The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1856-05-02
North Carolina Fisheriss-slave Fish'
ermen.

and n source oil cousldcraoie "N"N"'
men employed in them are mainly Negroes
.,.vs and frre and the manner in which
thew are conducted Is interesting, and In
some respects novel. :,
The largest sweep seines in the world are
used. The gentlemen TO whom l am In
dob,ed for the most part ormy information
was the proprietor off seine over two miles
inlcnyth. I, was manned by force oil
forty negroes, most Of whom were hired AZ
dollar day, for the fishing season. which
usually commences between the tenth ana
fifteenth of March, and lasts fifty days. In
hyorable years the profits are very great
In extremely uniavorablO years many oil the
proprictOrs are made bankrupt
Cleaning, curing and packinS-houses are
erected on the shore, rs near as they con-
yOnicntly may be to point on the oe"en
suitable for drawing the seine. siaor eight
windlasses, worked by horses are fixed along
the shore. ON each side of this point. There
are two large seine-boats, in each OF which
there is one captain, two seine-tenders' ana
eicht or ten oarsmcn. In making cast
Of the net, one half OF It is arranged on the
stern of each of the boats, which, having,
previously been placed in suitable position
-psrhaps mile OF shore, In front OF the
buildinrs-arc rowcd from each other, the
captains stering and the scinc-'enders throw
inc of. until the seine is oil cast between
them. This is usually done In such a way
that il describes the arc of circle, the
chord of which is diagonal with the shore.
The hawscrs attached to the ends OF the
ends of the seine are brought first to the OUT
or windlasses, and are wound by the horses.
As the operation Of gathering in the seine
occupies several hours, the boat hands, ,as
soon as they have brought the hawsers to
the shore, draw their boats up, and 80 TO
sleep.
As the wings approach the shore, the
hawsers are from time to time carried TO
other windlasses, to contract the sweep oil
the seine. After the gafr Of the net reach
6 the shore, lines attached toward the blunt
are carried to the windlasses, and the boats
crew awakened. who arrange the wing oil
the seine. as fast as il comes in, upon the
boat again. OF course, rs the cast was
made diasonally with the shore, one wing
is reached before tho other. by the time
the iish in the bunt have been secured, both
boats are ready for another cast, and the
boatmen proceed to make it, while the shorS
gang is engaged in sorting and cutting tn"
take"
NJ informant. who had sec, 1000 invested
in hi, fshln. establishment. among Other
items o; expenditure mentioned thas he had
uscl seventy kegs os suupOwder tho prcvi'
Gus wear. and amused himself for 2 few mo-
ments with letting me try to conjecture in
whas W., yillainous saltpetre could be put
in use 10 tak;ns fish.
There Is evidence offs srbsidence OF this
coast in Lany places, at " comparatively TO
cent period mlu, stumps of trees. evident
ly standing where they grew, being found
some WY below ,hc present surface, in tn
swamrs aud salt warsac'. Where the form
alton of the shore and the surface, or tn
strength OF the currents o. water, whiel
have lowed over the sunkcn land, has beer
such A. to pgevenS latcrdsPIsit, the stumr'
of great cypress trees, noe IN the least de
cayed, yet protrudc from the bottom OF the
sounds. These would obstruct the passage
ola net, and must be removed from the fish.
ing ground.
The operation Of removing them iscarried
ON during the summer, after the close o. the
fishing season. The position Of n stump
having been ascertained by divers, two large
seine-boats are moored over il, alongside
each other, and los is laid across them, to
which is attached, perpeudicularly, between
the boats, spar fifteen feet long. fbe end
ola chain is hooked to the log, between the
boats, the other end of which is fastened by
divers to the stump which it is wished to
raise. \ doublc-purchasc tackle leads from
the end Of the spar to rinS-bolt in the
bows Of one of the boats. with the fall lead
ing aft, to DO bovsed upon by the crews
The mechanical advantages oS the windlass,
the lever and the pulley being thus cOmbin-
ed, the chaino is wound ON to tho los, until
either the stump yields and is brought to
the surface, or the boats gunwalcsarc bro't
to the waters edge.
Wien tho latter is the case, and the
stump still remains firm, new power must
be applied. A spile, pointed with iron, six
inches in diameter, and twenty feet long, Is
set upon the stump by diver, who coca
down with it, and gives 1t that direction
which, in his Judgement is best, and driven
into il my mauls and sledgcs, scaEold he
ing erected between the boats FOR men 10
stand on while driving it, In very large
stumps, the spilc is Oftcn driven till its ton
reaches the water, SO that when it IS drawn
out ctvi:y is left in the stump ten fee. in
depth. A tube is now used, which il made
by welding together three musket-barrels,
with a brcech in one end, in which Ia the
tube of q percussion brOech with the ordin-
airy position of the niplc reversed, 50 that
when II is screwed on with decorating
cap, the latter will protrude within the bar
barre.. The brcech Is then inserted within
cylindrical tin box, six inches in diameter.
and varying in length, according to the sup
T sell strength Of tho stump; the soap or
tallow is smarod about the place OF inscr-
ton, to make il water-tight. The box con-
tains several pounds Of gunpovder.