lum~e - American Museum Of Fly Fishing

American
Flv Fisher
-
ume 1
lum~e
Keturn lrip
The split-cane I-otl, in use by Sly ness, hut the long-term succrss of the
i n t h i s couritt-y fot- l ~ a t n b o orod c a n be a t t r i b u t e d , q u i t e
more thitn a ccntut-y,hzts l~eenI he sirnply, to its durability ;tnd its lightness.
most disc~tssctlimplement of all Furthermore, bamboo can be efficiently
~ ~ ~ s r c t o t rcgali;~-and
-ial
rightly machined to very high tolerances, so a
s o . Aftcr a l l , w i t h o u t t h i s rc- wide selection of tapers can be easily
m;trkahlv tlelic-ate i n s t r u m e n t , achieved.
etitlowed with just thc right amount of
Rut what of the history of tliesl~lit-cane
"power" ant1 "action," c.onstructctl I)y rot1 in North Arncrica? T h e six-strip conomnisciet;t c:-::ftsrnen possessed of mysti- s t r u c t i o n techniqrt', w i t h t h e c a n e ' s
cal powet-s ancl skills, how could wc3make enamel o n the outside, has Ixen in ttsc
the pet-fect i:incty-foot ~ 1 s rrcluir-etl
t
to since circa 1845 and is genrrally consic-atcll the fish ~ i s i n gtight "11 ;tg:tinst a dered to hr of American ot.itrin. For the
hank, in ;I 1xtc.kwatct-,;tnd utidcr ;tl)out history of split-cants rod constr-uction in
three hertat-es (:I dense hr-ush, while the this coittitry, we are indebtecl to Dr. James
I~lnck flies ;tntl moscluitocs at-c Sict-ccly A. Henshall, ~ r h o s eprclirninary account
attacking ;111 csl~osctl;trc:rs of our epitlci-- o n thc subject appcared in his Book of
tnis! Special rod t:t~)ct-s.unicl~tclycngi- Blnrk Bn.s.5 (1881). An amplified, revised
ncercd let-rules, special glues, impregria- version was published in O ~ ~ t i rnag:t~zg
tion, ancl secret v a r n i s h i n g tc.chniclues dine (May 1902). Since then much has
arc a m o n g the to11ic.s usu;llly ~tssoi.i~ttcd been published concerning just who was
with the mystical lore ol split-cane rot1 responsible for the invention of the sixnianufacturc. Sure, sornc of thcsc things strip canc rod. Henshall gives Samurl
arc germane to the cane rotl's effective- Phillippr credit for first using thc tech-
nicluc. But was he? We'll let you dccitle.
We tlevotc this issue 01 the A n ~ ~ r i c n ~ z
Fly Fi.shpr lo the history of the developtnrnt of the split-cane rod in North America. We havc rcprintetl, in addition to
artiZR
Henshall's aforcmcntiot~eclO Z L ~ I T
cle, several picccs that have :I direct bearing o n the topic. These wot-ks have been
SI-rqnently~ u o t e dand ;iIludcd roovcr t h r
years by numerous ;ttngling wr-itet-s/liistorians; 1)ut to out- knowledge, this is the
material
first time this original
d .u r
h a s bccn collcctivc~lyp ~ ~ l ) l i s h eO
intention is to provide an easily accessible point of rcfcrcnc-c for those intcrestrcl
in the histot-y of thrc.anc r-otl. We make n o
claim as to esha~~stivcncss
ant1 invite o u r
readcrs to :ttlvisc 11s of additional matet.ial
pertinent to tliia arcit of arigling history.
Mo~.co\,ct.,we fee1 i t is i t n p t ~ t a t ~to
\ ~ rec
t l a t i to the soul-c.cs
1)c.r-iotlic-ally-nor only
to glcitn new inaiglit. 11r1t to tn;tIic sure
that histot-iral al~crt-;ttiorishavc not occ~trrctlclue to S;tulty transcription of fact.
d
Split Bamboo Rods
T. S. Morrell
Volume 13 Number 3
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Making Split Bamboo Rods-Amateur
T. S. Morrell
Work
. . . .4
T h e Split Bamboo Rod-Its
William Mitchell
History, Etc.
. . . . . .8
T h e Split Bamboo Rod-Its
Iskender
History, Etc.
. . . . . 10
The Split-Bamboo Rod from a German Standpoint
Iskender
11
Anleitung zur Angel-Fischerei . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Richard H o f f m a n
Charles F. Murphy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Fred Mather
Origin of the Split-Bamboo Rod . . . . . . . . . . 20
James A . Henshall
Notes and Comment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Books
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Museum News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
:lr/ l)fr?, l o r
LI;II t l i : ~l'i1011. A I ~ I \ v ~ I I
( . ' O / ) \ ~ /';//ftflJ
I)~;III:Ib l . M I J I It,\
Split
Bamboo
Rods
by T. S. Morrell
well made, with proper rare should last a
life-time. I have one that has seen eighteen years of use all over this section of
country, and has never needed repair. I
would state that my best rods I never lend
(I keep ash and lancewood ones expressly
for this purpose.) I propose to give some
description of the split bamboo rod and
some account of their inventor.
T h e best bamboo, in fact the only kind
worth cutting u p , is the clouded Calcutta
cane. T h e clouded appearance is formed
by the b u r n i n g off of little vine-like
NEWARK,
N. J. branches g r o w i n g from each knot o r
EDITORCHICAGO
FIEI.D:-That the split joint; these branrhes wind around the
b a m b o o rod is the best for a n y o r all stalk tightly, and are so tough that burnangling purposes is now pretty generally i n g is the only practical method of remoadmitted, though I often meet with those val. It is very d i f f i c u l t t o get g o o d
w h o dispute it, and swrar by therecital o f bamboo, not one cane in a hundred is fit
wonderful catches of many and big fish to cut up. T h e best test is to cut across
by ash, lancewood and greenheart-, that grain with a sharp knife; if it leaves a
the latter cannot hc beatm. I have only to smooth glossy surface, at lrast half uJny
ask these grntlcrner~to try for oneday ;I sis- througli, ant1 from the inside you can
ounce split 1,alnl)oo against a rod of :uny pull off long, tough threads, your bamother material of t h r s;llncs propol-tions. boo will pay for cutting. If it is dry and
which ~ r o u l ( lI)c. at least I hrclcs ounces brittle it is good for nothing, T h e thick o r
heavier. Your ac.hing h;ic-k ant1 wrist butt end only should be used. Four-strip
would scbttlc the rnatter I)cyontl tlisl~ute. rods w h e n g l u e d t o g e t h e r a r e nearly
Split bamboo rods are now made for all square, the corners are filed off to approxsorts of angling. T h e righteen or twenty i m a t e rounclness. T h e six-strip when
feet salmon, the eight to ten-feet striped glued together is hexagonal, and if inbass, with jewrllrd guides and tips, the tended to b' round only a small portion
skittering rod of sixtren feet, the chum- of the enamel has to be filed off. They are
m i n g rod, perch rod, black bass rod, and a great improvement o n the four-strip.
Before c u t t i n g i n t o the bamboo get
lastly the elegant fly rod for trout.
A split bamboo of first-class material, your ferrules, take them for each joint,
T. S . Morrrll, a nznrlrrnth-crntury rportlng Z L I ~ Z ~ UP IT / L Owrote
under the psrudonym Old Izaak,
contrzbutrd thr follozuzn,q artzcle
to the March 13, 1880, znur (7101.
13, no. 5 ) of tllr C h ~ c a g oField.
After Pytollzng t/!r uzrtue~ of
splrt-cane rodr, /zr ~ I I d~~ rT r c t z o n
for
~
tlzrzr constructzon. H P crrd7tsE. A. Grren
for thr znz~rntzonofthr ~ p l ~ t - b a m b orod.
o
B o t h M o r r e l l and G r r r n r e r z d f d zn
Nrwark, Nrw Jercry.
stand them o n end o n a piece of white
paprr, draw a lin? around [the] outside
with a pencil; if for six-strip divide the
circumference into six equal parts with a
pair of compasses, then rule a line from
point to point, so that they all meet in the
centrr. T h c difference in size of ferrules
will show thc amount of taper required.
For the, butt draw a plan o n paper of the
swell of the hand hold; from this plan
mark your bamboo clearly with a pencil,
and saw it out; never attempt tosplit it for
there may be just enough twist in it to
spoil your joint. If you have grooved
boards the size of each strip you can plane
your strips quickly and accurately. If not,
trust to jack-knife a n d file, or use a piece
of stc,el, w i t h a v c u t i n t o i t theshape your
strip shoulcl be, sharpen this, and draw
your strip over it until redured to the
correct s h a p e . I n g l u i n g y o u r s t r i p s
togethrr much care must he taken; have
the glue thin and boiling hot; work in a
warm room; spread with a brush the glue
o n the bamboo for about one foot, commencing at the thick end wind it tightly
and closely with a fishing line, draw i t
very tight as far as you have put o n the
glue, then proceed as before until you
havr wound your joint. Now straighten
your piece carefully and lay it o n a shelf
for twenty-four hours. Finish off with a
filr and sand paper a n d it is ready for the
frrrules and silk lashings. Care must be
taken in putting o n the ferrules, so that
t h r rod will be straight. If you have made
Masthead of the Chicago Field i n
which Morrell's article on thesplitbamboo rod appeared. T h e Chicago
Field runs a short-li71rd sporting
miscellany (1878 to 1881) .similar to
Forest & Stream. Its drpartmrnts
included Trap Shooting, Rifle,
Kennrl, Amusrn~ent.s,Game and
Shooting, Fish and Fishing,
Natural History, and T h e Horse.
Fig. 63.
11
A technique for planing bamboo
strips for a split-cane rod. T h e
illustration is from Henry
Parkhurst Wells's Fly-Rods and FlyTackle (1885). Wells (1842 to 1904)
zuas the originator of the renowned
Parmacheene Bell?, a gaudy wet fly
that he fished successfully o n
Maine's Magalloway River (see the
American Fly Fisher, uol. 2, no. 4).
-
your joints the size of the outside of the
ferrules very little filing will make them
fit on easily. T h e edges of the enamel of
the strips to be glued together should be
very sharp, and the surface to be glued
perfectly flat, then the joints cannot be
seen.
I have thus hastily described the work
of an amateur (not of the professional rod
maker), because many like to make their
own tackle, con amore, which is precisely
my case, for I think there is nothing saved
by it, or not enough to pay for the trouble.
T h e idea of the split bamboo was taken
from the English-built rod of several
kinds of wood split and glued together. I
am glad to learn that a complete assortment of Conroy's rods will be sent to the
Fish Congress at Berlin, by Professor
Baird, among the United States exhibits,
which, taken as a whole, will be a credit
to the country as the appropriation by
Congress is a liberal one; the Smithsonian collection alone would do us credit. I
predict that the collections of splitbamboo rods will excite more admiration
than all other implements there exhibited.
T h e inventor of the split bamboo rod is
Mr. E. A. Green, of Newark, N. J. Mr.
Green is a retired mechanic of large
means. and an enthusiastic mortsman.
He is the inventor of numeroui appliances for the rod, rifle, and shot gun, and is a
first-rate workman. T h e first rods that he
made of split bamboo, he showed to Dr.
Andrew Clerk and Mr. Conroy, who each
expressed their approbation, and suggested that he should find a good mechanic to make some for sale, and Mr. Green
persuaded Mr. Charles F. Murphy to try
the experiment.These rods, though then
extremely high priced, were eagerly purchased by some of the most expert anglers, w h o appreciated their beauty,
power and lightness. Murphy is still
making rods, and they have a reputation
all over the country as being perfectly
satisfactory. Murphy is a very conscientious, careful workman, using only
s o u n d , well-seasoned bamboo, a n d
spending more time on his work than is
profitable, and consequently is poor.
Mr. Green has done nothing for many
years except take care of his large property, and spending most of his time hunting and fishing. He and his confrere,
Samuel Streit, go every Summer to Canada after salmon; they have had the lease
of several rivers, and last season were on
the Marguerite. There is scarcely a hunting or fishing resort on this continent
with which they are not familiar, and a
pair of more expert fly-fishers it would be
hard to find. Mr. Green is getting along
in years, but the zest for the sport increases with the years. He still uses the
rods for salmon and trout, which he first
made, and they have never needed repair.
His five-and-a-half ounce trout rod is the
most perfect I ever handled. May he enjoy
his sporting for many years to come. §
Making Split Bamboo RodsAmateur Wor
by T. S. Morrell
B
,
A second article by Morrell. T h i s
o n e appeared i n t h e April 28,
1883, issue of the American Angler (uol. 3, no. 17). According to
Morrell, only the butts of Phillippe's rods were constructed of
split cane. (Morrell obuiously had
nri1c.r seen a Phillippe rod). Morrell also
states that E. A. Green taught h i m how to
make split-bamboo rods and that C1zarles
M u r p h y was t h e first t o manufacture
these rods for the trade.
A number of years ago I was very desirous of possessing a split hamboo fly rod,
but could not afford to purchase, as the
price was high, even for the four strips
(forty-five dollars). T h e six strip had been
introduced, but had not, as now, entirely
superceded the former.
After pondering the subject in all its
bearings, a n d because I h a d recently
broken beyond rapair my old ash and
lancewood rod, and must have a new one,
I concluded to try my hand at making a
split bamboo.
I first set a b o u t finding a first-class
piece of bamboo. T h i s I secured from a
reliable rod maker, who assured me that I
would never see better stuff if I lived a
hundred years.
I tried to saw it into strips, but could
not. It was worse than sawing ivory; the
saw was not fine enough o r of sufficient
temper. T h e n I split it; and luckily it split
straight, which I have found in subsequent attempts is not likely to be thecase.
I began first with the butt, splitting strips
wide enough to form the hand hold, and
shaving down to a gradual taper. I did
not attempt a six-strip, but concluded
that four strips would beas much as, with
mv limited tools. I could succeed with.
Having a good oil-stone, I sharpened
my knife and set to work, going at it with
confidence and vigor. O n e or two shavings came off without much trouble, but
after that the knife required re-sharpening.
Giving it a few turns o n the oil-stone, I
got a good edge, and again set to work. I
found that after every three or four cuts
into the bamboo, the knife required rehoning.
After a while I succeeded in getting the
bamboo shaped to an edge so sharp that it
cut my finger so that the blood ran. Binding u p the finger, I set to work again, but
succeeded better i n cutting my fingers
than I did the bamboo. I worked faithfully at that butt for many evenings, and
my hands became so sore that I had to
take a resting spell, and give them the
benefit of some salve.
I have never since come across any
bamboo that equalled that for hardness.
T h e sharp edges were something wonderful to see, and more wonderful to feel, as
they slipped under the skin when least
expected. Before I had been a week a t the
butt, I wished I had not begun, and was
sick of the job. But there was one thing
that was born into me, and that was stickto-it-ativeness, in anything once attempted; and I stuck to that butt until I got it
i n t o s h a p e ; t h o u g h my h a n d s w e r e
covered with cuts, and somewhat like a
file in feeling and stiffness.
T h e middle joint and tip gave me less
trouble, though four different times I
gave u p the job in disgust. But I went at it
again; a n d after a month's work (odd
evenings) g o t the rod ready to g l u e
together.
Before putting the rod together, I went
to see my friend Charley Murphy, andgot
some points about gluing. Charley
wanted to finish the rod for me-but, no!
I had begun, and must finish it alone,
without anyone's help, but I was thankful for useful hints.
First I made a glue pot; two common
pressed-fruit cans, one just small enough
to fit easily into the other, and a piece of
wire attached to each for handles, were
first fitted by cutting into the top of the
smaller a number of half-inch cuts, and
turning out the edges, so that the inner
can rested o n this rim in the outer. leavi n g a n empty space of about a n inch
between the bottoms of the two cans.
T h i s makes a good glue pot, and requires
but little time to prepare.
