New-York tribune., 1909-08-08

fitting, Upset Races and Tugs Of
Var Popular.
By ". W. M13af.

In tho way Of small water craft there is moth
ing quite 50 alive as the canoe. 1t has the
spring Of a bird over the water, the silence of
water sIrite stealing through mysteries of
shadow and the swiftncss of d fish darting on its
prey. The rowboat becomes Il friendly compan-
ion to the oarsnan; the canoe seems Ia form
part of the being who proIels it, and lends itself
10 4 diversity Of sports not surpassed by any
rh,r craft.
one Of these is fitting. At q given signal pairs
Of canoes dart out upon 4 lake into deep water,
and the tournament begins. In each canoe are
skilled oarsman ana d with lance. The
lanCes are long and wadded ut the end, and
Iuire agile and experienced handling With
Iosed Iances the canoes rush at each other and
thea il is a wild struggle to keep the slender
boats atoat while lances are plunged with pow
crful impact against contending knights
TIE knight who is forced into the water loses
the ton, uey, hut before that happens canoes dart
forward and rush back for a stronger spring;
they rise like living thing 20 the fray and,
with water churning against their frail sides.
quiyer in the endeavOr to preserve equilibrium
against the odds of
If fitting is exciting sport, the upset race" is
more so. for the reason that ii requires
skill of a different sort and wonderful rapidity
and deXterity Of movement. There is, too an
added element of danger for the way Of safety
In the water never lies beneath a capsized boat
When all is made ready for the race, al
sound of a shot the opposing canoes dash for
ward in response to paddles powerfully welded.
The very silence and swiftness of the onward
rush out into the lake make the upset all the
more dramatic. Another shot rings over the
water, and before its echoes reach the further
shore upon tie instant every canoe capszes
completely. There must be mere upsetting
clumsy fitting of racers overheard in this
sport. over and under every goes.
Before one has drawn breath after the gasp
which follows the thrill of the upset, canoes are
emptied and righted, racers spring into place
and paddles plunge deeply for the shoreward
dash. That man who beaches his canoe first is
acclaimed with loud huzzas. For the moment ne
Is Il hero the embodiment OF courage, strength
and unerrng Judgment in the performance of
2 difficult feat.
Sheer physical strength is the requirement
most depended upon in the tug Of war" In
this contest two canoes Of the largest sort, well
manned with expert canoeists are attached 10
rope. Both crews paddle in different directions,
and that canoe which is propelled by a colec-
uon Of biceps powerful enough to pull the other
rrew ashore, in spite Of their tremendous exer-
lions to tug their opponents 10 opposite land
ing, wins hard fought race.
An ideal canoe is 10 to IS feet long and so to
80 IhcAeS broad III IS so HSht-WelShlng about
siXty-fve TO seventy-Odd pounds-that one man
ran tote it through canoe carries" and over
log jams Another advantage which canoe
has other sorts Of small craft is that il
does not require runway or float from which
20 launch if, since it may be hauled up and
beached anywhere. Then, too, il occupies very
little space and may be stored almost any
where
The price. too. is such that the canoe is often
called "the poor mans yacht" because ne may