The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1883-05-29
Pound F'tshlnH.

An Eastern correspondents says; direct
~ across the harbOr from my hotel, OF
the Long Point Shore, Proyincetown
Mass, barely two miles away, are two
large pounds-perhaps the most efficient
traps for taking fish that the ingen,ilt,
or man has ever invented. MAKING
friends with their owners, was invit.
ed out one afternoon to see them sttakt
up' the days catch. At the fish-housf
am furnished with "jumper'' and
ovealls. We embark In the dory, and
Ill half an hour reach the pound. This is
made OF strong netting attach,t. to posts
lrmly hxed IN the sand, and rising q
few inches above high water mark.
Ihere are three posts or divisions. A
line of netting extends from the shore
several hundred feet into the bay. Al
its end the leader begins, formed of two
walls OF netting that describe an ellipse
ana open ny narrow aperture into the
pound proper-a small, circular space.
inclosed by walls of netting, aid having
no outlet except the opening from the
leader. The fish-mackerel, scup, flom-
der, cod, bluefish- -coasting along shore
are stopped by the wall Of netting, fol-
lowing it to get around by it, and, hay
ing tendency to 60 straight ahead
When started, keep on at it's end through
the mouth of the leader, follow its walls,
and pass through the narrow entrance
into the pound, where they are as effec-
tually Gagged as though in the fisherman's IS
net. Not one in thousand has wit
enough to discover the door by which it
came in. The fisherman push their
boat through the opening in the leader
into the pound. Within is a sight to
stir landsman's blood. The water is
alive with fish, it's surface lashed to foam
by their fins, while the netting that i'll
closes it is bending and shaking with
the mad rushes of the victims.
1t is not often that one finds himself
III such proximity to these rovers of the
sea; within reach of the hand blue.
mottled mackerel course around in
schools; bluefish make wild dashes
among them; ugly flatfish and horsefeet
grovel OH the bottom, and crabs gyrate
about, attacking everything weaker
than themselves. Here, too, are num-
bers OF the squid, or devil-tish These
are the smallest of the genus, however,
about a foot long, of dark brown COL
or, and furnished with q valve-like pro-
lection III lieu of a tail, by means of
which they dart through the water like
flash Of light. The fisherman strikes
one with his hook and throws ;him into
the boat; the creature lies thee pal
pltating, jelly-like mass, and can hard
~ believe that beneath his fringe of
tentacles there is a beak that can gnaw
like serpent's tooth. We haye an in
STANCE Of his yoGacitY after tile nets are
el is injured and floats helpless OH the
surface. "Look here" says the fisher
man; and turning we see that four of
the polyps have fastened on the Door
creature. A blow of the hook drives
them away, and we find that they have
eaten four gaping holes in his back and
sides.
The fishermen secure their catch with
net brought with them in the dory.
They drop one end before the entrance,
they pull the boat around the side of
the pound, dragging the net with them.
They allow it to slip over the squid,
ilatiish, and horsefeet which lie OH the
bottom, but drop it as they approach
the food fish, which are gathered at the
turtheSt possible point from the boat.
by and by the circuit is complete, and
the fish are enmeshed. There are five
barrels OF mack6rel and a few bluetish
in the net, and the landing them is an
exciting struggle. The fishermen haul
on the net-One steps overheard and
lifts it bodily; the victims struggle vio-
lently as they feel the water shOal, lib
orally besprinkling their captors, but
the net rises steadily, and at last with Il
final effort is rolled into the boat. Five
barrels Of blue beauties lie there strug-
CLING and threshing. We row back
across the bay to the dock and fish
house. Eight bronzed and rugged vet
erans i'll oilskins and top boots are
awaiting our approach. One III the
dOry shovels the fish into a bushel bas-
ket, which another hoists with pulley
i and blocks 10 Giie dock. Six others are
stationed near by at three tubs filled
| with clean water. One takes tho fish
from the basket and deftly Sits it down
the back, beginning at the head; three
others clean it; two wash the fish; {,
seventh cuts slit OH each half, that
the Inspector may judge of its fairness;
an eighth trundles the cleaned fish into
the fishhouse, where two men with a
whcelbarrOw Of salt between them are
packing the product in hogsheads. One
throws a handful of salt on the opened
fish, and hands it to his fellow, who
packs it in the hogshead with more salt,
where it remains until sufficiently
"pickled," when it Is sorted into three
"culls" and marketed.