Having the glue boiling hot, and just
of the right thickness, neither too thick
nor too thin, I was ready toglue the strips
together. With a small varnish brush I
spread the glue quickly and evenly o n
about eighteen inches length of tip, comm e n c i n g a t t h e thickest e n d . T h i s I
Typical trouting tackle of the late
1860s. T h e illustration is from
Genio Scott's Fishing in American
Waters (1869).Note the splitbamboo rod and its description.
wound tightly and closely with a fishline so far as glued, or rather not quite so
far, for fear I should leave an inch or more
without glue. T h i s is a n important part;
for if the smallest space is left unglued,
the joint will warp. T h e n I finished as I
had begun, until the whole of this joint
was glued and tightly wound with twine.
T h e n straightening the piece carefully
(for the hot glue had made it sott and
pliant), I laid it away o n a level shelf. T h e
middle joint was treated in the sameway.
T h e butt gave me more trouble, for I
had not strength of hand sufficient to
bring the strips tightly together where it
swelled to form the hand-hold. I procured a number of iron rings of different
sizes, and driving them o n tightly succeeded i n getting the strips together so
that the joints were perfect.
At first I had difficulty in winding o n
the line sufficiently tight, but after several experiments I did it, by first taking a
few turns around the end of the joint,
overlapping the line to secure a good purchase; then I dropped the line and let i t
rest o n the floor. Placing my foot firmly
upon it, I turned the rod i n my two hands,
winding the line firmly and strongly.
After the joints had been glued two or
three days, I fastened o n the ferrules; first
giving each piece a thorough dressing
with fine sand paper. T h e ferrules I fastened o n with shellac. Jointing the pieces
together, I turned them in the ferrules
until I had the rod perfectly straight. I
then marked the places for the rings, and
fixed the reel-seat i n a corresponding
line. As this was a fly rod, the reel-seat
TROUTING
TACKLE.
Snnlhers 1,2,3,4. Split bamboo tront-rod and click reel. The hand-hold above the
reel i s either velvet or plain wobcl. This trout-rod is eminently American ; joints
aud rings of German silver, the rings gradually diminishing in size from butt to
top. A spliced top joint is to be preferred. 5. Wicker-l~nsketwith padlock, and
plate for owner's name; sliding shonlder-pad on the strap. 6. Tin bait-box, painted, perforated lid, and waist-belt. The strap is son~etiniesso ~l-rfideas to connect
wit11 the basket-strap, when the box is worn or left OR, a t the option of the wearer.
I11 c:se of connecting the bait-strap with tlie basket-strap, the b:wket is supported
I)y the left shoulder, and the bait-strap attache? a t the waist, so th:~tthe right arm
is entirely free for c:~stiiig. 7. Fly-book with leaves of Hristol-l)ofilmil,
or other stiti
m:lteri:Il, to which are attached short elids of elastic, with n hook to attach a loop,
:ultl a rillfi a t the other end of the lcnf for the hook. This ]>In11of carrying flies
tvithout bellcling the gut was in~entecl1)y Mr. Hutchinson, of Uticn, New I-ork, 2nd
the cards may either 1)e ;ittached to the book or ]:lid in ax I ~ ~ v cso
s ,tllfit. the angler
may nlercly take :1 ~jllgleleaf of r;clectcil flier, and place it ill his po~kt.t-l)ookfor n
,lay's firhiljg. F;.Lan(lilig-llet. Iiim of hollow br:lss wire. Meshes I;lrge : ~ n dof
llot too f i ~ l et\vinc. 1I:~ridleformecl Of two joints which screw to,cet,hcr,o r ~ t ~sol e
that the joint conl~ectctl\villi tlie ]let will slide iuto tlle butt. Tile oval shape of
rinl is better than the round ollc.
was behind the hand and untlcrnmth the
rod.
T h e rod was now ready for the silk
lashings. T a k i n g fine red sewing silk, I
drew off the spool about four feet of silk,
and, threading a fineneedle, began winding the tip joint. I took only a few turns,
and running the needle under these drew
the thread through and cut off with a
sharp knife as closely as possible. 'The
first lashings were placed an inch apart,
increasing in breadth and furthrr ;lp:~rtas
the rod became thicker, so that at the butt
near the hand-hold they wrre two inches
apart and a quarter of a n inch in width.
I should have stated before, that when
the rod was glued the pieces wrre nrarly
square, and that theedges were filed off to
approximate roundness.
After the lashing were all on, I gave the
rod its first coat of varnish, putting it o n
with a fine brush as thin as I could spread
it. T h e rod received four coats of varnish
before I considered it finished.
T h i s rod has done many years of service
a n d has taken hundreds of trout a n d
black bass, and has never neetlccl repairs,
other than everv winter anotI1c.r coat of
varnish.
After my succcss with this rod, I made
sevt*ralothers for frrsh and salt watc'r fishing, of various calibre anel wcaight, all of
six-strip bamboo; hut I never coultl get
any material equal to that of the first rod.
Most of these rods were successful, so far
as usefulness is concerned, hut could
hardly be called fine pieces of workmanship. They cost so much for the mountings, and so much time was taken to put
them together and finish, that I came to
the conclusion that it did not pay, and
that it was about as cheap to purchase.
I cannot better describe. the work of the
six-strip rod than to quote the letter I
wrote Doctor Hensh:ill, a n d which he
published in his hook o n thc black bass.
"I have just finished a rod patterned
after that describecl by you in 'Hallock's
Sportman's Gazeteer,'-a on(.-hand rod
for black bass. I will briefly describe my
method of manufacture, as I learned it
from Mr. E. A. Green.
"The rod is eight ancl a half feet long,
in three joints of six-strip bamboo. T h e
ferrules, reel-bands, butt-rap, and guides,
I had made to order, not bring an expert
in working metals.
"I first sawed the bamboo in two strips
with a fine sharp handsaw; then I took a
board with a perfectly straight slit sawed
the length of a joint of the proposed rod.
Laying the flat part of one of the strips (I
had just sawn asundcr) on this boardover
the slit, I carefully placed it soas toget the
requisite taper, and then tacked it at the
edges firmly to thr boarcl. T!len with a
rule and pencil I drew on the bamboo a
straight line, being careful to taper it
right, and sawed it out; then taking out
the tacks replacetl the strips so as to saw
out the other side. I sawed six pieces ious kinds of fishing, and had come to the
conclusion that it was unprofitable work,
exactly alike in size and taper for a joint.
T h e manner of getting thesizecorrectly is and I would attempt n o more.
to take the male ferrule for the thick end
Not long ago I saw an advertisement in
of the joint, and the female ferrule for the T H EANGLERof a m a n u f a c t u r e r w h o
small end; stand each o n end o n a piece o f stated that he was prepared to furnish
paper and make a circle outside; then strips of bamboo shaped and sized for the
with a b air of small comDassrs measure different joints, a n d at very moderate prithe circle into six equal parts, and draw a ces, with ferrules and mountings to fit. As
line from point to point across the circle, I wanted a heavy fly-rod suitable for the
large and various kinds of fish in Florida
so that all the lines meet in the centre.
T h i s will show the size and taper of each waters, I wrote him to send me the strips
a n d mountings for such a rod. These
piece (strip), and the exact shape.
"The board o n which I sawed the strips came duly to hand, and I set to work, and
has .grooves cut so that I can easily plane succeeded far beyond my expectations in
the inside of the strips; any inequality I
making a rod that, I think, will even pass
muster with the work of professional rod
finish off with a file.
makers. At least so those experts w h o
"I now place my six strips together,
winding twine around tightly some dis- have seen the work tell me. I a m now
tance apart, so that I can get my thumb putting o n the silk lashings, and as soon
as the rod has had its several coats of
and finger between, and by pressuresee if
varnish I will send it to the office of THE
they come well together.
"For the butt, I draw a plan o n paper,
AMERICAN
ANGLER
for exhibition before I
put it to service in the Adirondacks in
that is, enough to represent the handMay. Next winter I hope to test it in Florhold; measure with compasses the distance across each strip, or cut a pattern of
ida. I wanted to make this rod round, but
paper, lay it on the bamboo and mark it
the end of the ferrules being hexagonal, I
finished it in that form.
out. For the tip and middle joint, when I
I desire to say further that I do not make
glue the strips together, I wind hard,
tightly and closely together with twine; any rods to sell, but only for my own use.
If any of the readers of THE
ANGLER
wish
now I straighten them carefully, and lay
to try their hands a t this work ( o n l y
away for twenty-four hours.
because they cannot afford t o buy), and
"For the butt I have iron rings of many
sizes; when the strips areglued together, I get into difficulty, if they will write tome
stating what the trouble is, I will give
force o n these rings, driving hard and
them by letter the benefit of what little
closely together. T h i s brings the glued
experience and knowledge I have on this
strips so tightly together that the joints
cannot be seen. Twenty-four hours after- subject.
In making the first rod I received most
wards I take off the rings and wrapping of
twine, and finish off with file and sand- of my instruction from Mr. E. A. Green,
paper; then fit o n the ferrules, which I who claims to have been the first to have
made a complete split bamboo rod. T h e
fasten with cement.
"Before p u t t i n g o n the g ~ ~ i d ae ns d claim I made for him several years ago in
the Chicago Field. T h e claim was dismetal tip, I joint the roc1 together and
puted. Doctor Henshall wrote to me for
turn it in the ferrules until I get it perfectly straight; then mark the places for further information, as he wished to give
the honor in his forthcoming Bookof the
t h e g u i d e s , s o that they a r e a l l i n a
Black Bass to whom it was due. I gave the
straight line, that the fishing line may
Doctor all the information I had, and he
have as little purchase as possible. I now
published his conclusions in his book.
cement o n the metal tip, and lash o n the
I knew when I wrote that article that
guides with a string, simply to hold them
there were several claimants for the honor
in place ready for the silk lashings.
of the invention; there being two of them
"The rod is now ready for thelashings.
I w i n d the g u i d e s first, w i n d i n g o n residents of Newark, and both my persmoothly and closely. When one side o f sonal friends. From them I had often
the guide is wound, I cut off the silk, heard the story of how the thought came
leaving a half yard, which I thread in a to them and of their first experiments.
fine needle, and, pushing the latter under O n e of those who most strenuously commy claim for Mr. Green as the
the lashings, draw it through tightly, a ~ ~ batted
d
cut off close. T h e n I finish the other side inventor, quoted Mr. Charles H. Luke,
in the same way. I now mark with a pen- a n old angler and companion of Phillipi,
cil the places for the lashings, the whole to whom Doctor Henshall gives thecredit
in his book.
length of the joint, tip, or butt, o n which
As Charles H. Luke was for many years
I a m working; then draw off from the
spool about four feet of the silk, cut it off my angling companion and long loved
and thread the needle; this is enough for friend, I can with perfect safety say I
several lashings of the tip. T h e further know all he had to say about it, for I have
finishing of the rod I have before des- talked with him many times o n this subject. T h e rods he saw old Sam Phillipi use
cribed, and need not repeat."
I had made a half-dozen rods for var- he never claimed were completed of split
T w o tackle advertisements that
appeared i n the September?0,1865,
issue of Wilkes' Spirit of the Times
(vol. 13, no. 5). Clerk's ad is
especially interesting; the Excelsior
fly rod is described a.r being
"manufactured from split bamboo."
W e have not (as yet) been able to
examine earlier issues of Wi1ke.r'~
publication for Clerk's advertisements; however, Joyce Tracey at the
American Antiquarian Society
advises u s that the ad first appeared
in the January 21,1865, issue ( ~ 0 1 .
11, no. 21). T o date, this is the
earliest mention of a split-cane rod
in a tackle advertisement that we've
uncovered. T h e Pritchard brothe7.r'
( T h o m a s and Henry) tackle shop at
94 Fulton Street was a popular
gathering place for N e w York City's
anglers. Henry Pritchard, a rod
builder of some repute, held a
patent for a n early type of ring
guide (1859) and a n all-rubber,
molded rod handle (1881). See Fred
Mather's My Angling Friends (1901)
for more o n Henry "Harry"
Pritchard.
-
V
FISHING-TACKLE.
M
M
M
M
h
. - y . c - \ z c - ~ . ~ .
E1 8 H I N G
-
TACKLE.
BNDRZEW CLIERK L Co.
No. 48 Maiden Lane, N. Y., offer to the pnblic the
la, eat and beat aaeortment of flehing lmkle ever
e z b i t e d ln the United S t a . The particular1J
licit attention to their nne ualled co ection of
TROUT,BASS, AN% SALMON FLIES,
(made to ttern or copied from the insect.) The
B X C & L ~FLY
I ~ ROD, manufactured from s lit barnboo, stronger, lighter, and more elastic t an an
other. The London Bronae and German Silver ~ e e !
r t b s 8 Line, Mother-of-pearltrolling bait,
The N
Clerk9a=erican
bss0, sah-10 and trout hooks,
waterproof braided eilk linea, e C. etc. Partiee fitted ont with appropriate tackle for h n e the Adirondac region, Canada, and the Provincee ; deo for Long
Island and the mountain brooks of the neighboring
E
i'
9
state&
N.B.-Sole I.uI~o~~xB
of WarNm'0 OeIebrated Drilled
Eyed N e s d l ~ .
[ m e
F I SresH I N G
TACKLE.-
BROS., 94 Fnltan street.,
would
ctfnlly inform Trout and Salmon fishermen that ey Mil have the largest and best aeeortmen
of FLIES ever offeredin this country to the lovere of
the sport for the coming season. Owing to the large
demand lor Fliee during the last season, our stock wae
early dimhiah and we were unable to supply our
matomem with e different varieties that were wantbut will use our best endeavors to keep a good and
thl aesorbnent for the entire coming season.
Constant1 on hand a ood assortment of
TR&T B ~ O AMI
&
BASS RODS
at all pricee. heo, everything that is needed lor fbh-
8
7
%
"$C
JoBuINa PROMPTLY ATTBNDXD TO.
N. B.-We are the only parties in the United St
a ea
9
that. can make Fliw from any pattern.
bamboo, but that the butt was of natural
bamboo, into which the middle joint or
split was inserted. T h e first maker of the
split bamboo rod for the market it is not
d i s p u t e d w a s C h a r l e s F. M u r p h y , o f
Newark, and to him is due more than any
other the honor of introducing a perfect
rod that has captivated the fancy of the
best anglers of both the new a n d old
world.
Mr. Green never made rods for sale, but
only for his own use and those of his
p a r t i c u l a r friends, to w h o m h e gave
them. Mr. Green's work was practical
and artistic, he being a good mechanic
both in metal and wood; while the rods
that old Sam Phillipi exhibited, to use
the words of Mr. S a m u e l Streit a n d
Samuel Atwater, who knew him well and
often fished with him, were coarse affairs,
the joints looking as though they were
puttied together.
Whatever honor there is in the use of
split bamboo for tips belongs to England,
where they were in use nearly a century
ago. T h e East India Company's ships
when returning home light, would fill
their holds with bamboo for want of better ballast, as this wood was of some valur
t o commerce for its a d a p t a b i l i t y for
cabinet ware, baskets and various uses.
My old friend Luke has gone to his
long and silent home, full of years and
beloved by all who knew him. H e was
with me last spring in the Adirondacks,
where we had such glorious sport. I shall
go there next May with a chosen party,
but I shall miss the old gentleman sadly,
for I loved him with my whole heart, as
he oftne [sic] told me he loved me. H e and
Grant J. Wheeler, of Montclair, who has
been my companion in many a pleasant
trip, were nearly of the same age. My old
friend Wheeler still lives, and is as fond of
fishing and as genial a companion as
ever. I hope to take many a pleasant trip
[22%rn
i n t o the wilderness with h i m , though
time is making her marks upon us both.
As the silver locks cluster around the
heads that were formerly of darker hue,
and the eyes grow dim, and the vigor of
manhood departs from us, we live much
in the past. As one after one of our loved
angling friends leaves us and lay aside
their rods forever, their memories cling to
us with a hold that time cannot loosen.
As I a m making preparations for my trip
to L o n g Lake the thoughts of Luke and
his never ceasing stories of the angling of
fifty years ago, and his happy manner of
telling them, brings the old man u p
before me. H e seems to be standing by my
side as I write. May I be as ready to go to
the h a p p y h u n t i n g grounds when the
Great Spirit calls as he was.
