The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-07-10
WAKEMAN'SW ANDERINGS
SOME FEATURES OF PENzANCE
AND ROUND ABOUT.

Pitcher Fishing and Wiping
the Shoe"-CuriQus Cornish Suspicion
and Generosity-The Region About
Penzance-St. M chAers Bay and
Mount.
(Copvriokt1
PENzANcE, CORNWALL, July 2.-Before
leaving the ancient Cornish seaport of st.
Ives my friendship with the flsherfolk of
the town led to the gaining OF much iufor-
nation regarding the famous pitcher fishery
of the bay
Brief reference was made in my proceed
ing article to the coming Of the shoals, the
character OF the fish. which is very similar
to the diminutive Passport Me- behring's
packed as sardines and given French labels
in that enterprising yankee port, and the
genuine sardins of Biscayan waters, while
mention was made of the curious operations
of the "huers" or watchers and the univer-
sal excitemens in st. Ives when shoal is
sighted.
Seines from 1000 20 1000 feet long are
used for impounding the shoals. They are
carried in large boat called the seineboat,
worked by from eight to ten men with
oars. No sails are used. The seineboat is
attended by two smaller boats called tow
boats, which carry smaller nets called
thwart or stop nets, while these towboats
are followed by still another tender, rowed
by strong lads, and used for carrying men
between the larger boats or to and from
shore, as circumstances may require.
When the watchers upon the nights
signal the order to shoot, both the seiueboat
and the thwartboat start from the same
point From tho former the seine Is cast
around the fish on the outside, forming a
large segment of a circle. From the
thwartboat this stop net is thrown, form
ing sort OF continuation of the circle, but
the follower remains at the point Of depart
ure to prevent the fish from passing through
the opening between the ends of the two
nets.
As soon as the seine is shot the work of
the "blo wsers" begins Twenty to forty Of
these take the warp or line at is shore end,
attach 70 it a huge capstan and begin draw
ing it inshore. At the same time another
line called the towrope is carried from the
opposite extremity and with this the men
in the seiueboet warp the net inward. The
nets, with the fish inolosed or penned in are
now brought near enough to land to be out
of tides way and are safely moored.
Gathering in or taking up the fish is
called 'tucking," When the tide is low
seine, and has on hoard what is called a
"tucknet" With this the fish are scooped
from the wiggling shoal and brought so
near the surface that they may be dipped
out of the sea in basket. Boatoad alter
boatload is thus taken, until enough are Sc
cured to be handled in the curing process
between one low tide and another, and when
the shoals are large week of night and
day work is often required.
"TucKing" at night is always an interest
ing and often q brilliant scene in st. Ives
bay the boats Fastening to aud fro, the oars
sparkling with phosphorescenoe at every
sturdy stroke; the subdued, yet eager aotiv-
ity OF the fishermen as they plunge their
baskets into the water to raise at each dip a
stream Of Quiyering silver; the hustle and
excitement along the pier and the busy
streets, where the labor never ceases so
30 long as the shoal holds out, and then old
st. Ives, hanging like ragged nistletoe from
the nights above, with the terrace lights
like a fishing tiara, are all worth storing
away among the pleasant pictures of the
memory.
From the boats the pilchards ans taken to
the cellars and store house In ''gurries"
These are square vessels like open boxes
| with handles at each end. The FISH are
sailed IN bulk, that is, they are built into
huge piles, in alternate layers Of fish and
salt. All this work is done by women aud
| girls. who are quite as powerful in all nee
essary handling aud carrying as the men,
and far more dexterous.
The fish are allowed TO remain in bulk for
thirty or forty days. During this time q
vast amount of '.pickle" and oil drains
away, finding Its way into receptacles from
which the oil is SKINNED. Then the fish
are washed perfectly clean in huge troughs,
when they are put with great nicely and in
regular layers ipto casks, locally called
"hogsheads." Of fifty two gallons each. They
are then subjected to strong pressure for a
week, causing another large flow Of oil,
after which they are headed up and are
ready for expectation TO Mediterranean
ports.
These st. Ives curers are the wives,
daughters and sweethearts of the st. Ives
fishermen, bFawny of arm, stout Of frame
among the oleanest of women at home, not
giving to the unrepeatable billingsgate of
the Thames-side fshwives; and they get
more pleasure out of their neighboBly
'teas" and their Wesleyan prayer meetings
than is secured out of any manner OF diver
sion by any other lowly women l know.
Bat despite the prayer meetings they enjoy
their rough larks and play, which are usu
ally the source Of discontinue TO some man
of their own kind who has been caught
at some unforgivable pecadillo, or
some 'oopstart" stranger whom they
dearly love TO hustle for awhile and
then treat to a bath in the barbor or
within some convenient vat of ''pickle" and
oil. Indeed, throughout all Corn wall all
women who work at mans labor in gangs
together like these ST. Ives fisher wives and
the ''bal girls" or mining pit brow lasses,
seem to have a penchant for treating any
man who has secured their dislike In so
rough way that it often merges into
brutality.
Among their lmmemorial customs none Is
more rigidly adhered to or more likely 70
make trouble to a supercliou5 stranger than
the one among the st. Ives fish wives of
"wiping the shoe" If you by chance step
into one Of these huge fish curing cellars,
where from fifty to ono hundred st. Ives
fish women are at work, their shrill clack
and clatter of voices are instantly hushed.
Some substantially built middle aged
woman advances TO you and without a
word gives the toe of one of your shoes a
quick wipe with bit Of old rag filed with
oil. That Is all there is TO "wiping the
shoe, II you Immediately respond with a
half crown, or even a shilling. This is
counted as paying your reckoning" for
satisfying your curiosity, and the proceeds
go into common fund. II you fail to at
once furnish the gratuity you are suddenly
surrounded and roughly hustled" in the
meantime coming in contact with rough
knuckles and hard elbows, which these fish
wives know how to savagely handle, and
d. l. - a