The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1884-12-25
1nE FISH TRADE.


The Sons Of Cape Cod and Their Enter
prise-An Association Il Amateur Fisl.-
ernen.
Ever since the Pilgrims landed as
Plymouth Bay those treasures of the
deep, cod, haddock, halibut, mackercl
and the smaller varieties of the finny
, tribe, such as perch, founders, smells,
etc, have been q source not only OF
wealth, but q precious boon in this Sec
ton of the country in times Of need,
when agricultural labor produced bar
rem results. The waters which wash
! the shores of that crooked and sandy
peninsula, Cape Cod, in early days
were alive with the above-named speci-
mems of floating population which
sometimes by force of numbers
darkened the face of the great deep.
The great value of these marine pro-
auctions was soon appreciated by our
hardy predecessors, and fishing was
for many the most productive branch
of industry to which they could resort
to sustain life. Cape Cod is supposed
to have derived that name from the
fish which kept its inhabitants from
starving, and which for years was the
staple product of the colony. For
many years the insignificant port Of
bingham, whose harhOr is now as dry
as its sands at any stage of water,
was a scene of busy industry,
and it is stated that the manu-
facture of kits and tubs for sailed fish
created that great industry which has
made bingham proverbial, viz, the
construction of buckets, pals and tubs.
1t is a very ancient joke that when
native of that town ''crossed the river"
the villagers remarked, ..he has kicked
the bucket" All along the shore. way
down to the terminus oceanward Of
Cape Cod, the hardy fishermen trained
their boys to be sailors with such per-
lection that Cape Cod boy was pre-
ferred above all others by the EXPORT
ing and importing merchants of Boston,
New York, Baltimore and other mari
time cities. The finest ships that ever
sailed from these ports were nayigated
by Cape Cod seamen,. whose early train
ing was in the fishery business. Fish
ing for fun and fishing for living are
two vastly different things, q fact
which will be readily acknowledged by
those who have tried both. Excursion
lists who make a summer trip over the
surface of the vastly deep, with the in
tention of capturing its scaly inhsbit-
ants, seldom .'cast their lines in pleas
ant places" Unless on their return
trip they fall in with some professional
fisherman in his dingy old tub, of whom
they purchase a few cod or perch. they
return to the dock empty-handed, yet
they generally have a good time.
About the year 1910 club of ana
teur fishermen was formed, composed
of many lively Boston boys and middle
aged merchants, for the purpose Of
exploring Massachusetts Bay and catch
ing the biggest cod to be found floating
or swimming in its waters. 1t was
called the Mammoth Cod Associa-
tion," and every member was expected
to do his level best in capturing q Levi
athan of the deep. Large pools, some
times amounting to three, five, ten, ami
even twenty-five dollars. were offered
for the first scaly culprit hauled on
board. Capturing fish was not, how
ever, the primary object of the amateur
fishermen, as some of the yet remaining
original members can attest. Several
of the committee on "bimbo" and
..draw poker" are yet living. Amateur
fishing never did amount to much in
Boston Harbor or its vicinity; the So.
rious portion of the business was done
by those ''toilers of the deep" who
thereby earned subsistence. Bostoa
R,l1oef