We would be pleased to show the rod
made by Mr. Morrell to all who will call
at the office of THEANGLER.-[ED. 3
The Xitchell Bode.''
The
Split Bamboo
RodIts History,
E tc. "
by William Mitchell
W i l l i a m Mitchell of N e w York
City made his first split-cane rod
i n 1869 (see advrrtisement), using
n o t Calcutta cane, but Chinese
(Tonkin?) cane " w h i c h is m u c h
harder, and more homogeneous
than thr former." Mitchell's articlr appeared i n the May 19,1883, issue of
t h e American Angler (nol. 3 , n o . 20).
Mitchell gizws E. A. Green credit for m a k ing the first rod (four-strip construction)
entirely from split cane. H e gives H. L.
Leonard credit for thr first split-cane rod
o f six-strip construction. Henshall, o n
the other hand, assigns both these honors
t o Phillippe (vide infra). T h e editors of
the American Angler m a k e the claim that
Mitchell "con.structrd t h e first fly rod
made i n America" (see footnote). W efind
this last statement hard to beliez~e.
T h e "split bamboo,"-"rent
and glued
bambooH-rod has been generally supposed to be a n American invention. T h e
first split bamboo rod I ever saw o r heard
of was made by Wm. Blacker, 54 DeanSt.,
Soho, London, and to order, for James
Stevens, an old and well known angler of
Hoboken, N. J. T h i s was in 1852, and it
was given to me for repairs and alterations in that year. I am certainof thedate,
as I made a rod for Mr. Stevens o n his visit
to the London Exhibition in 1851. I have
the records of both dates, taken at the
time, so that n o mistake can be made. T h e
rod is still in the possession of the family
of Mr. Stevens.
T h e first attempt to give the history o f
the split bamboo rod in thiscountry, that
W. MITCHELL,
P I S IlI
G - n O D MAKER*,
(Still in the Field).
jt6 3 ~ 0 s
26 VANDAM
STREET, N. Y,
W i l l i a m Mitchell's advertisement as it appeared i n t h J ~u n e I?, 1878,
issue of Forest & Stream (vol. 10, no. 19)
I have been able to find, is as follows:
A. G. Wilkinson, Esq., of Washington,
D. C., in a n article in Scribner's Magazine
(now the Century) for October, 1876, o n
"Salmon Fishing," page 774 says:
"I have taken not a little pains to get as
far as possible, a correct history of this
somewhat remarkable invention."
Mr. Wilkinson gives the year 1866 as
the one in which Mr. Phillippi, a gunmaker of Easton, Pa., made a glued u p
split bamboo rod in three sections, o r part
of one. H e was followed by Mr. Green,
and Mr. Murphy.
Dr. Henshall, in his "Book of the Black
Bass," pp. 201-203, under the caption of
"Origin of the Split Bamboo Rod" says:
"For t h o u g h purely a n American
invention as now constructed, the idea o r
principle is really of English origin."
T h e Doctor then gives the date of the
first split bamboo rod made i n this country by Samuel Phillippi, as about 1848,
but all dates are from memory, a n d I
believe thedategiven by Mr. Wilkinson is
the nearer approach to the correct one.
Mr. Phillippi never made a complete rod
of split bamboo, only a tip and joint to a
three pieced rod, the butt of ash, and the
joint and tip made i n three sections. Mr.
Phillippi died about 1878.
Mr. Murphy of Newark, N. J., in a n
article by Mr. B. Phillips, o n theoriginof
the split bamboo, published in the New
York T i m e s gives the date as 1848, when
Mr. Phillippi used the natural bamboo,
and subsequently made a joint of bamboo.
T h e next date given is about 1860,
when Mr. E. A. Green of Newark, N. J.
made the first completesplit bamboo rod.
T h i s date cannot be far astray, for Mr.
Green made (that is, glued u p ) for the
trade a few; and I find my record made at
the time, to be Sept. 16, 1863. These rods
were made in four sections. Mr. Thaddeus Norris, of Philadelphia, is mentioned in connection with the invention,
but he never claimed it. I n 1863, o r 1864,
Mr. Murphy, a n acquaintance of Mr.
Green, commenced to manufacture split
bamboo rods for the trade; these were in
four sections.
T h e first rods constructed in six sections that were put into the market were
made by Mr. H . L. Leonard, of Bangor,
Me. T h i s was about 1870, and Dr. A. H.
Fowler s o o n followed; Mr. M u r p h y ,
however, claims to have made one some
time before.
T h e first split bamboo rod that I made
myself was in J u n e , 1869. I t was p u t
together in four sections; made not of
Calcutta bamboo but of Chinese, which
is much harder, more homogeneous and
more difficult to obtain than the former.
I have thus traced the record of the split
bamboo rod o n this side of the "herring
pond," and now will look into its history
o n the other side.
T h o m a s Aldred, of London, claims,
and I have never seen it disputed, to be the
inventor of the three-section glued u p
bamboo rod. T h e date under which Mr.
Aldred claims, I have never been able to
find. It was, however, previous to the
Crystal Palace exhibition in 1851. There
were three exhibitors in the Exhibition at
the Crystal Palace at London in 1851, viz.:
H. L. L E O N A R D ,
lbnufacturer of every variety of
FLY FISHING TACKLE.
Tlirddcas Norris,
20s West L o g n n S q u n r c , F h i l a d c l p h i n , Penn.
3LARES TO OItDEI1 A N D K E E P S ON IIAKD
F l X E TROUT AND SALMON RODS
0." I I l O N I1700D. L.4NCE WOOD, G I t E I < N B E I R l l ,
A X D I1ES'I' AXl) <;LULSL) HAJIEOO.
MAKES 'I'O O R D E R
SALMOK TROUT A K D
BASS FLIES.
Keeps on sale hi8 own pattern of F l u s h Crnnk Trout
and Snlmon Itcc-Is. nnd supplica ltny article of an Ang.
ler'e outllt at cnetom l)ricc$.
4-tf
FINE RODS for SALMON, BASS and TROUT
-
FISHING.
Split BambooRods a Specialtv
Every Rod bearing my nnmc is Nix 8 t r a n d ~from
butt to extreme tip$,and monntecl wit,h nly patent
waterproof ferrule, and warrantec\ ugainrt imperfections In material and workmanship.
Any etyle,of Unish. hexa~onalor round, afl may
be desired. W e of Orcenhcnrt, Ash, or Lancewood, MADE TO ORDER.
I wss awarded a MRDAL and DIPl,OMA at the
Centennial for my Split Bamtmo Rode.
YANUFACTOIIY, RANQOR, MAlNE.
A rrrlatr o f
Rent and glued bamboo trout and salmon rods were
advertised by Thaddeus Norris i n the March 5,1874, issue
of Forest & Stream (vol. 2, no. 4). N o mention is made as
to how many strips were used i n the construction of these
rods; however, i n his American Angler's Book (1864),
Norris gives detailed directions for m a k i n g a rod w i t h t i p
and midsection employing four strips of cane.
Ainge & Aldred, J. Bernard, and J. K.
Farlow. T h e rods exhibited were all of
three longitudinal sections, the whole
length of the cane, and not in sections
between the knots and glued. Ainge &
Aldred also exhibited the same rod at the
Exhibition in 1853 at New York.
T h e first record I have been able to find
of the construction of the split bamboo
rod, is in Ephemera's (Edward Fitzgibbon) Handbook of Angling, second edition, page 255, London, 1848, where he
recommends a ti^ for a salmon rod to be
made of bamboo cane rent longitudinally
into three wedged shaped pieces, then
glued together and reduced to the proper
tapering thickness, ringed and whipped
with unusual care and neatness. He adds:
"I have changed my opinion with respect
to rods made entirely of rent cane or any
other wood rent. T h e i r defects will
always more than counterbalance their
merits."
I have not been able to see a copy of the
first edition of Ephemera's book which
was published in 1844, in which he had
evidently recommended the rent a n d
glued rod; the book not being in the
Lenox or Astor library or in any private
library that I know of.
I now quote from Blacker's "Fly Making and Angling," London, 1855, page
82:
"The rent and glued u p bamboo cane
rods, which I turn out to the greatest perfection, are very valuable, as they are very
light and powerful, and throw the line
with great facility."
T h e first edition of this book, pub-
lrtr
rodu maf
be f o ~ ~ nnt
d
NO. I Q BEAVER ST.,
Now York Cltr (Up
Wtalra).
A n H . L . Leonard ad that touted his six-strip bamboo
rods (Forest & Stream, February 7,1878,z~ol.10, no. 1).
Leonard was located in Bangor, Maine, at the time and
had a N e w York City outlet for his product.
lished in 1842, I have also not been able to
consult. T h e author was a practical rodmaker and made the split bamboo rod I
refer to in the beginning of this article.
In 1856 there was published in London
an edition of Walton's "Complete Angler," edited by Edward Jesse, with notes
and papers on fishing tackle by the publisher, Henry G. Bohn. On page 325, in
the article on rods, he says:
"The split or glued u p rod is difficult
to make well and very expensive. It is
made of three pieces of split cane, which
some say should have the bark inside,
some outside nicely rounded."
In January, 1857, the third edition of
"The Practical Angler," by W. C. Stewart, was published in Edinburgh. On
page 33, Mr. Stewart, in speakingof rods,
says:
"The strength of bamboo lies in the
skin, and in order to turn this to best
account, rod-makers lay two or three
strips together so as to form a complete
skin all around. Rods are sometimes
made entirely of bamboo, but they possess no advantage over those in common
use to compensate for the additional
expense, a twelve foot rod of this material
costing f 3 to f4."
At that time bamboo rods were all
made in three sections with the enamel
on the outside. I know that Mr. Wilkinson says the rods made by Alfred & Sons
were put together with the enamel on the
inside, but I think this must bea mistake,
unless he means that the enamel was on
o n e side of the longitudinal section
extending from the apex to the base of the
triangle, and when glued, is from center
to circumference. But, put the outside of
the bamboo on the side of the triangle or
apex, then, the enamel is all gone, no
matter in what number of sections the rod
be made.
On the whole subject of enamel there is
much misunderstanding. No split bamboo rod ever was, is, or can be made, with
the enamel intact, no matter what number of sections or form of its construction,
for the following reasons:
Calcutta bamboo, ( B a m b u s a arundinacea) which is the bamboo used for
making rods, is one of the most useful
and important of the grass family, and
consists of a culm or cylinder (except at
the nodes or joints which are about ten to
fifteen inches apart) and a solid at the
nodes; with a projection on theoutsideof
one fiftieth to one thirtieth of an inch all
around, except a t the axil, where the
branches grow on alternate sides. This
projection has to be taken off in making
the rod; then going through the thickness
of the enamel from five to eight times, for
the space of from one to two inches at
each node, of which there are three in
each of the six sections (which is the best
number of sections from which a split
bamboo rod can be made). These nodes
being the weakest spot in the bamboo, in
* T h e history of the split bamboo rod has
excited much interest among the craft and
literalrurs generally; and, at o u r request,
Mr. William Mitchell (who constructed the
first fly rod made in America) wrote this
article, which will prove of value as a
contribution to angling literal1rrr.-ED.
I The Split Bamboo RodSplit Bamboo Rods.
-.
.
THE ORIBISAL HES.\GOSAI. HVVP.
-
The Buprrinrlt~nf the Vnwier HNI. .\S IT IS S O W
Its History, E tc.
by Zskender
MADE. I U hPTonrl rornparls.an rlrll rtnv of 1t.p Imlrlrtlnn'i ~ ~ l l c r tby
~ t lplrrlles In the trdolr.
Barnplrs of my HOD mng he sc?n at
J O H N W. 1IUTCII1Sr;OS'r.
81 CIIanlhvrR alrtrt. S. S..
Or at my piace of huulnrsu.
4 . 11. QO\VI.Er:.
Senel lor c.lrc:ular and pri,,, 11-1 to
mar'&
Fowler & TIadel,
11'uACA. N.
T.
In his May 19, 1883, articlr in the
American Angler, William Mitchell
mentions that Dr. A. H . Foroler was
onr of thr first to make six-strip
canr rods for thr trade. Hprr 1.7
Fou~ler'sad from thr April 4, 1878,
zssue of Forest & Stream (7101.10, no.
9).
gluing u p the sections they are never put
o n a line with one another, but one is
moved up, say, twoinches; thenextdown
two inches, so as to make six less weak
spots in the circumference of the joint
and eighteen in each joint.
All the Calcutta bamboo imported into
t h i s c o u n t r y o r E n g l a n d , is b u r n e d ,
before being exported, with a red hot iron
of elliptic form a n d from one-half to
three-quarters of a n inch wide, which
destroys the strongest fibre immediately
in contact with the enamel, and loosens
the latter, so that, by estimate, about onefifth of the enamel comes off in the working. As you cannot retain it all on the rod,
it is just as strong if all the enamel is
taken off; in fact, the enamel o r silex o n
the outside of the bamboo only stiffens
but does not strengthen it. Glass is melted
silex, and n o one would think a rod was
strengthened by giving it a coat of silex
varnish.
It will be seen from the foregoing, that
in 1848 Ephemera's Handbook o n Angling, second edition, mentions the complete three section split bamboo rod as
being in use i n England, and that the first
edition of this book published in 1844,
has reference to the same rod. In 1851 rods
of similar make were exhibited a t the
Crystal Palace by three manufacturers,
and two other writers on angling mention these rods in their books published
in 1855 and 1856. T h e earliest date of
manufacture in America of the complete
split bamboo rod is that of 1860, when
Mr. Grern, of Newark, N. J., made a few
rods of this character. 5
Following closely o n the heels of
Mitchell's Angler article, Lawrence D. Alexander, writing under the pseudonym of Iskender
(American Angler, June 2, 1883,
vol. 3, no. 22), responds to Mitchell.
Since reading the interesting and valuable article by my old friend, Mr. William
Mitchell, which appeared in your issue of
May 19, I h a v e c o n s u l t e d a m o d e s t
angling library (which has always been at
his service, as he well knows), and found
that it contains both the works which he
was desirous of seeing.
T h e first edition of the "Handbook of
Angling" by "Ephemera" (Edward Fitzgibbon), was published i n 1847, not 1844,
and it was owing to this mistake as to
date, n o doubt, that it was not to be found
"in the Lenox or Astor library, or in any
private library."
Blacker's first edition (1842) I dismiss
from the discussion, as it contains n o
allusion to the construction of split hamboo o r to any kind of rod, in fact, but is
devoted to the "Art of angling and complete system of fly-making and dying of
colors."
Mr. Fitzgibbon, in the first edition of
his work, pp. 278 et seq., in speaking of
the construction of a salmon rod, says
that he consulted a "Mr. Little, of 15 Fetter Lane, rod maker to His Royal Highness, Prince Albert," who described the
process of making the top and middle
joints thus:
"They are to be made from the stoutest
pieces of bamboo cane, called 'jungle,'
a n d b r o u g h t from I n d i a . T h e pieces
should be large and straight, so that you
can rend them well through knots and
all. Each joint shouldconsist of three rent
pieces, split like the foot of a portable
garden chair, a n d afterwards glued
together; knot opposite to knot, o r imperfect grain opposite to imperfect grain,
but the best part opposite to that which
may be knotty o r imperfect, so as to
equalize defectiveness and goodness. T h e
~ ~ a r u r badness
al
of the cane you counteract by art, and none save a clever workman can d o it. T h e butt of a salmon rod
should be made of plank ash or ground
ash, though many good judges prefer
willow or red deal, as being much lighter,
and where lightness is required the whole
rod may be made of cane. T h e few makers
that have as yet attempted solid cane or
glued u p rods, have generally placed the
bark or hardest part of the cane inside in
gluing, and then reduced the jointsdown
o n the outside to the usual t a ~ e r i n g
shape. Give me, however, the workman
who glues the splices with the bark outside, and then gives his rod a true and
correct action, allowing the three different barks to beseenvisibly o n theoutside
after he has rounded the whole."
