Chapter X: Part II: The Knack of Handling the Paddle

The knack of paddling a canoe as the majority of amateurs paddle is quickly learned, but to handle a paddle as the expert woodsman and the Indian wield it requires not a little practice and experience. In the birch-bark and canvas-covered craft, used by the guides of Maine and Canada, there are no seats, and the stern paddler kneels with his back against the rear thwart, while the bow paddler usually kneels with his back against the second thwart from the bow. However, the builders of modern canoes furnish a seat for each paddler, and while it is more comfortable to use them, it is better to take the kneeling position, which brings the weight lower in the canoe, as it is safer, and the paddler is better able to control his craft. Again, the use of the seat makes it impossible for the paddler to put much of his body into the stroke, and he propels the craft largely through the muscles of his arms and shoulders. But when paddling from the knees they are spread out to brace the body firmly, and the back resting against the thwart enables the paddler to use his back and thigh muscles to drive his craft ahead with much less exertion and waste of energy than when sitting erect. Of course, the kneeling position is a source of discomfort at first, but after a little practice it will be easy to keep the position for several hours.

The stroke of the paddle is made with the body motionless, one hand grasping the shaft of the paddle and the other holding it a short distance above the blade. The paddle is now carried forward, dipped into the water in front, Fig. 1, A and B, and carried downward past the paddler’s body, Fig. 2, A and B, and the stroke is finished in the rear, Fig. 3, A and B. The paddle is recovered by turning the wrist so that the blade is turned edgewise as it is swung through the air to begin the second stroke. The swing of the paddle should be smooth from the beginning to the finish of the stroke, that is, free from undue jerkiness, but the long and slow sweep of the paddle is amateurish, pure and simple. The canoemen of the North woods do not use this stroke, but prefer a shorter stroke, quick recovery of the blade, and the “accent” of the stroke is much the same as that the expert axman uses when felling a tree. Therefore one’s energy should be concentrated upon the first part of the stroke, easing up quickly as soon as the blade is opposite the body, and finishing the stroke smartly as it is carried backward. The driving power of the paddle diminishes rapidly as the blade is carried backward, and if the full force of the stroke is continued with a long backward sweep, a way of most amateurs, much energy is wasted, since it adds nothing to the forward momentum of the canoe, but rather retards it, by forcing down the stern, and also causes the craft to drag more water after it. For a short afternoon paddle almost any kind of a stroke will suffice to drive the canoe ahead, but upon long trips, or when head winds and rough water are encountered, the quick, short stroke will save both time and muscle. The long sweeping stroke of the summer idler will probably average about 26 to 30 strokes per minute, while the North-woods guide and Indian will dip their blades almost twice as often, a fair cruising average being about 45 strokes per minute. Short strokes, with the accent at the beginning of the stroke, will push the canoe faster and with less effort, and the paddler has better control over his craft.

FIG. 2-A

FIG. 3-A

FIG. 1-B

FIG. 2-B

FIG. 3-B

The Stroke of the Paddle is Made with the Body Motionless, One Hand Grasping the Shaft of the Paddle and the Other Holding It a Short Distance above the Blade]

The bow paddler usually does nothing more than keep up a regular stroke and watch for rocks and obstructions, but if he is a good hand at the paddle he can do much to steer the canoe. For example, take the usual bow stroke, made by dipping the paddle quite close and ahead of the canoe. The force of the stroke thus made forces the bow in the opposite direction, and the man in the stern will be called upon to use more energy in steering. In contrast to this faulty handling of the paddle, the experienced bowman will begin his stroke by dipping his paddle well out from the bow and pulling it toward him at a greater angle, which keeps the canoe moving straight ahead without swinging to one side, and the energy of both paddlers is used in driving the craft steadily ahead. When paddling in tortuous and rocky streams it is the bow paddler’s duty to watch out for rocks and snags, and he should always be prepared to “draw” the canoe whenever it is necessary to clear an obstruction or assist the stern paddler to shoot the canoe around an abrupt bend. To do this is simple enough, since the bowman merely reaches his paddle out at arm’s length over the side and pulls the bow in that direction, while the stern paddler simply paddles straight ahead.

