Evening Star Newspaper, October 12, 1930, Page 102

18 THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, OCTOBER 12, 1930 His Arrows Carry Beyvond the Best World-Record Bowwman Not Only Hunts but Also Fishes With Archery Tackle—Some Remarkable Shooting Feats Performed by Howard Hill, King of Archers. BY GENE DAY. OWARD HILL, archery champion, has shot farther with a bow and arrow than man ever shot before. Bowman Hill can hurtle a birch arrow more than three times as far through space as the longest home-run which ever catapulted from the mighty base ball bludgeon of “Babe” Ruth. Scan the archery records from the dawn of that vener- able pastime to the present and you will not find an irrefutable mention of any bowman who ever launched an arrow through the atmos- phere which carried 409 yards before it sank its metal point in the soil. Hill has turned this thick, not once, but several times, and be pow is in training, seeking to increase his best long-flight arrow to 450 yards or better. The longest-hitting golfer favored with a strong tail wind and a sun-baked fairway can drive a golf ball no farther than Hill shoots dozens of arrows daily during his training. And there is no golfer from here to St. Andrews who has ever seen the archery champion shoot who will compete in an official contest against him. For in addition to, sailing an arrow through the ozone farther than one ever went before, Howard Hill also is the champion archer-golfer of the world of sport. He is the first who ever played a regulation tournament length 18-hole golf course in less than 50 strokes, using bow and arrows and shooting at a target on the green of similar diameter to the official golf cup. BIG, bronzed affable Hill makes all the “ archery tackle which he uses. He is the only sportsman-inventor on the roster who has succeeded in doing what many have failed at— perfecting a combination gun and fishing rod. When Hill goes gunning during those lazy days of Autumnal haze when nature is beginning to signal the shift of seasons he substitutes his hunting bow for the proverbial shotgun. And, if during his hunt through field and forest he chances to sight a stream and wishes a change of sport, he uses the self-same weapon for lnn}lnvenuommt.rmmphsonpoper.ln blueprints or models, but fall far short of suc- R cess during actual service tests. Not so with Howard Hill’'s dual-purpose ‘“gun and fishpole.” One day not so long ago this clever bowman bagged a 50-pound wildcat at 40 yards and then strolled to nis favorite angling spot and yanked some 200 fish weighing from 1 to 10 pounds per each during the next three hours. No, you are wrong as an incorrect watch. Not just another fishing tale fabricated from fiction, but a story as truthful as George Wash- ington in person. Three witnesses weighed and measured the “cat,” counted and weighed the fish and timed the interval. When your writer looked askance on hearing this tale—as you probably will on reading what is printed on this page—Hill took him out and proved the verity of the story by repeating it. It is just another job for the undertaker to give Hill a shot at any still object at a range of 50 yards or less. And he bags ’em on the. fly with almost as great accuracy and precision. If President Herbert Hoover could only go fishing with Hill, the chances are that the Chief Executive in time would replace costly rods and reels with bow and arrows. For you do not have to stand around waiting or waste sime in idle soliloquies if the finny swimmers are running and your shooting eye is alert. HILL fishes with archery tackle by at- taching a light retrieving line to his angling arrows. He uses a 9-thread linen line similar to that employed commonly in fly casting. These arrows are made of snakewood, a tough, heavy, which is available for arrow production. These fishing arrows are 30 inches in length, weigh 60C grains each and have metallic points which resemble midget harpoons. The brass tip of the arrow terminates in a 2-inch steel point about the sizse of a finishing nail. Two steel barbs are attached to each 3 inches from the feathered kat oY, anw How cidacowg LY S Fishing with bow and arrow. has lost. For example, suppose that one long-flight practice arrows strays into the or underbrush, being diverted by a If the bowman fails to find the missing arrow, he returns to his position of original shooting stance and ‘shoots what he calls several “policemen arrows.” Generally, these arrows, shot in exactly the same manner and in like range as the lost one, will fall close enough to The archer, like the boxer and ball player, has capitalized on this advantage. To begin with, Hill, a strapping 6-footer, who formerly starred that bow. Then he substituted a bow with a heavier pull. This program continued until the archer was able to make 60 successive shots with a 120-pound bow without tiring. Then he was ready for a try at the world’s long-flight shooting record. In the meanwhile Hill experimented with the various woods used commdnly in bowmaking. They included yew, osage orange, lemonwood, hickory, cedar and specimens of all the tropical woods adapted for such use which he could pro- cure. These woods are subjected to Iaboratory tests to determine their durability, springiness, resiliency and strength. The woods which made the best shop records under test were then employed in making special bows, which Mr., Hill tried out far dfield. ‘ All this required con- siderable time; as the .archer: was . able ‘to devote only his idle hours, to his favorite hobby, Osag{e organge a.ndm;;ew bows provgd;) the m;;: satisfactory up to thé timé when Howard first became acquainted with“¥ofis makewood: which grows along the coral rock keys of southernmost State. A Comparative tests demonstrated that the snakewood was the satisfactory wood available in the New for archery purposes. Hill attributes his success in long-flight shooting to covery of this unusually hard wood, wi tougher than yew, just as fast and springy, less vibration and is not so susceptible to perature changes. This bowman reports his tests that snakewood bows will not vary over 5 pounds in pull due to temperature fluctuations, while yew bows will vary as much as 20 pounds due to weather changes. The snakewood is a sister tree to the Florida mahogany and grows to be from 60 to 100 feet in height. EB EE%EEiSE it ated the pull of these bows from 150 to 175 pounds. The ancient records of archery men- tions several Roman and English archers who were strong enough so that they could handle bows of about 150 pounds’ pull. Hill, however, is the first man in history, either civilized or savage, who ever mastered the feat of handling & 175-pound bow. The life of one of these powerful pulling bows is only 50 to 60 shots. ‘The strain to which they are subjected is stupendous. Snakewood is the only wood which will withstand such formidable tests. The 175-pound snakewood bow used by Howard Hill when he set his record of 409 yards, without favoring wind on a calm day, was only 54 inches long. The ability of this bow to bend to a full draw and cast a flight arrow at tremendous speed through the ether so that it carried almost one-fourth of & mile is one of the most spectacular strength tests of a hardwood ever made. Hill made his record shots in official competition as a sequel to the first national archery golf tournament held in the United States. The following year he won the long-flight shooting championship at the annual tournaments of the National Archery Association at Rye, N. H' - THIB champion bowman of civilization began his study of archery at the age of 4, when his father, also an archery enthusiast, made a bow of hickory and taught his small son how to use the weapon. From then until now How- ard Hill has been interested actively in archery. As an amateur hobby he learned all about the art and artifices of the bowyer’s trade. It was only during the last five years, however, that he has devoted serious attention to that ancient sport, which has enjoyed a very successful revival in the United States. As a result of conscientious training Hill has developed him- self into a super-bowman, who pulls the mightiest bow ever bent. 5 S You can gain some idea of the force of an arrow shot from this herculean bow by. a historical exhibit in the Tower of London. In 2 massive oaken door the metal head of a war ‘arrow is buried to a depth of 4 inches. Several centuries ago that partioular arrow was “fired by an areher: guard at an escaping prisaner. The missile shot from a war how of 90, pounds” pull missed its human target and imbedded ftself in the huge door. ‘The door and fts ‘remarkable relic have been ‘preserved ‘ds ‘an .exhibit of the strength. of the.ancient English archers. If Howard Hill had shot the. arrow with 'his big bow it would have passed entirely Continued on Tumuy-t)&;d ) Pam