Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-05-19
AN ENORMOUS SEINE
In Use on the Fishing Shore Down
the Potomac.
THE LARGEST IN THIS COUNTRY
Thousands of Shad and Herring at
Every Haul.
HOW 1T IS OPER TED
THE LARGEST IN THIS COUNTRY
HOW 1T is OPERA TED

Potomac river, is operated the largest
| seine In American waters and probably in
| the world. The fishing grounds are To-
Gated at Stony Point, Va, nearly opposite
Indian Head, about twenty-five miles be-
low Washington, the river at this point
being one and three-quarters miles wide.
The seine is owned by Capt. William Nett
Zey 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 a century, few people,
except those directly interested, are aware
of its size and Importance. The length of
the seine is LOGO fathoms, or 5000 feet, $50
| feet less than two miles long. Attached to
each end are large, heavy ropes, leading to
| the shore, one rope being 500 feet long
and the other $500 feet long, a combined
length of seine and rope of 27,G00 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 skillful 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 occupied
by the officers and the other by the crew.
the total number usually employed being
| other building on the grounds is the en-
CINE shed, situated on the shore, nearly
three-fourths of 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, respectively
They develop twelve horse power and were
constructed expressly for this purpose.
Making Ready.
Two hauls of the seine are made every
twenty-four hourS-on each ebb tide-re-
gardless of the weather. When the tide is
highest the exact time Is noted, and the
water allowed to run out about an hour be-
fore preparations for the haul are begun.
All hands are then called out; the seine
crew embarks in several row boats for the
large seine boat, which is nchored short
distance Off shore opposite the main build
fngs; other men proceed in a number of
smaller boats to various points in the seine
berth to meet the big boat as 1t comes
around; while still another boat, contain
ing large stack Of rope, one end of which
is connected with the engine three-fourths
of mile distant, makes OF in the direc-
ton of the seine boat, paying out the rope
as 1t goes. A few minutes afterward the
captain OF the seine crew is on board, and
the boat, after lifting anchor, proceeds
northward. almost 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 oars
men, twelve on each side. Continued prac-
tice has made the crew expert rowers. the
oars rising and falling with uniform regu-
larity, and the click of the oarlocks sound
ing in unison. An extra man in the bow
the captain and the seine attendant com
plete the boats crew, in all twenty seven
men. The captain stands with his back to
tn7 seine, facing the men and directing their
movements, as well as steering the boat
The seine is piled in the stern and occu-
pies perhaps one-third the length of the
boat. Its 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
1t Is attached the rope brought out in the
boat before mentioned, which reaches to
the engine, now over one and half miles
away. This rope is 500 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 slow
compared with the speed Of the boat. The
boat is now turned TO the east making for
the channel. The center of the seine Is in
dicated by large can buoy. The channel
being reached, the boat is directed down
inc river until all the LOGO tathoms have
run out, the seine being laid out in tile
form of semi-circle and the ends being al
least mile apart. This end of the seine ia
called the boat end.
EncircHng the Fish.
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 II cut
over the roller. This rope is to connect the
boat end of the seine with the engine. ard
is $500 feet long. or nearly two miles. The
boat Is now headed for the engine shed
which is but dimly discernible at such q
distance, paying out the rope as it goes
Large wooden key buoys serve 10 keep the
heavy rope near the surface of the wafer
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 slipping. The process
OF laying out occupies an hour and a half
The five 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 freedom,
1t Is too late to escape from it. The small
boats, SIX or seven In number, which NEE.
the seine boat at various points in the
nerth, can be seen very slowly rowing to-
and are known as the lookout boats" SO
called because it is the duty of the Occur
pants to look out for vessels and prevent
them from running over the net, as well as
to look after the seine generally.
In about half an hour the land rope is all
in, followed half an hour later by the boat
rope, thus leaving nothing In the water hut
the seine. AT this point several coils of
rope. which have been piled on the shore.
are loaded into row boats, one end re-
naming with the engine and the other
taken out and hooked into the first beck
et;" the "beckets," Of which there are
twenty-five on the seine, placed about 40
feet apart, are large wooden floats. two
ropes about thirty feet long leading from
each. one to the cork and the other to the
lead line, each beckett" being provided
with q ring: into the ring of the first
''becket" Is hooked the rope now brought
out. The engine then pulls on this line,
and when 1t Is in another coil is sent out
and hooked into the next beckett" and so
on. Two gangs OF men receive each end Of
the seine as It comes In, remaining In the
water until the haul Ii ended, each gang
being commanded by q captain. This part
Of the work requires great physical endur-
Hauling In.
When only about loo feet Of the seine
still remain In the water both engines are
stopped. the rest Of the hauling being done
by the men themselves. BY this time the
tide has carried the seine down until the
back or blunt" has swung below the men,