"If the pieces are skilfully [sic] glued
together they will require n o reducing,
except at the corners, to bring the rod
from the three square to the roundshape.
I a m prepared to prove that there are not
more than three men in London capable
of making, perfectly, rods of solid cane,
rent, glued, and then correctly finished
with the bark lying o n the outside." Mr.
Fitzgibbon goes o n to say:
"In my opinion rods made entirely of
lancewood are the worst; and those made
entirely of rent and glued jungle cane are
the best. They must be most carefully
fashioned, and n o maker can turn them
out without charging a high price. I a m
also of opinion that they will last longer
than any other sort of rod, and are far less
liable to warping. I have a high opinion
of their elasticity, and Mr. Bowness, fishi n g tackle maker, of No. 12 Bellyard,
Temple Bar, showed me once a trout flyrod, made in this, my favorite way, that
had been for many years in use [the italics
a r e ~ ~ ~ ~ - I s K E N DaEn dR .was
] still
straight as a wand. I never saw a better
single-handed rod."
Allowing a reasonable construction to
the expression, "for many years," this
would seem to show that rods of "rent
and jungle cane" were made as far back as
1830-40.
It would be interesting to know what
led to the sudden change of opinion as to
the merits of such rods o n the part of
"Ephemera;" that is to say, within the
space of a twelvemonth-the period
which elapsed between the dates of publication of the first and second editions of
his book. As a not absolute disbeliever in
bamboo rods, I, for one at least, confess to
a good deal of curiosity upon this point.
ISKENDER.
New York, May 30, 1883. ff
The Split-BambooRod
from a German Standpoint
by Iskender
T h e German Connection. Lawrence D. Alexander ( I s k e n d e r )
contributed the following piece
to the September I , 1883, edition
of the American Angler (uol. 4,
no. 9). Here, we are introduced to
W i l h e l m Bischoff, a G e r m a n
angling writer and author of Anleitung
zur Angel-Fischerei (Introduction to
Rod-Fishing), second e d i t i o n (1882).
Bischoff mentions two German rodmakers w h o were making six-strip cane rods
prior to 1882. I n addition to the translated
excerpt from Bischojj's work giuen by
Alexander, we include a more inclusiue
excerpt translated by Richard Hojjmann.
>,
As appropriate to the discu5sion of the
origin of the split-bamboo rod, I translate
the following extract from a work entitled "Anleitung zur Angel-Fischerei"
("Introduction to Rod-fishing,") by Wilhelm Bischoff, 2nd edition, Munich,
1882, newly revised by the Bavarian Fishing Association.
"The best materials for rods are hickory, lancewood, greenheart, ash a n d
split-bamboo, the latter especially for flyrods.. .. T h e hexagonal fly-rods of splitbamboo made by H . Hildebrand in
Munich, (an idea which had already been
carried out by Mr. Thoma, adjunct of the
Royal Administration of Mines and Salt
Works, and a member of the Bavarian
Fishing Association, who died a number
of years ago, and for whom the honor of
having originated the notion may justly
be claimed), are well worthy theattention
of all lovers of the sport, although our
experience with them is as yet very
limited. While very elastic they are also
very light, and the material of which they
are constructed also assures their durability. For salmon, pike, and small fish,
however, the black-spotted bamboo
(Djungel-reed) in its original condition,
is especially adapted for rods, on account
of its great lightness, elasticity and carry-
ing capacity. In choosing it great care
should be taken that the wood contains
no deep longitudinal fissures, and that it
has not been attacked by the wood-worm,
as is so often the case. This worm carries
on its work unobserved under the hard
bark of the reed, and causes its inevitable
destruction. Its presence is proved by the
discovery of small round holes in the
wood. Some of the reeds are rotten, in
which case the bark is usually of a grayish
color. T h e black spots on the reed which
in its original condition is entirely yellow, are produced by burning it, which is
done before it is put upon themarket. No
reason for thus decorating it can be
found. If the burning has been carried too
far some part of the reed may be weakened
by it.
"One who lives near the water or who
can keep his rod near it in a proper
manner, i.e., hung up, should select for
salmon or pike fishing, such a bamboo,
whole, unjointed, and arranged for that
particular kind of fishing. Anyone who
has ever used such a fly-rod will have
satisfied himself that it surpasses all others in flexibility and elasticity.
"In making a bamboo-rod, in order to
obtain the requisite degree of diminution
in thickness towards the tip, and the
proper flexibility, it is often necessary to
cut a piece ten to twenty centimeters long
out of the reed, or even to take a suitable
piece from another reed and fit it in.
When the reed has been properly put
together, if it be found todeviate from the
straight line, it may be straightened by
warming the bent piece over a spirit
lamp, meanwhile keeping it constantly
moist by means of a sponge."
The above, while of considerable interest, would be more satisfactory if the
author had stated definitely the period
when Herr Thoma, Adjunct of the Royal
Administration of Mines and Salt Works,
etc. etc., first made his "hexagonal flyrods of split bamboo;" but unfortunately
the inexact expression, "a number of
years ago," is all that he has given us.
Compare with this the equally uncertain
language of "Ephemera," as quoted in
my former article on the origin of the
split-bamboo rod and it will be seen that
its chronology is still unsettled. So until
the Irish, Dutch and Danish, Russian,
French and Spanish, are heard from, not
to mention the Egyptian a n d other
anglers of antiquity, we must rest.
It was my good fortune to hear from
Mr. William Mitchell a description of a
Japanese or Chinese split-bamboo rod
which he had seen; so that after all, we
may be indebted to our brethren of the
Flowery Kingdom for this valuable
invention. as we are for that of the mariner's compass, gunpowder and other valuable articles, as is usually admitted.
Mr. Bischoff especially recommends
the "Djungel-reed" as most desirable for
the manufacture of such rods. His opinion coincides with that of "Ephemera,"
who on p. 282 of the first edition of his
"Hand Book of Angling" says: "In my
opinion rods.. .made entirely of rent and
glued jungle-cane are the best."
It is fair to assume that the variety of
bamboo known to both the English and
the German rod-makers by thisname had
been found from actual experiment to be
the best for this purpose; and this of itself
is a little curious in considering the
subject.
From the general high character of Mr.
Bischoff's book, its clearness of description, excellence of methods, commonsense rules, and fine illustrations, in
which it surpasses most recent works of
angling, I am inclined to attach considerable importance to the accuracy of his
statements as to priority of invention.
I do not despair of further information
upon this subject before finally leaving
it, and should my researches be rewarded
I propose laying the result before the
readers of THEANGLER.3
Anleitung xur Angel-Fischerei,
Pertinent Excerpts
translated by Richard C. H o f f m a n n
A
o n the other hand also to be able rightly
to judge the quality of a rod.
T h e different kinds of fishing as well as
the various natures and sizes of the fish
require different tackle and, thus, also
different rods. Since it cannot beour task
-.'
to tlcscribe all the various forms of tackle
pa.s.tagr.s rrlrzlant to thr manufnclurr of and rods present in the various lands and
continen~s,so shall also here only be con.split-cane fly rods. A tran.slation of part
of this u~orkwas inrludrd in Lazorrncr D. sidcred thoscb rspecially suited toour conAlexandrr's American Angler urticlr ditions ant1 kinds of fishes.
For our conditions are recommended
(prrcrding piece). For historical purposrs, zor frlt that a morr.scholarly, morr only single-handed rods, of which thc flyand worm-rod are wielded freely in the
inclu.siz~rtran.slation zoa.7 warranted.
hand like a whip, while the m i n n o w
[? F i ~ c h c h r r ~pike,
] , and huchen rods are
[p. 71 Resides skill in casting, the qual- supported o n the h i p hy means of a n
ity of the fishing roc1 is above a11 of great
of the lower part of the handle.
importance. There is a considcrable dif- Resides the principal forms here named
ference hetween thc simpl? branch of are also to be mentioned the bottom rod,
hazel o r fir with which very many get by mainly for fishing barbel, and the soa n d t h e carefully worked roc1 of t h e called universal rod, of which the latter is
sportsman, construc.tcd accortling to all not to be taken literally despite thc praise
the techniral rulcs. A good fishing rod given it in various books o n angling.
should above all be light, so as not to tirc Because one cannot do for everything.
the angler unneccss:rrily; it should, how- Two figures, 12and 13, show the set-upof
ever, also possess thc, necessary elasticity, a heavy and a fine rod.
resistance, and tIural)ility to l)cahleeasily
A good rod should have the greatest
to overcome the hookcd fish. In this thr possible elasticity and lightness for the
size, strrngth, and clexterity of the angler required load capacity. It should, when
come cclually into consideration. A large the line is mounted through the guides
strong man will also 1)eabletofish with a and loaded with a n ;rppropriate weight,
longer and hcavicr rocl. If it may be for show a uniform curve a n d , when the
weight is removed, r e t u r n itself t o a
many a pleasant pastime to construct ;I
fishing rot1 themselves, still this is not as straight line. When the fly rod is swung,
easy as it rnay seem to the uninitiated.To the motion should reach as far as the
produce tackle suited to all rc~cluirements middle of the handle. It is a great error if
requircs not only a rather prac,ticed hantl the rod is topheavy, that is, if, when held
horizontal, the tip hangs strongly down.
and the necessary tools, but also a crrtain
Recommended materials are hickory
understanding both of the matcsrial to br
chosen and also of its working-up ancl (American walnut), lancewood, ironfinishing. Whoever is not entirely sure in wood, grrcnheart, ash, [and] then espethis must work from a good model or cially for fly rods, spliced bamboo [liter~voultld o better to buy the rod. Mr. H. ally, "Indian cane," grsp1ir.sste.s indisH i l d e b r a n d of M u n i c h h a s a wcll- chrs R o h r ] . F o r t h e rod made from
appointed shop with reasonable prices. hickory o r lancewood the upper part of
Still, i t is advisa1)le to be familiar with the the tipshould beconstructed from at least
[P. 81 manufacture, in part to be ahlr to 30-50 centimeters of yellow barnboo [grlundertake everyday repairs oneself, I)ut bem Ram,bus; has the different terrninolT h r following rxcerpt.~from the
, s r c o n d edition of thr Grrman
publication, Anleitung zur AngelFischerei ( I R 8 2 ) , by W i l l i a m
Rischoff, wrrr translatrd for ZL.S
by
IIIe I-'rofr,s.sor
askrd h iIiichard
m t o lrarz.slatr
tloffmanrz.
all
,
-
ogy any significance?]. For the bottom
rod Indian cane can also be used, but one
madr from split [grspaltrnrm] ash with a
tip of lancewood [p. 91 will also achieve
the purpose. T h e six-sided fly rods o f
spliced Indian cane made by H. Hildeb r a n d i n Mrrnich ( a n idea that h a d
already been carried out by a member of
the Bavarian Fishing Association, Mr.
T h o m a , Adjunct of the Royal Mining
a n d Salt-Works Administration, now
deccased for some years, and for whom
t h e o r i g i n a t i o n c a n well rightly be
claimed) well deserve the attention of all
sportsmen, even though we still lack a
long experience with thrm. These are,
with their great elast~city,vely light, and
thcs chosen mater~almay al\o speak for
their durability. For huchen, pike, and
minnow rod5, however, is most especially
wc.11 suited thr black spotted Indian cane
( j ~ l n g l cane)
e
in its unchanged form, just
for its lightness with great elasticity and
strength. Only in the selection ol the
same, special attention must be given
that it has n o large and deep longitudinal
splits and, as is often the case, that it has
not been eaten by the wood worm, which
carries on its work unnoticed beneath the
hard rind of the cane and causes unavoida l ~ l efractnrca of it. Small round holes
demonstrate the prescnce of this beast.
Also somc. of these canes are rotten in the
wood, which rlsually gives to the rind a
changed grayish coloration. O n thecane,
which in its original natural condition is
wholly yellow, will be seen, even before it
cBntersthe trade, the black spots from
burning, althotrgh n o actual reason for
such an external embcllishment can be
found. O n the contrary, a too-strong
hurning will only weaken the affected
part of the cane. S o that, too, is to be
observed whcn making. a selection.
For someone who is in a position to
live near his water or to store the rod
suitably thrrc, namely to hang it up, most
recommended especially for h u c h e n ,
pike, anti minnow fishing is a rod from
this Indian cane of one piece, not sectioned, rigged a n d finished for this fishing. Whoever once used such a one-piece
cane o r a well-joined-together one-piece
fly rod will have satisfied himself that it
far earns first place for bending, swinging, and elasticity.
For ease i n tranmort rods are made to
be taken apart a n d p u t together. Recommended here are the hardest-drawn brass
ferrules with well-fitted plugs. These ferrules [p. 1 I] are best, after they are well
fitted, made fast w i t h sealing wax by
spreading this o n the wood o r reverse part
of the rod and then heating the ferrule.
All other arrangements, like ferrules with
threads o r bayonet mounts, are less good.
T h e fewer parts, a n d thus ferrules the
better, because each ferrule causes a more
o r less dead p o i n t a n d increases t h e
weight of the rod, which is especially to
be observed i n fly rods. Among the takeapart rods, therefore, the three-piece rod,
if less convenient for transport, is the
best.1
A l a n c e o l a t e p o i n t is c u s t o m a r i l y
screwed into the bottom part of the handle to be able to stick the rod into the
ground when resting. T h i s is, however,
suitable o n l y for fly a n d worm rods,
while those for huchen, pike, and minnow just use a capsule of brass or, still
better, a k n o b of h o r n o r c o c o n u t ribbed, i n order to stop its slipping when
rested o n the hi^. T o make the handle
hollow for the sake of storing a spare tip
therein may therefore seem unsuitable,
because a spare tip is necessary only for
rods for f l y - f i s h i n g a n d o c c a s i o n a l l y
worm-fishing, [and] either by the hollowing or through the more deeply cut
grip, the durability o r the elasticity will
be lost. T h e spare tip is better kept in the
handle of the landing net.
In the making of a rod from Indian
cane, in order to obtain the proper taper
and rightly curved bend, it is often necessary to cut o u t from the cane a t the point
of division a piece of 10 to 20 centimeters,
or even to select from another cane a suitable piece a n d fit it in. If, then, after
assembly [p. 121 in the correct relationship the cane deviates from the straight
line, this can be bent straight by warming
the bent place with a spirit l a m p while
continuously dampening it with a sponge.
T h e rings through which the line runs
(fig. 14) are best made fixed and, to be
sure, from brass o r nickel-silver wire.
Rings from horn are less commendablebesides o t h e r disadvantages-just because of their thickness. For the pike and
huchen rod the first should stand approximately a meter from the lowest part of
the handle and be at least a centimeter in
diameter with supports attached to the
sides. Those following further are in a
30
1.
c$+
.
-
L423
d
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Illustration from Anleitung zur Angel-Fischerei
regular distribution and a t continually
diminishing intervals.
For the fly rod the rings must be as
small and light as possible with the same
diminution and spacing as given above,
but preferably o n e more i n number, totall i n g about eleven or twelve. These are
best tied down with silk in windings laid
precisely next tooneanother and without
cutting a depression into the rod for them
as often is done. In order to get a smooth
lie and a flat attachment, the parts of the
ring (fig 15) a and b, which are tied down
to the rod, are filed flat o n the underside
a n d somewhat tapered o n the ends.
[p. 131 T h e late J. Schneider, Superior
Machine Master i n the Royal Telegraph
Office in Munich, once a distinguished
angler and a master a t his own construction of tackle, had made fly-rod rings out
of a l u m i n u m , a metal that because of its
most unusual lightness would be most
suitable if the fabrication and the cost did
not offer difficulties.
.. . A fly rod i n four parts, the butt of
hickory and the other parts of lancewood,
3.45 [meters] long, weighs 400 grams. A
fly rod of three parts, all i n hickory, also
with which relatively heavy fish-among
them a hurhen of 1%kilos and a grayling
ot 1%were taken a n d fortunately landedweighs a t a length of 3.50 [meters] not
quite 350 grams. . . .
