Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-11-30

In the early part of the century Scot.
fish herriugs were chiefly exported e
Ireland, and TO the West Indies as tooC
for slaves. But since 1916 continents
Europe, especially Germany and Russia
has been the chief purchaser. During
1907. the first year for which statistic:
are procurable, the product wns upwurd.
of 80 200 barrels; tor the ten years end
ing in 1917. there were 453 1898 barrel:
cured; Tor the twenty years closing with
1887 there were no 1853 barrels cured
while the tremendous increase III the ill.,
dustry Is shown by the fact that i'll 1885
there were cured on the east coast S12,
G43 barrels, of winch 1874 go barrel:
were shipped to the continent; while or
the west coast the yearly catch averages
230 600, giving :Otul product for 1885
of ut least / 100 200 barrels, exclusive
of the behring's used fresh in fishing
ports, those "kippered, and those
sent fresh to Scottish and English
markets, which amount annually &c
40 900 tcraus;' and it should be borne
in IN ind that the Gran measure is equal to
81 y imperial gallons. 1t is still the
standard OF measure although seldom
used as utensii for measurement. An
idea of the predeminating importance of
the herring fisheries may be gained from
the fact that the total value of the her
ring, white, shell and salmon, fisheries
of Scotland In 1886 was g. $50 IFS. OF
which behring's represented FL 400 ISL.
THE BOATS
in use at the middle of the present CEN
fury were about twenty-four feet of
keel, unlocked and carried twenty -four
hemp-nets, forty yards long, seven
yards deep, with thir!y-three meshes
after years use. The boats built
within the past five years are from forty
eight 10 fifty-tive ct of keel. They are
decked and carry an average drift of
fifty cotton nets, each sixty yards long
and eleven yards deep, with about
thirty-hve meshes to the yard after u
wears use. There are three classes:
Firth bouts, straight in stem and stern i,
tfty-fr feet of keel and fifty-seven aud
a half feet extreme length above; the
Skeffie boats, ''fid dle-shnped' bow and
sloped stern, with thirty -four feet keel
aud fifty feet length above: and the
Zu!u boats with straight bow and
sloped stern, with forty-tive feet OF keel
and fifty-five feet length above. The
general rig is lugsail, jib and jigger. A
large numue are snack-r'gged, the Int
ter being in common use here in Shetland
for its convenience in lacking up the
narrow woes or bays. A boat of Gfty
feet keel, Firth build, with sailing gear
included, will cost about $500, the fish
ing gear costing from ESQ 10 ESQ, re-
curing All outlay of at least ft75 before
equipment for herring fishing is COM
plete. 1t was calculated il 1873 that
there were over 1000 boats engaged in
the Scotch herring fisheries. These car
rled nets nearly y ZOO miles long; suf-
ticieut to cover II superficial area of sew
enty square miles. The number OF boats
en- ployed IN 1888 in Scotia in the her
ring and o'her sea fisheries, numbered
IA ,904, with n tonnage of l24 ASP tons.
OF these, All were boats of the first
class, or above thirty feet OF keel, ex-
elusive of 10Y vessels employed in fishing
nth the beam trawl. For the same year
the number of fishermen and boys by
which the boats were manned was AS
GlS. There were 1047 tish-curers. The
coopers numbered l4l0. Others en-
ployed In the work, such as packers,
''gutters, carriers and laborers num-
brred As ,s06, giving q total of persons
EN- ployed in the fishing industry of 81
SSl souls. 9
East coast summer herring fishing be-
gins about the first of July aud continues
until the 10th of September. Rere in
Shetland the season opens a month earl
Ter. Fishermen, laborers, curtrs-crews
and what not come TO all the east coast
ports and to Shetland from every portion
of the north and West of Scotland in
GLIDING the outer Hebrides. They are
simply the croiters I have spoken of in
previous articles, who take this method
of securing money with which to pay
the rent of their crofts, and without
which they could not exist throughout
the year. At Wick fifteen years ago the
fishermen helpers received each wage
of from &c to IS for season of about
six months, with board and loading. A
few years since It was f6 to fS, with
one shilling for each Gran of herring
landed, which with other perqustes in
creased their earnings to ELS or ego. At
present in Shetland, the prime pal seat
of the herring industry, the system
generally prevailing is TO allow
one-hnlf of the proceeds of the
fishing TO the owner or owners
of the boat. who provide all ma
terial, the other half being equally di-
vided between members of the crew, the
owner receiving a share as such IL he be
one of the crew. On the east coast il is
also Becoming general to give hired fish,
ers one shilling on each pound sterling
value of herr ng landed. At some portS1
men receive a certain proportion of the
boats earnings, providing their own
subsistence on shore, but getting their
{ oilskins for sea use as perquisits.
rHE PREPARATIONS OF THE FIsH-CURER
are OF interest and Importance. All
winter long coopers have been employed
in making the necessary supply of bar
rels. They receive from ten-pence TO
oue shilling for each barrel made, and
turing the herring season are paid reg
Ilar wages ranging from twenty-five to
thirty shillfngs per week. The herring
barrel must hold twenty-six aud two
thirds imperial gallons; the half barrel
thirteen and one-tbird; but no officle
is taken of quarters or less.
Having secured sufficient ground for cur
ng purposes, which Is called q curing
7ard or station, we will suppose he iu-
ENDS using the fish landed by ten boats.