Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1882-06-02

Whsn several splints have been pre-
pared and placed in the holders Of .
large kelp stsm and put in hot ashes
where they are steamed till pliable,
when they are bent into the required
shape and tied till they are cold when
thgy retain their bent, hook-Gke appear
anos. Then a barb Of bone is lashsd
firmly on, and the whole is scraped and
polished with dogfsh skin instead OF
sandpaper. The upper part il woand
round firmly with strip of wild cherry
bark, or dogwood. split fine like shaw
ing, and . pieoe Of twins made of sinew
Il attached to tie the bait firmly on the
hook. This hook Il attached to the line
By the cord on it, upper arm and tas
Hns Il ri9gsd - follows:
4 stick four fest long and inch in
diameter n fastened Ct both Of its ends
20 the fishing linz. From the center OK
this stick 0tone sinker Of or 6poands
weight u attached, and on the hns
vhjoh1 projects beyond the lower end
Of the stick . snood six feet long is fas-
tsned, and 70 IL are two hooks, one a
foot above the other; sometimes the
stone 10 fastened 70 the lower end Of the
stick instead Of the center. The bait
used Il the octopus or cutie fab. whose
tough arms are not easily torn from the
hook, particularly after being lashsd on
with the Irvine lanyard.
When cutie fish cannot Be obtained,
herring or rock fish, or in short, any
kind of fish that ia TT hand, for the hall
ibut 10 not delicate fssdsr. But the
Indians prefer the octopus, or teshlope
s$ sr< I'D frp t.cs loo 20
longer, and they think the halibut pra-
fer It. Az ths mouth OF the halibut 10
vertical instead Of horizontal like tho
portion of which passes outside and
over the corner of the mouth and acts as
Q sort Of spring to fastea the barb into
tho fish's Jaw. Tie Indians prefer this
kind Of hook for catching halibut, al
though they can readily procure steel
fish hooks.
When the fish Is hauled to the surface
Of tho water it 10 first stunned by blows
ON the head with o club, which every
| fisherman carries in his canoe for that
purpose. This club, which is called
Tinetal, is generally made of yew and
is sometimes carved III most faucifui
manner.
When the fish are brought home the
women clean them Oh tho beach and
wipe them with q wisp of fern leaves.
They invariably place them where the
sun shines. with the back up, as the sun
discoiors them If tho white side is ex-
posed and tho fish when dried has a red
dish color which il objectionable.
The entrails Being removed and the
heads cut oil, they are then cut in
thin slices with peculiar shaped knife
| which resembles a common chopping
knife, generally made by the men from
| old saw blades. These knives are called
kochnt,n., and for the purpose fof
| which they are used, seem to be better
! adapted than any other form.
| Tho method of cutting the fish is as
follows: The halibut being laid fat
with tho head from the person, an Incl
sion ia made along the line Of the pee
toral and ANIMAL fms to the tail, the skin
is then quickly and neatly separated
from the body clear down to the Other
side or edge without separating it from
the lower half. Then tho flesh is cut il
thin slices the whole length of the body
and as socu rs cut OH Is taken ty an
other person and hung over horizontally
arranged poles To dry In the open air
and whom thus exposed bear some TO
ssmblanoo to laundry yard on a waah
ing day. After oi.s-haif of the body
has been thus sliced. the skin is 10
placed and the fish turned over, the 9th
or half of the skin removed, and th<
remainder of the fish sliced. The Skin
and sliced portion when dried are placsC
together, tho skin serving As d covering
and projection. The heads, giils anC
backbones are also dried, and the whole
fish when thus prepared and wrapped
in the skin Ia valued ut twenty Tive
cents by the Indians when trading with
each other, but has no market value
among white people. When the fish are
properly cured they are packed III bas
ke:s made of cedar bark and stored away
for food.
The roofs Of the houses are made
fat. OK with vary -Ali2ht incline, JUS
enough to carry off the rain water. The
object is to enable the women better st
IKE care Of tho tish.
The boards of tho roof are movable
and as the climate at Cape Flattery ii
very humid, and rains, heavy fogs and
m cts quite frequent, tho women
can readily make an opening in the
roof, and put 0their fish under cover
| whenever they think necessary.
The size Of the halibut taken on the
banks during tho summer months Is
small, and they are evidently young fish
weighing from L. to 60 pounds each
Very young ones are not taken from
the reason that they cannot get tho big
wooden hooks in their mouths. These
fsh are fat and very dslioately favored
and are superior to the larger ones
which are taken in the Strait of Fuos
which will average from Is to $50 pounds
The largest specimen have seen was
one at Port Townsend which weighed
$50 pounds. l have heard of larger
ones, but have never seen any to exceed
that weight in these waters. Further
north and along the Alaskan coast hal.
ibut Of 400 aud 600 pounds weight have
been taken.
Tho whole Of the waters Of the North
Pacific ocean, both on tho American
and Asiatic coasts on soundings TEEN
with fish, of which the cod and halibut
are tho most plentiful, but as yet only q
limited supply il taken for the reason
that there ID but small demand. Every
whore in the ocean north of the Strait
| Of Euoa thesa finh are found in countless