The Republican journal., 1885-01-08

The creature had four legs or double iointed
tins, browni>h hide. profusey speckled with
large, black spots, and tail which appeared to
be divides. into parts. The creature was seen
on two different days, and if whales had rot
been about at the time an effort would have
been made to catch it. Captain seymour and
his officers agree in considering that the Great
ure is peculiar 10 the locality. and that it could
easily be killed with lances and guns. 1t is inn
portant to no ice that officers of the Pacific Mail
Company state that they have seen the animal
on several occasions, but not so closely as did
the officers and men on the Hope ON.
TIE SEA SERPENT.
The nearest account of any strange animal
akin to that seen by Captain Seymour and bis
men is the account of Il marine creature sup
posed to be sea serpent. seen in 1917 near
Cape Ann, Mass. Eleven witnesses of good
reputation gave on oath before magistrates zone
of whom had himself seen what they had a
description of a creature like serpent lark
brown i'll color (some said mottled) with white
under the head and neck. The head Of this
creature was a large as a horses. but shaped
like Il serpents, and the animal WAS estimated
as exceeding fifty feet in length.
Colonel Perkins noticed an appearance in
front of the head like Single horn, but other
observers thought this was the monsters
tongue. The evidence now obtained confirms
the theory which was advanced in 1913 and has
since been maintained by Gosse and others,
that a race of marine animals exists. including
probably several varieties, which is character
lied by serpentine neck, a head small com
pared with the body, but large compared with
the thickness Of the mech an air breather and
deriving its propusive power from paddles in
other words, modern representative of the
long necked ple>iosaurians Of the great Second
ary or Mesozoic era. Creatures Of this class
have been APPLY compared to what would be
formed by drawing Il serpent through the body
Of a sea turtle.
THE FISH III sINESs OF PORTLAND.
The Press publishes the following details OF
the fish business of Portland:
During 1854 the three lobster firms in this
city packed away and handled 5000, 900 fish
The eleven fresh fish firms handled $500, 900
pounds, or 400 tons, which was about one
quarter of the business of 1883 The three
mackerel canning firms packed 100000 cans,
against 1900 900 for 1888. In dry fish the five
firms cured 1920 quntaI>. falling off from
last year. One firm prepared million pounds
firms are employed, and they reported l3l ,602
barrels of mackerel and 10,lS9 of herring,
against II 400 mackere and Hoo herring for
1855. employing tonnage of l0,lO0 and 1850
men last year against 5000 tons and 2020 men
in 1888. one firm has packed 800 barrels of
aewyes and 800 of shad. For curing the fish
reported 2l9. 80 bushels of salt used
MAINE AND MASSACHUSETTS MACkERELNIEN.
In an interview with Mr.. Babson, the collector
of the port of Gloucester, Mass, some facts and
figures relative to the fishing interests immedi-
ately connected with the Washington treaty
Were obtained. During the season Just past the
Maine and Massachusetts fleets have in all TAX
en- nearly 400 1871 barrels of mackerel. and out
Of this total only 2l,393 barrels have been
caught in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. while Can
ada takes from 900 to $50 900 barrels yearly
American fleets, numbering about sixty of the
best equipped vessels have taken - ,299 barrels
and out of this number y 16l barrels have been
taken outside the three mile limit, and 313S bar
rels inside. Mr. Babson estimates the value OF
the outside catch at SIC, 662 and the inside at
SlS,l9O. There have been off our shores 267
American vessels catching mackerc. The av-
erage catch of the shore fleet has been 1870 bar
res, and that of the bay fleet 23l barrels to each
vessel. The expense of the outfit, supplies,
etc, is Sl2l ,5l,, and adding the wages OF men
at the rate they would be paid >ailors-Ss0,-
552-and we find sos, 1868 is spent to secure
SSG,S59 worth of mackerel in the Gulf Of st.
Lawrence, and only Sls,l90 in the limits OF
that fishery; for outside, S14 800 900 unclaimed
and S5,500,000 paid. In addition to this, the
United States RENTS in duties S624,00 each
year to Canada, making during the twelve Years
of the treaty total of 7,4SS 900 which with the
$500 600 equals total of $l29SS 900, or nearly
the amount first claimed Sl4 900. This is for
the privilege of taking few mackerel. From
the month of July, 1873, to the present time,
during the total fishing seasons throughout the
treaty, our vessels took from st. Lawrence
Gulf 2S6,435 barrels of mackerel. and Of those
95,4 $50 barrels We're caught inside Of the three
mile limit the total value of which was S2,l00.-
500. The value of the inside catch was 500
800; l160 vessels at Il cost on the average of
s., sol. l22, We're employed. and 10000 barrels
were caught outside of :he thEee-mlie limit es-
timated to be worth $1,400.412 making a differ
ence in amount of expense against the Wh0le
product of the Gulf of st. Lawrence mhckerel
fishing of 800 900 and against the inshore fishery
of about 1000 900 additional The actual earn
ings of the fisherman on the average do not
exceed $500 per year.
FINS AND SCALES
About 100, 900 pounds of fresh fish, cod and
haddock, arrived in Portland one day last week.
Augusta fishermen are bringing in fine strings
of pickerel and white perch, caught in Iogus
Pond.
HOLSTERS are shipped from Eastport to Boston
by the way of the Maine Central from Mt.
Desert Ferry.
Frost fish have been very abundant at Waldo
boro, One man dipped out fifteen bushels one
day in a short time.
Schooner Cecil II. Low, Capt Alex Mchen-
zie, arrived at Gloucester, Jan. 30, from For
tune Bay, with full cargo of three hundred
and seventv-tive thousand frozen herring from
Newfoundland, the earliest on record. The
earliest receipt, previously, was Jan. lIth, a
number of years ago.
| The present duty on fresh fish taken to the
United States from other countries than Canada
is 80 cents per 100 lbs; upon picked tlsh IN
barrels. l cent per h.; on behring's picked
fish in barrels, l cent per lbs. on herring
| picked or sailed, ! cent per 10; mackerei, !
cent per Id. Upon the ahrOgation of the hshery
| treaty next July, the above duties Will be
levied on Canadian fish.
| The Keunebec journal says This mild wealth.
er is being improved by the pickerel hsnermen.
and they are coming in with long strings o OF
| fish, A dealer in this city disposed OF looo
sinners for bait on Tuesday. Red fins from
Monumental Center, are in great favor with
fishermen, for bait. They Will i've ana De
lively an entire day after being placed On lhe
hook The river bait is short-nved ana the
| wound of the hook soon kills the 1sh'