[p. 141 T h e lighter and more flexible
the rod in general, the lighter and thinner
can the line be, which is i n fly fishing
especially to be observed. A proper relationship of line and rod is very important
in order to be able to cast far and acrurately. An improper relationship, i.e., a
stiff and heavy rod with a weak and light
line, hampers casting and can have as a
result the breaking of the line or, in the
reversed case, the rod.
T h e rod is normallv finished with varnish or lacquer, but i n recent times, after
one has gone over the windings once with
r o d l a c q u e r , they a r e p o l i s h e d . T h e
Indian cane easily takes a fine polish.
.... 5
1. For the above text about the angling
rot1 we thank in the most part the pcn of
the tleccasrtl Dl-. L. Stcirhrlr, a mastrr at
angling and tackle. construrtion and the
disciplr of J . Sc-tineitler, w h o still does
survivr.
Here are t w o of t h e Museum's four Murphy rods. Both are three-piece, 11-foot, split-cane trout rods built of
six strips. T h e butts, mids, and tips all measure 45%inches long. T h e handles are rattan wrapped, and the
reelseat bands are nickel-silver. Murphy's name, "C. F. Murphy, Newark, N . J.," is engraved o n the upper
reelseat band i n each case. T h e lower of the t w o rods is said to have been owned by Augustus Belmont of
Belmont Park (race track) fame. T h i s rod was recently given to the Museum by Gerald Pons of Maryland, and
we're most grateful for this extraordinary donation. Photo by W i l l Gantley
Charles F. Murphy
by Fred Mather
k
W r nrr In drbt t o Frrd M n t h r r f o r
tllr / o l l o z ~ ~ z npzrcr
q
o n Chnrlrs F.
M u r p h y . I f zs part o f n collrctzon
of b z o g r n p h z c n l r k r t c h r s p u b lzshrd 112 book form nc My Ang l ~ n Friends
g
In 1901 H r r r M a t h rr qzz~rcM u r p h y r o l ~ c r r d z t f o /r h r
i ~ 1 7 ~ ~ r a t of
1 o tnh r s p l z t - e n n r r o d , alld
q u o t r s M u r p h y t o that rffpct. M u r p h y
knrzcl of Phzllzppr's rods, but, accordinq
t o Mzcrphy, just t h r t z f ~ as n d mzddlr r p c / I o n s of tlzrrp rods utrrr co~zctructrdof
splzt m n r . M u r p h y clnimr t o 1an-c~~
mndr
Ihr f?rst all rplzt-tanr rod ( f o u r strzpc).
H I S flrst czu- and rzqht-strzp rods zorrr
nzanufncturrd 1r2 1863. In 1866 ( 7 ) h r
a r r n n ~ r dt o hnzlr A n d r e w Clrrk and C o m pany rrll t h r s ~rods. C o u l d on? of thrcr
11nzjr hrrn t h r Eucrltzor fly rod ndz~rrtzsrcl
b y C l r r k In 1865? Prrlanps M u r p h y ' r
rc,rollrrtzon of tlzr 1866 dntr I S zn rrror.
Mr. Murphy was the maker of the first
split-bamboo rod. Like the late William
Mitchell h? was one of the old-time rot1
makers who did all the work by hand.
Tllev sawed the ash. hickorv or lancewood into strips, h u n g it by one end to
prevent w a r p i n g while seasoning, a n d
then with p l a n e , rasp a n d sandpaper
would turn out the best rods that rould be
had i n those years, which lie almost half a
centurv behind us. These men had great
reputations for excellent rods, and their
customers extolled them as mastrrs of
cunning work. These were thedays when
a split-bamboo rot1 coultl not be bought
for a dollar and then provr to be far infcrior to a n alder l ~ o l ecut o n the bank.
I rememhcr f i ~ s tmeeting Murphy in
1865, in Conroy's, o n Fulton street, then a
place where anglers most did congregate,
and then for the first time hearing that
there was a better material for rods than
a s h a n d l a n c e w o o d . I listened w i t h
wonder to the talk of angles, tapers, gluing and other details, until I thought that
the building u p of a split-bamboo rod
required more careful attention than the
grinding of a lens for a great telescope,
and I looked with admiration o n a man
w h o could make one with a good, even
action. A wooden rod is worked down
from the outside, tested, sandpapered
here and there to get the proper curve
under a strain, and that ends it. But the
split-bamboo, which o u r trans-Atlantic
friends call a "built cane rod," must be so
worked from the inside of each of its
strips that it will be perfect after they are
joined, for there can be n o taking down of
the outside enamel, where the strength
a n d resiliency lie. In factories the tips and
second joints can be culled over until a
perfect rod is found, but as to a single
hand-made rod I can't understand how
one can be made perfect unless with elaborate tests of each s t r i p i n each joint,
which seems nearly impossible.
O n e September day, while I was snipe
s h o o t i n g o n the Hackensack meadows
with George Gelson, w h o was a n old
man then, we came across Murphy with a
good bag-for birds were plenty in those
days; b u t h e was i n distress, h a v i n g
stepped into a hole, and i n falling he
caught the spring of his shot pouch and
lost all his shot. From my knowledge of
him afterward he seemed to be unfortunate in usually meeting with a n accident
of some kind, but we helped him a little
from o u r pouches a n d he turned toward
home, getting a n occasional shot as long
as we could see him. Before he left us he
asked me to fish for striped bass with h i m
next day at Bergen Point, above Staten
Island-a thing I had long wanted to do.
"Never mind bringing bait or tackle; I'll
have plenty."
"You'll have a good time with Murphy," said Gelson. "He is one of the few
men that I would divide shot with when
out for a day; but Murphy would d o the
same for a friend. You'll find him good
company a n d well informed n o t only
about field sports, but other sports. H e
knows all the prominent volunteer firemen in New York, a n d used to r u n with
the machine himself until the new system
came in. He's a good fisherman and a fair
shot, a little given to brag of his exploits
and to think that n o man can equal them.
If this kind of talk does not weary you, a
day with him will be well spent."
T h ~ was
s a fair sketch of Murphy, as I
afterward learned, and onealways likes to
know something of the man who is going
to be his companion for a day or more.
T h i s talk was held at o u r nooning, which
was a long one, for o u r dogs were very
tired from working i n the long, coarse
grass, and we were i n the samecondition;
but shooting later in the day was not as
good as in the morning, a n d we had a
little shot left when we reached the ferry,
so that our playing the Good Samaritan
had not put us to any inconvenience.
I n the m o r n i n g we met to fish the
m o u t h of Newark Bay a n d the Kills,
where they enter New York Bay. It was a
new kind of fishing to me, and I looked
over the baits and tackle with much interest. H e had the saltwater sand worms and
--
A
- --- --
-
--
--
-
Split Bnnz boo Fly-Rocls.
white worms, clams and shedder crabs,
short rods, reels, and sinkers to suit the
strength of the tideat different times. T h e
tide was right-he had looked out for
that-and was at half ebb. We anchored
the boat a t both ends across the channel,
and fished. T h e tide was strong, and we
used sinkers of 3 oz. at first, with about 2
ft. of line and a 2-0 sproat hook below it.
We started in with white worms, a n d I
took a sea bass of about a pound weight,
but as I was unaccustomed to reeling u p a
heavy sinker the fish seemed to be a monster until brought to boat. Murphy took
several white perch, and some came to my
hook, and so we fished for over a n hour,
when he said: "The striped bass don't
seem to be r u n n i n g o n this tide; let's try
shedders a n d see if wcakfish will take
hold." And we did, with great success.
Within a m o n t h a n angler living i n
Wisconsin wrote me, a s k i n g where he
could get shedder crab, as he had heard
they were a good bait, and I will leave
Murphy i n the boat for a while to say:
T h e crab of salt water is very unlike the
crawfish of fresh water, although where
Germans have settled the latter are called
"crabs3'-German, "krebs." Both are edible, and, like all crustaceans, must shed
their shells i n order to grow. T h e n they
are soft, but harden in a few days, a n d in
this state the salt-water crabs bringa high
price as a table delicacy, being fried and
eaten paper shells a n d all, except the
"sand bag," or stomach, and the gills.
But a few days before the shell is cast the
a n i m a l s h r i n k s , a n d t h e r e is a space
between it a n d the shell which can be
detected by tapping it. T h i s is a "shedder,'' and theouter shell can be peeled off,
I have on 11antl ~ c v e r a lfine trout rods at $,3; each,
2nd ;irn retltly t,o fill ordew to u limited n n l n l ~ e r . Atldrers
( ' H A S . T. &IIT1:P1IY,
nlch16 Srn
40 II:tl+ey St,., Newnrk, N. J.
An ad for Charles M u r p h y ' ~~ p l z t - b a m b o ofly rodr that appeared
zn t h e March 30, I876, zrrue of Forest & Stream (7101.6,rzo. 8).
N o t e that Murphy'r mzddle rnztzal z r qzzlen as T ratllrr tfla?zF.
Wc aTsume that t h z ~z s a t y p o and that C h a r l e ~T. A/lurphy
way n o t another Murplzy w h o manufactured cane rodr zn Neulark,
N e w Jerrey.
Iraving a very t e m p t i n g bait for most
fishes. N o doubt the crawfish would beas
tempting to fresh-water fishes if it could
be found i n that state. After this bit of
crabology we will rejoin Murphy in the
boat off Bergen Point.
Said he: "We usually get striped bass
here o n the last of the ebb tide, but they
don't seem to come o u r way this morning. T h e weakfish are biting well, but I
don't care for them."
"They're gamy fighters," I remarked,
as I boated a yellow fin of about 6 Ibs. "I
don't know anything about big striped
bass, a l t h o u g h i n boyhood fishing we
used to get them about Albany u p to 1 Ib.;
but this weakfish fights well a n d I ' m
enjoying taking them."
"Yes," said he; "that is their redeeming
quality. They are a fair fish for the table
when just out of the water, but after being
caught six hours are only fit to feed to the
h o g s . T o n s of t h e m a r e s o l d i n the
markets to people who don't know one
fish from a n o t h e r , a n d thry are good
enough for them. T h e tide is slackening
and we will change to lighter sinkers,
sand worms and clams, and take what
comes until after low-water slack and the
tide sets u p the Bay, when we may strike
better luck."
As I was only a student, I accepted the
suggestion of my teacher without question, and for a n hour we took perch, porgies and flounders as fast as we could
attend to their surgical needs in the way
of extracting hooks from lips, cheeks,
jawbones and stomachs. T h e n came the
time when the fishrrmen felt the need of
the bait that Murphy had in the basket,
and it was both good and generous.
"While we eat," said my companion,
"let's take in our lines a n d not leave them
o u t for a n y fool fish t o hook himself
while we're not fishing." T h a t remark
has been embalmed i n my memory like a
Charles Murphy of Nezi~ark,N P UJer.sey,
~
i~generallycredited with having been
the first to conzmerrinlly manufact~irrand market .six-.strip bamboo rods i n
&hiscountry. T h i s maker'.^ mark is typical of the four Murphy rods i n the
M~c.cezcm'scollection. Photo Oy Will Cantley
fly i n amber. It comes u p whenever I read
of "fish hogs" and of those who would
not like to be placed in that class, but who
never cease killing as long as there is anything to kill. Please remember that this
was thirty years ago, or more, and there
was little o r n o sentiment toward the
preservation of game o r the restriction of
the number of fish a man might kill,
especially in salt water, where the supply
was supposed to be inexhaustible. Yet,
Charley Murphy was one of that class
which composed the old Volunteer Fire
Department that in those days "would
rather fight than eat." H e was a small,
wiry man, and I have already related his
pugilistic exploit in "cleaning up" a fistic terror.
As low-water slack passed and the faint
flood appeared we changed our positions
to the upper side, and before the halfflood had passed we had six striped bass
which aggregated 35 lbs., the largest
weighing 9 Ibs., besides all the other fish
which Murphy took along to give away,
and I voted the striped bass to be the
gamiest salt-water fish which had ever
tackled my tackle. Murphy wanted to
divide the fish, and I had hard work to
make him understand that I could not use
them in New York City.
At this time I think Murphy must have
been about forty-five years old, while I
was about a dozen years younger. H e was
small and thin; one of those tough, wiry
men who can often stand more physical
strain than a muscular one; and that day
as wesat in the boat hechattedin areminiscent way about old times in New York
and the old fire laddies.
"Ever hear of Bill Poole?" he asked.
"Yes; Lew Baker killed him ten years
ago o n Broadway, corner of Prince street.
I was i n the West then, but I readall about
the affair and how George Law loaned
his clipper Grapeshot a n d captured
Baker off the coast of Africa."
"You're right," said he. "It was in 1855,
and few things have ever stirred the city
like that. It was in the good old 'Native
American' days, a n d Poole was killed
because he belonged to that party and
John Morrisey couldn't w h i p him. I was
in the room when he was shot in the
Stanwix Hall, opposite Niblo's Garden,
and when I saw Morrisey, Jim Turner.
McLaughlin and Baker come in and find
Poole alone I knew there would be trouble; but I didn't get out quick enough. I
escaped being called at the trial, but it
made n o difference, for Baker was acquitted and appointed to a good office in the
Street Department, while Morrisey went
to Congress. But it would have done any
American good to scr the funeral that Bill
Poole had. T h e City Hall flag was halfmasted, and 10,000 men marched to his
funeral. T h a t was the last of the Order of
United Americans; the foreign element
became too strong and has been so ever
since. T h e new paid Fire Department
may turn out all right, but they will never
have the pride and spirit in their work
that the volunteers did."
Therr was much more of this, but the
above will serve to show Murphy's trend
of thought and give a mental as well as a
physical picture of the man. I met him in
New York about as often as I visited the
city, but fished n o more with him until
the day when Frank Satterthwaite and I
found him at Greenwood Lake, curled u p
in agony in the road from a n overindulgence in buttermilk, as has been related.
Notwithstanding all Frank's attempts to
switch off Murph, as he called him, I got
the story of the building of the first complete split-bamboo rod, and took notesof
it. T h e man w h o made the first one
should becredited with it, especially as he
did not patent this great improvement.
Young anglers of to-day may never have
thought how recent this invention is, nor
what a n improvement o n rod making
D a m e J u l i a n a Berners w o u l d have
thought it. But let Murphy tell the story.
"Ever since I can remember, thesouthern cane poles have been shipped u p here
for fishing purposes, and they are light,
cheap and far ahead of anything that can
be cut in Northern woods when a man
starts without a rod. They seldom exceed
a foot between the leaf joints and are of n o
use to a rod maker, but often one can get
quite a good one with a n even curve and
fair action, but unless kept in a cellar, or
other d a m p place, it is n o good the next
season, becoming brittle and losing its
elasticity.
"In 1848 Sam Phillippi, a gunsmith at
Easton, Pa., got hold of some Calcutta
bamboo, used and sold some for fishing
rods in the natural state. T h i s cane was
long, slim and tapered, with greater distance between the leaf joints, which, you
know, show elevated rings o n the outside
and have a diaphragm across the hollow.
H a v e n ' t you c u t i n t o them a n d seen
this?"
"Yes; and made fifes from the joints in
boyhood days leaving one end with its
natural stop."
"Well, Sam Phillippi wanted a jointed
rod, so he fitted ferrules and made his tip
and second joint of the Calcutta bamboo
and the butt of some other wood, but he
never split the cane as we d o now. I saw
one of his rods which had an ash butt,
and I tested the springof the rod and liked
it. I showed the rod to Mr. E. A. Green, of
Newark, and he got some Calcutta bamboo and made a rod of three pieces for his
own use, of carefully selected material,
and it was a n extra good rod for its day.
T h e n we talked the matter over. Says I,
'There is a lot of waste material in that
rod, and the joints in the cane are n o
good;' and so it cameabout that I split the
cane, only into four parts at first, shaved
down the pulpy inside a n d glued the
pieces together, and had a rod that was
springy enough to cast a fly and had the
backbone to fight a salmon."
"When was this?"
