The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1882-05-24
For the FAKMIR AND MEoBAS.c
Fishing Industry Of Eastern
North Carolina, and Its Modus
Operandi.

O%perandi.
recognizing the fishing interest OF
Eastern Carolina. a. one of the State.
greatest industries, knowing that many
undred OF FOUR readers who live in the
center and west, have never visited thi,
God favored region OF their native land,
henc aree more or less u~ninformed astothe
true magnitude of thi. business. and the
manner IN which il is conducted. having
hved there many years, and being per
i-ctiv familiar with the waters. the peo-
pie and the nthEttae Of tn. fishing beach.
l nave thought that perhaps an article 10
regard - the SAME would not prove un
interesting 10 many readers Of your pa
per.
The Blsckwater river takes it's source
IN Virginia, lows down by Frsnklin.
continues its serptntine course for the
distance Of forty miles. in many places
overshadowed by the thick foliage of the
surrounding forest, its banks beautifed
by the sad cypress with the long grace
tui fes:oons OF moss. Then the river
suddenly changes, its waters is n } longer
black but clear, the stream becomes boil
der and broader, and We are on the bosom
of the beautiful Chowan. Steaming
Gown this river fifty miles, We finally
reach the Albemarle sound. The Chowan
excepting perhaps the Hudson, is the
prettlsst river in the United States, being
perfectly clear. seldom tossed by storms.
two and three miles from its mouth. 1t
IS on the ChOwan and the Albenarle.
that we find the greatest fisheries in the
world. The principal ones on the river
ale William Holly's. Edward Ether
idse's, Tom Hollv's, and Aug. Holly's;
those on the sound are Aug. Hslly's,
William Capehsart's. Pages, Woods
and that owned 10y Wilson and Mizell.
The fisheries on the river are not near 90
large as those ON the sound, because the
breadth OF water, but catch almost as
many ash, forthe reason. that they are run
ming in schools, and on entering the mar
row water are forced to ''cloee up" As
to the manner Of catching them, imagine
a beach of nice white sand, a mile or
more in length, midway this beach, par
sllel with and Immediately on the edge
of the water is the fish shelter two hun
dred feet in length and sixty feet in
breadth. This shelter has one floor; in
corner is the salt room containing
hundreds Of bushels Of salt, in another is a
room in which are many tons of ice, used to
preserve fish packed in boxes until they can
reach the Northern markets. On this
floor are stored the barrels of salt fish
awaiting shipment. On the joist above.
planks are laid, upon which are placed
many thousand barrels, to be used in the
packing of herring and shad. These
barrels are made in the %up-country, and
sell for a good price. This immense
shelter is enclosed by lattice work, and
the roof toward the water extends over it,
about twelve feet. Under this portion
of the shelter is a shelving platform built
out and under the water, and extending
the whole length Of the shelter. Upon
this platform the sein is landed. Under
benches, upon which the fish are thrown
and prepared for packing. Back of this
shelter a short distance is the Office Of the
proprietor and his employees, ornament
ed on the outside only by a coat of white
wash. and containing various broken
back chairs, hard hunks, coils of rope,
piles of cork, &C., &C.; though the looks
of things around this little habitatioD
may not be very inviting, so far as easy
and soft repose are concerned.
yet he who enters about the hour of
noon will find the ''kable" all that the
heart OF an Epicurean could desire.
Then the officers are sc clever and politel
You sit down to dinner, you have fish,
corn bread. fish, meat. fish. vegetables.
fish, sweetened water. fish, fish. fish.
Standing in front of the shelter and
straight out on the water, about
miles distant, you see what appears to
be a tree, ut is in fact a long pole driven
iown ID the bottom Of the river. with
boughs fastened on The top. This
Is called the centcr bush. GA the right
lnnG OF the shelter Is a long row of wiud-
as,cs fifty or sixty yards apart and ex>
the distance OF half mile, there is
corresponding row on the left of the
,helter. These windlaSses are to be
by four, sometimes six mules.
There are two boats used in laying the
out or ITO shoot the sein," as it is
technically termed. They are each sixty
Get long by twelve in width, fiat bottom
d, aud rowed by twenty powerful men,
With oars thirty two feet long, balanced
n iron row locks. The sein is from two to
hree miles long, and the width cores
ponds with the depth Of the water. |
will not attempt a description further
han to say it has a cork line to which
be sein is attached, and which serves to
it ahoat, this line runs its whole
and has large corks strung en- it
bout every three inches. Then there is
he lead line, to which the bottom Of the
ein is fastened, this touches the bottom
the time. Tho this is called the
cad line, it in fact has no lead on it, be
ng held to the bottom by the peculiar
manner In which the force is applied in
the sein to land.
Now suppose the .ein has just been
and the time has come to shoot
t. The boats lie a short distance out in
ront of the shelter, each with its portion
# the immense net piled high above the
ides, and great coils Of rope lying in the
centre. one boat lies behind the other, it
tern almost touching it. the crews bend
0 the heavy oars, and away they shoot
ogether for the centre bush. Some
INES these boats have to contend With
evere storms. The writer remembers
,eing on one ln 1877 when the waves
,rOke over US every minute, and We
see our consort fifty yards away.
When they arrive at the centre bush"
hey separate, one boat going straight