The stern paddler is the helmsman of the canoe, and while he can keep his craft on a straight course by trailing his paddle at the end of each stroke and using it like a rudder, it can only be done when a long, slow stroke is used. To save time and muscle, the experienced stern paddler always finishes his stroke with an outward push and a turn of the wrist, which offsets the swing of the bow and keeps the canoe on a straight course with much less effort than when trailing the paddle astern. Paddling from the stern is often considered difficult, but one soon masters it by a little experience.

Paddling in Open and White Water

When traveling in the open waters of large lakes where heavy winds and seas are commonly encountered, paddling should always be done on the knees, and the canoeist’s own experience and judgment must be called upon to meet constantly changing conditions of the wind and water. To cross a broad stretch of wind-swept water where whitecaps are running high, means a long, hard fight, and the stern paddler must be ever alert to ease the canoe through breaking crests and shift his balance whenever the necessity arises. When paddling in rough water, many canoeists make the mistake of driving their craft too hard, consequently the canoe will “pound” when it reaches the trough of the sea, and much unnecessary spray is sent flying aboard. Of course, in rough water some spray is certain to come over the rail, but if the craft is well balanced by stowing the camp duffle so that the canoe floats on an even keel, it will, with proper handling, weather a pretty stiff gale.

When paddling against a heavy sea and wind, the regular stroke must be altered and modified, and the man in the stern may often balance his craft by holding his paddle in the water while a particular high comber sweeps by. Short and clean strokes are essential for handling the canoe in a heavy sea, and while the skillful canoeist can handle his craft in the trough of the sea when the need arises, it is hazardous for the novice to attempt it. In heavy weather, it is a good thing to keep one paddle in the water while the other is in the air, hence the experienced canoeist will--unconsciously perhaps--alternate or “split” strokes with his bowman.

To paddle, head on, into heavy seas is slow and tiresome work, and most canoeists find it easier to take the seas on the quarter, and the stern paddler must be ever on the lookout, nursing his craft over the big ones and often turning his bow into the largest combers. To be sure, the canoe will plunge more or less and yaw about, but the stern paddler merely checks this side spin, since he cannot prevent it entirely and drive his craft onward at the same time. When running before the wind, it is only necessary to keep the canoe balanced or “trimmed” to keep things dry. Here the bow paddler has the best of it; his sole duty is to keep paddling steadily ahead, while the balancing and handling of the canoe rests with the man in the stern. This point is well worth remembering, for to keep the canoe right side up when shooting rapids or when bucking heavy seas or a lake, the bow paddler must stick to his seat. He can, from his position in the bow, quickly note rocks or other obstructions and pass the word to his partner, who from his point of advantage can likewise better size up the effect of a high wave upon the craft. Probably more capsizes have resulted through the bowman’s mistaken efforts to balance the canoe by leaning to one side, or attempting to dodge the spray in rough-water paddling, than through the inability of the stern paddler to handle his craft.

Running a rapid stream in a canoe is replete with excitement, but it is likewise a dangerous bit of fun for the inexperienced canoeist who has not fully mastered the handling of his craft. When running rapids where the water is fairly deep, the use of the paddle is the better way, providing both paddlers kneel in the bottom of the canoe. Unknown streams are naturally the most dangerous, although the veteran canoeist can “size” up the character of the stream at the first glance, that is, the trained eye of the woodsman will read the bottom of the river by the indications on the surface; depth of water, strength of current, swirl caused by submerged rocks, and many other details are evident to him. To the novice these signs mean but little. If the current flow is from three to four miles per hour, rocks or submerged logs, 4 or 5 in. below the surface, will show very little, but in a 10-mile or swifter current obstructions 12 or even 18 in. below the surface will throw up swirling ripples, and in a very rocky stream with much water flowing, rocks 3 or 4 ft. below will throw up waves of good size. Again, waves are caused by swift water striking the comparatively quiet water of a deep pool and the canoeist should be able to determine the difference between them in order to know what part of the stretch is dangerous and that which may be run in safety.

The waves in a rapid stream are altogether unlike the rolling waves of the open lake, in that the crests follow one another closely and the canoe cannot rise, but plunges through the curling crests. Rocks on the surface are easily avoided, as they split the current, and it is only necessary to steer the craft to one side to pass them safely. The one chief thing to do when shooting the rapids is to keep the canoe on an even keel and the bow into the current, and when it is necessary to change channels, the craft must be shot diagonally across the fast water. To keep the canoe under perfect control in white water, it must be propelled faster than the current flows, and the force of the stream must not strike one side of the bow with greater force than it exerts on the other side. When a canoe swings around in the current, the power of the paddles will be unable to cope with the more powerful current, which quickly swings it broadside and one is struggling in the water in the next instant.

