The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1886-12-24
THE FISHING GROUNDS.
SOMETHING ABOUT THE INDUSTRY
OF THE NEW ENGLAND COAST.
The Dangers, Profits and Losses OF the
Hazardous Business-How the Boats
CafcleA.

Go Out and Set Their Lines-A TIPS
Catches.
During his leisure hours your corre-
spondent has several times visited the L, or
fish wharf, in this city, and been much in
terested in viewing its curious scenes ana
gathering some items concerning the fishery
business. Over q score of firms engaged IN
the trade are located on this long wharf,
and in the docks on either side may be seen
almost any day twice as many fishing
schooners their numerous masts reminding
you of a deadened pine forest. Perhaps
500 fishermen and dealers may be seen on
the wharf and vessels, and the scene IS a
busy, curious and entertaining one.
From some of the vessels the finny cap
tives are being taken, large basketfuls being
elevated from the hold to the wharf by block
and tackle. They are dumped into boxes,
placed on portable scales, weighed, and
then pitched into the cart or wagons OF
the purchaser and drawn away to his store,
there TO be washed and fitted for the retail
market shipped to inland towns, or sailed
down, as the case may be. In handling
the fish ordinary hay forks with three tines
are employed, and they are forked into the
baskets and then from the boxes into the
carts They are too slimv to be handled
conveniently in any other way.
THE FISHING sCHooNERs.
The schooners are Of various sizes, the
smaller ones going only to what is known
as the in-shore fishing grounds near the
/ coast. The larger ones which go to the of
shore fisheries, are generally from eighty
to ninety tons burden, and carry heavy
stone ballast well secured in the bottom so
/ that it cannot shift during severe storms.
Each vessel carries eight small boats called
dories, and the crew consists of the skip
per- cook and sixteen fishermen.
The vessels hail from Portland, Ports
mouth. Gloucester, Provincetown, Boston
and other ports, but, perhaps, most largely
| from Gloucester The fishing grounds ex-
tend from Rhode Island on the south to
the shores Of Newfoundland on the north
/ The favorite grounds of the Gloucester fish
ermen are the Georges banks, about 100
miles east of that port The fish are usually
caught in about thirty fathoms Of water,
but sometimes halibut are taken at depth
of 300 fathoms. The bait used is largely
small herring, and the fish caught in the
various seasons are cod, paddock, mackerel
pollock, hake, halibut etc. The time re-
uuired for trip is ordinarily from four
days TO a week.
When the fishing grounds are reached
the sails are reefed, and as the vessel glides
along the dories are let down by pulleys
into the water, one after another, at dis
lance of about one-eighth of mile apart.
Each dory has two men, who are provided
with four tubs of travis, anchors Of about
twenty pounds weight, buoys etc. Each tub
of travis has about 800 hooks, making the
entire number to each dory about 1000.
While the bowman rows slowly along the
sternman puts out the travis, fastening the
ends to an anchor which is cast out a line to
it being retained on the dory tied to buoy.
After the lines have been set sometimes the
skipper signals from the schooner for them
to be taken up. The anchor is raised and
the lines are drawn in over roller, and as
this is done the fish are taken off the hooks
one fish to fifty hooks being considered a
fair ca.ch The dory IS then rowed TO the
schooner, or the latter comes back over the
line and takes them up. This process IS re-
peated several times each day, aL1 some
times the travis are set over night, the yes
sci lying to.
CATCHES OF a TRIP.
In the evening the fish are eviscerated
and packed away with ice in the cOmpart-
ments of the hold and things set in order
for the following day If however, the
catch has not been good, the anchor is
weighed and the vessel sails on, hoping to
find better grounds. Thus they continue
from day to day until they get load or
trip, when they return TO port. The catches
Of a trip vary from 25, 600 to 100, 900
pounds the average being 1000. The
average price obtained for the fish during
the year is about two cents per pound, but
they are often sold at less than one cent,
and as high as five The fishermen are not
raid fixed wages, but share in the profits of
the trip. whatever they may be. After all
the expenses are paid, usually about $3.50,
the owners of the vessel get one-fourth and
the crew three-fourths.
The business is a hazardous one and is at
tended with great loss Of life One of the
men remarked ave know when we go out,
but don't know when we'll get back, if
ever" The losses from Gloucester this
season have been six vessels and about 125
men. Three winters ago there were 10
vessels and 257 men lost, leaving a large
number of widows and orphans. Rough
seas are often encountered on these trips,
when deep waves break over the vessel, and
she is scarcely able 10 ride the storm. One
sailor said he had seen her 'hove down.
before the gale until she was almost on her
side, and only the heavy ballast made her
right herself In winter time the deck and
rigging are often covered with ice and the
Rapid Transit has come into port covered
with as much as twenty tons. To run up
the hatchway between waves, and then
close it and hold to the ropes while great
wave breaks over the vessel, or TO climb the
ice covered rigging ard reef the frozen
sails, are neither of them tasks to be coveted.
This business thus hazardous is not one
in which many fortunes are made The
best that can be said of it is that it affords
a tolerably fair means of obtaining a liveli-
hood. The fishermen during some hard voy-
age often declare they will never ship again,
but they soon forget their hardships again,
and few who become Injured TO the business
ever leave it.-Boston Cor Cleveland
Leader