The Wichita daily eagle., 1896-01-03
PoRPoIslNo OFF HATTERAs.
The Big Fish Arc Driven Ashore and
Then Killed with Knives

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Then Killed with Knives
The principal industry OF the hardy
residents of Hatteras islands, off the
North Carolina coast, is porpoise fish
inS. Isolated from the outside world,
braving the furious storms that sweep
over the island, the nhabitants become
accustomed to the energetic winds and
naddening pillows which occasionally
sweep away the fences, gates and. in
unusually severe weather, sometimes
the lighter articles of household furni-
ture fall prey to seething, relentless
waves and are strewn along the beach
or carried far out to sea- Still, they
with unabated energy.
Somewhere in the neighborhood OF
66 rough, hardy fishermen are engaged
in catching porpoises. This force of
men is divided into crews, or relays, of
20 men each, stationed on the Atlantic
side of Hatteras, their field of operation
comprising a stretch of ocean front of
about five miles in length.
Each of these stations is designated
as camp, and the boats, nets and other
paraphernalia used in capturing the
porpoise are kept in constant readiness,
and can be run out" with as much ease
and facility at moments notice as can
the apparatus of the life-saving crews.
A man is selected from each one of these
crews who is known as a "spy," or
watcher" whose duty it is to be ever on
the alert for the appearance of the por-
poise. Up and down the beach with
measured tread, like the soldier sentinel,
at stated intervals, he patrols beat"
his vigilant eye constantly turned sea-
ward
A high pole is placed in each camp,
but instead of flag, however, bundle
of dead brush is utilized, and when this
''waif," as it is termed, is run up to the
top of the pole, it is the signal to the
crew at the extreme end of the camp
limit that a school of porpoises are
gyrating and frolicing in the surf, and
to keep a sharp lookout for them. The
watcher keeps this school in sight, and
follows them, walking along the shore,
noting every movement. Should the
pilot carry the school seaward the
watcher returns to camp, the signal is
hauled down, for they know that the
school has disappeared in deep water.
In case, however, the school (number-
ing all the way from $50 to 200 fish) con-
tinues to advance on a line with
the shore off goes the distant crew, with
their boat, silently but swiftly into the
surf, and soon an immense wall of net is
spread to cut off their further advance.
In the meantime the first crew. discover
ing the school, are following close in its
wake, widening the net as they advance,
while the middle crew has gone beyond
the surf and is now pulling energetical-
ly for the shore. Finding their advance
disputed, the school suddenly turns
only to find itself confronted by simi-
lar obstruction of net. Now ensues
scene of indescribable confusion. High
out of the water they leap, lashing the
water into foam with their tails, and
making frantic efforts to escape. ST.
lently the crews close in upon them;
they are surrounded by great, strong
wall of netting, and only the most agile
succeed in overlapping the boundary
and making good their escape.
Closer and closer the crews approach
the most skillful- maneuvering is re-
quired to prevent the escape of the
school. The average catch at one haul
is eighty fish. Each fisherman is armed
with long, keen-bladed knife, and as
soon as the catch "strikes sand" (the
beach, certain number of men de-
tailed for the purpose draw their knives
and proceed to stab the floundering
fish in the neck. This operation is at
tended with extreme hazard, for the tail
of the porpoise wields great power,
and a "whack" sometimes breaks an
arm or leg.
The catch over, the boats ard appara-
tus are made ready for another haul. If
the haul has not been made too late in
the day, in the presence of great crowd
of women and children the skinning
process begins. The fat on the skins
inches in thickness. The skins are TAX
en- to the factory, where they are soaked
in large reservoirs, from which, after
sufficient length of time, they are trans
ferred to the splitting machine. Here
the blubber or fat is shaved evenly and
smoothly to a certain thickness, usually
requiring two "runnings" to accomplish
the desired result The skins are next
spread upon the floor and subjected 20
a thorough sailing. After few days,
when the salt has penetrated every
pore, the skins are carefully packed in
large boxes and shipped north to under
go the final process of tanning.
For days at time hog, the proverb-
ial North Carolina razor back, is not
visible about Hatteras, but he knows
from instinct when a catch of porpoises
is made, and like hungry wolves IN
Russian forest, these razor backs emerge
in great droves from the dense woods,
and feast upon the carcasses, that is,
if they have not been hastily gathered
up and carted off to the boiling house.
Here they are subjected TO a long and
thorough steaming, until the bones
leave the flesh. The flesh is tried out
into oil. while the bones, mixed with
other ingredients, are ground up in the
rolling mill. and so the porpoise
eventually reaches the market in zoo
pound sacks of phosphate.
A great deal depends upon the cordi-
ton Of the weather as TO the number
of catches during the week. Sometimes,
-har- ha