Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-04-18
con VIsuIyG.
4 Profitable and Rapidly Growing
Interess On this Coast.
s. F. Bulletin.


rom this port 10 the Okotsk an Beh-
rings Seas and to the Choumagin ISL
ands will be considerably larger this
coming season than II was last year.
80 far H. vessels have or are abont to
sail. while 1t is thought the total num-
Der may reach "a high as 70. The fleet
asf wear numbered but IL. Cod fishing
pn this coast has proved very profitable
10 those engaged in the business. and
the field il said 70 be unlimited, as the
fish are plentiful and show DO signs OF
IN numbers. :" In Tact,
said skipper Yesterday. the fisher
men claim that there are more fish there /
now than ever" Among the vessels |
known To be in this years fleet are the |
following The schooner Francis Alice, |
Captain henderson, who sailed IN the |
I'D instant for the Navigator Islands /
with a general cargo. From there she
will 90 TO the Okotsk Sea. The schoon-
or Gar. Captain Sehmalz. goes to the
Choumagin Islands with stores, and
will act Al a tender for the schooners
Ounea and O1uimak, the latter III
command of Captain Ironson. She
will do some fishing herself. and
AZ soon a. the three vessels
secure a full cargo for the Gar will re-
turn here The schooner Da-hing Wave.
Captain Gaffney. will 90 to the Behring
Sea. and the three ula-ted schooner
Hancock, Captain Chapman. follows
her. The latter was formerly a govern
ment steamer, and has war reeorc.
Her purchasers took enough copper and
metal out Of her to pay the expenses of
ctauuif her into sailing vessel. She
recently has been fitted up as cod
| fisher, and her Fl 81 trip as such is yet
| To be made. The bark Helen w. Amy.
| c. stain Smith, for many years IN the
| Houululu trade, makes her first trip As
! q eodhsher. her destination being Beh-
| ing Saa. The barkentine Jane A. Fal
! hinburg. Ceptain klinger, also Is well
! known In the Honolulu trade, and goes
to the Okotsk for the first time al a
/ c0dtsher. The barkrntines Constltu-
ton Captain Schn alz, and San Luis.
! Captain Johnson, the schooner Hera,
| Captain Cobb. and the brig Glencoe,
! Captain Hoonby, are all fitting up for
! the Okot-k. and the brig IroIic Bird,
| Csptain Smith, will go to Behring Sea.
| The narken,ine Fremont, Captain Elmer
son il now about ne from sydney, and
npun arrival will fit out for the Okotsk.
and the schooner lsab !, Captain Nick
ersun, will either go there or to Ben
ing Sea The schooner William II.
Meyer, Captain Mcdonald. is spoken of
as prospective codtisher, and should
| she 90 her destination WILL be the
Okotsk. About four more are mentioned
IN the same relation but tho owners
prefer tbs. nothing should be said re-
fcrring Ia their identity Just at present.
Boatman William NJ. Mason. ut North
Beach, went north last season In one OF
the vessels mentioned, and when ap-
| preached Yesterday he said he was a
fisher that never intended to 90 fish
ing again." although he had not had
such a very hard time mp there. and
when he got back here had several hun
bred dollars in his p 'cket. In a general
conversation relating to the expert
ences of men in northern waters. the
modes and methods of taking the fish,
the following information was CLEANED
from MIR. Mason Each vessel. &C
cordidg to size. takes up from tift een to
tNenty men, all of whom are up and
breakfasted in time tn go to work by 4
o'clock in the morning. At that hour
the majority start out from the vessel to
the fishing grounds, each taking dOrv.
which be anchors wherever he sees fit.
On either side of the boat is cast fish
ing line, baited with halibut cut to the
proper size. The man sits with his
arms stretched ont over the sides of his
small craft and in each md is erasped
a line. Fe ling a bite. one liue is
dropped and the other hauled in with
the fish attached to one of the two
hooks; it frequently happens that both
hooks have a prisoner. This work is
kept up eight or nine hours every day,
and the narrator compares 1t with
sheepherdiug AS regards monotony and
loneliness. The line fisherman has the
privilege of smoking and chewing to-
bacco, whistlIng, singing and eating his
lunch, and he has the pleasure during
Il portion of the time of seeing his
equally lonesome mates In the distance.
and when everything is favorable, a
gil pse may now and then be obtained
of the vessel Ia which he belongs.
Should the fish be plentiful, the fish
ers, by h 'ullng frequently, catch from
three to three hundred and fifty during
the day. Those using troll lines-a long
rope attached To two buoys, from which
are suspended many lines and hooks
claim to catch third more. but hand
lining. for some reason, is preferred
|
about five months. and during that time
| something like three months ale put In
IN fishing, and each mans catch usually
averages about 10000 cod fish. for which
he is paid nj the rate of f25 per thous-
and, making his five months work
worth TO HIM about $50. The fish are
caught IN from ten to thirty fathoms of
| water, and about a foot or more from
| Ea bot g al ~.
fishers have TO contend against is the
fact of the halihut having a iondneas for
| halibut flesh. Seeing the tempting NOR
3 on the hook they swallow II, and the
man in the boat feeling bite begins to
haul in. The halibut permits itself To
be drawn up ten or twelve feet
when 1t suddenly, III MIR. Mason
words, begins TO kick like - bay
stes-." IL it is u large one the fisher
man is compelled to pay out his line and
then coax the fish toward the surface by
easy stages. following out n program
similar TO that i'll the taking of a large
and gamy mountain trout. The halibui
frequently measures four feet in length
three i'll width and weighs something
like l5O pounds. For one man to Get
such monster In frail dory is a mat
ter of impossibilitv. and It IL not safe
to bring the fish too close to the boat. Sc
the only thing to do IL to cut the liue
and let the halibut go its ways with a
hook IN its mouth and a piece Of cord
dragging. Sometimes the fisher anchors
his derry right over school of halibut
and a. each one caught causes loss OF
ten or fifteen minutes time il IL evl
dent that another anchorage must be-
found. The small halibut are taken
into tue boat and cut up As bait. bu,
this easy way of capturing bait does no,
compensate the fishers for the loss OF
two OF three hours time during the day
in the hooking of the large fish. and IL
consequence the men look upon the hal
hut as An interloper.
Another nuisance is the whale. Thil
hugo fish comes along "spouiin4," and
eems tn have a particular fondRess fol-
becoming entaneied i'll the anchor lines
of the dories. The fisher without hest
fancy cuts the rope and leaves for safel
quarters. As his frail craft might at any
minute be forced under water or smash
ed to pieces. As darkness approaches
the men return t. their respective YES