The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-03-14

being divided bY the emit
crew. share and share alike"
"last" OF herring is the Yarmout
standard Of reckoning. Itcomprises tie
barrels Of fish. Another method Of con
putting the ''last," where the fsh a.
sold out Of the boat, is TO count out 10
200 behring's. The vessels are victualle
by the owners, and are also provide
with several tons OF salt. For the hel
rings taken at Yarmouth are disposed 9
in an entirely different manner from
those secured by the Scottish and sheI
land fishers. The latter sell thei
takes" Immediately To "curers;" VIII
at 'stationB" aiongshore, pickle" tn!
herring according to the old Dutcl
method, in barrels, which, after Teceiy
ing government inspection and brand
are shipped To the continental market
All the herring taken along the East o
England coast are marketed at Var
mouth, and arc either shipped fresh, II
carload lots, to the London h;h
mongers, or are transformed By
sailing and smoking into yarmouth
bloaterS," for shipment to all parts
Of the world in the little pine boxes
which from time immemorial have
adorned grocery.store windows. Every
boat is furnished with about 100 nets,
each OF which is twenty.one yards long,
and about twenty-five feet deep. These
are fastened in q length TO "War.rope"
by cords which the men call "seasons,"
each OF which Is eighteen feet in length.
The nets are foated by corks, and the
"war.ropes" by tubs, or buoys. The
trade affords the principal means OF sub.
sistence to about 5000 fishermen, 1000
braiders, beetsters. towers, rivers, ferry
men, carpenters, caulkers, etc, besides
the number OF seamen employed in car.
rying the fish to foreign markets, and
the commercial class engaged in con.
Quoting the gigantic industry; as well as
partial support to fully 10000 people
from the "North Countrie," and near
provincial district, vsriously employed
at odds and ends OF labor connected with
the herring fishing during the height Of
its season.
A night with the Yarmouth berying.
fleet is replete with interest and often
with excitement. On more than one
occasion have been rocked in the
cradle OF the North Sea in no gentle
fashion aboard these herring.smacEs,
but great storms during the herringses.
son are rare exceptions. About four
o'clock in the afternoon the mass Of
smacks along the quays begin to swarm
with men and hall the city.folk, after an
old custom, straggle up and down the
quays to witness the daily departure OF
the fleet. You will find each crew par
ticularly busy "layiug on" the nets,
that is, folding them in great level pile
in the hold. This is a work Of the great
est nicely, so that when the nets are
"shot," or cast into the sea, they do not
become entangled. While being "laid
on" the nets are joined together by
knotting the back ropes OF each net.
The buoys are at the same time attached.
While three men are engaged in this
folding, one attaches the sinkers, and an
other is busted folding the haCk.rope.
This done, one by one the feet, hun.
dreds upon hundreds Of these smacks,
drift gently out OF the Yarmouth, and
thence across the Yarmouth Roads, into
the open sea. Az the twilight falls the
old city sinks from sight into its sand.
dunes. What at first was semi-circle
OF bright color from the thousands OF
pleasure seekers along the beach, grad.
nally merges into line Of rose above an
other OF white; these blend into a rio.
bon 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 bea.
con.light blazing brightly above, along
side st. Nicholas grim, square tower.
To the north and south, from the east
shore ports, 1t seems as though thou.
sand other sail had met US there; all
floating between the dark water and the
paler eastern HORIZON sky like myriad
sea.fowl resting silently upon vast ex-
panse OF sea.
But all these thousand or more smacks
are moving: each gently lacking here
and there Tor suitable fshing.ground.
Here and there sails are being furled,
and masts lowered, denoting that the
business Of the night with the great
fleet, manned by perhaps 5000 men, has
already begun. Soon it comes our turn.
Net after net flies over the side, as We
float with the tide, trailing at least a
mile behind US, like a maiestic seaser.
pent, the corks ana buoys dancing on
the waters farther than the eye can
reach. Then the cook calls US below to
the "den" for supper. A queer lit:
tie place it is. One can hardly stand
upright in it. On either side are
the sleeping berths for crew OF eight.
There Is q good American stove, on
which the supper has been cooked, and
a tiny table al which four Of us can sit
at one time and eat. And how we do
eat Never before have ham and eggs,
potatoes fried in fish.grease, pretty
tough bread and black coffee, tasted &c
toothsome and sweet. Then an hour OF
so on deck, spinning yarns, watching
the countless night.lights cleaning from
neighboring smacks, or tracing the train
OF smoke and phosphorescence behind
the great steamers, passing and repass
ing as II 10 run Us down, and all but two
or three OF the crew turn in" below.
About midnight we who remain or
watch "try" the nets. A half dozen Of
more are hauled in. Perhaps not
single herring is found. The nets arr
cast out again. Then it Is drift, drift
DRIFT, until 8 o'clock in the morning
more than 1000 silent smacks in com
pany, trailing 1000 miles Of nets. A
this hour all is commotion Throughout
the entire feet. The daily drawing o
the sea lottery is at hand. On eacE
smack's stern Is machine called th'
"Iron Man." worked by one man, which
hauls in the back rope over threepulleyl
and is equal to about two and one.hal
mems strength. The remainder OF TIT
crew are hauling in the middle ant
foot OF the nets, shaking thu
wriggling, silvery. sqneaking fsh from
the meshes into the hold as the net
come over the gunwale; the "scumme
boy" with his "scummer," like salmon
landing net, eagerly scoops up eyer,
herring which by miSchance drops bacl
into the sea, from which service his en-
tire wages are secured. II few fish hav
been taken, it Is a wearisome task haul
ing in more than half miles length 0
dripping nets. II three, or four, or hal
dozen "lasts" are secured, as is ottel
done, the men work under the creates
excitement aud good feeling. Finally