prod you in
the small of the back or dodge over in
the next lot and give your neighbours
dog, or the neighbor himself, dig in
the ribs. So until you have learned
to direct the motions of the boomer
ang you would better experiment with
it in a solitude where you have plenty
of room to play tag with the thing
and to duck the attacks of this artful
dodger.
But you must first make your BOOM
erang. Any bright boy can do this in
the following manner:
Take piece of straight-gralned hick-
DRY of elm (well seasoned) feet long,
inches thick, and, say, inches wide.
and soak it in boiling hot water till it
will bend easily; then bend it exactly
in the center till it resembles in shape
the boomerang, as commonly known.
When you have the timber bent to the
proper angle secure it in that position
by connecting the two ends with cross
strips on each side, securely nailed. Let
the wood stand until it is thoroughly
dried, when it will retain it's triangular
form. Next saw the piece of timber
into strips one-half inch thick. This
will give you several boomerangs in
the rough. which will measure two
feet alon geach angle, and will be
two inches wide and one-half inch
thick. All that remains to be done is
to whittle down the implement till one
side of it is perfectly fiat and the other
side is convex, or rounding; the thick
ness of the boomerang in the center
being one-quarter of an inch and the
ends are rounded off and shortened
| till each angle will measure only one
and one-half feet. After the boomer
ang is whitfield out in the rough It
should be scraped smooth with glass
and sandpapered and then rubbed with
oil. You will then have weapon that
is sharp along the edges and thin at
the rounded ends.
Following are directions for throwing
the boomerang:
1t is held up at arms length over the
shoulder and Is then thrown directly
onward with a strong, quick fling. as
If you intended to hit some one some
yards in front of you. At the same time
the hand is jerked back with a swift
movementh that sets the boomerang to
whirling rapidly.
The weapon should be grasped firmly
at one end, and, when raised for throw
ing, should be held with the fat side
up and the free end pointing backward
from the body.
Experience will teach you different
ways of throwing the boomerang to
make it perform all sorts of astonish-
! ing trucks, such as soaring, whirling
around an object and returning to you,
going straight away and suddenly
darting to one side, and so on. Boom
| erangs may be made of different sizes
and their angles may be varied, but
the general form must be preserved in
all.
The boomerang, or womera, is wea-
pom of war and ofthe chase. used and
probably invented by the native Bush
men of Australia. These boomerang
throwers are so skillful that they can
throw the weapon long distances and
to great heights and kill small game
with almost infallible accuracy. When
thrown by strong man the boomer
ang is almost as dangerous as a buzz
saw in action. and it Is said that in
the bushmen fights a well-aimed BOOM
erang has more than once clipped off
the head of a warrior and returned
to the hand Of the thrower.
Toy boomerangs may be made Of
cardboard. They should measure about
an inch on side. To sail them place
them on book or piece OF cardboard,
having one of the ends projecting over
the side of the book or cardboard. then
snap the finger nail against the side
of the exposed end. when they will sail
out and return in a very graceful man
ner; or they may be held under the
thumb nail and snapped A very sue