The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1869-05-14
MANIT0WOC AND TWO RIVERS
The Great Fisheries at Two Rivers
Business in ManiteWoc.

WISCONSIN, or the 4th inst, thus decrlbes
matters and things in this section of coun>
try:
Two Rivers is the terminus of Mr. Good
rich daily line Of steamers north. We
leave Milwaukee at seven in the evening;
touch at Sheboygan about midnight pass
Manitowoc, and land at the pier at Two
Rivers half an hour after ''sun up 1t is
| just good nights ride from Milwaukee.
Two Rivers contain over two thousand
! people, sixty nine families of whom speak
! French, twenty>three American, niue Irish,
one Norwegian, and the balance Sprechen
Deutch. the town has an ancient, dliapi-
dated appearance, yet the location is every
way striking and remarkable. Two quite
large rivers come In here from the north
aud west, nearly fifty miles distant, and
unirc within six rods of Lake Michigan
Smaller craft find ample sailing and harbor
room inside the rivers The country about
is sandy and level and was formerly thickly
covered with Jack pine. the Ere nch quar-
ters occupy the little strip OF peninsula be-
tween the lake and river, on the north side,
and on good fishing days present a most
| lively and romantic picture.
THE GREAT FACTORY.
On tie south side, between the river and
lake, is seen the great tub and pail factory,
also the great chair and furniture manu-
factory owned and operated b. Joseph
Mann & Co., Milwaukee, Those two IN
stitu,ions are the largest in the State, and
give employment so three hundred per
sons. The pail factory is 250x5O feet and
three stories; the chair factory l5Ux36 feet,
three stories, with lesser additions. The
two factories are entirely separate and com-
plete, and cost in the aggregate over $780,
600. They take the timber from the raw
saw log In the stream, and carry it through
| to the last finish OF art. The company are
| now turning out 20, 600 pals month, with
| tubs, keelers, buckets, churns, &c., in pro
portion they are also turning out I 500
chairs month, embracing over sixty vars
etles and patterns. They work ten hours
a day
THE GREAT TANNERIES.
The tannerles Of the Wisconsin Leather
I Company are located TWO miles west On oi e
OF the streams in plain sight of the vlliag .
| The older tannery, put up eighteen yearS
ago, Is 3OOx42 feet, ana the newer one 800
x43 feet. hey have G own up vi age oI
| 800, aud support - school ot 9O scholars.
| They employ hundred men and work up
| two million pounds of hides, and thouS
and cords of bark yearly. They ARE nus
| nerous other small tannerleS In this 1e>
| glOn enough TO exhaust the ihemlock bark
| In twelve or fourteen years. The Wlscon
Sin Campany have therefore concluded TO
! abandon their old tanncry building in the
| course of year or so, and take their una
chinery and operate it at Milwaukee.
THE FISHERIES.
Two Rivers is the largest fishing por.
| on tie west shore of Lake NJ chiaan. They
count up, in the Immediate n,igh hbo hood,
forty trap nets, five hundred gill nes and
over thirty fishing boats, nearly all OF
which are the pride and glory Of the French
quarters. Their yearly shipments amount
to over 5000 half tarrels of 100 lbs. each,
III salt, aud over 800, 900 lbs toxed ~
fresh in Ice. Joe La May is the king fish
erman of the coast. He has fifteen thou
sand invested in fishing traps, including
| $50 gill nets, 10 pound or trab nets, and
eight fishing boats. His fishing trade last
year exceeded $4,000. Frank..and Nelson
Botin have eight pound nets, and 200
gill nets they have also the little schooner
'Btdnd' which runs all the way rouLd
from the Milwaukee to Green Bay and the
upper islands, trading in fish, fur, oil,
maple sugar, &c. Their business lat year
amounted to $50, 900. Robert Graham has
a similar trading craft but runs no fishing
nets. John V. Allie, Fred Egeers. Henry
| Courchaine, Joseph Conyon, Moses Bunk
or and the La Fond brothers are well known
fishermen here
| MAKING NETS.
/ Over one hundred women and children
are constantly engaged here max ng and
repairing nets. The labor and dexter!ty
required in this work are almost inconceiv
aole. Joe La May is now having a pound
not made that will take twelve large coils
Of rope and thousand pounds of twine
! ibe netting alone would cover the four
sides and top of the New Hail house vice
! over The meshes are from one to two
| inches, and have to be all worked out, sill
gle threaded, and by hand.
GILL NETS.
The gill nets arc made of stout linen
thread, three feet wide by hundred long.
They are taken out six to eight miles, and
sunk edge ways in fifty fathom water. The
lower edge Is held to the bottom by weight,
and the upper edge by floats above Twen-
ty OF these nets are set IN row, and con-
siltute q gang for the boat The meshes
|
The fish gets their heads in the meshes,
and are caught, like sapicnt beuedicts, fast
by the giils. The gangs" are raj, ed every
few days, and bringing up from 500 to l.
600 pounds 1t is gaIa>time with the
Frcnchmen here in good fishing weather
! Hope goes out with their 20 fine fishing
craft in the morning, and joy comes to sail
ing in with their shining burdens in the
afternoon. All are busy till sunse, The
fish are dressed the nets hung out to dry.
and three hundred happy Frenchmen talk
and laugh out the day.
POUND NETS
The pound nets are huge affairs. They
are set about half mile from shore in
forty to Fifty feet of water. First comes the
lead -an immense network of fence,
reaching TO the battom aud extending from
so to 40 rods in straight line Then
Genes heart shaped opening, leading
through tupnel into pot, or trap, =
twenty eight feet square, reaching to the
bottom also. All are supported and fast
ened by means of long piles forty Eve in