ICE BOATS, SLEDGES AND TOBOGGANS.
As our vacation was drawing to a close, we began to make plans for the
Christmas holidays. Our previous Christmas vacation had been so
completely taken up with preparations for the trip to Willow Clump
Island that we had had no time for the trip itself. We resolved this
time to have everything ready beforehand, so that we could spend the
entire two weeks in solid pleasure. Our skate sails and snow shoes were
stored in the attic, ready for use. If we were to make a trip in the
snow we would need a sledge, and then, too, we wanted to make an ice
boat. It would hardly pay to build these on the island and then cart
them home, so it was decided to break up camp a couple of weeks before
school commenced.
BREAKING CAMP.
Consequently, on the first day of September we gathered up our
belongings, corraled our chickens, packed our goods, and the next day
started for home. Mr. Schreiner, in response to a letter from the
secretary, came down with a large wagon in which the majority of the
things were packed. The rest of our luggage was stowed in the scow and
the canoes, and these were towed down the canal, as before. We reached
home late in the afternoon, tired and hungry. It was a treat to sit at
the table again and eat some of Mother's appetizing dishes. And say,
wasn't that pie great, though! My, how ravenous we were! And then a
soft, comfortable bed with spotless white sheets and pillow cases. How
soundly we did sleep that night! You can just bet we were all glad
enough to get back to civilization, though, of course, no one could have
dragged out the confession from a single one of us.
THE ICE BOAT.
[Illustration: Fig. 163. The Backbone.]
[Illustration: Fig. 164. Frame of the Ice Boat.]
[Illustration: Fig. 165. Runner Shoe.]
[Illustration: Fig. 166. The Rudder Shoe.]
School commenced on the 20th of September that year, so we hadn't much
time to spare. Work was begun immediately on the ice boat. Our first ice
boat was rather a crude one. A 2 by 4 inch scantling 14 feet long was
used for the backbone of the boat. The scantling was placed on edge, and
to lighten it and improve its appearance it was tapered fore and aft
from a point 4 feet from the bow end. The thickness of the ends of the
backbone was but 2 inches, as shown in Fig. 163. To the under edge of
the backbone, 5 feet from the forward end, a crosspiece was nailed. This
crosspiece was a 1-inch board 6 inches wide and 9 feet long. Braces were
then run from the ends of the crosspiece to the forward and rear ends of
the backbone, and at the rear end several boards nailed across the
braces served as a seat for the boat.
Our next task was to rig up the runners. For these we used skates, which
were so arranged that we could remove them whenever we wanted to. Three
blocks of wood were used for the runner shoes. Two of them were cut from
a 2 by 4 scantling and measured a foot in length. The third block was
only 1 inch thick, but was otherwise of the same dimensions. The skates
were laid face downward on the blocks with the clamping levers open;
then we marked the places where the clamping jaws touched the wood and
drilled holes at these points. The forward end of each block was also
tapered off to fit flat against the face of the skate. Then by inserting
the jaws in the holes and closing the levers, the skate was clamped to
the block, just as it would be to a shoe. The two 2-inch blocks were
bolted to the ends of the crosspiece, but the third block needed further
attention, as it was to be used for the rudder or steering runner.
[Illustration: Fig. 167. The Tiller.]
[Illustration: Fig. 168. Drilling the Mast Step.]
The rudder post was shaped from a block of hardwood 3 inches square and
10 inches long. Two inches from the lower end saw cuts were made in the
side of the block to a depth of 3/4 inch. Then with a chisel the sides
were split off, forming a large pin with a square shank 8 inches long.
Next the corners of the shank were cut off, rounding it to a diameter of
1-1/2 inches. The runner block was fastened securely to the head of the
rudder post with screws. A 1-1/2-inch hole was now drilled into the
backbone at the stern end to receive the rudder post. A tiller was next
cut out of a 1-inch board to the shape shown in Fig. 167. A slot was cut
in the end of the tiller, and the latter fitted snugly over the top of
the post, where it was held in place by screws threaded in through the
sides.
[Illustration: Fig. 169. The Mainsail.]
The mast of our boat was a pole 8 feet long, tapering from a diameter 2
inches at the base to 1-1/2 inches at the top. A step for the mast was
cut from a 2 by 4 block 8 inches long. A 2-inch hole was drilled into
the face of this block. We had no drill large enough to bore this hole,
but accomplished the same result by drilling eight 1/2-inch holes inside
of a 2-inch circle (Fig. 168), and then used a chisel to cut off the
projecting pieces. The mast step was firmly bolted to the backbone at
its thickest part, that is, just four feet from the forward end. The
mast was braced with stay ropes stretched from the top to the forward
end of the backbone and to the ends of the crosspiece. A 9-foot pole,
tapering from 1-1/2 inches to 1 inch in diameter, was used for the boom
of the mainsail, and for the gaff we used a 6-foot pole of the same
diameter.
