The Republican journal., 1896-04-16
The New England Fisheries.

INTERESTING "REMINISCENCES OF W. Ii.
| KILBY.
In the February number of the New
England Magazine appears an article with
the title ''The Passing of the New Eng
land Fisherman which | have found
suggestive of a wide historical range.
The article is fully illustrated and well
written in somewhat pathetic strain.
The writer in his vacation visits to one of
the old fishing ports on the coast of Lin
| coin county, Maine, which has become a
summer pleasure resort, has observed the
way in which place once a busy center
| from which vessels were fitted out for
deep sea fishing voyages to Labrador and
the Grand Banks has ceased to be the
home of that industry, showing deserted
wharves, dilapidated store houses and an
occasional worn out fishing craft aban-
doned on the beach.
The sketch might be duplicated at
many other places along the eastern coast;
and yet there is no indication that the
fishing business of New England has as
whole fallen off. More capital is invested,
and more men employed than ever before.
The fishing craft of to- day are greatly SUI
paw w ehS O1eA eihlC uHu
sterners and some of them quite rival
pleasure yachts in style and finish Here
as in other lines of business, concentra-
ton has come about and the deep sea fish
ing industry once scattered along the
coveS and harborS of Maine and Massa-
chusetts, is now centered at a few places,
Gloucester, ProvincetOwn, Portland and
Boston. From other once important fish
ing ports it has now disappeared entirely.
A notable instance of this is Marblehead
in its day famous in that way, in which
several years ago there was reported to be
but single fishing craft left As the fish
ing season occupied only portion of the
year, the returning crews began to take
up shoe making for the idle months and
now that is the leading industry of the
town.
And the old fishermen whom the writer
met in his summer rambles keeps now at
home, and INDUCES in memories of the
former times of local prosperity, but
among his kindred and neighbors he has
few successors. In the progress of the
country and its interests, wider and more
attractive opportunities for success are
offered and his descendants prefer to push
their way into some of them. In the CON
centration of the industry the fisherman
has become less of a citizen and more of
a laborer, with a smaller proportion of
men of American descent among the
crews. In the twelve months of 1894 and
the first month of 1895, there were lost
from the Gloucester fleet one hundred and
twenty-five men, the table of mortality
being made up of natives of different
countries as follows: Nova Scotia 35,
Newfoundland 21, Sweden Is. Cape Bret
on IA, Portugal 8, st. Pierre, Milo. s, Ire
land 8, Norway 4, United States 3, Fin
land 3, Iceland 2, Germany l. Italy 1. Only
three of American birth in the entire num-
Der. 1t is tragic record. In the old
time when the crews were almost exclu-
sively made up of men of the native stock
the New England fisherman got into poet
~. In Whittier S Songs of Labor he has
a jubilant note, but Lucy Larcom, who
was born of that stock, lived closer to the
situation, and skipper Benz and "Han-
nah at the Window Binding Shoes are in
a different strain.
In recent times the fishing business has
undergone changes in various ways not
only by the increased use OF travis and
seines in gathering in the catch, but the
growth of rapid modes of transp ortaton
by swift steamers and fast trains and the
lavish use of ice has enabled a large pro-
portion OF 1t to be put upon the market
without undergoing any process OF curing.
In the inception of the railroad system
line was first pushed westward from Bos-
ton to Worcester. Then the effort was
made to extend to Albany. To accom-
plish this the aid OF the State OF MAssa-
chusctts was needed, and various inter
ests We're invoked and particularly the
I important ones connected with lhe fish
cries. When the matter was under CON
\ sideratiOn before the General Court Il rep
resentatlve from one Of the fishing dis
trictS made what was then considered a
startling prophecy, that if this railroad
extension could be carried through fish
caught in Massachusetts Bay would be
sold fresh in the city OF Albany" Now
they are sold fresh in Chicago and St.
Louis and if necessary could be transport
ed in refrigerator cars to the Pacific, and
in fact halibut and haddock caught in
Puget Sound have been sold fresh in At
lantic cities. Another modification is in
preserving in oils, encasing in tin and
packing in dainty ways for the grocer S
shelves.
Though the New England fisheries have
not actually fallen off in quantity ana
value since former times their relative
importance compared with other interests
has materially changed. Once it was
| looked upon as great national interest
to be specially encouraged not only in
foreign treaties but by bounties at home.
1t was looked upon as a nursery for sea-
men, and the naval strength Of the nation
was largely predicated upon the force of
sturdy seamen which the deep sea fisher
les could be depended upon for supply
The system Of bounties was abandoned
years ago, and the fishing interest 10y 10
means commands its former Importance
in the public estimation.
Some of the Sentnel's older readers
will remember the hustle of the earlier
days when with opening spring the Passa-
maqnoddy fishing fleet was being fitted
for sea- Some were pinkeys like the old
Sally and Monkey, which | specially re-
member, and larger craft were sent to the
Bay OF Chalenr and distant Labrador
The government bounty of four dollars a
ton Tor four months service was an i'm
portant iuducement for engaging in the
cod fishery. When the Columbia came
back from Labrador her cargo of fish was
landed at Harrington's Beach, all over
which the drying flakes were spread One
of the busiest fishing stands on the island
was at the well known Billings place
near the Salt Works. The owner was an
| energetic skipper himself and went with