Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-05-12

old women, sQuatting ut cabin doors, Deslu'
pumps, OF along paths leading seaward IRON
the cliffs, gossip in apparently endless hour
in fierce threnodies of tones, as il. their hun
ger could thus alone be appeased. In mor'
than a score of these nameless, unmappeC
collections of tumbling huts which we yis
tied, the same pitiful scenes were presented
and where all the ablebodied men are a.
sea in their boats, while much that is pic
turesque may be found, the feeling that war
famine, or some extrrpating pestilence, mus
have swept away all but the wretched, half.
mummied portion, becomes so strong upor
you as to render long contemplation OF i
unbearable.
IRISH LAssES MISSING.
In all this coastwise villages, save at thu
curing stations, where considerable mum
Der of women are employed, ,one will scarcely
see face or form of Irish lass or maiden; and
1 asked my fisher friend where in heavens
name they had all gone.
"Gone, is it?-Gone2 Heughl Over ths
say enthirely."
One seldom sees any save cursory refer
ence to the Irish fisheries; and it was sur
prising TO me to know OF their extent, ano
the remarkable number of boats and men
they employ. From the mouth of the Shan
non to Malin Head, the northernmost land
point of Ireland all manner of deep sea
fishing, while abundant, is scarcely fol-
lowed, from the poverty of the fishermen,
who are usually also holders of small patches
of land, and the insufficiency of means for
prosecuting the vocation. Consequently,
little else than herring fishing is followed.
From loughs Swilly and Foyle, to below
Belfast, fishing is carried on with very much
more regularity; the markets of Glasgow,
Rolfact and 1,iuorpO01 fr1ru rpadV
sale for the catches. Whatever the abund-
ance OF the fish may be in the
Irish Sea, from Belfast around the
east and south coasts of Ireland to Cork,
lit le else is attempted by fishermen
than to supply the local Dublin market.
But from Cork around the southwestern
coast to the mouth of the Shannon again
every estuary, every bay and every square
mile of deep sea-. for 100 miles off the coast,
furnish, in season, unsurpassed harvest
ground for seine and line. The whole sea
and coast region comprises some e1traor-
dinarily productive "banks, including a
turbot bank at the mouth OF the Shannon,
an extensive bank about Is leagues north
west of the Blasquet Islands, another ex-
tending northwest from near Valentia
Island, 10 or IL small banks to the west of
Kenmare Bay, and splendid cod and had
Rocks. Together these grounds and banks
produce cod, haKe, haddock, red gannet,
ling, conger, whiting. hatfsh and the ever
priced mackerel and herring, and are known
as the Fisheries of Kerry. To the Ameri-
can, the surprising fact is that fully 5000
boats and %, 900 to q, 900 men are mpioyed
in this single industry off this little bit of
island coast
IMPOSING FLEETS
The irish feet, including possibly 100
Isle OF Man boats of from 20 to 60 tons each
with crews of seven men and little engines
for shooting" and hauling the seines, COM
prises about 200 boats. The French feet
is an imposing sight in itself. 1t comprises
between 800 and 900 boats, each Of from 100
to 150 tons burden; much larger vessels
than those forming our own Gloucester
feet.
Mackerel fishing begins on, but never be-
fore, st. Patrick's Day. Any French or
Irish fisher violating this unwritten law
would be forever driven from the coast.
The greatest number of vessels will be
found off the Skelligs. Here they are
massed so densely that frequently the water
cannot be seen from fishing smack's deck.
Casting, or shooting" the nest, which re-
quires about one hours time, is invariably
done just before sunset, so that the boats
can see each others night-berths; that
iouling of the seines may be avoided, and
also in order to ''trim' and make every
thing snug for the night. The lights car
ried in the yawlers and smaller sailers
are simply a common lantern set in
'crutch" amidships, about six feet
from the deck. Rude flashes" of cotton
waste soaked in petroleum and struck with
matches, are soprovided for dark nights
and foggy weather. and when the fogs close
in too heavily, the crews keep up terrific
believing with buffalo and tin horns. After
everything is trim for the night, a watch Of
the men is stationed, and all others 90 to
their hunks below. Precisely at midnight
all are awakened, and "hauling up" begins.
When done by hand this requires nearly
five hours labor, and but half that where
the donkey engine" is used. The ''sole-
rope" which hauls in the seineis ''wenched"
in by two men; two men are required to
''shake OUT the fish as the net 'comes
home;" one man is needed to coil the slack
''sole-rope;" and two men are in the hold
slowing away the seine.
SOME BIG HAULs.
Whatever the catch-one seineload of
over 80, 900 mackerel was taken at Garnish
last October-the entire Irish fleet is away
from their berths by o'clock in the morn
ing for the markets at Village Harbor,
Dingle, Ventry Harbor and Kinsale, where
the curers have their buyers; and from
whom, until a few years since, every fish
taken was sent to Manchester, England.
About the middle of June the isle of Man
feet leaves these waters and proceeds to the
Shetland Islands, where fishing for herring
is carried on until October; and on July
the crews of the home, or Kerry, boats also
discontinue quest for mackerel, and begin
"long-line' fishing in water of 40 to 30
fathoms for herring, ling and cod.
An interesting fact to Americans regard
ing these Southwest Irish coast fisheries is
that few years since some far-scented Yam
kee fishermen of Gloucester and Boston, no.
ticing the scarcity OF mackerel in the Amer
lean market, and the enchanting margin
usually existing between pauper labor and
exorbitant product prices, quietly came
here, and have since been able to purchase,
cure, pack, and pay the import duty of 50
per barrel on mackerel, and together annu-
ally lay by greater profit than has been
yearly secured by the combined mackerel
fishers of our entire Northeastern coast.
EDGAR L. WAKEMAN.