The San Francisco call., 1906-10-03
BOOMERANG CLUB
ORGANIZATION
Association Formed for
the Study and Use of
the Peculiar Weapon

Washington, D. c.. has organized the
first boomerang club in the United
States. perhaps in the world. A short
time ago a few gentlemen connected
with the Department of Agriculture
formed an association for the study and
use of this peculiar weapon. They Sc
cured large tract of open land in the
northwestern section of the city, and
since that time have been busy with
their novel sport. They are rapidly be-
coming expert in the use of this re-
markable weapon, and there is no rea-
son why the sport should not be adopt
ed in other sections of the country.
For many years it vas generally be-
lieved that the stories of travellers re-
garding the performances of this re-
markable weapon were made of whole
cloth assisted by vivid Imagination,
but recently acquired knowledge has
shown that it will do all that has been
claimed for it. Considerable areas of
territory are necessary for the proper
manipulation of the boomerang, and
great care should be taken by the neo-
phyte until its peculiar fights are un-
derstood. Boomerangs are far from
being toys, but are extremely danger
Gus weapons in the hands of inexpe-
knowing where they will aiight.
In its fight the boomerang seems to
defy all known laws of projectiles, and
In the hands of an expert beautiful
evolutions may be obtained from it, No
one but the thrower ever knows where
a boomerang after leaving the hand
will fall, but he can calculate to a
nicely, the Australians manipulating
them so well that they frequently catch
n rcr Avsf hcir AZ IN of 49,
would seem incredible If it were not.
witnessed. The boomerang will per-
form feats that are little short OF the
miraculous. and although science has
as yet failed to explain thoroughly the
reasons for these peculiarities, ii is
understood that they are the result of
a combination of the form of the wea-
pom and the resistance of the air.
This primitive weapon is made Of a
piece of wood about twenty-stx inches
in length by two and one-half in width
and one-thfrd of an inch in its great
est thickness. The wood is steamed
and bent to an angle of about 140 de-
grees, the inner edge being almost
knifelike in its sharpness, the outer
more rounded. The finished article
looks not unlike an ordinary sickle,
and Is thrown by grasping one end
with the hand, holding the convex side
furthest from the body and projecting
1T straight away on a horizontal plane
Ash has been found to be the wood
best adapted to the making of boomer
angs because of its toughness and cor
rect specific gravity.
Any boy having access to a carpen-
ter's shop and possessing a knowledge
of a few simple tools can make his
boomerangs; in fact, they can be made
with nothing but the wood, a spoke
shave and a piece of sandpaper INT the
original piece of wood should be Sc
cured from a turning mill, because of
the better facilities Of those places for
steaming and bending ii to the cor
rect shape for the final touches.
Let the wood be three inches in
width, one-h half inch in thickness and
twenty-six inches in length. having an
angle of from 40 to lao degrees. The
crude weapon before steaming must be
twisted from left to right so that the
outer edge Of each half will barely
project beyond the inner edges. with
this as a foundation, the carpenter
must shave the wood so that the inner
edge will be quite sharp and the outer
but little less SO. the sides bulging so
that the greatest thickness is not quite
half an inch. on the end which is in
tended to be grasped by the hand in
throwing there may be made a few
ridges so as to permit Of a firm hold.
Take this weapon into large field
and see what may be done with It, If
there are trees SO much the better for
the beauty of the evolutions Take a
stand fifty yards from a tree and throw
the boomerang as hard as you can at
the trunk and exactly as you would q
baseball. always remembering to hold
the convex side outward and the tin
perpendicufarly with the handle. Aim