The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-06-15
THE WORLDS LARGEST NET.
Nine Thousand Shad and 100000
Herring at One Hall.

|
| short distance from this city on the
| Potomac river, Is operated the largest
| seine in American waters and probably in
| the world. The fishing grounds are located
/ at Stony Point, Va, nearly opposite IN
dian Head, about twenty-five miles below
| Washington, the river at this point being
| one and three-quarter miles wide The
/ seine is owned by Capt. William Neitzey
/ of this city, and used only during the
! shad and herring season, or nine or ten
weeks each spring. beginning about the
| middle of March. Although this seine has
| been hauled on this shore year after year
! for nearly third of century, few peo-
| pie. except those directly interested, are
| aware of its size and Importance. The
| length of the seine is 1000 fathoms, or g.,
| 800 feet, 800 feet less than two miles long.
| Attached to each end are large, heavy
ropes leading to the shore, on erope being
| 500 feet long and the other $500 feet long,
! combined length of seine and rope of
! 1880 feet, or considerably over five miles.
1t is a novel and interesting sight to wit
| ness the hauling of the seine, and to OBJ
| serve the skilful manipulations which re-
suit in the capture of immense quantities
Of fish.
The living quarters of the men consist
| of two long, narrow buildings, one occu-
| pied by the officers and the other by the
| crew. the total number usually employed
being seventy or seventy-five men. The
| only other building on the grounds is the
| engine shed, situated on the shore, nearly
| three-fourths of a mile south of the main
buildings. This shed contains two engines
one known as the land" and the other as
| the boat" engine, which pull in the
| land" and "boat" ends of the seine, res
pectively. They develop twelve-horse pow
er, and were constructed expressly for
| this purpose.
Two hauls Of the seine are made every
| twenty-four hours-on each ebb tide-re-
| CARELESS OF the weather. When the tide
is highest the exact time is noted, and
the water allowed to run out about an
hour before prepare tions for the haul are
| begun. All hands are then called out; the
| seine crew embarks in several rowboats
for the large seine boat, which is anchor
ed a short distance offshore opposite the
main buildings; other men proceed in a
number Of smaller boats to various points
in the seine berth to met the big boat
as it comes around; while still another
| boat containing a large stack of rope,
one end of which is connected with the
engine, three-fOurthS of a mile distant,
makes off in the direction of the seine
boat paying out the rope as it goes. A
few minutes afterward the captain of the
seine crew is on board, and the boat aft
er lifting anchor proceeds northward, al
most parallel with the shore.
The seine boat is seventy feet long and
about twelve feet beam. 1t is propelled
with oars, having seats for twenty-four
oarsmen, twelve on each side Continued
practice has made the crew expert row.
ers, the oars rising and falling with uni
form regularity, and the click of the oar
locks sounding in unison. An extra man
in the bow, the captain and the seine at
tendant complete the boats crew, in all
twenty-seven men. The captain stands
with his back to the seine, facing the men
and directing their movements, as well as
steering the boat.
The seine is piled in the stern and oc-
cupies perhaps one-third the length of the
boat It's width or depth is accommodated
to the depth of the water, ranging from
twelve TO thirty-eight feet deep. the
lead line being supposed to always rest
on the bottom. The cork floats. Of course.
hold the top line on the surface of the
water.
on nearing the upper edge of the berth
the seine is first let overheard, running
over an iron roller at the stern. This is
called the "land" end of the seine and to
IL is attached the rope brought out in the
boat before mentioned, which reaches 10
the engine, now over one and a half miles
away. This rope is 6,lOO feet in length
The land" engine Immediately begins to
| haul In on this line as soon as the seine
is thrown out but its movement Is very
]
The boat Is now turned to the east, max
ing for the channel. The center of the
seine is indicated by large can buoy.
| The channel being reached the boat is d.
| rected down the river until all the 1000
| fathoms have run out, the seine being laid
| out in the form Of a semicircle and the
ends being at least a mile apart. This
end Of tho seine is called the boat" end
An enormous coil of rope which has been
lying under the seine Is now disclosed on
! the bottom OF the boat, one end Of which
! is fastened to the seine and follows IL out
over the roller This rope Is to connect
the boat end Of the seine with the engine.
and Is $500 feet long, or nearly two miles.
| The boat Is now headed for the engine
she'd which Is but dimly discernible at
such a distance, paying out the rope as
| Il goes Large wooden key buoys serve
to keep the heavy rope near the surface Of
the water. When the engines are reached
the crew are landed, the rope Is taken by
the boat" engine, and hauling in on this
end begun, the ropes running around
grooved wheels to prevent them from slip
ping. The process Of laying out occupies
an hour and half.
The Ave miles Of rope and seine are now
| IN the water. but, of course the FISH which
are within the circle have not as yet felt
any restraint imposed upon their free
dom. and they do not discover their dan
ger until Il Is too late to escape from a.
The small boats. six or seven m number
which meet the seine boat at various
points IN the berth, can be seen very
slowly rowing toward the land. they are
| following the seine, and are known as
the lookout boats" so-cailed because it
| is the duty OF the occupants 20 look out
| for vessels and prevent them from run
ming over the net, as well as to look az
! ter the seine generally.
In about hair an hour the land rope IL
all In, followed half an hour later by the
| boat rope. thus leaving nothing la the
| water but the seine Al this point several
/ COLL. OF rnnn. which haNa hnnn nIIna or.