The Washington critic., 1885-09-28
VINTON'S VICTORY.

was compelled to leave Boston for Hall
fax. With the remnant of his prop |
erty Mr. Vinton set up fishing -cstab.
lishment in Nova Scotia, and by dint |
of energy and business tact became
rich.
After his death the estate was squan. |
dered by heirs, and Edward Vinton,
when 80 years of age, and burdencd |
with large family, obtained u scanty
living by boat fishing and selling his
catch at the stores for one third cash
and two.thirds store pay.
In the spring he planted small
patch of potatoes, fcrtilized them with
fish and sea-weed, and the little hoeing
they got was done by his wife and chill
dren. lie managed to keep Il pig, and
driftwood supplied him with fuel.
When spring came the family had
consumed the small provision he had
laid up in the fall or could obtain on
credit at the store; and he usually be-
gan his summer work in debt After
selling himself out in the fall he was
often compelled to get trusted for dry
fish at the store, and the family often
suffered for fire in bad storm, when
there were cords of driftwood buried
under the snow at the beach.
Very different from his father in
character was Edward Vintons
youngest boy, little Jack. Despising
the boat fishing, he went on board
vessel when big enough to light the
skippers pipe; he served as cook when
so small that some of the crew hung
on the pot for him in rough weather,
and the comforts of the family kept
pace with his growth in years and
strength.
In the winter he walked five miles
night and morning, to attend a private
school and paid the tuition by making
flshing-nets in the evenings. He was
also taught navigation by the store
keeper IAN old sea. captain), who liked
and wanted to encourage him.
The active spirit of the lad was
chafed by witnessing the mode of life
pursued by his father and neighbors;
so much broken time and continual
eating up in the winter and more than
eating up of the summer earnings.
He was 1S, Injured to toll on the
stormy coast of Nova Scotia, and to
hard fare at home, when Cape Ann
mackerel-catcher dropped her anchor
in the cove before the house. and the
skipper came ashore in quest of salt
The skipper liked Jacks appearance
and invited him to fill the place of a
man they had lost
The boy fished with the crew through
the season, and went to Massachusetts,
in the vessel in the fall. He now
found himself among a people who did
not idle all winter and starve in spring.
"This is the place for me- said
Jack.
Sending most of his money home, he
bought winter clothing with the rest
and shipped for trip to Georges.
If the reader wishes to get a definite
idea of the business upon which Jack
had now ventured let him picture to
himself a mountain of sand beneath the
stormy waters of the Atlantic, and dis
tant about one hundred and thirty miles
from Cape Ann. For distance of
thirteen miles in length and from one
to two in breadth its top approaches the
surface.
In some places the water above il is
but three feet deep, in others four,
eight and twelve. Fierce tides, quick
ened by gales, have scored deep ravines
in this ridge, which are bounded by
treacherous shoals
Tidc-rips fleck the surface with foam
even in calm weather, and the currents
pouring over the edge of the shoals
produce overfals, whose sullen roar
may be heard for miles.
Around these shoals, where their
food abounds, is the home of the hall
| but and cod, and there the fishermen
cluster, incurring more peril from col
lision with each other than from the
tempest and what increases the dan
ger the holding ground is not good
Thickly strewn are these sands and
ocean CULTS with wrecks, anchors, mer-
chandise and bones of men. Here, in
1862, fifteen vessels went down on the
oath of February, carrying with them
1870 men, and every year more or less
men perish there,
This, reader, is Georges. For three
winters Jack Vinton had followed his
perilous calling, making himself ia.
miliar with the ground, the set of the
tides, the habits of the fish that FIRE.
qucnt these waters, and their feeding.
spots.
Thus far he had gone and returned
| III NNltlN llllNlN lllNlNloi uuAl uNlulltI
the reputation of being n lucky man, n
matter of no little consequence to u
young person Just starting in life, es-
peCially in sea-faring community.
| Familiarity and success had now rob.
bed the shoal of its terror and on the
| 9th of February he was once more on
his way hither, The trip began with
evil omen.
| G,,V,,1,s hal ,1anu,1
when, in snow squall, they lost one
of their crew in shortening sail, which
threw gloom over their spirits, and
the more superstitious among them
interpreted it as Il forcrunner of mis-.
fortune.
The squall passing away the wind
settled TO steady, whOlcsail breeze.
Arriving ON the bank, the skipper
chose his berth near several other YES
sells, the crews of which were hauling
halihut fast
The momont their anchor was down
the fish took hold. The weather proved
good, fish We're plenty, they made long
days and even borrowed of the night.
They soon obtained two-thrds of their
fare, and the prospects seemed ilatter-
ing for making profitable venture,
They then shifted their ground and
found the fish more abundant than nj
first.
1t was now 8 o'clock in the morning
and nearly calm. Nothing was heard
but the whilzing of lines and splash Of
leads in the water and the Hopping of
fish. Stripped to their work, the men
were hauling like beavers, when the
sun that had risen clear suddenly went
into cloud and black bank began to
rise in the southwest. In an hour il
was blowing half gale
Shortly after 2 o'clock the wind
hauled to the northeast flakes Of snow