The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1886-07-15
OLD-TIME FISHING.
The Life that Fascinated New Eng
land Boys Sixty Years Ago.

OLD-TIME FISHING.
The Life that Fascinated New Eng
land Boys sixty Years Ago.
"This fishery question must excite
good deal of interest among the peo-
pie of the seashore towns of Essex coun-
ty," said gentleman who was one of
those who went ''down to the sea in
ships" more than sixty years ago to
Herald representative. "Most OF the
boys down there are web-footed, at
least they were when was one of
them. In those days as soon as age and
mother permitted. the boy would tie up
his effects in dle-handkerchief and
apply for a birth on some of the out
ward-bound fishing craft.
81 was one of them, and sixty-odd
years ago, with my bundle in my hand
kerchief. bible from my mother in my
jacket-pocket, l shipped with several of
my ilk in the good pinkey Success,
vessel of about fifty tons, on macker-
cling trip to the capes of Delaware. In
April, 1924, we we're off Cape May,
which was the first ground we tried, and
our schooner was as good as her name,
for we soon made up tare of 100 bar
rels of No. leather bellies and sailed
for New York to pack off, which we
did at Brooklyn, to save warfage charg-
es. There were four other schooners
in our company that packed off at the
same time, and about June l we all
sailed for the north, fishing down the
coast of Barnegat, Sandy hook, etc.
"The method of fishing has changed
since my day. SEEMING was never prac-
ticed then. l have heard it spoken of
among shippers. but the general opin-
ion was that it was impracticable, as
the mackerel were so shy and sprightly
that they-could not be surrounded. But
the fishermen have found out how to
do it since then. In my time there
would be eight or ten boys strung up
on the starboard side of the vessel as
near together as they could comfortably
fish. Each had two lines attached to
the rail- The hook had lead sinker.
called a gig, cast on. The bait was
merely slipped on the hook-anything
white or shiny would answer, piece
of pork-rind or fish, or even a white
rag. Sometimes a ten-cent piece was
put on over the hilt of the hook before
the leak was cast on. 1t made q good
bait, and would wear for some weeks.
The usual bait was a small round piece
cut from the throat of fresh mackerel.
Each man stood in fishing, with his
left thigh against the rail, facing
toward the stern of the vessel, holding
line between thumb and finger of
each hand, ready at first call to yank
in the line, the skipper, meantime,
throwing over bait of mackerel ground
in a mill, to attract the school, while
the minds of the men were on their
lines. A good days fishing would
yield one hundred and fifty wash bar
rels Of mackerel A wash barrel was
one in which the fish were placed, with
water, to soak out the blood before
sailing. In well-managed crew about
half the gang would knock off fishing
at about noon and 60 to dressing-that
is, splitting and gibbing. The splitter
had board, laid across tub made of
half hogshead, on which he laid the
fish and run knife down the back
from nose to tail. He slid the fish to
the gibbers, two of whom sat by to re-
move the entrails and throw the fish
into the barrel of water. When the
barrel was full the water was turned
of, but Immediately replaced with
water drawn from over the side of the
vessel. This was the second rinse,
which was poured off after few min
utes, like the first. The fish were salt
ed in barrels with Liverpool dry salt.
l was one of a crew of ten who caught,
dressed, and salted 21O barrels of mack
'erel in one day off Mount Desert.
''As to the perils of the business, l
suppose they we're about the same then
as they are now. Three or four days
after we left New York, in June, 1884,
we had fearful gale which broke up
our fleet, and of the five vessels COM
posing it three were lost with all on
board, We had narrow escape. We
made for Newport, R. l., where the
harbor was literally crammed with
partly wrecked craft fin every conceiv-
able condition. Some foreign square
rugged traders and disabled Cape May
pilot boats were among them.
''There were many curiosities of the
sea that interested the boys on their
first voyage. Lying at anchor off Cape
May, we were kept awake after turning
in by the drum fish which made such
q pounding on the bottom of the ves-
sci that sleep was almost impossible.
Then we frequently caught toad-fish,
short, plump, highly-colored speci-
men of marine natural history. Scratch
ing his body with a chip caused him to
swell up as round as bladder, and to
burst if the operation is long continued.
We frequently found kind of sucker
attached to deep-sea cod. They are
from one to two feet long, eel-shaped,
with round mouth, set with hook
teeth, with which they attach them
selves to the fish SO firmly that they
will allow themselves to be pulled
asunder before they will let 60. An-
other curious thing is what the sailors
called a salve-bag-a parasite, black in
color, and about the size Of a large
beetle, which it somewhat resembles.
Their bodies are filled with substance
which looks like salve, and is said to
possess excellent healing qualities.
'It used to be an interesting sight,
too, to see the number of craft and the
various styles of rig in port for a har-
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