[Illustration: Fig. 170. Jaws of the Boom.]
[Illustration: Fig. 171. A Cleat.]
The dimensions of the mainsail are given in Fig. 169. For mast hoops we
used curtain rings. Five were attached to the sail along the luff, and
one was fastened with a piece of leather to the end of the gaff. We used
a different scheme for holding the boom to the mast. The forward end of
the boom was flattened at the sides and a couple of cheek blocks were
bolted on, forming jaws of the shape indicated in Fig. 170. The jaws
were whittled out to fit nicely around the mast, and were kept from
slipping off by a piece of rope passed around the mast and threaded
through the ends of the cheek blocks. Half a dozen small pulley blocks
were now procured, of the type used on awnings. A rope called the throat
halyard was strung from the throat or forward end of the gaff through a
pulley block near the top of the mast, and led down to the backbone,
where it was "belayed," or wrapped around a cleat. The cleat, which was
whittled out of a stick of wood, was made in the form indicated in Fig.
171. A short length of rope was strung through a pulley block and tied
with some slack to the upper end and to the center of the gaff. This
rope is called a "bridle," and to the pulley block on this "bridle" a
rope was attached called the "peak halyard." The peak halyard was passed
through a pulley block at the top of the mast, and belayed on a cleat at
the side of the backbone. For the main sheet (that is, the rope used for
guiding the mainsail) two pulley blocks were fastened to the backbone,
one just in front of the seat and the other a few feet further forward,
and two more were lashed to the boom, midway between these blocks. The
sheet was fastened near the aft end of the backbone and then strung
through the blocks in the order illustrated, the free end of the sheet
being brought back to the seat, where a cleat was provided, to which it
could be secured when desired.
[Illustration: Fig. 172. The Jib-sail.]
[Illustration: Fig. 173. The Ice Boat Completed.]
The jib-sail was now cut out to the dimensions given in Fig. 172. The
foot of the sail was lashed to a jib-boom 3 feet 4 inches long. The
jib-boom was attached to the backbone at its fore end by means of a
couple of screw eyes. The eye of one of these was pried open, linked
through the other and then closed again. One of the screw eyes was now
screwed into the head of the jib-boom and the other was threaded into
the end of the backbone. The upper corner or "head" of the jib was tied
to a jib-halyard, which passed through a block at the top of the mast,
and was secured on a cleat on the backbone. On the jib we used two
sheets. They were attached to the end of the jib-boom and passed on
opposite sides of the mast through blocks on the crosspiece to the stern
of the boat, where separate cleats were provided for them.
This completed our ice boat, and a very pretty little boat she was. It
was with great reluctance that we furled the sails, unstepped the mast,
and stowed away the parts in our attic until old Jack Frost should wake
up and furnish us with a field of smooth ice.
THE SLEDGE.
[Illustration: Fig. 174. A Spacing Block.]
[Illustration: Fig. 175. The Runners and Rails Spaced Apart.]
Our sledge was patterned after a picture of one used by Peary in one of
his Arctic expeditions. First we got four strips of hickory 1 inch
thick, 1-1/2 inches wide and 8 feet long for the runners and side rails.
Beginning 18 inches from the ends, each stick was tapered gradually to a
thickness of 1/2 an inch. Then we made eight spreaders or spacing
blocks, each 1-1/2 inches thick, 2-1/2 inches wide and 11 inches long.
In each end a notch 1/2 inch deep was cut to receive the runners and
side rails. In the edge of each block, midway of its length, a slot 1
inch deep was cut to receive the cross sticks of the sledge. First we
nailed the runners and rails to the blocks, fastening them with screws,
spacing the blocks 16 inches from the ends, and 20 inches apart from
center to center. Then we bent the ends of the rails and runners
together, fastening them with bolts, as in Fig. 175. Four crosspieces,
or floor beams, were cut out of a 1-inch board, each 2 inches wide and
30 inches long. These were fitted into the slots in the space blocks and
secured with screws. A cross stick was also fastened between the rails
and runners at the forward end. On the floor beams we nailed a flooring
of 1/2-inch slats, 2 inches wide and 6 feet long. At the rear end these
slats projected 8 inches beyond the last space block and over them a
cross slat was nailed. A stick of hickory 4-1/2 feet long was soaked in
hot water, as described on page 39, and was bent to an U-shape. The ends
were then fitted over the first cross stick, and under the first floor
supports, and securely nailed in place. Another stick of hickory 6 feet
long was similarly bent, and the ends slipped over the rear cross slats
and fitted against the rear space blocks, in which position the stick
was securely nailed.