On a long canoe trip where much rapid water must be run, a “setting pole” should be reckoned a necessity. The pole may be a stout sapling, 10 ft. long, cut by the stream side, but an iron shoe, or spike, about 3 in. long, with an iron band or ferrule, should be carried in the kit, the iron spike being simply driven in the end of the green pole. The pole may be used to good advantage when running down shallow rapids, the man in the bow kneeling and using his paddle to help steer while his partner stands in the stern and wields the pole. When traveling up shallow and swift streams, the setting pole is absolutely necessary, and while at first it is an awkward implement to handle, a little practice will enable the canoeist to pole his craft with very little more effort than is required to paddle it. The use of the pole necessitates a standing position, but this is neither risky nor difficult for any canoeist who understands the knack of balancing a canoe, and none but an experienced canoeist has any business in swift, white water. The setting pole is gripped with the left hand near the top, with the right hand held stationary about 2 ft. lower, and as the canoe travels past the pole, firmly planted on the river bottom, the poler leans forward and makes use of his weight and strength to give a quick push. The pole is again shoved forward as quickly as possible, that the craft may lose as little headway as possible, and a new grip secured for the next push. After a little experience with the pole, the canoeist will find it an easy matter to swing his craft across the current and avoid rocks and other obstructions as easily as when paddling. When contemplating a long trip up a stream where the water is heavy and the current swift, the use of two poles will make the work easier. Both persons should pole from the same side, the man in the bow doing the steering while the stern man adds his straight-ahead push to force the canoe upstream.

The Track Line

The average wilderness stream of the North has enough “tight” places which judgment tells the traveler to avoid by making a detour by land rather than risk a capsize and a possible loss of the outfit. To “tote” the outfit overland means more or less hard work, and as every canoeist will avoid portaging if there is a fair chance of getting the canoe through a bad stretch of water, the tracking line will come in handy very often. The usual ring in the bow of the canoe is far too flimsy for hauling the loaded craft, and sufficient length of stout rope should be carried along to pass through the painter eye, and then carried aft and half-hitched to the first and second thwarts. One man can pull the canoe up a swift stream by walking along the bank while his partner takes up the opposite side and steers the craft away from rocks by using a stern line. With a heavily loaded canoe in very swift and shallow water, both men must often wade, and a tump line rigged up as a breast or shoulder strap will make it easier work for the man at the bow line.

Paddling a Canoe Single-Handed

The open, or Canadian-model, canoe is, of course, handled more easily and with better speed with two paddlers but there are occasions when the canoe is used single-handed. When out for a few hours’ paddle, the canoeist usually balances the craft by sitting on the bow seat--or kneels on the bottom with his back against the bow-seat brace--and using the stern for the bow. This brings the paddler’s weight nearer the center and keeps the canoe better balanced than when paddling from the stern with the bow high in the air. However, when the canoe is loaded, many canoeists stow their camp duffle forward and paddle from the stern, the weight of the outfit keeping the craft on an even keel. This answers well enough for smooth-water going, but when the water is rough, or a stretch of rapids is run single-handed, the stern position is by no means a good one since the craft is more difficult to control, and much more strength is required to drive it forward. The Indian manner of paddling a canoe alone is the only correct one, for he always sits amidships--kneeling in the center--and if a load is carried, it is placed in front and back of him so that the craft is balanced on an even keel. Consequently the canoe draws less water and can be paddled faster with the same effort, while the paddler has the craft under perfect control. But the experienced line paddler does not kneel in the center, he moves out until his body is close to the gunwale. This makes the craft heel at a decided angle, it is true, but this position makes for better speed because it enables the paddle to be held almost vertical, and the more nearly perpendicular the paddle is swung the more efficient will be the stroke.

In using the double blade, the paddler dips first on one side, then on the other, and to make the blades travel through the air with the least resistance, it is customary to set them at right angles to each other. The motion is really a push and pull, the shaft of the paddle being rotated in the hands so that the blade will enter the water with the full breadth facing the canoeist. Rubber cups, to catch the drip as the paddle rises in the air when making the stroke, are sometimes used by novices, but these are unnecessary if the paddles are set at right angles, and the paddler will bend his wrist a trifle to throw the drip ahead and to one side. At the beginning, the novice will very likely throw a little water in the canoe, but a little practice will soon master the knack.

