Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-08-04


Is entered, and the picturesque little city
OF Eastport is SEEM facing the sea in pleasant ter
bright and Gigantic reversed she'll It's outer rim
washed by the blue waters OF the bay. To the
left and south as we enter port is seen the pretty
village OF Lubec the home OF scores or active and
retired sea-captains, who sit on vine-covered
porches and level great glasses at the seas horizon
and all strangers passing their snug harbor homes
and, occasionally Iorgtvably roar out at the little
tavern roysterings,
I'm snug as bug
In coy
For I'm q master bold;
No lsnd-cares for me;
With bI ne fear a.ee Of growing did,
and the like; many fishing settlements seward
nestle at the bases OF rugged cliffs and within
shining coves beyond; while great arm OF the
broke Bay, sweeps to the northwest past count
less Islands, coves and headlands to that seepiest
and deadeSt OF all earth's somnolent villages,
clent Pembroke town. To the right
THE SPLENDID PAssAMAQuopDY
stretches away past the island city, for Eastport
Is entirely surrounded by sea-water blends to the
east and northeast with the majestic misty -skied
treacherous but often awful and sublime Bay OF
Eundy; reaches, along our shores past Pleasant
Point, where the bleached remnant OF the once no.
Die Quoddy Indians live; Carries Its mighty tides
full IN the face OF old St. Andrews the most beau
tiIul city and resort of all Canada; and at last
blends with the noble ST. Croix, whose broad
bosom Is endessly freighted with the vast product
OF the countless mills at Calais and st. stephens
duoSc, WHERE tut Snflek OF u tnOuSdn0 cleaning
saws every hour In the year Is ceaseleSS requiem
lor the majestic pines from a region OF trackless
pine SO vast that the states OF Massachusetts,
necticut and Rhode Island could be set down In
Its heart, and so completely lost that govern
Ment surveying party could alone rediscover them.
AT THE WHARF.
AS no railroad has ever penetrated this easy
going Maine region half the city folk are perma.
ment committee-on-arrival TOR the steamers They
come to the wharveS, rest their meditatiye chins
he n. rf,f
reached some prolonged, sustained note OF wei
come, stand rigid and staring for half an
the watersde all-sorts the brisk, ponderous prom
inent citizens with baggy trowsers and ample linen
busters, few old folk who for three-quarters OF
century have never missed a boat and whose
absence would cause alarm, and, better than
all, bevies OF the most strapping, buxom,
esad Tosy-cneeked cycling swapping:
is all this old Acadian region for
handsome girls. None OF your measly, cadaverous,
aesthetic, pigeon toed, diaphragm-garroted maid
ems are they. They stand as squarely upon their
feet as the pine-trees OF their own state. Their
heels touch. Their toes do not. Their insteps
have the arch OF cuban woman's. From ankle
and 1nger-tip to shoulder, such Hogarthian lines
are followed as should model the American Venus.
And above chests and breasts grand In proportion
on which set heads OF startingly massive and per.
feet model. with wide-browed, large-eyed, splen-
didly -pronled faces. against background OF hair
could stand within it naked but altogether clad.
CAPTAIN AND PIRsr NATE.
But from contemplation OF these splendid Maine
girls, who make the noblest OF wives and mothers.
must desist; for there alongside the wharf saw
the chubby face OF good old Captain Ballast shin.
ing glorious welcome through his Stubby beard,
and heard his hearty voice roar out:
"Here we are, sir: waitin' snug and tidy, as the
spider sung out ter the n.y."
mine, the burly captain and his first mate sea-
man, steward, cook, and patient, swear-words tar
Mary, cotton burthen, schooner-rigged trim, and
seaworthy as gull, / had chartered for good
round month for conveyance to any port or cove
fancy might lead from QuOddy Head TO Labrador,
and for sum so small, grub n'-rum-foun .
that would be ashamed to set 1t down fairly In
this record. But there was as much good friend.
another idyluc day had the old Captain Tom and
myself
Sailed as a-mind
With the kissin' wind
along this indescribaby splendid northeast coast
among our herring Usher friends from Machias-
port to st. Andrews In a Jify We were away
| among them again for greeting and badinage, and
because their lives and ways are unknown, can.
not but re-tel as best may. the fascinating tale
| OF their humble toll and rewards
HERRING FISHERS.
Herring in inexhaustlble numbers are here The
fishers are nearly equally divided among Ameri-
| cans and Canadians who, from April to December.
which term comprises the season know nc
other labor or hope than in this harvest beneath
Bay, Machias, Quoddy Head, Lubec and PASSPORT,
| In Maine, around Campobello, Grand NJ anan, Wolf
Islands, Deer Island, Lee Island, Passamaquoddy
Bay, in New Brunswick. every mile OF shore line.
every swirl OF waters, every nook and Granny
where the tide ereeps in and out, has It's indis-
| Ing vocation. Herring seines, herring boats,
herring weirs, herring nshers are ali
the region named a population OF 10000 souls
| practically subsist upon the rewards OF herring
| fishing; fully 5000 men and boys are engaged in
SANITY in use. These are Of one model and Dat.
tern: and the "QuOddy" boat as It is called tar.
It's name from the
shores the larger number OF herring fishers have
| their humble homes, should have long since been
put for serious use not pleasure But %Sue
still make q testy rival for the cat-yawls OF Bar
Harbor or Newport famous for their seaworthi.
| ness and speed. 1t has square stern, thin
sharp PROV is OF from IA TO Is feet in length and
| has 5-foot beam. II Is boat-rigged. with one
mast and SAIL, though some Of the larger ones ny
| q tiny ph
The herring are taken In three different ways
by the seine, in weirs, and by 'drivfng;" the lat
ter method, forbidden by American and Canadian
regulation being by far the most interesting
pIOyed as those used In taking shad while the LAT
/ ter are running In the waters OF the Chesapeake
and the Delaware. While l have seen many
haul OF shad MADE with setnes OF from q half mile
than rs fathoms long, and about IL feet in depIh
with one-haif 70 three,fourths inch mesh. II
| SEEMING, narrow channels, and locations alonc
| streams where the tide-water reaches some dis
lance in-shore, are usually chosen, though her.
ring stations on beaches where the tide smakes'
| strong In ebb and now are quite common a. her.
| ring shoals always seem 70 move back ant
| forth with the tide In this work the seine /,
made fast alongshore, and the Quoddy boat ant
crew start on with the tide, huggfng the shore
| Spaying out" the seine as they 20. When neariy
| sI the seine end, q sudden tack ID taken a I
right angle from the shore, and then. the sein1
being kept taut BY rapid rowing, or sailing o
both, ctrcltng sweep Is made around against I'M
tide TO land, and the haul IL done. In this wa,
several hauls can Do made ct each OF the fou
turns OF the TIDE; as the Qu0ddy fishermen maxi
no hardship OF toiltng at all hours Of day ans
night when anything that 70 herring may b<
brought 70 their meta But the practice OF eeiu
ing worse luck 20 the fishermen, ID also IN rapll
decadence, owing TO severe restrictions on the par
OF the Canadian and some Efforts by our owl
authorities
Probably on no coast 10 there 20 vast Q numpe
OF weirs. AZ little distance on shore Il seems q
though the entire land-edge were margined with
continuous reach Of media They are built at time
when the tide u out Each one torms what Nigh
b called PEN OF upright poles standing IKE pa
issdeo IN Old fortA The slsnder saplingS nd ~