New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-04-09
FISHING EXTRAORDINARY.


the memory of man as these big boys have
kept up ever since. They have baited
and pulled and thrown and whipped
the water into foam, aud INDUCED in
prOmiScuous "cussingn with persistent en-
crgy all this time without Encouragement,
and vet without luck. We say without luck;
not meaning that they haven't caught any
thing for they have they have caught each
other several times. There is SAID to be no
such sensation of supreme delight as that eX-
perienced by the patient fisherman when he
feels bite at the end of his line. There
could certainly be no greater excite
mcnt or enthusiasm anywhere than that
occasiOncd by the sudden ejaculation,
owe got a bite" coming at intervals from
this crowd of earnest and intent fishermen.
But there has been such a confusion of poles
and tangle OF lines among them, that no one
could tell for certain whether he bad dropped
his line in the water or on the dock, and IT
has happened invariably, thus far, that when
ever q big boy has shouted, 1--WE got
"bite," and icrked his line suddenly, some
other boy has dropped his fishing tackle
and, breaking into double shuttle with run
ming accompaniment of carefully compounded
cuss words, proceeded to release the seat of
his trowsers from the barb of too intimate
fsh.hook. There has been a great deal OF
this kind of luck since the big boys began
casting their lines. Judging from casual
remarks let fall upon the occasions when
some one would have a bite, the boys
have not felicitated Themselves upon
the achievement of great success. The ex-
ercisc seems TO have sourcd their tempers.
But it must be admitted that the general pub
lie has enjoyed the whole enterprise beyond
measure. Nothing could be funnlcr than the
spectacle afforded by the party whenever any
boy sings out SCOT biteW The real mean
ing of the cry has been illustrated so many
times that now every boy claps his hand be-
hind him on the instant of the call, to remove
the hook which he feels sure has got caught
in somebody's trowsers.
This fishing party started out with the great
est expectations. The family had for long
time been on q low diet and were hungry.
With the exception of one or two odd jobs at
bookkeeping, the boys had had no employ
ment until they secured this chance to
fish, and they were so much encouraged
by this turn of fortune in their favor that
all hands went at it with the greatest enthu
sasm, confident that they should be able with
any kind of luck to catch enough to put the
whole family above want for several years.
The first question as the boys rushed Oh 10
the dock was "What shall we fish
with ?" And a big boy named Glover
threw up his hands in an excited way, and
said, "Oh, with everything; you can catch
"all sorts of fish here; they're so thick
"and so bold that you can fairly knock 'em
clown with q stick. Let us divide up into
squads and make business of it," And
Glover advised that they should 20 for the
fish with seines and drag nets and scoop nets
and landing nets and oyster tOngs and lobster
pots and harpOOns and eel spears and bomb
lances, and above all with mud diggers and
dredges, as with them they could stir up every
thing from the bottom, and mud, he said,
was always useful. Then he proposed that
they should use hooks Of all sizes and bait of
every varicty-the worm, the fiddler, th6>fly,
the squid, the lobster, and the clam. ITO
insure success of the most sweeping charac-
ter" he says, we must have at least twelve
experts to each fisherman, to cut bait and
" bait the hooks, and salt down the fish as
81 fast as they are caught; and then we must
/" send out skirmshers with authority to adj
minister oaths and issue process for contempt,
"wh0 shall be empowered to arrest any citizen
I" and compel him to cut bait when necessary to
"keep the boxes full" But the other fellows
said "0h, GlOyers carrying this thing too
Z" far; the general judgment of mankind would
% be opposed to so sweeping an order as that.
Let's not resort to extreme measures. If we
"can only have the experts to cut bait we
shall catch enough fish to satisfy the most
exacting.n So in a measure they put Glover
down. Nothing disconnected, however, he
began throwing his lines.
The first success was by the mud machines.
They drew up immense buckets of mud. But
they emptied 1t all on the boys; and the boys
said: "PhoOl Shoe! Hold on What kind
"of fishing do you call that3 That isn't
"going to help our folks any" And they
tried to change the direction and aim of the
machines. They didn't succeed. Every time
the buckets came up they whlsked dirty water
and mud all over the party on the wharf 1t
is generally believed that the mud machine
fishing has been temporarily suspended. Of