Los Angeles herald., 1905-04-24
MACKAY HAS AN
ELECTRIC BUCK
SP0RTSMEN CAN'T HIT THE
BOUNDING BEAST
RUNS ON A TROLLEY LINE
lnereduous Friends Of the Owner
Bring Biggest Repeaters But
Do Little Exc
cutkon

NEW YORK, April 2S.-Clarence II.
Mackay has splendid estate at Roslyn'
L. l., over which run many fine deer.
Among the visitors at Harbor Hill are
many enthusiastic sportsmen, but Mr.
Mackay believes that too frequently the
swift and graceful animals are killed
out Of mere love of the chase.
Therefore, to please his guests by CIV
ing them an opportunity to exercise
their skill in marksmanship and to save
the deer which add so much to the
beauties of his estate Mr.. Mackay has
devised an electrical buck-a wonderful
beast that leaps, bounds, dodges, twists
and turns and runs swiftly and slowly
through the forest, testing the skill of
a marksman as a broncho does the
prowess of a rider.
Chiefly responsible for the evolution OF
this mechanical creation is Nelson,
genius among the electricians in the
employ af the Postal Telegraph COM
pany, of which Mr.. Mackay is the presi-
dent. Some time ago Mr.. Mackay was
riding up in one of the elevators in the
Postal building with two of his sports
men friends One of them expressed
his regret that the shooting season was
over. The electrician, who Is more FOND
of watching deer than of shooting them,
was in the car and he did not forget.
Not long afterward he was sent out to
Harbor Fill to superintend the INSTALL
ment of some electric lights.
On Nelson's holidays in the summer
his favorite trip with his numerous
axen-haired children is to Coney ISL
and. and there his chief diversion has
been TO watch the tin ducks and the re-
volving wooden wolves. While he was
working at the lights down at Harbor
Hill he suggested to Mr.. Mackay that
the shooting range would be more ex-
citing If a leaping deer were set up as
a target.
Mr.. Mackay saw the possibilities at
once. He readily agreed to the sacrifice
of a few trees. Nelson outlined his
plan and started in to build little cleo
tric railroad. This miniature trolley
line abounded in sudden turns, eleva-
tions and declivities, on which the me-
chanical passenger made sudden ap-
pearances and disappearances.
Real AntIers for the Dummy
The intention at first was to make the
deer of metal. Then it's sponsors real
NO
unless regulation weapons were used,
and also that real bullets detected from
a metal body would be as dangerous as
an Indian skirmish. Therefore the buck
when full grown and embarked upon
his life's trolley road was net skeleton
with wool insides, canvas skin and
splendid pair of real antlers.
Mr.. Mackay then confided to his
friends how he had employed electricity
to add to the pleasures of hunting
without slaughter Of beast or danger to
man. Among his friends were some
famous hunters of big game, who said
that they would fill his artificial buck
so full of lead at its first appearance
lAdl II NOuiu ilOI dppcol oSoihs -'iA
Mackay smiled and told them to bring
their rifles, all calibers and powers. He
barred Maxims and Gatlings, because
rapid-fire artillery, he thought, might
hurt the trees.
Recently the hunting party brought
their guns to destroy the bounding
buck. After the expenditure of many
rounds of ammunition it was discovered
when the heavy smoke of battle had
cleared away that the antlers were
damaged, but that there was no hit that
would have dropped a real deer. 1t was
a lovely spring afternoon when the
hunters gathered, but when the fusilladt
was over the trees were as bare OF
LEAKAGE as in the November days wher
shooting deer is lawful.