Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1886-07-22
OLD-TiME FISHING.
The Life that Fascinated New Eng
land Boys Sixty Years Ago.


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 l was one of
them. In those days as soon as age and
mother permitted. the boy would tie up
his effects in bundle handkerchief and
apply for a birth on some OF the out
ward-bound fishing craft.
IL was one of them, and sixty-odd
years ago, with my bundle in my hand
kerchief, bible from my mother in my
jacket-pocket, shipped with several of
my ilk in the good pinkey Success, a
vessel of about fifty tons, on macker-
cling trip to the capes of Delaware. In
April, 1924, we were 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 160 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. 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 rs they could comfortably
fish. Each had two lines attached to
the rail- The hook had lead sinker,
called 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 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 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 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 go to dressing-th
is, splitting and gibbng. The splitter
had board laid across tub made OF
, a half hogshead, on which he laid the
: fish and run knife down the. back
from nose to tail. He slid the fish tc
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
3 off, but Immediately replaced with
l water drawn from over the side of the
vessel. This was the second rinse
( which was poured off after a few min
2 utes, like the first. The fish were salt
e ed in barrels with Liverpool dry salt
d l was one of a crew of ten who caught
> dressed, and sailed 21O barrels of mack
: erel in one day off Mount Desert.
LAS to the perils of the business,
:, suppose they were about the same thel
+ as they are now. Three or four day
after we left New York, in June, 1884
: we had fearful gale which broke VI
a our fleet, and of the five vessels com
9 posing it three were lost with all OIL
: board. We had a narrow escape. W.
j. made for Newport r. l., where tn
5 harbor was literally crammed witt
~ partly wrecked craft fin every conceiv
r able condition. Some foreign square
o rugged traders and disabled Cape Ma
pilot boats were among them.
There were many curiosities of tn
sea that interested the boys on thei
first voyage. Lying at anchor off Cap
k May, we were kept awake after turning
= in by the drum fish which made sue
r. pounding on the bottom of the yes
sci that sleep was almost impossible
u Then we frequently caught toad-fish
r short, plump, highly-colored spec
# men of marine natural history. Scratch
g ing his body with chip caused him t.
, swell up rs round as bladder, and t.
i burst if the operation is long continued
We frequently found kind of sucke
d attached to deep-sea cod. They ar
II from one to two feet long, eel-shaped
= with n round mouth, set with hoo
= teeth, with which they attach them
= selves to the fish so firmly that the
c will allow themselves to be pulle
asunder before they will let 60. An
/ other curious thing is what the sailor
called salve-bag-a parasite, black i
color, and about the size of larg
N beetle, which it somewhat resembles
# Their bodies are filled with substanc
n which looks like salve, and is said t
- possess excellent healing qualities.
# ut used to be an interesting sigh
too, to see the number of craft and tn
various styles of rig in port for hal
l. Dor during storm or for repairs after
+ ward. There would be hundreds &
10 Newport, five hundred to eight hur
I dred at Gloucester. and immense nun
e bers at Mount Desert, Cranberry islant
W Southwest harbor, etc. The Nova Sec
Is tia and New Brunswick fishers, wit
their ugly and ill-ftting tanned sail
made an odd show. .....
Each man and boy, like all sailors