News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1884-02-21
NOT AN EASY LIFE.
FISHING OFF THE IRISH COAST.
HanIIng Nets Miles in Length Wet for
Days, aud no sleep to Speak of.

Hauling Nets Miles in Length - Wet for
Days, aud no sleep TO Speak of.
81 don't think. " said an old fisherman,
who once earned his living off the coasts
of Ireland, "that either herring or
mackerel fishing in these waters IS as
hard or perilous an occupation as it is off
the Irish coasts. That NAV be because
I never tried it. but if it is so, the
American fishermen earn all the money
they Get. I began the work when | was
sixteen years old. and I got more than
enough Of it before was twenty. Great
fleets of fishing boats used TO sail from
slI parts of the east coast. chiefly from
the neighborhood of Dublin, and were
often ont for week or ten DAYS. Other
boats came out at intervals and took off
our cargoes, and before we got home
there was often a good round sum of
money awaiting each of us. I have re-
ceived as much as 600 for my share, but
generally I got less; not often more.
remember we were rough lot. and used
to count our receipts by half crowns.
Thus. in speaking of 81 we used to say
EIGHT half crowns aud many of us
given number of half crowns repre-
scented. One thing we knew about them,
however, and that was that. no matter
how many of them there might be, they
never went far. The married men, I
suppose. saved something. but we
youngsters usually got through our
shares inside of a week, end then went
off to sea again b fore the salty taste
of the last trip was well out of our
mouths. Very little whisky was con-
sumed on these runs. We left all that
until we got ashore. I don't think,
either, that we were qnite as careless a
lot as we had the reputation OF being. /
know that the division of orr earnings
was not made equally. nor did the best
man necessarily get the largest share
The rule was never varied. To the man
with the biggest family went the most
half crowns. There were usually seven
in a boat, and sometimes the boat be-
longed to its crew, but more often an
owner who sat at home at ease hired
the crew, and after deducting a certain
share of the earnings, left the rest to be
divided among the mon who had earned
it all. ] have fShed both ways, and I
always found that working for an owner
was more profitable in the long run, be-
cause, You see, he made all the repairs
and supplied what provisions we wanted,
and did everything as cheaply as it could
be done, while, when we employed our
selves, nothing was too good for either
us or the boat. and Our cargo was mort
gagged for half it was worth before we
had caught it.
Ao E~I l.,
the east coast, from Dublin half way up
to Belfast, and many winters night
spent with my chums Watching the
great light warning us off the Skerries
rocks, and knowing that we were draw
ing nearer and nearer to them, and that
if morning dawned before we ran past
them, or the wind changed, we should
never see it. Our boats were half-decked
things, not fast, but fit to float in any
sea. They hardly afforded any shelter
to the crew, and sleep had to be taken at
no regular times, but just when a chance
offered, which wasn't often, for between
bad weather-and the weather generally
seemed to be bad-and the necessity of
casting and hauling in our herring nets,
or trolling for mackerel between spells,
we had very little time to turn in The
big steamers running between Dublin
and Belfast used to play the mischief
with our nets. They did not do so pur-
posely, and in the daytime, when they
could see them-and they were well
lined out with the corks-they would go
a little out of their course to avoid them;
but at night thew would pillow through a
net that cost ESQ, let loose a shoal of
u 80 Il
thought of having done any mischief
Our rule was to STAY ont until we were
too tired to stay any longer. Then with
our last CARGO We would run for Dublin,
maybe to find that the market was so
overstocked with behring's that they were
selling for twopence a dozen; or, per-
haps, though this didn't often happen,
were being used for manure. In sum
mer the cruise was. of course, the most
comfortable; but summer or winter. we
never had dry stitch on us from the
time We sailed from Howth or Dublin
until we stepped ashore again.
''The behring's always paid better than
the mackerel, though the latter brought
the most money in the market But we
did not get nearly as many of them. You
see, we had TO troll for them, using a
line with a dozen hooks baited with bits
of red leather or pipe sbanks, and
hauled them into the boat a few at
time, and, though We caught them about
as fast as we could cast our lines and
pull them back, it was not the same as
dragging up q net half a mile long, and
often so loaded with behring's that we
could not get them all into the boat. and
had to stand bv the corks until the cargo
boat visited us.
'sWe generally had soft bread for the
first day or two out, and then we had to
fall back ON hard tack. Sometimes we
had salt junk, but We didn't like it. We
never saw an ounce of fresh meat, for, |
as the owners said, what do Won want |
with beef or mutton when you have a
fine wholesome diet of fish all around !.
you?' So we lived chiefly on herring,
with a second course of mackerel. We |
took turns to be cook, and always |
thought that the hardest Job of ALL /
Once our youngest hand died. He fell !
overheard from the bow, and was bat /.
tered by the boat as she passed him. !
Then chap in the stern sheets tried to |
catch him with the boat hook. but only |
made big cut in his head. 1t was blow |
ing half gale of wind, with a very
heavy sea, and we did not get him on
board for five or six minutes, when he !
was badly used up. We did what we |
could for him, which wasn't much; but !
he had not been well, and should not |
have come on the trip at all. Anyhow,
he died that night. 1t would never have |
done to neglect our work, so we Just /
kept that body on board for five DAYS. |
We landed at Howth, and each man
added half his earnings of that trip to |
the lads share, and gave it to his mother.
The owner gave nothing. He said he |
would not deprive us of any of the
pleasure of doing a good action
Prussian Soldiers in France.