"It was in 1863. I soon found that four
strips left too much p u l p o n the insidefor the strength is all in the enamel-and
I made rods of six and eight strips. T h e
latter are too small to work accurately,
but the six-strip was received with favor
by such anglers as Frank Endicott, Genio
C. Scott, Robert B. Roosevelt, andothers.
T w o years later I made a salmon rod and
Mr. Andrew Clerk took it to Scotland,
where it attracted much attention. Mr.
Clerk gave this rod to Genio C. Scott,
who took it u p to the St. Lawrence River
and killed some big pike and mascalonge
with it, and wrote it u p in the sportsmen's
papers of the day, which gave the new
make of rod great popularity. Then, in
1866, I made a split-bamboo bait-rod for
black bass, and arranged with the firm of
Andrew Clerk & Co. to sell my rods,
which they did for some years, and then
they began to make them o n a larger
scale."
T h a t is the history of this now famous
rod as I heard it from the man who first
devised it. I a m not aware that it has ever
been published before, although I have
seen references to the work of Mcssrs.
Green and Murphy. In the early days the
rods were known as "rent a n d glued
bamboo."
"Murphy," said I, "what price did
these rods bring in that early day?"
"Well, the trout rods sold for $40, and
for an 18 ft. salmon rod I got as high as
$125; but it was all hand work, careful
measurements and tests from start to finish, with much labor and material that
was rejected. And please remember that
every rod was made to order. There was
n o making u p a lot, and fitting tips to
second joints. If there was a fault in a
joint a new one had to be made. T h o u g h
prices were high, we earned every dollar
we got; but there were a few men in those
days who wanted the best that could be
had, and would pay for it. If that had not
been the case, t h e s p l i t - b a m b o o r o d
would never have been invented."
Greenwood Lake contains both sr~ecies
of black bass, and at the time we were
there, some sixteen or more years ago,
a n d perhaps now, the big m o u t h was
know by the absurd name of "Oswego"
bass, a n d o n l y t h e s m a l l m o u t h was
called black bass; and it seems to me that
the time has come to take the obnoxious
name of Oswego bass from the statute
books of the State of New York. If any
other State uses this name in its laws. I a m
not aware of it. For years I have contended against the fashion of deprecating
the game qualities of the big mouth, and
as Murphy and Satterthwaite sat fishing
with me the question came u p concerning the respective fighting qualities of
the two black basses.
Satterthwaite said: "Bill, our landlord,
and the boatmen o n this lake say that the
small mouth is the gamiest of the two,
and, by the way, you must have noticed
how they have corrupted Oswego into
'swago,' and talk about 'black bass and
swagos,' and they say the the 'swagos'
don't fight like the black bass. I don't fish
a great deal, and have taken their words
for it, and you are the first man that I have
heard deny that the big mouth was a n
inferior fish."
"Frank," said I, "years a g o w h e n
American anglers began to think for
themselves, and to study their own fishes
and break away from English angling
books, which treated only of English
fishes, they found they hadsome fighting
fish which were u n k n o w n across the
water, but were plagued with a confusion
of names. De Kay, i n 1842, made many
species and several genera of the black
basses, but later Gill reduced them all to
two, and then came some anglers' distinctions. S e t h G r e e n , then a newspaper
authority o n fishes, gave to our laws such
names as Oswego bass, California trout,
mountain trout and German trout,
according to the locality in which he
caught the fish o r from which it happened to come, and it has taken years to
undo this work. My old friend, Alexander
Mosely, editor of the Richmond Whig,
gave to the big mouth the epithet of 'vulgarian,' and it was thought necessary to
denounce one good game fish in order to
boost another into place."
"Well, now," said Murphy, "I never
gave this matter much thought, but I've
had good sport with the big mouth bass,
and I'll tell you one thing: if they are not
quite as full of fight-mind me, I don't
say they ain't-I've found them morereliable as risers to the fly. T h e big mouth
will usually take a fly of some kind if
presented properly, and if the wind, sun
and water are not in conspiracy against
the fisherman, but the small mouth will
often refuse the fly when his brother will
rise to it."
This talk was at 4 P. M., and we were
casting with different flies in order to see
what the bass might prefer i n the way of
tinsel, wool, fur, chenille a n d feather,
when Murphy got a rise, and as he struck
there was a lively fight on. Satterthwaite
got excited, a n d not being a n expert
angler gave Murphy a r u n n i n g lot of
advice, to which n o attention was paid by
t h e m a n w h o was f i g h t i n g t h e fish.
Murphy kept the bass out of some weeds,
but could not prevent its running under
t h e boat. F o r t u n a t e l y , there was n o
anchor line to foul, and he shifted his rod
to the other side, reeled in and gave line as
h e t h o u g h t best, w i t h o u t r e g a r d t o
Frank's suggestions, and finally reeled
the fish u p to the side of the boat, which
was well down, because three men were
o n one side of the keelson; and just as I
put the landing-net into the water to lift
the game it gave a final leap and landed
itself in the boat. It was a big mouth black
bass of less than 3 Ibs.
"I thought it was a 10-pounder," said
Murphy. "I took a 7 Ib. bass in this lake
once that did not put u p half the fight
this one did."
"That carries out my theory," said I,
"that the fighting weight of a black bass,
n o matter what the size of its mouth may
be, is about 2 Ibs. Murphy, you know, as
an all-round 'sport,' that n o human pugilist would think of entering the ring if he
weighed over 190 Ibs., and, therefore,
dead weight is not an indication of stayi n g power. It's only a n indication of good
living and a n accumulation of fat."
"There seems to be some sense in that,
Frank," said M u r p h y ; " b u t I never
thought of comparing the physical condition of men with that of fish, as Fred
has done, but the point is a good one.
Yankee Sullivan said thirty years ago that
a man of 160 Ibs. was fit to fight anything
o n two legs, and perhaps a black bass of 2
Ibs. is in his best fighting condition.
That's a new proposition. What do you
think, Frank?"
"I think that you have got i t about
right. Sometimes a small bass will make
you think he's a big one before he comes
to the boat, and that 5-pounder of mine
didn't fight very hard; i n fact, I didn't
think it was a big one until I saw it."
And so we passed the time in pleasant
discourse o n the merits of the basses until
time to reel u p and row to Bill's hotel.
Whc.11 we parted with Rill we did not
weep; but Murphy said o n the train:
"Every time I stop with Bill I declare that
it will never occur again, but somehow I
forget his meanness or I forgive it; I don't
know which."
Charles F. Murphy was one of a class of
the old-time all-round sportsmen interested in almost everything that is included in that comprehensive and elastic
term of sport. With n o outward polish,
brought u p among the fire laddies, where
the only qualities recognized in a man
were honesty, pluck and muscle, he was
an entertaining companion. H e died at
his home in Newark, N. J., in 1883, at the
agc. of sixty-five. 5
Split-bamboo fly rod with engraved silver fittings and carved hand-piece. T h e rod (circa 1862)
was made by Samuel Phillippr of Easton, Penn.~ylvania,and is in the collection of the
State Museum of Pennsyh/ania, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. It was given to thr m u s e u m by thr
Harrisburg Fly-Fishing Club. T h e rod is probably the same one that James Henshall describrs in
his article o n thr split-cane rod (.we p. 23 of this issue).
Photos courtr.ry of thr Statr Musrum of Penn.syluania/Pennsyluania Historical and Musrunz Commission
Detail offerrulr o n butt section of the Phillippe rod
~--
I..
Origin of the Split-BambooRod
by James A. Henshall
And now the ne plus ultra. T h e
following essay was taken from the
1904 edition of Dr. James A. Henshall's Book of the Black Bass.
Except for the six-paragraph introduction, it is identical to an article
entitled "Inventing the Split-Bamboo Rod," by Henshall, which appeared
in Outing magazine (May 1902, uol. 40,
no. 2). Henshall considered "the splitbamboo rod to be the greatest invention
ever made pertaining to the art of angling
. . ." According to Henshall, he owned
one of Phillippe's early rods, and it was
"made of four sections of bamboo [fourstrip construction], except t h e b u t t ,
which is of stained ash.. ." Phillippe's
later rods includeed both those of fourand six-strip construction, and they were
made entirely of bamboo. It is Henshall's
conclusion that Phillippe was the first
American to employ the split-cane technique for the manufacture of bamboo fly
rods. H e states that "Sam Phillippe also
made rods entirely of split bamboo, and
of six sections [six-strips] as well, afterward, and as I now believe before [our
emphasislany other maker attempted the
construction of a split-bamboo rod."
Henshall giues Murphy credit for being
the first to offer split-cane rods to the
trade, and also for the construction of the
first, all bamboo, salmon rod (1865).
A first-class split-bamboo rod is the
ultima thule of rod making. In its construction great care and skill are exercised. T h e material is carefully selected
by a n expert, as the several sections for a
joint must be perfect and of the same
w e i g h t a n d bend, i n o r d e r to secure
homogeneity a n d perfect action. T h i s
requires technical skill and intelligence
of a high order. But the cheap and shoddy
kind sold in department stores is made of
refuse cane by unskilled labor, and is sold
1 I,:~,.,,. :,t <0111(, 1 ~ ~ 1 1 ~t11l1.
t l 1 . ( l t ~ - ~ ~ r i ln~lcy( l~ i ~ c t l ~ of
o ( lI ~ I : I ~ ~ IaI C
1 1 : 1 1 : 1 1ro,l.
~ ~ ~:I+
~ ~ t:i11?11t I I I ( * 1)y JIr. C ~ ~ C ( * I I . T11crc :1ro s ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ r : ~ l
o111,a: \!:1?.4 ( ) I ' (Ioil~c
i t 7 :1l1(1i t 11111-t 1 ) 1111(1~rstoo(l
~
t11:ittlli- is:~111at(111r
11 01.1;.
.i circttl:tr S:LIV is a great help, :~11di ~ ~ C l i s l ) ~ ' l l . s :to
~ b ltho-c
~ 1 1 111alie
o
rodh to scll.
61~li1
p
p
,
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;,
Details of Split B a m b o o Rod.
( ( ' o ~ ~ r oUi<sctt
y,
& JInlle\on.)
No. 1 shorn.. n trnnsvcrw sec.tlon of tlie c:lr1r, :111tlthe tlottetl 1i11csw l l t ~ c .
n l)icscaci.: split out. It is then plai~etltlown to tile wllitc I I I ~ C ,le:1vi11go111~
tl~e
11:1riI c.n:~n~cI.
Xo. Z shows tllc strips ready foy c e ~ n r ~ ~ t i ~ ~ g .
Cnt
-
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:
-
LLIL
, ALL
-4
.
, ,
LI_.J
Illustratzon from t h ~
Book of the Black Bass (1881)
Split B a m b o o Flv-Rod.
by Dr. James A. Henshall
(C'OIII?)),
1:i.w~ll A ~ I : i I l t ~ ~ o ~ ~ . )
at a small advance o n thc,cost of production. A hard wood rod at thrice the price
is infinitely better.
I consider the split-bamboo rod to be
the greatest invention ever made pertaining to the art of angling, equaling the
invention of the breerh-loatling rifle and
shot-gun for field sports.
T h c history of the "split-l)amboo,"
"section-bamboo," or, as i t is sometimrs
called, the "rent and glucd hamboo" rod,
although of comparatively recent origin,
d a t i n g back only some sixty years, is
somewhat obscure. Several prrsons have
laid claim to the invention, though with
what justice it has, herrtoforc, never been
clearly determined.
T h e w is, perhaps, n o important mcchanical invention that has, in its inception and principle, sprung entirely and
spontaneously from the brain of any single individual; and this will apply to the
split-bamboo rod as well, for though
purely an American invention, as now
ronstructed, the idea, o r principle, is
really of English origin. Rods formed of
several pieces of hard wood, that is, from
two or three longitrldinal sections mitred
and glued together, were made in England many years ago; and Aldred, of London, made rod tips, or, as they are called
in England, "tops," of split-bamboo,
before rhr split-bamboo rod, roper, was
7 s howmade in this c o u n t r y . ~ ~ l d r e dtops,
ever, were necessarily a failure from the
faulty method of their construction. H e
made them of many short pieces sawn
from between the knots, or leaf-ridges, of
the male cane, and spliced, to form continuous lengths. So much for theoriginal
idea.
It is not my province, nor desire, to
detract one iota from the credit or just due
of any one in this matter, but rather to
render u n t o Caesar those things that
belong to Caesar. In the following pages I
will present only such evidence as is
entirely trustworthy, having been obtained from authentic sources, and put it
o n record here as reliable data in regard to
the early history of the American splitbamboo rod; and in so doing I hope to d o
justice to a n obscure, but worthy brother
of the angle.
T h e following amplified account o f
the invention of the split-bamboo rod I
rontributed to the "Outing" magazine
for May, 1902. As a matter of record I
reproduce it here:
In a n admirable a n d comprehensive
article o n "Salmon Fishing" in "Srribn u ' s Magazine" for October, 1876, Dr.
A. G. Wilkinson, of the Patent Office,
Washington, D. C., gives, s o far as I
k n o w , t h e first history of the s p l i t bamboo rod and its method of construction. Incidentally'he says:
"Twcnty-five years ago (18.51) a
London firm made split-bamboo
rods, putting the enamel inside.. ..
Mr. Phillippe, living at Easton,
Pa., conceived the idea, in 1866, of
putting the enamel upon the outside, where it would d o the most
good. Next, Mr. Green a n d Mr.
Murphy put their heads together,
and made rods of this sort of four
strands, a n d finally the old and
well-known firm of A. Clerk &Co.,
New York, i n t r o d u c e d i n t o the
market the Leonard rod of six and
twelve strands, and have since been
supplying Europeans with all they
get of this article."
In 1881, in my "Book of the Black
Bass," I gave a brief history of the origin
of the split-bamboo rod as made in the
United States, giving rredit for the invention to Samuel Phillippe, of Easton, Pa.,
and the date of his first rods as early as
1848. T h e proofs that I produced were
complete and authentic enough to establish thr claim for Phillippe as the inven-
tor of the split-bamboo rod in America,
and certainly as the first in the world to
make a four-section rod. Those made in
England about that time, and exhibited
at the first World's Fair at the Crystal
Palace in London, in 1851, were all threesection rods; that is, three triangular
strips, or sections, either with the enamel
inside or outside. These were known as
"rent and glued-up" bamboo rods, and
were shown by several makers.*
Mr. William Mitchell, of New York, a n
excellent and well-known rod maker, in
an article o n the split-bamboo rod in the
"American Angler," says:
"Mr. Wilkinson gives the year
1866 as the one in which Mr. Phillippe, a gunmaker of Easton, Pa.,
made a glued-up split-bamboo rod
in three sections, or parts of one.
H e was followed by Mr. Green and
Mr. Murphy.
"Dr. Henshall, in his 'Book of
the Black Bass,'gives thedateof the
first split-bamboo rod made in this
country, by Samuel Phillippe, as
about 1848; but all dates are from
memory, a n d I believe the date
given by Mr. W i l k i n s o n is t h e
nearer approach to the correct one.
Mr. Phillippe never made a complete rod of split-bamboo, only a
tip and joint to a three-piece rod,
the butt of ash, and the joint and
tip made in three sections.
"Mr. Murphy, of Newark, N. J.,
in a n article by Mr. B. Phillips, o n
the origin of the split-bamboo,
p u b l i s h e d i n the New York
"Times," gives the date as 1848,
when Mr. Phillippe used the natur a l b a m b o o , a n d subsequently
made a joint of bamboo."
Satisfied that there was some error o r
mistake concerning the date, 1866, as
given by Dr. W i l k i n s o n , I afterward
wrote to him o n this point, when he replied as follows:
"You are certainly all right o n
the split-bamboo question. Mitchell gives the date of Murphy's rods
as 1863, a n d M u r p h y concedes
priority to Phillippe, and the latter's date is 1846. At the time of
"[As late as 1870, in Bohn's edition of
Walton's Complete Angler, edited by
Jesse, Mr. Bohn says in a footnote: "The
split-cane o r glued-up rod is difficult to
make well, and very expensive; it is made
of three pieces of split cane (which some
say should have the bark inside, some
outside), and is said to have the advantage
of not warping through wet."]
writing I could not fix Murphy's
exact date. I a m now clearly of the
opinion that Phillippe's son carelessly wrote 1866 in place of 1846,
and in fact I remember perfectly
well that his figures were pretty difficult to decipher."
