The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1886-10-27

as In Others
There is always great rivalry among the
vessels of the fishing feet, for the skipper
who catches the most fish is high line
title of no little consequence on the
Banks as we'll as on Cape Ann. The attri-
butes Of high line man are iron nerve,
fearlessness, ay, recklessness or perfect
contempt for danger or death itself. No
doubt there is such factor as luck that
goes to make up that sum of qualities which
taken together, produce this specimen of
manhood; but It'll not counted upon, and
is that description of luck that attends the
hero of a hundred holly contested fields, in
all of which he recklessly exposes himself.
II is said that the greatest nighttime Of
sae haddocking fleet between a January
md May landed 500, 900 fish of all kinds,
valued at 1924, 300. Each of his crew of
fourteen men received nearly eighty dol
lars per month after all expenses were
paid.
The struggle for the honor of nighttime
besides encouraging the Banker to battle
with the tempest, sometimes neeessitates o.
another from dividing school of fish with
him. Thus q Georges skipper who has
struck fish, if seen, will be beset by others
passing to and fro on the Banks, and, un.
less he nisleads the newcomer, his success
will be greatly interfered with. Therefore,
the crew of the vessel that is being rapidly
filled with fish will sometimes he ordered
to pull in their lines and desist when sail
is made out coming up. The fish are
quickly thrown into the hold and the crew
ordered to man the windlass, as if prepar-
ing to leave their anchorage in disgust.
Are you getting any fish p comes from
the skipper of the stranger as he brings his
vessel up into the wind. mol gruffiy and
sarcastically shouts back the other skipper,
I'm getting my anchorp At this the
stranger sheers off and squares away for
pastures new and less sterile.
The crew of the anchored vessel heaye
iway at the windlass as if they intended to
leave, and thus keep up the delusion. But
The anchor is not disturbed, for their
shrewd skipper is paying out the cable
as fast as they heave it through the hawse.
hole.
When the mackerel fleet fshed with
hand lines the pursuit of this industry was
often attended with much excitement. Oc-
casionally, when massed together in great
fleets, the vessels carried away their main
Blooms, bowsprits, jib-booms, and sails by
collision in what might not inappropriately
be called hand-to-hand encounter, and
when the manmuyre OF slee-bowinR was
the order of the day. A fleet of sixty odd
sail descry schooner whose crew are heav-
ing and pulling their lines. The glistening
scales of the fish sparkle in the sunlight.
The fleet as one vessel turns quickly on Its
heel, and there is o neck-and-neck race for
the school, The first that arrives rounds
to under the lee of the fortunate craft, the
crew heaying the toll-bait with no niggard
hands. The new arrival now shakes up
into the wind close under the lee-bow of
the ish-catehing vessel. The fish forsake
the latter aud fly at the lines of the new
conner. Now comes up the balance of the
feet, and each vessel on its arrival performs
she same manmuvre and lee-bows its prede-
eessor. Those to windward, forsaken by
the fish, push their why through their
neighbors, fill away, and round to under
The bows of those to leeward. The hoarss
bawling of the shippers to their crews. the
lnprccations Of those who have been run
down and left 1ors dc combat, rend the mir,
whilc the crews setting and lowering sail
and hauling fish freely exchange with each
other language not to be found in any cur
rent religious work. Century.