[Illustration: Fig. 176. The Sledge.]
It was our intention to shoe the runners with strips of brass, but these
were not procurable in our village, and we had no time to go down to
Millville. However, the village blacksmith came to our rescue and shod
our sledge with sleigh runner iron.
We had planned to make two more devices for our winter sports--a
toboggan and a peculiar looking contrivance called a "rennwolf," a
picture of which Dutchy happened to unearth in one of his father's
books. Unfortunately Bill and I had to return to school before either of
these was completed. However, the work was entrusted to Reddy, who was
quite handy with tools, and Jack, who was made secretary _pro
tempore_, took notes on the work.
THE TOBOGGAN.
[Illustration: Fig. 177. Tying Down the Head Piece of the Toboggan.]
The toboggan was made of light flexible hickory boards, 1/4 of an inch
thick, 6 inches wide and 8 feet long. Three of these boards were used,
and they were fastened together with cross sticks or battens, about 3
inches wide and 1/2 an inch thick. There were six of these battens
spaced about 15 inches apart, and secured to the floor boards with
flathead screws introduced from the under side and countersunk so that
the heads would not project below the bottom of the toboggan. At the
forward end we screwed on a head piece of oak, 3/4 of an inch thick,
1-1/2 inches wide and 20 inches long. The head piece was fastened to the
under side of the boards, so that when they were curved up into a hood
it would lie on top. The ends of the head piece, which projected 1 inch
each side of the boards, were notched to hold the rope, which was tied
fast after the boards had been steamed. The boards were steamed by
wrapping them in burlap for a distance of 2 feet from the forward end,
and pouring boiling water over them, as was done with the snow shoes
(page 39). Before bending the boards we had fixed screw eyes in the ends
of each batten, except the forward one; a rope had been strung through
these screw eyes and the ends were now tied to the head piece and drawn
tight so as to bend the boards into a graceful curve. In this way the
ropes were of service not only for curving the front end into a hood,
but also for side rails, to hold on by when shooting swiftly around
curves.
[Illustration: Fig. 178. The Toboggan.]
THE RENNWOLF.
The runners of the rennwolf were made of hickory strips, 1 inch thick, 2
inches wide and 8 feet long. At their forward ends these strips were
tapered down to a thickness of 1/2 an inch and curved upward. About 30
inches from the rear end of each runner an upright post was nailed. The
post was 3 feet long and was braced by a diagonal brace 24 inches long,
as shown in Fig. 179. A tie bar was nailed to the post about 6 or 8
inches from the bottom and connected with the forward curved end of the
runner.
[Illustration: Fig. 179. Dimensions of Rennwolf.]
The two runners were now placed parallel to each other about 18 inches
apart, and connected by four cross bars, one at the forward end, and
three on the upright posts, in about the positions illustrated. The
upper cross bar was extended 6 inches beyond the posts at each side, and
served as a handle for guiding the queer craft. An 18-inch square board
was used for the seat of the rennwolf. It rested on the second cross-bar
of the post about 12 inches from the runners, and the forward end was
supported on legs nailed to the tie bars. On each runner back of the
posts a loop of leather was nailed, large enough to receive the toe of
one shoe.
When using this odd sled one foot would rest on the runner with the toe
in the strap, and by kicking out against the snow or ice with the other
foot the rennwolf would be made to spin along at a rapid rate. Of
course, when coasting both feet would rest on the runners and the sled
was steered by an occasional side push at the right or left. Owing to
the great length of the runners the rennwolf would easily ride over
uneven surfaces and thin spots in the ice.
[Illustration: Fig. 180. The Rennwolf in Use.]
ICE CREEPERS.
[Illustration: Fig. 181. The Ice Creeper.]
In order to provide a better hold for the propelling foot, we fastened
around the toe a strap of leather, through which a number of long tacks
projected. Their sharp points would stick into the ice, and prevent the
foot from slipping. The seat of the rennwolf was convenient for carrying
a coat or any light luggage, and it was often used to give a friend a
very exhilarating ride.