Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1875-08-26
The Gloucester Fisheries.

The history Of Gloucester centres In
fisheSies. The yarns told at her firesides
areb1 hair-bread.h escapes at sea; her
legends and romances have flavor of
he-salt sea about them; her rugged red
granite shore is marked with the scenes
OF memorable shipwIecks and storms
her town records are the records OF
fleets that have gone down Oh the
Banks,of pinks and schooners that have
ionndered on the Georges, of heroes who
have toiled for their families and fought
the grim battle OF life with the fogs, tn G
lightning, and the swooping billows of
the sou 'wester, and with the ice, the
hall, and the sharp, savage cross seas
and terrible blast of the raging nor'west.
erswhile their children have cried for
their absent fathers, and their wives
have lain awake through long, drearv
nights, burning the light in the win
dow. and straining their ewes to see,
through the gloom of the storm, the
long-expccted vessel and the beloved
form thatsperhaps have already gone
down Tar at sea. Such is life on Cape
Ann for those whose heritage is noble
poverty, and whose lives are lives of
honest toll. Her fishermen NAV not
reap such dividends as the farmers who
till the fat soil for the West, but they are
not less entcrprising nor less useful in
plying their pcrilous craft, as they labor
summer and winter on
The fields that no man sows
The farm that pays no fees
The total number of vessels lost from
the single little port of Gloucester for
the lorty-three years ending August,
1873, was 296, and the total number OF
lives lost during the same period
amounted 10 l437-an average OF thirty
four lives and seven vessels annually.
Iwenty-eight vessels were lost during
nine months OF the year 1873, with loss
OF l'2 lives, leaving nearly two hundred
widows and orphans The loss of life
aHd property has been cyci one half on
The Georges, rightly called the grave
yard OF Cape Ann. Ii should be rem
cmbcred also, III order fully to realize
the terrible nature OF this fearful record.
that tor many years Gloucester was but
small place. In 1910 il had only $3.50
inhabitants and has but recently reached
ils present population OF 1000, and its
dignity a. a cItt with valuation of oy
er 5000 900.
Inc total number OF yes sells now req
l>iercd IN the district OF Gloucester.
whirh includes a few owned at Man
chester, Rockpoft, and Essex, is 496. OF
which seven are steam vessels, com
prIslhg ia all 2S,17j tons. While the
number orvcsscis Is slightly decreas.
ing, the tonnage is on the increase.
winch shows thnt the size Of the vessels
Is growing larger, while the fishing
business j. IN "a thriving condition. Six
teen We're added to the fleet last wear.
Of these vessel. i2O are engaged exclu-
sively III the fisheries. The total pro.
duct Tor the year ending June. 1873 was
% 49,, 900. Tac number of men direct
ly employed in these vessels is about
COCO; many of them are from the prov
inces, and make excellent shippers
aud seamen, while Sweden and Nor
way, and the Portuguese islands contri-
butte large number, who are generally
capable, orderly, and industrious.
They fare very well, as compared with
the fishermen of other DAYS, or with
men before the mast in the merchant
service now. Fresh pies biscuit, fowls,
eggs, and other similar delicacics are
not unircquently seen in the forecastle
OF Gloucester bankers. G.. w. BEN
JAMIS, IN llarpers Magazine for Sep
teubcr.