The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1889-08-02
CATCHING GOLDFISH.
A GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION OF THEIR
CAPTURE AND CURE.

On the right and left OF the fisherman
as he stands at the rail are pegs driven
into and extending some two inches above
the rail. These are the ''pull hobbies Ter
the lines to run against. A small cleat Is
| attached to the bulwark, to which the
line is made fast, each man having two
lines, one at each hand. A small pen or
"kid" is built against the side OF the
vessel near each mans fishing berth into
which the fish are thrown when taken
from the hook and larger one called the
"gurry kid" is built amidships for the re-
ception of the offal from the dressing
| down tables. Two large butts are dashed
| to the bulwarks amidships into which the
! cod livers are thrown and left to "try
out of their own accord, the oil being
drawn off now and then as occasion re-
quires from a spigot near the bottom of
the butt. Everything is now ready and
/ commence fishing.
BETTER THAN MEDICINE.
Two or three partly picked clans are
| placed on each hook and the leads are
then thrown over the side and soon
| feel them thump ON the bottom. The
| lines are then drawn in about three feet
and made fast to the cleats. Now /
stand with '.nippers" on my hands and
arrayed in my barvil, or long oilcloth
apron, and grasping one line in each
hand saw" them back and forth alter
nately against the pull boobies, thus
striving TO entice the finny beauties to
take my bait.
Soon dispatch is sent from the bot
tom Of the Atlantic up along my hempen
telegraph that some poor victim has par
taken of his last meal and, dropping the
other line, / quickly haul in hand over
hand and soon have my first fish over
the rail and into the kid.
Batting my hook once more throw
the lead overheard and while it is rum
ming down, grasp the other line and
find that this too has secured prize.
Surely this is getting exciting, and as
pulled in our second line, its dripping
coils formed graceful circles on the little
platform at my feet. forgot that I was
ever an invalid and our whole thought
was centered on the one idea of dis
covering whether have one or two cod
fish at the end Of that line. 1t surely
draws more steadily and with less furry
than did the first one, and as the lead
shoots up through the sparkling water l
discover that both hooks are treasure
laden, and with a loud and joyful hurrah
/ lean over the rail
Talk about pills and boluses to quick
en- sluggish circulation! That last haul
really did me more good than all the
drugs had taken for the past six
months.
LIKE LARGE SLAUGHTER HOUSE.
The fish were all gathered from the
several kids and thrown into the one
amidships which adjoins the s'gurry
kid" The dressing table is then set up
against the side of the latter, and, TAX
ing our several positions, we are ready
for action.
Our throater, Lowell by name, stands
facing the dressing kid and, reaching
down, seizes a fish with his left hand,
the thumb grasping the under jaw and
lifting him, places the back of the fish's
neck across the edge of the kid, and with
a quick slash of his two edged, dagger
shaped knife, cuts deep and wide cash
dCIOoo Tic hiliOdts ~ dt4t 11OfeulGlL Oh
the knife then removes the tongue, which
is thrown into tub near by. He then
rips the fish down the belly far enough
to expose the entrails and quickly Tipping
out the liver slides the fish across the
table to the "header," who stands ready
upon the opposite side. During the re-
mainder Of the voyage, I represented
that individual, and was indeed thankful
that our first catch was not large one,
for was certainly anything but an ex-
pert when tackled my first fish,
The operation Of heading is after this
manner: The header is provided with
wooden mittens having thumb and fore
finger. As the fish is slid across the table
by the throater, the header seizes it by
placing the forefnger Of the left hand
firmly in the fish's eye and the thumb
under the lower jaw. Then with .the
forefnger of his right hand he grasps the
principal intestine where it is joined to
the body and with quick jerk tears it
loose; then with forward scooping mo-
ton he removes the whole internal ma
chinery and slides it into the curry kid
He then, with the left hand still retain
ing its position, draws the fish forward
until it lies upon its back, the back of the
neck resting over the edge Of the table.
He now with his right hand extended
grasps the fish by the throat and with
quick push against the napes with the
right hand and at the same instant a
sudden downward jerk of the fish's head
with the left, the head is broken off and
falls into a tub between his feet, while
the beheaded fish slides over to the
splitter, who stands at the front Of the
table with the throater at his left and
the header at his right hand.
The splitter now seizes the fish by the
nape with the left hand and with
quick slash with his long knife splits
him down to the root Of the tail. He
then places the lip Of the knife under
the lower end of the backbone and with
a sudden forward and at the same time
lifting motion, whirls the backbone into
the air and the fish is thrown down into
the hold to the salter.
The fish are laid up In tiers like stove
wood in shed, the tiers running trans
versely across the vessels hold, each
layer being thoroughly covered with salt.
When the sounds" are to be saved
the backbones are allowed to drop into
a tub at the feet Of the splitter until
the fish ara all dressed. He then empties
them upon the table, and with his knife
deity removes the Sound" or air blad-
der from the inner side of the backbone