New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-10-01


ing in sste Of nature his native coast when bic
abie skn attracted u ahoal Of tbese fierce and greedy
liue fshes who gathered round him in such nam5,rt
and such force d a. thsy bore bin out sa for
distance nit bling and craving him desperately that
before hi msdes-wh1 were not far of 10 their sh
-conld Iescue him, be wss 70 exhausted and manned
that be prsd after they got him 10 thei- DO
The mscbersl ia ta'en great abundance the
coasts of the British islands, aud ia pursued in boats
and not in large vesseIs, ss in American waters.
AS the fish become unfit for food, the macksrei
dealers have been ao we'd since 1893 to cry their
modify fer sale through the streets Of London Sun
day. At the fishing towns on the COAT the mackerol
seasOn is one of great hustle and activity. The high
prices oh snes for early cseOes and the large returns
gained by the enormous, Dumbers Of fsh .ometimes
cap ured in sDgle night, stimulate the fishermen 10
great exer,ioIs. In May, 1907, the FIRST ,)dg lton
boaloed d mackerel cold at fjilingsgate market for
forty gureas hundred nearly two dollars for each
feb. Or the ether hand they sopentsuls 1t Dover
il lsCS that sixty sodfor ssbilipg At Brighton
in June Of the year, the quantity Of macke;e in
tie water great that the fishermen Of one boat
could rot drag the nets bat had tn lot nets and sh
sink together, On a Sunday in March, 1888, four
bOhtb DJDubPb On bDOIc lUOVD MhChpEtlJ huI
On ths next day two boats brought 1000.
The fret voyagers to New-Englsnd noticsdthe abuR
dance on of the m2ckereI which the Indians
called Wa~~unHekeseos word expressive Of a fat
ness. Winthrop Geatss that 10 1853 the ship Grfho,
two days before her arrival at Boston, Lost passenger
by drowning az he was casting forth line to catch
mackerel. Allsrton, one Of the MAJ Aower pilgrims,
received mackerel for sale on "half profits at New
HaveI IN 1853. Seven years afef the Commissioners
Of the Colonies Of Ner England recommended to the
Colonial Legisstures to regulate TIE mackere trade,
b. cause tie sh il the most staple commodity OF thu
country" The ma keel fshery al Cape Cod "as held
by the Plymouth Colony as public property, and lie
profile appropriated 70 public Il rented from
time 10 time TO individuals and part of the fund
SUPPORT the fret free school established in America
wa derived from it,
Before the Revolution, the maakerel fishery was
largely prosecuted on the coast Of New-Enslsud by
slCopo fitted ont the purpose, Of which &assachu-
setts bad abou, a hundred while the town Of Sciuate
alone owned upward Of thirty in no. Aftergard,
this branch of industry decayed, and for considerable
period boats only were u,ed Bat about the begiu-
ming of his century, a vessel was sent to Mt De.e't
to Itch mackerel, and made 80 profitable trip that
ous than ever. AT preeent, about 1000 vessels aud
OOO aeamen rom Massachusetts are employed in the
nacksre fishing and beside the numbers of the fish
which are sold TO eaten fresh nearly 300 barrels
are annually inspected in Massachusetts which are
worth about 81 100000 The salted mackere are cold
chiefly in the Slave States but large proportion Of the
poorer quality s exported to South America, and 10
the East and West Indies.
p1u uubrr he
fish are supposed TO be plentiful the furls all
his sails except the mainsa brings hs vessels bow 10
the wind ranges his crew at intervals along of her
sdes, and, without mackerel in sight, attempts to
rails school by throwing over bait The batter stands
aDidstips with the baitbox outside the rail, and with
lineup nailed long handle he scasters the bait on
the water. If the nackerel appear, the men throw
ont short lines, to the hooks of which a gitterring
pewter jig is affixed The fish, if they bite at all gen.
lily bite rapidly and hauled in fast as the most
active man throw out and draw in line. As they
pull them en- board the fisherman, with jerk, throws
the fish into barrel standing beside him. Some active
young men will haul in and jerk of fish and throw
out the line for another with single motion, and
peat the act in so rapid succession that their
continually the swing. To be nighttime" that is,
10 catch tie greatest number Of fish, says Sabine, is
an OH ct Of earnest desire among the ambtousi ana
tho muscular ease the precision and adroitness of
movement which such men exhibit in the strife, are
admirable. While the school remains alongside, AID
viii take the hook the excitement Of the aad the
rushing noise Of The fish, in their beautiful and mani
old evoutoBs in the water arrest the attention Of the
most careless observer"
Sometimes after thousands have been caught BY the
en or twelve OF the crew. the mackerel suddenly
iissppear. TIE lines then thrown aside aud all
hands 90 TO work To dress the sh the captain or mate
irs counting them and noting down in the fish book
what eioh man has caught. Tue mackerel are split |
ND cleaned and soaked aw hlc in barrels Of salt water
they are then washed AID handed 20 the salter who
us handful Of salt in the bottom Of BARREL takes
sh in bis right hand rolls it in salt and places it skin
downward in the barrel til he comes to the top layer
which s placed skins up and well covered with salt
When the vessel returns 10 port the fish are sent on
hoTe to be sorted into three four qualities weighed
epacked, recalled, and repiokled.
The mackcTel fishery as pursued by the New-En
flanders is toilJome and perious calling and success
it can only be achieved By great energy and activity
is carried chiefly in schooners averaging 50 tuus
which follow their prey TO toe Gull of St. Lawrence
nd even to the bleak snd stormy coast Of Labrador
t is well described in Whittier poem, The Fisher
nan o. which quote a few stanzas
- Now brothers, for the icebergs
OF frozen Labrador,
Floating spectral III the moon3hine,
Along tie low, black shore
Where like sn0w the gannet's feathers
On Brador's rocks are ehed,
And the noi.y MUIR are flying
Like black scuds over head
" Where In mist the rock Is hiding
And the sharp reef turks below,
And the white squsll snites 10 Summer
And the Autumn tempests blow;
Where through gray aud rolling vapor,
From evening I'm morn
thousand GoAs are haiug
Horn answering unto horn