Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-02-27
A TOWN ON ICE.

A TOWN ON ICE.
The Winters Fishing Camp on Saginaw Bay
1t is well-known aphorism that one
half of the world does not know how
the other half lives. Keenly feeling
the paucity of knowledge On this point,
the Saginaw Daily NeWs, thinking it
about time for the annual appearance
of the item with the startlinghead
line, ga number of fishermen drifted
out to sea and lost" has forestalled
that event by giving description of
the numerous fishing villages on the
ice in Saginaw Bay.
From the most prehistoric time,
modernly speaking, Saginaw bay has
been noted as a fishing ground. Before
the advent of the "pale faces the
aboriginal tribes gathered from far
and near to fish on it's waters, and
many have been the bloody conflicts
between rival tribes as to who should
hold the supremacy in gathering in
the finny crop. 1t is related that
Father Marquette tarried for a season
in the neighborhood of where Bay City
now stands, in order that his dusky
disciples might gather in their seasons
supply Of fish. At all events, from
then till now, the work has, season
after season, been prosecuted with
more or less vigor, till at length the
bay fishing has become one of the
minor industries of Saginaw. From
year to year improvements in the bay
fishing have followed each other in
rapid rotation. From the rude methods
of the Indian in his birch canoe and
the Frenchman in his clumsy dugout,
down to the present excellent system,
in which the most perfect plans and
improvements for sharing the fnny
victim are in use, the progress has
been rapid and the result satisfactory.
So much so in the latter, that large
amounts of capital are invested in the
business.
Three large Villages forming the
suburbs Of Bay City are largely sus-
tanned by this industry-viz.: Banks,
Bangor. and EsseXyille. A number
of fishermen also live at West Bay
City as we'll as in the city proper. At
this season of the year especially do
these places present scene OF activity,
as this is the season in which the
fishing is most extensively conducted.
The fishing grounds are situated about
six miles from the mouth of the river
and ten from Bay City. A good road
leads out in a north northeast direc-
ton. The road, as far inland as the
eye can reach, is black with teams
hauling supplies to the fisheries, and
bringing back the fish to Bay City.
1t is scene Of busy activity as we
approach the fishing village, and
everything seems to be on the trot.
Dear reader, were you ever out fishing
"when they bit good and you were
out of bait 2 Well, JUDGING from the
nervous activity displayed on every
hand on the ice here, you would
imagine everybody to be ''out of
bait.'' But here we are at last, in the
principal street of this town. built
upon the CONCEALED water, six miles
from safety and within the grasp of
death and danger at any moment.
Viewed from a distance the ice town
looks as though all the dog houses in
Michigan had been gathered together
for the purpose Of forming colony
of Liliputians. A few are of more
pretentious size, these being hotels
and groceries. Don't laugh, dear
reader; all these necessaries are here
found, and also we'll patrOniZed, if one
might judge by the number of custom
ers present in each. A better idea
can be formed of the city by taking
one of the fishing huts as an illustra-
ton. These are about 6xS in size on
an average, some less, some more.
They are built with the usual shanty
roof, but have no floor. Instead of a
floor the whole concern is mounted
upon runners like a sled, and can be
moved from place to place. Thus the
Typographical form of the city is con-
stantly changing as the fisherman
frequently move from place to place.
Inside the shanty are berthS for the
men, usually three in number. like
those in the forecaStle Of a vessel. A
little stove and a platform and fish-box
are all the furniture. Here the men
are cooped up for two or three months,
eat and sleep and fish. The fishing is
effected generally as follows: A hole
is cut in the ice about the center of
the shanty. The men stand round it,
two armed with light fish spears, the
third line to which a herring is
securely fastened. This he lets down
in the water and then slowly draws it
back to the surface, when it is followed
by number of voraeious pickerel or
trout. The two fisherman stand ready
to impale the best, and seldom if ever
miss, as the fish will follow the bait to
the top of the water. Torches are
used also by night, which adds much
to the picturesque character of the
surroundings.