The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-03-15

yards long and about % feet deep. These
are fastened in a length to war rope" by
cords which the men call seasons" each of
which is IS feet in length. The nets are
Heated by cOrks, and the war ropes by
tubs or buoys. The trade affords the prin-
cipal means of subsistence to about 5000 fish
ermen, COCO braiders, beetsters, towers,
rivers, feTrymen, carpenters, calkers, etc,
besides the number of seamen employed in
carrying the fish to foreign markets, and the
commercial class engaged in conducting the
gigantic industry; as well as partial support
to fully 10000 people from the North
COuntfe," and near provincial districts,
variouSly employed at odds ana ends of
labor connected with the herring fishing
during
THE HEIGHT OF ITS SEASON.
\ night with the Yarmouth herriDg-feet
is replete with interest and often with eX-
citement. On more than one occasion have
l been rocked in the cradle of the North
Sea in no gentle fashion aboard these her.
ring smacks. but great storms during the
herring season are rare exceptions. About
O'Clock in the afternoon the mass OF smacks
along the quays begin to swarm with men;
and half the city folk, after an old custom,
Straggle up and down the quays 10 witness
the daily departure of the fleet. You will
ind each crew particularly busy laying
on the nets, that is, folding them in great
level pile in the hold. This is work of the
shot," or cast into the sea, they do not be-
come entangled While being laid on"
the nets are joined together by knot
ting the back ropes Of each net. The
bu9ys are at the same time attached.
While three men are engaged In this
folding, one attaches the Snkers, and an
other is busted folding the back rope.
This done, one by one the fleet, hundreds
upon hundreds of these smacks, drift gently
out of the Yare mouth, and thence across
len y .srs,,N nftf int As
the twilight falls, the old city sinks from
sight into the sand-dunes- What at first
was a senli-crcle Of bright color from the
thousands of pleasure-seekers along the
beach gradually merSeS into line of rose
above another OF white, these blend into 4
ribbon of purple; and then the city lights
show like faint, far stars lying across the
horizon, beneath the darkening puppies of
the western sky, the Yarmouth beacon
light blazing brightly above, alongside St.
Nicholas grim,tSquaTe tower. To the north
and south, from the east-shore ports, it
seems rs though Il thousand ether sail had
net us there, all floating between the dark
waters and The paler eastern horizon sky
like myriad sea-fowl resting silently upon
a vast eXpanSe of sea.
But ali these thousand or more smacks
are moving; each gently lacking here and
there for 4 suitable 1ShIng-grOund. Here
and there sails ate being furled, and maStS
lowered, denoting that the business of the
haps 5000 men, has already begun. Soon it
comes our turn. Net after net flies over
the side, as we float with the tide, trailing
al least mile behind US, like majestic sea-
serpent, the coTks and buOys dancing on the
waters further than the eye can reach. Then
the cook calls US below to the den" Tor
supper. A queer little place 1t is. One can
hardly stand upright in IT, On either side
are the sleeping berths for a crew of eight.
There is u good American stove, on which
faaa.N
at which four Of US can sit at one time and
eat, And how we do eat. Never before
have ham and eggs, potatoes fred IN fish
grease. pretty tough bread and black coffee
TASTED so ToOTusoNIE
And sweet. Then an hour or so on deck,
spinning yarns. watching the countless
nlghl-lghlS cleaning from neighborng
Smacks. or tracing the train of smoke and
phOsphOreScence behind the great steamers,
passing and repassing as ii to run Us down,
and all but two or three OF the crew turn
in" below
About midnight we who remain on watch
"try" the nets. A half dozen or more are
hauled in. Perhaps not single herring is
found. The nets are cast out again. Then
it is DRIFT, drift, drift until O'Clock in the
morning, more than 1000 silent SmackS III
company, trailing 1000 miles of nets At
this hour all is commotioD throughout the
entire feet. The daily drawing of the sea-
lottery is at hand. On each smack stern
is a machine called the iron man.. worked
by one man, which haulS In the back rope
over three pulieys, and IS equal TO about
two and q half mems strength. The re-
malnder OF the crew are hauling in the
middle and foot of the nets, shaking the
WIiggling, silyery, squeaking fish fIom the
ne5hes into the hold as the nets come over
the gnWale; the "scummeT-buy," with his
''scummer," like q Salm0n-landng net,
eagerly seGopng up every herring which by
nllschauce drops back into tue sea, from
which service his entire wages are secured.
II few fish have been taken 1t IS 4 Wearl-
some task hauling III more than hall mile $
length OF dripping nets. II three or four or
half dozen lasts are secured, as is often
done, the men work under the greatest eX-
element and good feeling. Finally, as per
haps the dawn Is just breaking, tie entire
feet Is heading toward Yarmouth before Il
spanking breeze. the light-laden, unlncky
craft outspeeding those deep-sunk with
their precious fTeightS, rendering easy and
CHEEKY the nervousness of tagging behind.
Half 4 thousand crafts may already be
berthed at the quay5 aud discharging their
fish when your own smack arrives. Ii so,
you viii fad half a hundred thousand
Yarmouth folk aud SigAt-seerS swelling
the motley thTOngs TO greet you. The
herTingS are disposed Of in a jlffy by auc-
ton. caTtpd to the fish-houSes covered with
salt for .wenty-four hours, and then washed
in watts by the curerS, called towers" Then
they are spitted through the head upon spitS
about four feet long by women, glib of
tongue and deXtrouS of fingers, locally
known as rivers" From their hands
they are conveyed to the hinge Smoke
houses" where they are hung in tiers in
narrow passages from forty to fifty feet
high. and in these the process of smoking
goes on in gentle smudgings, with frequent
INTERN issions, several weeks. They have
then become the rich, juicy, tOothsOme
Yarmouth bloaters" of commerce. 1t is
among the many legends of old Yarmouth
town, and is set down as authentic history
by its ancient chronicles, that the Yarmouth
mode of curing herring by sailing and
smoking, which has resulted in the greatest
industry in the preparation for use of
single fish at a single port in the world,
was the result of accident, fisherman hay-
ing hung some herrings up in his cabin,
where, what with his fiering aud smoking,
or Smokie-fering, in that his narrow lobby,
his behring's, which were as white a
whalebone when lie hung them up, now
lookt as red as Il lobster"
sCopyright EDGAR L. WAKEMAN.
A GREAT EDITORS MISTAKE,