Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 4.djvu/896

812 would probably be a very good material. Canoes of tin and of india-rubber have been used in England, but practically all the best canoes now built in England, America, and France for general travelling are of oak, cedar, or pitch pine. The canoe was popular in England more than twenty years ago at Oxford and Cambridge, but only for short river practice, until in 1865 one was specially designed for a long journey by water in seas, lakes, and rivers, and by carriage on land in railways or carts or on horseback, or by being dragged over rough ground or borne on men's shoulders through woods and over hills. The general type of this &quot;Rob Roy&quot; canoe is built of oak with a cedar deck. The length is from 12 to 15 feet, and the beam from 26 to 30 inches, the depth 10 to 16 inches. The paddle is 7 feet long with 6 inches of breadth in the blade, and is either double-bladed, or, if it is used with a single blade, a rudder is worked by the foot to counteract the lateral swerving. A backboard swinging with the paddler's motion enables the canoeist to sit in a comfortable position for many hours at a time, and a mast with some light sails completes his equipment, so that a favourable wind eases the muscular exertion. An ordinary travelling canoe when complete weighs about 70 ℔. It will float with its paddle and 10 ℔ of luggage in 5 inches of water. In the Indian canoes of America the single paddle is usually employed, and the men kneel to the work. The canoeists in the Straits of Magellan paddle standing. The peculiar advantages of a canoe may be summed up thus:—

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For actual speed over a short and straight course the ordinary sculling skiff is superior to the canoe, but for long journeys of more than a week's duration, and in strange rivers, or with frequent portage, rough usage, intricate navigation, or unexpected difficulties, the canoe is found to be much more convenient than the rowing boat. Forty miles a day in lakes can be kept up for weeks together in a travelling canoe, unless against a contrary wind. Fast racing canoes are 20 feet long and 18 inches broad, and attain a speed of 8 miles an hour. Canoes for &quot;upset races&quot; (where the canoeist has to jump out, tow his boat while swimming, and then get in) and for the race &quot;over land and water&quot; are specially built for their purpose. Other canoes are built chiefly for sailing, and these carry &quot;drop keels,&quot; &quot;rockers,&quot; and heavy ballast. In 1866 the Royal Canoe Club was formed in England, and the Prince of Wales became commodore, while about 500 members have been elected in various parts of the world. After the English canoes were seen in Paris at the Exhibition of 1867, others like them were built in France. Branches and clubs were formed also at the English universities, and in Liverpool, Hull, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and New York. A publication called The Canoeist records the more important cruises in canoes in almost every country on the globe. One member of the club crossed the English Channel from Dover to Boulogne in his canoe, another from Boulogne to Dover, and a third crossed the Irish Channel from Scotland to Ireland. Many old and new rivers have been explored for the first time in canoes, among which the most interesting were the hitherto inaccessible parts of the Jordan, the Kishon, and the Abana and the Pharpar at Damascus, as well as the Lake Menzaleh in the Delta of the Nile, and the Lake of Galilee and Waters of Merom in Syria. So far as has been ascertained, not one of the members of the Royal Canoe Club has been drowned in any of the numerous long cruises performed.

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