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THE PINEHURST OUTLOOK
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A HEW IfcAlfnOUKI
II. E. Wicker T1U of Exploring
LHtI IliviT and Mow to
Prepare fr Huch Trip
Ever since John Warren Achorn had
?learel up Drowning Creek swamp and
.brought Indian guides from the Maine
woods to brave the fastness of Lumbeo
TJiver; it had been my desire to do a
little pioneering of my own. Several
trips down Little Eiver to the two elec
tric plants below Lakeview didn't serve
to appease the desire and after several
attempts and as many disappointments
the writer, in company with three others
who were willing to risk the navigability
,0f the stream, put off from Leslie's
Imdge, between Lakeview and Vass on
the tenth of May, destination: Fay--etteville;
schedule, none.
Five days later, almost to the hour,
-we tied up to the wharves at that old
town; changed our jriver clothes for
railroad style, bade our boats farewell
and bought tickets to Aberdeen. In
that five days we had spent seven dol
lars and a half each, which included
pots, pans, grub, tent, boats and oars.
In return we had had the satisfac
tion of sleeping on the ground five
nights, eating fried cats and corn bread
five days and seeing one of the prettiest
rivers on earth from the vantage point
of our boats. And it was worth the
trouble. ,
I append- the following instructions,
gleaned from our experience, for the
benefit of any who would like an outing
of a week, inexpensive, healthful and
satisfactory.
Boats: Make them out of two pieces
of pine boards in. thick and 12 inches
wide, bottomed with x4 in. stuff put
on cross wise. Nail a strip over these,
on each edge of the boat to prevent
snags, rocks, etc., tearing off the bottom.
It is also a good idea to put a runner
in the center from end to end, about an
inch thick, so that the boat will readily
slide over logs. Our boat was thirteen
feet long and three feet wide at the
widest part just back of. the center. It
comfortably carried half our load and
"two pasengers, a total weight of about
three hundred pounds. ' My next boat
will be smaller, rather than larger.
Make a boat hook about seven feet
long out of light pine. The hook should
he made of y2 in. rod iron, and so fash
ioned that it may be used either like
a spear or a hook. This implement will
be of a great deal more use than an oar
during the first part of the trip.
Don't attempt to make a paddle,
"iou can buy a canoe paddle for. a dol
lar which is light and fits the hand and
is well worth the money. Take two five
foot oars and the pins necessary to use
them on the boat. These will come in
andy in the still stretches on the Cape
Fear.
For grub, buy eggs ad canned goods.
Take along plenty of meal or flour and
the ingredients necessary to make flap
.laeks. "We carried a little iron rack
ith four legs, covered, with chicken
"Wire, which we used as a stove, and
found it much handier than t pile of
sticks which will burn in two and turn
the pots over just as the coffee is boiling.
For a tent we bought a 7x7 ft. wedge
tent with rope ridge. This tent doesn't
require poles for it 's erection and can
be put up wherever there are two trees
within twenty feet of each other. Bed
ding is important, but one blanket is
all we found necessary for comfort.
Be sure to provide at least twenty
feet of small rope with which to tie up
the boat at night. Sometimes we had to
climb up a forty foot bank to make
camp and it 's rather distressing to go
down to the river in the morning . and
find the boat gone.
Now as to the trip: You'll find the
first four miles from Leslie's bridge
rather hard going, but with the assist
ance of a sharp axe you can get through
without unloading the boats. In a great
many instances the boat will either go
over or under a log if the weight is
shifted and the hook used freely.
I am under the impression it would
pay to have the boats hauled to the
bridge at White Bock and start from
there.
You will have to unload at both of the
electric plants and at Manchester, but
after that, it is clear water to Fayette
ville. There are no rapids or falls in Cape
Fear that cannot be safely run with
wooden boats. "We counted thirteen
which made pretty exciting going for a
short distance, but some of these would
be covered in high water.
If this article ' reaches someone who
would like to undertake the trip, the
writer would be glad to correspond with
him and to render, such assistance as he
is able.
B. E. Wicker,
Pinehurst, N. C.
HHr. Ifewcomli Iada ' tlie ladies
Mrs. Charles H. Newcomb of Philadel
phia, wife of the famous champion at
the Traps, entered the shooting game to
such good purpose that she captured the
Annie Oakley prize for the best score
made last week by any woman at the
butts. This is a rifle shooting contest
running through the week, conducted by
the famous shot for all the ladies of the
village. Mrs. Newcomb had never han
dled a gun before the other day, when
she took her first lesson from Annie
Oakley. Marksmanship must run in the
family, and was rapidly developed under
the distinguished teacner.
Her score was 123 out of a possible
150.
Mm. Dame and Mm. Oilman were
the Prize Winnera
at a Bridge Whist party and afternoon
tea given by Mrs. J. Ebb Weir of
Brooklyn, N. Y., last Tuesday at the
Country Club. Among others present
were Mrs. C. B. Hudson, Mrs. L. D.
Pierce, Mrs. A. S. Gihnan, Mrs. Clarence
Lake, Mrs. J. de S. Bosse, Miss Stevens,
Mrs. H. M. Warner, Miss Brayton.
Hfcsf LJ OpenDoo)
n
The Big Front Door
of the Hotel McAlpin opens at your approach.
It admits you to an hotel where you will find
every comfort, every luxury and, above all,
the earnest desire to welcome you.
Location and management make the McAlpin
an ideal home for those who linger and those
whose stay in New York is short.
The McAlpin has more than 1700 rooms. Its
Mezzanine Restaurant and Terra Cotta Grill
are famous. Rates moderate.
When you come to New York, make the Mc
Alpin your home.
HOTEL MALPIN
L-M. BOOMER. Managing Director
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NEW YORK CITY
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