Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-12-03
LONG VOYAGE AFTER FISH.


Yankee Shipmnsterx.
From the Buffalo Commercial
1t is fact that the Cape Cod and Glou-
cester fishermen no longer contine them
selves to the banks" but make long voy-
ages to the African coast. and other dis
tant waters in their efforts to secure good
catches. The gradual decline of the mack
erel fishery on the American coast for the
past three or four years has caused some
OF the shippers to turn their attention in
other directions. says a dispatch from
Provincetown. Capt Josiah Chase who
has visited all parts of the American sea-
board in his schooner Alice. has decided
10 try another trip across the ocean 10
the African coast in search of fish. In No
vember, 1889. the Alice sailed out of Prov
incetown harbor with all her coIers flying
on an exploring trip along the South Afri-
can coast to try and open up new fishing
Siounds for mackerel The Provincetown
whalemen who frequented those waters
had told fanciful tales of the mackerel
they had caught in sight of land while
cruising off the Congo river in search of
right whales. Capt. Chase found the whale
mems stories true and that the fish closely
resembled the Yankee bulls eyes" fire.
al entity caught during the summer months
on Block Island. Capt Chase made his
headquarters at Cape Town during his stay
anG tished in the harbor and bay The
heavy winds that prevailed there most of
the year rendered the water off the coast
too rough to use the seines. He stayed
trere for nearly year catching mackerei
and also mullett a kind of food fish, the
market for which was good. After a while
the authorities passed local laws which
really prohibited his fishing with a seine.
They required him TO use a seine only
fourteen feet deep. which made it almost
useless Tor the Yankee to fish, as a seine
of that depth was only good for a drag
net operating from the shore. But for these
q ri ri he -at1 h..
good thing out of his trip, as the rail-
road running into the interior reached a
number of inland cities where fish were
a luxury. The crude methods then in vogue
at Cape Town could only supply a drop
in the bucket Of their demand
After the laws We're passed Capt Chase
started north along the coast. He stopped
at nearly every port. among them being
Fort Alexander, where he got fifteen bar
rels of bulls eyes" He also touched a
Yosemeti, st. Paul de Leondo, Niger river
Cape Coast. Castle. Sierra Leone, Deoe Is
lands. Gorec and Cape de Verde. The
tor northward he found generally fine ox-
cept when the rainy season is on, during
July, August and September. His head
quarters this trip will be at the French port
of Goree. The many kinds of fish to be
had along that coast furnish an extensive
variety to choose from. Red snappers, the
Same as are caught in the Gulf of Mexico
ard weighing from five to twelve pounds,
are plenty, as are bluefish as caught in
American waters, striped bass and her
rirg. In the bays and mouths of the riv-
ers are plenty of salmon, but their meat
is white instead of red like the American
salmon. Spanish mackerel, mullett, same
as those caught in Florida waters. sar-
dine, herring, groupers. a fish weighing
about five pounds and bearing a close re-
semblance to the American Goldfish, and
a number of other varieties for food
abound.
1t is Capt. Chase's intention, IL the voy-
age Is not successful, to load his vessel
with cured fish and run across to Brazil
for a market. and then load north from
there, or engage in any advantageous busl-
ness he can pick up. After his arrival in
Portuguese fishermen, twelve will be hired
at Cape de Verde to complete the crew.