Wm. Blacker, 54 Dean street, Soho,
London, and to order, for James
Stevens, a n old a n d well-known
angler, of Hoboken, N. J. This was
in 1852, and it was given to me for
repairs a n d a l t e r a t i o n s i n that
year."
In order to confirm and substantiate
the claim I made for Phillippe, I subsequently corresponded with several of his
old fishing companions and friends, citizens of Easton, Pa., with the result that I
a m now able to fix the date of his first
rods as early as 1845.
At the World's Columbian Exposition,
at Chicago, in 1893, I exhibited in my
department a n oil portrait of Samuel
Phillippe, together with several of his
rods, one of which is now in my possession. It is one of his first rods. and is still
in as good practical condition as when
first made. It is a trout fly rod, 11 feet 4
inches in length, and weighs exactly 8
ounces. It is a perfectly proportioned rod,
as the following diameters show: Greatest swell of butt, 1 inch; insidediameter of
first ferrule, 5 - 1 6 t h ~of a n inch; of the
second ferrule, 3 - 1 6 t h ~of a n inch; of
extreme tip, 3-32ds of a n inch. Length of
reel seat, 3'4 inches; diameter, 11-16th~of
a n inch. Length of butt handle, from reel
seat to end, 10 inches, including the iron
thimble at end. If the end of butt was
shortened, as in modern rods, the weight
would be reduced at least 1%ounces. It is
made of four sections of bamboo, except
the butt, which is of stained ash, and is
neatly wrapped with black silk o n the
bamboo joints. T h e ferrules and reel
bands are brass.
T h e other rods exhibited were of four
a n d six sections o r strips throughout,
including butt. One of the latter was a
very finely finished and handsome rod
w i t h solid silver m o u n t i n g s , neatly
engraved; it was accompanied by a reel of
mother of pearl, the only one I have ever
seen. T h i s last was doubtless one of his
later rods.
My opinion now is that Phillippe was
really the first maker, and consequently
the inventor of the split-bamboo rod, and
made his first rod before they were made
in England. I d o not believe that the
three-section rent and glued-up bamboo
rod was made in London previous to
1845, though rods of three sections of
hickory and other hard woods were, perhaps, made as early or earlier.
I d o not think it possible that Phillippe, in a small interior town in Pennsylvania, ever heard of a n English splitbamboo rod before his invention; for
even Mr. Mitchell, a n old a n d experienced rod maker of New York, says in
the article referred to:
T h e late Professor Alfred M. Mayer,
editor of the Century Company's "Sport
with Rod and Gun,"* in a footnote to Dr.
Wilkinson's article, says in reference to
this rod:
"The first split-bamboo rod I
ever saw or heard of was made by
"I have seen a split-bamboo rod
made according to the suggestions
of that distinguished angler, the
late James Stevens, of Hoboken, by
Blacker, of London. T h i s rod is of
three sections, with the enamel o n
the outside, and was made in 1852,
while Mr. Stevens was in London.
T h i s date has been accurately determined for me by his son, Mr. Frank
Stevens."
Notwithstanding the great number of
British books on angling published during a century, there is n o mention of the
rent and glued-up cane rod previous to
1847. In this year "Ephemera" (Edward
Fitzgibbon) published his "Hand-book
of Angling," in which he gives a description of the method of Mr. Little, a London rod maker, in the construction of a
salmon rod composed of a n ash butt,
with the other joints of three-section split
and glued-up bamboo cane.
D u r i n g the Chicago World's Fair a
daughter of Samuel Phillippe called o n
me and gave me a very interesting account of her father. Among other things
she stated that after her father's death
Joseph Jefferson, the actor, called a t their
house and purchased one of her father's
rods.
Mr. Solon C. Phillippe, of Easton, Pa.,
a son of Samuel Phillippe, furnished me
with the following notes concerning his
father:
"Samuel P h i l l i p p e was b o r n
August 9, 1801, in Reading, Pa.,
and died in Easton, Pa., May 25,
1877. H e w e n t to Easton w h e n
about sixteen years old, where he
learned the trade of gunsmith with
Mr. Peter Young. H e was a skilled
workman i n wood o r metal. H e
made violins and fishing rods in
addition to his regular work as a
*Dr. A. G. Wilkinson was the first to
suggest to the editor of "Scribner's Magazine," Dr. Holland, to publish a series of
articles o n sports with gun and rod, of
which his was the first.
a
gunsmith. H e received silver
medal for one of his violins from
the Franklin Institute Fair, at Philadelphia. He made the first "Kinsey" fishing hooks from patterns
furnished by Phineus Kinsey, of
Easton, Pa. He was a good trout
fisher, and fished at times in company with Thad. Norris, of Philadelphia, and Judge Jas. Madison
Porter, Colonel T. R. Sitgreaves,
Wm. Green, Phineus Kinsey, John
and Abraham DeHart, Sheriff Heckman, and others of Easton.
"He visited a number of places
with Mr. Thad. Norris, when the
latter was seeking a location for a
trout hatchery, a n d which was
finally located near Bloomsburg,
N. J. Mr. Norris often saw Phillippe at work on split-bamboo rods
in his shop. Charles F. Murphy,
himself a noted rod maker, of
Newark, N. J., also visited Phillippe to learn something of his
method of making split-bamboo
rods.
"In his first experiments Phillippe made tips and second joints
of two, and then three sections of
split-bambo, enamel outside, with
butts of solid cane or ash. But these
rods would not cast the fly true. He
then made the joints of four sections, and found that they would
cast perfectly in any direction. He
then made complete rods of four
sections, including the butt, and
later of six sections or strips; the
enamel was always on the outside.
These rods were for his own use,
but afterward he made some for his
friends, one of the first being for
Colonel T. R. Sitgreaves, with ash
butt a n d joints of four-section
spli t-bamboo.
"His books show that the first
split-bamboo rod sold was in 1848.
This was a four-section rod in three
pieces, all split-bamboo, including
the butt. His first rods were made
certainly as early as 1845. Soon
Phillippe learned rod making, in
addition to the trade of gunsmith,
from his father. In 1859Solon made
a complete rod of six sections; the
handpiece, 18 inches long, was
made of twelve sections of hard
wood. In 1876 he made a threepiece rod, with handpiece of redwood, and balance of rod of eight
sections or strips, four of splitbamboo, and four of snakewood,
alternating."
Following are extracts from letters
relating to this subject from some of my
correspondents, as evidence to corroborate my opinion that Samuel Phillippe
was the first maker of the split-bamboo
rod:
From Mr. Geo. W. Stout, of Easton,
Pa.:
"I came to this town in 1851. I
made my first split-bamboo rod in
1860, and got my idea from Phillippe's rods. I was an amateur only,
and never made more than a dozen
in all.. .. Ex.-Sheriff Thos. Heckman, now in his eighty-sixth year,
was a life-long acquaintance of
Phillippe, and often went fishing
with him. He is well preserved,
with an excellent memory, and is
good authority. He says he knows
that Samuel Phillippe made splitb a m b o o rods in 1846. Edward
Innes, a man of repute, aged about
sixty-seven, remembers seeing him
making one of these rods in 1847.
You may rely implicitly on the evidence of Heckman and Innes, who
both fished with Sam before, and
many years after, 1846. Innes was
much at Sam's shop before 1847,
and fixes the date by its being just
before he removed to Philadelphia,
where he resided several years."
From Mr. Thos. Heckman, ex-Sheriff
of Easton, Pa.:
"I knew Sam Phillippe a great
many years, some sixty or seventy. I
have fished with him many times,
sometimes for a week's camping in
the mountains of Monroe County.
He was the first man in this part of
the country to build a split-bamboo
rod. He made two for me, one of
which isstill in goodcondition. T o
my best recollection he built his
first rod about 1846; he made his
own ferrules, rings, and keepers."
From Abbey & Imbrie, of New York
City:
"Your account of the origin of
the split-bamboo rod is perfectly
correct. Our Mr. Abbey, the writer,
was the active member of Andrew
Clerk & Co. at the time of the origination, by Mr. Phillippe, of the
split-bamboo rod, and is, therefore,
well acquainted with its history
down to the present time."
From Mr. Chas. F. Murphy, of Newark,
N. J.:
"Mr. Chas. Luke, of thiscity, formerly of Easton, Pa., used to fish
and hunt with Mr. Phillippe, and
frequented his workshop, where he
saw him use split-bamboo for fly
rods certainly as far back as 1848.
Luke moved from Easton to Newark in 1850. I am very certain you
can give Phillippe credit for the
discovery of split-bamboo fly rods
without fear of being contradicted.
While making rods for Andrew
Clerk & Co., Mr. Abbey, of that
firm, showed Mr. Green and myself
a rod made by Mr. Phillippe, the
top and second joint made of splitbamboo, with butt joint made from
white ash. I made the first splitbamboo salmon rod, also the first
black bass rod of split-bamboo."
From Dr. W. W. Bowlby, of New York
City:
"My earliest recollection of the
split-bamboo rod dates back to
about the year 1852. At that time I
lived in New Jersey, near Easton,
Pa., and fished in the same waters
in New Jersey and Pennsylvania
with an old gunsmith of Easton,
known among us as 'Old Sam Phillippe.' It was about the year above
named that I saw a split-bamboo
rod in his possession, and he informed me at the time that he was
the originator of the idea; and to
him, I earnestly believe, belongs
the credit of having first conceived
the idea of constructing a rod from
such material."
While certain parties were compelled
to concede the priority of Phillippe in
this matter, they sought to detract somewhat from his laurels by pronouncing his
rods crude affairs, with the added remark
that they were not "complete," having
white ash butts. Now, judging from the
rod in my possession, old Sam Phillippe
knew just what a trout fly rod should be
in its action, both in casting a fly and in
playing a trout; and it is on these qualities of a rod that its merits should be
judged, rather than on the style of its
construction or fine appearance. Of
course, it is better, and desirable, to have
beauty of form combined with excellence
of action whenever this is possible; but I
have seen hundreds of split-bamboo rods
that, while they were all that could be
desired as to style and appearance, were
sadly lacking as to the purposes and uses
for which they were constructed.
The ash butt of my Phillippe rod gives
just the right amount of backbone, and
the bamboo joints just the requisite pliancy and resiliency needed in a fly rod. Its
joints are just as straight and intact as
when first made. It is as honest and reliable, and, I might say, as perfect a rod, so
far as its uses and action are concerned, as
some of my modern rods, "complete"
though they may be.
But old Sam Phillippe also made rods
entirely of split-bamboo, and of six sections as well, afterward, and, as I now
believe, before any other maker attemp-
-----
0
--
a
-
Split Bamboo Fly-Rod.-(Chns. F. Orvis.)
--
- --
v
7
-
- . -. -
-
U
s
Ash and Lancewood Fly-Rod.-(Wm. Mills 6:Son.)
Illustration from the Book of the Black Bass (1881) by Dr. James A. Henshall
ted the construction of a split-bamboo
rod. And that he improved on his earlier
efforts those who saw the silver-mounted
six-section rod in my exhibit at the Chicago World's Fair can bear witness.
§
The first split-bamboo rods for the
trade were made by Mr. Charles F. Murphy, of Newark, who made the first splitbamboo salmon-rod in 1865, which Dr.
Andrew Clerk took to Scotland, where it
proved a success. Subsequently, Genio C.
Scott took the same rod to the St. Lawrence, and, on his return, published an
interesting account of his tripand the use
of the rod, in Wilkes' "Spirit of the
Times," in the same year. The first splitbamboo black bass rod was made by Mr.
Murphy, in 1866.
To Andrew Clerk & Co., and their successors, Abbey & Imbrie, belong the credit
and honor of bringing this rod to its present state of perfection and prominence.
They were the first patrons of Phillippe,
Murphy, and Leonard, and gave them
every assistance and encouragement.
The best form of the split-bamboo rod,
in my opinion, as proved by actual service, is the round, six-section rod. Many
experiments have been made to improve
upon this method. The hexagonal rod is
claimed to be preferable to the round rod,
inasmuch as there is no cutting away of
the surface enamel or outside siliceous
coating, at the angles, as in the formation
o f the round rod, and is therefore a
stronger rod.
While this looks plausible enough it
has no foundation in fact. The hexagonal
rod is not a true six-sided figure, but
rather a round figure with six angles; for
the face of each section is of course
slightly rounded, or convex, as it originally existedin thecane, and theextremely small amount of outside surface that is
taken off at the angles to make the rod
round does not amount to much, or
weaken the rod a particle. In my opinion
a r o u n d rod will cast truer i n every
direction.
Another plan has been advocated, to
reverse the process in sawing the strips,
and place the enamel or outside coating
a t the interior of the rod. And still
another, and somewhat better plan, by
the way, has been proposed, more especially for tips, as follows:
The shaded sides of the sections represent the outer coating. The sections are to
be pressed together, and glued in the
position in which they are drawn in the
figure, which brings the enamel of each
strip partly inside and partly outside; the
piece is then worked down to a round
form, having the center of enamel, and
the circumference of alternate strips of
inside and a small portion of thesiliceous
or outside layer.
T h e n these rods have been made of
eight and nine strips; but there is no real
merit in any of these last-mentioned
plans, and the six-section, outside enamel, hexagonal or round, is the only
common-sense, practical plan.
A first-class split-bamboo rod is strong
enough for all the emergencies of bait- or
fly-fishing if properly handled, but in
England a steel wire center is added by
one maker, and spiral wire ribbing by
another, though the latter is for whole
cane rods. In this country, natural bamboo rods have been closely wound with
linen thread to add stiffness andstrength.
The best plan to meet these requirements
is that patented by Mr. J. M. Kenyon, of
Toledo, Ohio, and consists in closely
winding with very fine silk from butt to
tip, and using several coats of transparent
varnish. The rod when finished is a beautiful object, requiring the aid of amagnifying glass to see the silk wrapping. It is
called the "silkien" rod, and is also made
by the T. H. Chubb Rod Co., Post Mills,
Vt. T h e first rod made on this principle
that I ever saw was alluded to in the first
edition of this book. It was spirally
wrapped with fine strips of rattan. In
appearance it was a beauty, but in practice a complete failure. §
Notes and Comment
Made in Maine Exhibit
Includes Recreation of
F. E. Thomas Rod Shop
-1'hc s h o p of t h y F. E. T h o m a s R o d
C;ornl)any of Rangor, Maine, as it might
h;~vc*
al)pc';lrul circa 1940, h a s been recrcatctl for a l o n g - t e r m e x h i b i t titled
"Mad(%i n Maine" a t t h e M a i n e State
Muscum (see photo). Thomas established
his Rangor shop sometinle in 1902. Thca
firm w ; ~ si n business until 1957 when i t
was ~ ~ ~ r ( . h a by
s c ~a dConnecticut rodmaker. Thomas, born inNewbury, Maine,
in 1855, is considered to have been one of
this country's finest rodmakers. For more
information o n T h o m a s and his rods, see
Cla.~sicR o d s and R o d Makers (1976) by
Martin Keane. T h e Maine State Muscum
is located at the State H o ~ ~ in
s cAugr~sta.
They are open daily from 9 a.m. 105 p.m.;
Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and
Suntlay from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Other
Mainc, fishing-related items o n display
at the, museum include a land-locket1
s a l m o n m o u n t e d by H e r b Welch, a
C;oltlen Witch streamer ticd by Carrie
Stevcns, and a n H. L . Leonard split-cane
fly rod (circa 1876).
