Morning journal and courier., 1888-08-11
OLD aOADTA AND BEYOND.

COast-A Great C0Mtrast-SOmethinG
 About Fish-Pfeus and Conpan1Ona-
 Ble old Salts.
 PASSPORT, Maine, August 6. To the Editor of the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
 This entire Maine coast is grandly beauti- ful, every mile, and it has over two thousand miles of actual coast line in its geographic two hundred. But to me this part of it, this farthest coast where folk of their own kind live, love and pass away, apparently unconscious ot the great worlds activities; where there are no towns of consequence, and no resorts whatever where nature is shamed by the displays and rivalries of the rich; and where it seems at times that shore and sea blent in iuimitable reaches of silence and grandeur, possess rugged and tremen- dous fascination of which few own con sciousness or even hearsay knowledge.
 THE MAINE COAST IN WINTER.
 Travelling perforee by sea in winter, along this farthest Maine coast, a wild and dreary shore line will constantly meet the eye. For scores of miles not hamlet and scarcely a lonely habitation, can be discovered. Here and there at long intervals ghostly light house, perchsd upon some drear, storm beaten, sea girdled rock or lonlier promonto- ry, may be seen; but these only suggest dan- ger and intensity dreariness The havoc and terror in nature along these shores almost reach malignity. Once driven in behind the foam tossed rocks for shelter, quieter waters might be found in coves backed by great crags and headlands, but few friendly cab ins, piers or hamlets could anywhere be seen. From the sea all seems as if the spirit of des- olation had retired here, impatient of 1t own maddening power, wild and distraught, for 8 winters fury, and had challenged the sea to Vxiy1far- long struggles between ocean and shore. There is scarcely cessation of battle. Noun tainous waves, as if led by fierce and plume tossed hosts, charge and charge thunderously through bitter day and awful night upon black faced ledge and headland, swathed in ghostly fog and fayed by cutting winds; while hoarse murmurs of battle are 8 grew some. endless undertone to the shrieking, storm beaten sea fowl darting hither and thither above, as if mad in sympathy with the tremendous elemental conflicts.
 A MAGICAL CHANGE.
 But when the winters rigors have past, and the fury of the storm is spent, what magical change has come. Murmurous sea pulses on welcoming shore. Savagery has given place to gentlest peace. Kelp and sea urchins grow and nestle at the foot of every ledge. Innumerabie islands bsthed in balmy, sea spent airs bloom with shrub, fern aud flower. Countless coves rest between is land and crag, mirroring but radiant skies; inviting to most venturesome quest; and safe for scallop, dory. sloop or even canoe. In far hooks behind emerald crowned crags lov- ingly nestle homes; and here and there, cir cling landward in shore and on outlying beaches. groups of fishers huts picturesque ly touch the very waters edge. Barefoot women and children are drying and mending the seines; and thousand brown weirs line the shores like hosts of russet spears, or as if one were come upon an endlesss or reedy, marshland sedge. Steamer and sail and gen. tie winds everywhere at sea; beauty, interest and delight everywhere toward the mighty land of pines; and for scores of miles along shore on our own coast, and to away beyond where flies the cross of St. George, for six month, glint of fishers sail, sound of fishers song. voices of fsher's wife and little ones, mingled with glad calls of myriad land and water fowl housing in the headland hooks ol island crags; with sunny days, starlit nights and the ceaseless whisperings of favorine gales and rythms of the joyous sea; blend and mingle into witching sound and scene where the herring comes to spawn and feed and host of souls are made glad of life tha anyone who can may turn it's kindly presence to goodly service and account.
 THE HERRING.
 Watersids folk will give you many a wis reason why herring inhabit these waters il greater abundance than these of any othe known shores, save of the Norway, Scottisl ous superstition exists for the occasions sudden disappearance and resppearanoe o herring shoals. But science, more accurat | If less romantic than superstition, has foun, | much of interest that herring fishers will \ never know. Among this it tells that tn \ herring is the most prolific fish, each 'sma | tie" or roc fish annually dspositing from tel N fhirfxr &hAr7aand hok fx, \ dividual "maties" probably do not spawl but once each year, spawning by herrin shoals certainly occurs twice year, In earl spring and late fall; that herring shoals ar of prodigious extent, "often closely packe like flock of sheepn for distances of eigh
 or nine miles and breadths of two to three ! with an unknown depth; that shoal of square mile, three fathons deep, will con tain five hundred million herrings; that al
 the fishing in all the world could never di minish their numbers; that their only enc
 mics worthy of note are the gu1ls, fin whales dog fish, gannets, porpoises, the hat6s
 which feed upon the newly deposited spawn
 and the ravenous cod, in whose stomachs tn herring is found the whole year through; an that they will swarm at and return to goo feeding and swawning grounds, despite al lore and superstition of fisher folk, unles their food supply shall fail or they are driy
 en from their home grounds by repeated on slaughts of their own voracious seafsrin relatives.
 Therefore, and therefore only, the water of our farthest northeast coast and the south western shores of New. Brunswick annual
 swarm with herrings, because the coves, eE tuaries, bays and entering streams provid the feeding and spawning grounds these de licious fish desire: and they never disappes save when natural conditions withhold thel food, or the cod, in great arnnadas. swee Ihsck to the west from the Banks and st