Care and Repair of the Canoe

The canvas-covered cedar canoe will stand a vast amount of hard service, but it should not be dragged over the ground or over the boarding of the landing float, neither should it be so placed that any strain will come amidships while the ends are well supported. When storing for the winter, keep it under cover, resting bottom side down on a floor, or turn it bottom side up and support it with boxes, or other standards, at the center as well as at the ends. While unused at the camp, turn it bottom side up on the bank. Birch bark must be kept out of the sun, and the paint of canvas-covered canoes will last longer if kept in the shade. When the paint becomes rough, sandpaper it down smooth, and give it a couple of coats of canoe paint. When the paint is worn off and exposes the canvas, give the bare cloth a couple of coats of shellac before painting.

A repair kit should be taken along on all long trips, consisting of a small can of white lead, a can of orange shellac, and a sheet of oiled silk. For small cuts in the canvas, a coat or two of shellac will suffice, but for bad gashes, cut off the loose threads of canvas and rub on a little white lead under the raised portion near the hole and on the surface, cut a patch of the oiled silk to cover it, and paste it in position. When the lead is dry, give it a couple of coats of shellac. For making quick repairs, a roll of electrician’s tape will come in handy. The birch canoe is quickly repaired in the same manner as suggested for the canvas-covered craft, and as the shellac is waterproof and dries quickly, all ordinary repairs may be made by the stream side with but little loss of time.

Oiling Tool for Clocks

Jewelers use a little tool for oiling clocks and watches that could be used profitably by others for the same and similar work. It consists of a steel wire, bluntly pointed on the end and set into a wood handle. Very often the only thing that is the matter with a clock which does not keep good time, is that it is dirty and dry. If this is the case, any person handy with tools can fix it at practically no cost. Remove the works, which are usually held with four screws, from the case, immerse them in kerosene and allow them to stand for a few minutes, then remove and drain. This will clean out the dirt.

The oiling tool is dipped in light oil and a drop applied to each bearing. Replace the works in the case and the job is finished. A reliable jeweler will charge very little for this work, but the more crafty ones may ask a good price for this “mysterious” process. If the works are not dirty, apply the oil with the tool. Anyone who has tried to oil a clock with an ordinary spout oilcan knows the futility of the attempt. The object of the tool is to pick up and carry a drop of oil and deposit it where wanted. A can, a feather, or a match will do, but any one of them is apt to carry dirt, flood the dry part, or smear up nonmoving parts.

Easily Constructed Wall Shelves

All that is necessary to make and support the simple set of wall shelves, shown in the illustration, is lumber for the shelves, four screw eyes, four screw hooks, sufficient picture-frame wire to form the braces and supports, and wood screws for attaching the wire. On the top side of the upper shelf are fastened the four screw eyes, two near the wall edge and the others near the outer edge. To support the upper shelf four screw hooks are used; two placed in the wall and spaced to match the set of screw eyes nearest the wall, the others being placed above the first and connected to the outer set of screw eyes with the wire, thereby forming strong inclined supports. The remaining shelves can be hung to suit by the supporting wires, which are fastened with screws to the end of each shelf.

Showing the Strength of a Giant

This trick is not so well known as it might be, although for a while it was quite a popular drawing attraction for circus side shows and other amusement places. It is one of the favorite Hindu tricks. The performer passes for examination two pieces of rope 10 ft. long. In one end of each rope a large ring is fastened. Taking a ring in each hand the performer commands three or four men at each end of the rope to take hold of it and at a signal they pull as hard as possible. They pull until they are exhausted as in a tug of war, but the performer only appears a trifle exerted and finds no difficulty in holding the men.

The secret is in the use of a piece of flexible wire, which passes up the right sleeve of the performer, across the back and down the left sleeve, lying just inside of the coat sleeve. At the ends of the wire are small hooks. When about to perform this trick the performer puts on a pair of gloves. The gloves are slit in the palms to allow the hooks to pass through. The hooks are covered with cloth, colored to match the gloves. An essential point to remember in performing the trick is to keep the fingers well around the rings to prevent the ropes from dropping in case of a slack-up on the tension.

The Tricks of Camping Out

BY STILLMAN TAYLOR