The Loomis and Plumb
Automatic Fly Reel
In his rcccnt article or1 automatic fly
reels ( T h r Amrricnn Fly Fisltrr, vol. 13,
no. I ) , J o h n Orrelle was ptrzzlccl as to the
relationship between Francis A. Loomis
and James S. Plumb. While ~,crusingthe
April 30, 1881, issue of the Chicago Field,
we came u p o n t h e followitig atlvertisement. A p l ~ a r e n t l y Loornis
,
and Plumb
\\,ere partricsrs anel markrtetl t h ( i r rcc,l for
a I~ricfpc~riodof time bcfor.cs sc,lling the
patent rights for thcir creation to Yawman anel Er.11~5.Yawman ant1 Erl)c. then
marketc,cl tlie I.(~(>I as thc YPcl.: arttomatic
fly I-eel.
Corrigenda
l'hc c.rlrrent size of Pyr;ttrii(l I.;tke
is apl)roxitn;ttc.ly 130,000 surf;tce
acres. In Kol)c~rtRclinkr's artic.lc o n
thc Pyramitl I.akc c ~ r t t h ~ . o ;trortt
tt
( T h r /Jn~rrir,crl~
Fly Fi.vl~or,vol. IS,
r ~ o .I, 1,. 22, csntlnotc I ) the l;~kca'ssizes
\.\.as inc.or.rrc.tly given as 1,000 surl;tc.e
:lcrc's.
Red Trout
To tlir Editor:
Very soon after my article "The> Red
Trout: Profilr of a Rare Gamefish Duri n g the 1930s in Quc~hrc"appearctl in thc
Antrrican Fly Fishrr (vol. 12, no. I), I
received a n interesting pieceof material. I
had tried for some considerable time to
loc;ttc, Professor Samrtrl Garman's paprr
:~l)outthe red trout (Sn17~rlinu.smnrsto?ii).
I f I had posscsscd this informative
1):11)('r sooner I worrld have inclrtcled thc
m a t e r i a l i n my p a p e r . A very s m a l l
amount of data has I ~ r c nrrcorcled al)out
thr mar.sloni, in fact, virtually not hirig
rxccl~tscale counts ;tntl some other (pcrtincsnt)trctinical data has hcen recordeel for
postc*rity.
I m a g i n e my satisf;iction w1it.n ; t t i
astute anel enterprising librarian iri one
of tlie l i b r a r i e s at t h e I J n i v e r s i t y of
Toronto located S. Garman's papcr for
mc. In tliis article, Profc-ssor S. C;:trm;tn
ex1)lains the origin of tlie reel trout's
name3, viz S n l ~ ~ r l i ~nznr.stoni.
r ? ~ . ~ I quote
from his articlr w1iic.h ;tl,peared in the.
189.3 issue of S c i r ~ ~ c r .
F Z F / I I ?HorI
I ~ I'ntr71ls o j lllr
llnzl~clStntrs 1838-1940 by J i m Rrown.
Stamfortl, Connecticut: Ti ico I'rcs,
1985, 108 ~);tges,~ n d c x I)il)liog~
,
;tl~hy.
Clotlil~ourid.$25
H r r c is ;I wc~lcorneandcxtrcfirnc~ly
rlsefr11
refcrcnccs I)ook that any reel c.ollrctor o r
angling 1iistori:tn will t.crt;tinly want to
~ , 1 first 111et seve1-;11
have. J i ~ nR ~ o H ' Irv11o
yea1.s a g o \vlicn he ~ v a cloirig
s
rc.sc;trch at
the Mrlscrtln's libl-al-y,h;ts :tl)l)roached
t h e sul~jc~c.t
of r.cel 1,;ltcnts w i t h the
systematic. tlioroughnc~ssof a ~,rofcssiorial 1it)rari;tti. which he is. 'I'hc, result is
sple~~(Ii~l.
There is, first, an outst;tntling inti-ocluctiori that riot only esl)l;ti~isl i ~ \ vto
O u r specinims [of red trout] were
acquir-c, c.ol)irs of 11:1tc1its. 1)11t givcbs a n
cscrllcnt, short history of thc. I1.S. Ixltcnt
taken in Lac dr M;irl>rr, Ottawa
C o r ~ n t y Provinc.~
,
of Quebec, Carlsystcm ittit1 tlcsc.~.il,cshow i t h;ts wor.ked.
ada, whence t1ir.y wearcsent by favor
A suc.c.int.t tlisc-rrssion of how to i n t c ~ ~ - ~ ~ ~ - e t
of the Honortr;~l)lrJ.C;. A. Crrighv;tr-ious p;tt('rrt rnarkirigs o ~ rcrls
i
is also
ton. They rc:tc.Iictl its at the insisinc-ludecl.
t(s~i(.e
of Mr. A. N. <:lirney, fishing
7'hc introduc.tion is \,cbr.yusefrrl, ant1 I
c,tlitor of Sliootirrg ancl Fishing,
tiope that i t will fincl a hornc so~nc~u~lierc
iri the ~)cariodic.:tl liter;ttr~rc'. .I'lic introwho, who1 asked to suggest a sixcific name, rel)licd with the cluesclrtc.tion is th(~11
followc~lI)y ;I list of rnorc
tion, 'How woultl i t tlo to name it
t h a n r i g h t h u n d r c d sl)ccific. 1);ttrnts
i n v o l v i n g f i s h i n g r.ccls, from I,atcsrit
for Mr. R. B. M;lrston, editor of
Fishing Gazette, I,ondon, a n Engnrtrnl)c.r 85.1 ( A r u n a h .I'iffa~iy,C;i t ~ s o n ,
lislirnan o v r r f l o ~ ~ i ~with
i g gootl
N Y , July 26, 1838) to I);ltcxnt n u m l ~ r r
froling for evc*rythingl~ertainingto
2,221, 852 (MT;tltc~.
T(~rr.eri(.c,N ~ I Y
York,
fish, fishing ant1 America, and who
NY, Novernl)c~r 19, 1940). 'l'hc 1,atent
is doing much to c~~iliance
frirndly
sc(.tio~ic.o~it;ti~is
I I I I I I I C ~ ~ ~I I) ;SI I ~ I I I ~II.;~MIintcxrcst betwcm the ~,eol>lc
of the
ings and ~ ) h o t o g r ; t l ~ l i dth(8
~ , y authors of
two countries?' 111c.onsct1rtcnc.c of
irnlx)rt;trit :untl c.urious fishing rc.cls. T h e
the suggrstion, this handsornc~
1):1te1it list is folio\\-cstl by ;III i ~ i t l c sof the.
(.Ii;tr. one of the. 1i;tritlsotnc~stof our
riariics of ; t l l ;tssigners anel in\,c~itor-s.
~ l ) ( ~ c i cis
s , introdrrc.c~el r ~ n d r r -thc
*I'lic volutric is attr;~c.ti\~c~ly
tlosignc~tl(by
n;trnc, Salrno (S;tlvelirius) Marstoni.
the i.l?,rrric,n,z Fly Fi.slzrr'.r o w n M;trtli;~
CAMBRIDGE,
MASS.
S. G A R M A N
I'oolc Mv~.win)anel contains rirlmc*r.ous
01-n;rrnc>ntal illustr:rtions from early
MI.. A. N. Chenciy's wortls ;lbout R. R.
;lngling I~ooks;tlotig n.itli th(. ~)ic.trtresof
M;trsto~i'scontrit~utionsrsrm as trrlc ant1 rc*cls. Fl'l~isI)ook shoultl I)(* 1);trt o f c\.cry
~)crtincntnow ;IS i r i t h r past. I have rcaad srrious angling lihl.;tt.y.
c.onsidcl;thle of M;trston's works, i~iclutlWe are now blessed with sc~vcraldediing Tlrr Rrozi1~1Trout (Snl?no fnrio). the c.atctl r(sc.1 1iistori:rns w h o ~ \ . ' r . i t (Jirn
'.
/In1rric.a?1 Fly Fi.rlrrr (vol. 12, n o . 3). Rrown joins J o h n OrrclI(~.Srcavc~~i
VcrRot1cr.t Bright Marston was obviously :I
rio~i.Mitry KcsIly, ; t ~ i i I:I f c ~ votIi(*i.s~ v l i o
man whose love for angling, :~rtthor.shi~) ztrr Iic~lpirig11srt~i(lerst:t~i(l
tliis i~iiport;~rit
and gootlwill transc.c~ntlcclthe more usu;tl
tc~c-hnologicxlIiistol-y. 1,c.t' Irol)ct th(8ir
I)ouritl;~ric~s.
\\I-itings find sufficient arrtlic.r~c.c.t o keel)
E. C;. Davis
Islingtori, Ontario
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V e r m o n t 05254
Mere at the Museum, we're often asker1 two indepcndcnt means. ?'here was a
:it)out the safety a n d security of o u r c o l - sul)stantial hurglary at the nearby BenIec,tion and ahout what policies wc have, nington Muse~crna couple of years ago,
in c*ffectf o r s c ~ l l i n g o r o t l ~ e r w i s e d i s l ~ o sand
- wr were tlisturbed to find that their
i ~ i gof i t e ~ n sfrom that collection. "If I al:trni systern was identical to ours.
elorlate t h i s r o d , will i t he safc?" ancl Fortunately, working with local author"How d o I know you won't sell this reel iticas, wr were able to find out how their
I'il'tccn years from now?"are typical clues- a1;lr.m systcm was circumvented a n d
tions. Wc t h i n k t h o s c c l ~ ~ r s t i oanrsc o f ini~nc~tliately
hael ours modified to make
sufficient irnl)ortance to devote s o m e such intervention impossible.
space here to the answrrs and to reassure
Even though o u r building has been
some of our tlonors at the same tirncs.
inspec.ted by I)oth state fir(, authorities
Someone asked me, not l o n g a g o if it and our insurane.e underwriters, the poswere true that the Musrum had recently sibility of a worst-case disaster-howtsvrr
soltl a collrction of ten Payne fly rods that rrmotc-does exist. But wtad o have some
hael once hcslonged t o Jot' Brooks. I spent rccorrrse even in that casta. O u r collection
consideral)le lime assuring him that such has been fully insured since 1983, a n d
a n idea was absurd (evcbn if Joe Brooks although some of our items are irreplacc11:1el hat1 ten Paync rotls, which I seriously al)lra. many of them can btb replacecl. O u r
doubt).
col lect ion records are stored in fireproof
O n c e a donatetl o1)jcct-rod, reel, files at the Mrlser~m,and aduplicateset is
painting, book, flies, whatever-is for- stored at anothcr location. In short, i f all
~ n a l l yrntc~rcdinto the collection, it has w c ~ eirldre~llost, a n cxpcditious reconfound a p~rnza~zrrzt
h o m e anrl cannot, struction shoul(l he possi1)lc.
untler present muscum policy, be disSrc.111-ityis i ~ l s oa consideration when
~ ) o x dof in any fashion. Those who havc wtnII;IVC visitors at the Muscum. T h e galattenclcd one of our many annual fund- Icrics are thc only public areas, ant1 here
raising dinner-auctions may have, I)een c~vrrythingis locked in elisplay casrs o r
a little confused, sinc.c we tlooccasionally otherwise frtstrnrd to make its rcmoval
auction something that wo111d appear to iml~ossiblrwithout consitlerable csffort.
l)c of rnrlscum quality. In all casrs, how- O u r library is available for research and is
cvel-, these items havc been tlonatetl for usrd by various peoplr fairly often for
resale ant1 not for thtbcollection itself. that purposr. T h i s takes place under the
They have never been made a formal part ~)hysicalsuy~crvisionof a museum staff
of thecoIlec.tion ant1 invariably arr elupli- member. T h c library, by the way, as a
c.;~tcsof what we have in the collection matter of I)oard policy is not a lentling
already. O u r I~oarclof trustees a n d the library. Materials thcrcain are available
museum staff are ~)resentlyworking o n for use o n the premisrs only.
the devcIol,nient of a policy ~ ~ n dwhich
rr
Like most museums, we're facrcl with
we'll be, ;lllowetl to c r ~ l lirrlwanted items thr choice of total security-which rnrrlns
from the c.ollection. Howevc>rthis policy n o p ~ ~ b lacc.c3ss
ic
to our resources at allis shal)rtl in future years, pcr~nissionof ancl serving the l ~ u b l i in
c general-which
the original tlonor will l ~ ae n integral is part of o ~ role
~ ras a museum. So, like
part.
most muscums, we clo allow supervised
Whcn we purchasrd and reworked our access to our collections. As our collec1)uilcling in 1983, we took sr~l)stantial tions grow-and they have mightily in
Ine;Isurcss to protect o u r collc~ctionancl rccent years-so cloes o u r responsibility
rccorcls. Sophisticatrd systems for both for both controlleel access and security.
fire ant1 physical scscurity wc5rrsinstalled All of us at the Museum take that responancl arcs now openlting, connc~c.tedclirect- sibility most seriously.
ly to locxl fire anel police dcl)art~nc~nts
I)y
-John hIrnoin, ~ ~ X ~ C Z L1)irrctor
~ Z Z ~ P
.uo!lr?rrop a[q!ssod
JO arnls!d Isareal3 l n o sn JA!S sawnloA
e SF maql Jap!snos Alsno!~as ol pur? 711 blrea asaql ' a ~ o m ~ a q l ~.leqM
n d Su![
s ~ joq Ie!lalem
~
.IOJ palaad saba .r!aq~daay
-[as S ~ O
M ~ au!ur.raiap
M
01 O S I ~prre parnl
01s.ra~roddns
palexpap .rno jo [[I?a.~o[dw! - ~ e j n u e waJaM s13arqo pale[ar-8u!qs!j
paapu! 'a91n 'a[oFe~pInoM a~ . S ~ J O M u!elras uaqM an!urlalap s n ca'u~dlaq
aJua.rajal ~rrel~odrn!
hlauranxa ale asaqL u! 'blsno!~qo ' I U B I J O ~ U I I b ~ ale
a slexpo
~
.s.~arl~o
bueur Suowe '-lalSuy z ~ u. . ~ z r. a z u-!.lad
~
asaql u! sluamasflrahpe at11 'anss!
aql 30 lSOU1 PUT? ' ~ J t l . 4d2/?
~ ~ / D ?!.lfds
s ~ rqo j ~suo!le.usnIl! ~ o ujo d n uMerp
[eu!S!.lo aq-r 'sazuz~a y /~O Y ~ L Z ,xayIzM
~S
bla~!sua~xaaAeq am ley1 lnoqe nob Su!
'PIdtJ UV.7JLdWVaC[l'plJ2J 08v.7zy3 aql J o -[la1 daay aM s[e~!po!rad 8utl.1ods b ~ n l u a 3
sanss! 1 1 Su!y~e[
~
are aM iqeads 01os 'slou - q ~ u a a ~ a u !asoql
u
Ile a l e aJaql u a q l
-am11 aql ale IeqM o s .auop S u ~ a qseM p u v 'add![pyd pue uaalf) bq parnlsej
I! ~ o pue
q 'I! Bu!op SPM O ~ 'In0
M
pa!.rJes
-nuem suam13ads S u ~ s s ~ uaJe
r aM ' ~ a ~
=irr!aq seM Sn!lSue rods aJarlM pne rraqM -MOq :pOJ [[JqJl!m I2 OS[E PUE S P O " ~ ~
-rnm rnoj aAeq 01 aleunlloj b ~ a.re
a aM
~
'sa~
.-layszJ ill J u v n z - l a ~ v a qJO~anss! s!ql
u! passnss!p aAeq am ley1 spol a u e s - ~ q d s
01 a'u!lela.r le!laleru aql ~ a p r s u o 3.LIO!I
-3alloJ Jno u! sde'a: buem l[!ls a.re araql
i n 8 'passewe uaaq JaAa seq ley1 swal!
pale[a.1-8u!q~!j-b[j pue a [ y m Brr!qs!j-b[j
ue>!mwv ~ u e z ~ ~ j ! u h=~i ~[ se ~ ! ~ o ~ s ! q
jo uo!lsaIloJ Isau!j aql A~qeqold
aAeq J M 1eq1 ~ ~ o d d snoraua8
ns
'pales!pap s!ql 01 a n p s! 11 .sra
-1roddns snolauaS buem 'buem
Sa u ! ~ e qu! aleunlloj ~ J J Auaaq seq
mnasnm aql ' u o ! d a ~ u ! SI! aJu!s