The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1888-06-20
Tic FISHERMEN,
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- Toward TIE North fsesn<
Boston Letter.
uv,v. Nav 2I.-This town i. with
rsrufjon the ereat-
! zss ~ market In the world. from
~ o1fers hefeabouf Is drawn the sup
s - United States, gave only the Pa
nn Nackerel. too, and herring.
- their little cousins the aievives.
- hake, scuip, butterfsh, tas1tog, sez
fSm md eeIs are brought In vast
SSylifies 70 this porf. The harvest
r6f the scaiy crop each year Il N
f17nssry Of gigantic proportions. en-
1oyfng the services Of many thou
ID able seamen, and a multitude ri
VusueIs, both big and small. These
e1rsels are the finest of their kind 10
3 found anywhere. not few Of them
Wing In the expcnsiveness Of their
<pns(rurtion and elal,orafeness Of their
Equipments with firrt-tiass yachts.
&eeed, next 70 safety. II the chief con-
s1erafion in the modern fishing boat.
md even Mr.. Burgess. the celebrated
Aesigner of the pleasure craft that beat
e. world, has not disdain<d 10 build
atoops and schooners which contend
With frantic emulation from season %
nesson for the proud distinction oI
shigh-line Of the feet"
The fishing grounds of the yew
England shore are the mort valuable
known. To the interest felt BY rival
nations In securing possession 81 them
history mainly attributes the roIonixa-
ton of North America. The reports
of early explorers touching the wealth
OF the western sess-~tomifag Af a
period when Roman Catholic Europe
consumed an incaicuiablc amount ut
fish Ia times Of religious fasting gave
rise to the most Intense excitement,
aud set on foot business speculation.
which were destined, in the course Of
years, 10 eoniure up the speefer OF
erim -yisaged war. For two centuries
he French and English fought over
AZ profitable waters, which even at
abe present day are subject OF inter
national dispute. The early colunists
esrne their bread and butter chiefly
With hook and line. and In those days
HE salary Of the minister, the debt
due the merchant, and, In fact, most
peenniary Obligations were paid In the
staple commodity, fish. And in this
present year OF grace. 1883, the popula-
iiun along the North Atlantic thore
xabxist 10 great extent on fish diet.
ana h supported mainly hy the sale Of
the great Dreams finny inhabitants.
fresh and saitrd.
Al this time Of the year, when the
Gshipg season u Just opening. the
kuee IT. wharf where all the fish
M business of Boston Is concentrated
IS q scene Of busy activity. On
every side schooDers aud sloop-,
whose tall ipasts rise like forest Of
hare poles about the dock, are being
urepared for sea. Mariners more or
i,rs ancient. tanned with many a
summers sun aud clad In ovcralls yet
l<spotted with the slime Of last
vcars cod and haddork, squat upon
the decks, examining with anxious
care the nets and travis mcnding
with skiilful fingers the meshes
broken by lucky fishes that got away.
and replacing here and there a mi-s-
inc hook. n the lines are passed in
coils, fathom by fathon. from one
TUT 10 another The shops ~ the
wholesale and retail dealers, which
extend in rows the length OF the
wharf. are piled 10 the ceiling with
stacks Of dried Goldfish. smoked half
but and mysterious barrels Of various
ult water products, picked The
iloors are half awash with brine in
which the corpscs of freshly caught
disemboweied eels. together with
many other creatures from the Vastly
deep, float cheeriully around. while
wcathcr-beaten shippers in tarpaulin
hats drive the hardest bargains they
can with the proprietors. Nor. in
deed, are they likely 70 come out very
much ahead In such deals. The fish
ermen are lucky II they get five cents
pound for halibut and a cent and n
hall for cod and haddock But every
housewife knows what a small fraction
This represents OF this cost Of the fish
when she buys them In the market.
The profits OF the middlcmen are, as
with everything else, enormous.
OF the l50.00.0D pounds of fish
captured annually OF this coast and
landed at the ~ wharf, the bulk
consists of cod. hadslock and hal
hut. ON the great banks, or shall
lows which extend for miles In the
midst Of the deep ocean. far from
land, these ogres OF the sea gather by
myriads in the spring time, comingup
from the fathoniless waters whittier
they have retreatcd to ecape the
winters cold, TO feast upon the count
less shoals OF smaller Try that are
bred for the sole purpose, seemingly.
Of providing food for their larger
cousins. As the warm weather. APP
praarhes the herring, alewiyei and
other such fashionable fishes arrive
from the southern watering places
where they have been spending the
cold months, so uncomfortable. you
know, in this abominahle climate.
Those slippery customers. the eels,
too, come wrirgling down FROM the
little creeks and esfuaries where they
have found comfortable beds OF nire
warm mud 10 hibernate in. In brief,
II Is the joyous season ia the hriny
depths, as well a. on dry earth
Asa rule, vessel goes on "A fishing
expedition with some sort of partic.
u.ar prey in view. A cod rig viii
also serve for haddo=,k. but for halibnl
Stronger tackle and bigger hooks are
needed, while smaekerel and herring
must be taken in nets. Thus it Is that
thu boats usually sail from this port
equipped suitably for capturing Ger
tain kind OF fish. 10 the netting OF
hooking Of which each craft devote.
its exclusive attention. For halihut
paddock and the toothsome cod the
banks, hundreds of miles GU, 10 sea,
are sought by vessels OF from ninety
70 twice that many tons burden
which spend there rs many months as
are necessary Ia secure load or
s'tare. rs II is technically called. The
system OF angling pursued by these
.pot hunters" would scarcely obtain
the approval OF lovers Of sport. Lines
annie or so in length. with hooks at
taehed ut six feet intervals, are aneh-
osed in the shadows over the hanks.
with haoys Of wool 10 mark them.
These "trawls''--for so they are lie.
signatei are sci at night or in the
morning. every hook freshly haiteei
with scrap Of fish. and twice IN
tweniy-iour hours they are hauled up
hand-over-haud by men in dories, who
detsch such victims n are caught AMI
renew the Free lunch that Is offered