The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1897-04-01
TOILERS OF THE SEA.
IPERlLs AND HARDsHIPs OF
THE COD-FISHER,S LIFE.
Lots of Hard Work In Cold and Fog
On the Grand Banks In Winter
Peculiar Qualities Of the Gloucester
Skipper.

REGULAR Qualities OF the Gloucester
Skipper. n
!. !. !. ] !
ASSENGERs on an
vI&Ml ocean steamship
AlEegV are som times
@//,dN startled as the
tg2(<S.IlI great floating pal
~ ace which carries
MA them we stward
xJSkD,yAA shoots her black
* Prov into a clump
N,~St19 of little schooners
MI anchored, it seems,
~ nearly in the mid
die of the ocean, says the Leadville A
.Herald-Democrat. Then they realize
That they are crossing the fishing
banks, which are located south of
Newfoundland, and hundreds Of miles
from the New England shore.
Lille on the banks is bad enough in
summer. There are hardships and
dangers then in plenty, but along about
TINS season of the year, when the banks
are swept by cold storms, the dangers
as Well as the hardships are just about
doubled. Still the fishermen stick to
the banks, for that is where they find
the cod, and to many of them the cod
4 IS the only talisman that will trans
form toll into dollars So, no matter
whether the wind blows high or low,
whether the fog wraps them in it's haz-
ardous folds or the sun shines, whether
1t rains or SHOWS, the bankers go out
IN tfelr dories to set their travis and
never think of laying their course for
gloucester town until their schooner
Will mold no more fish or their provis-
IONS run out. Although most bank
ers are called Gloucester men, as
matter of fact a great many of them
regard that place merely as foreign
port in which they find themselves once
or twice a year. It used to be that
Gloucester boats were manned by Glou-
cester men, all Yankees of the pecu-
liar species known to Cape Ann. But
that was when there was more money
IN tshing than there is today. Now
the Gloucester boats carry crews to
which all nations have contributed,
with perhaps a few exceptions. Por-
tuguese, Scandanavians, French,
Nova Scotians and Spanish ship in the
Yankee boats and take their pay in
good American dollars. But the boats
themselves are of Gloucester build and
their captains are Gloucester born and
bred. When a fishing boat sails for
the banks she carries provisions for six
months or more, and in her hold are
great bins OF salt sufficient. to keep all
the cod which can be piled into her.
she is not q commodious craft at best,
but the greater part of the space below
decks must be reserved for the catch,
and so the crews quarters are ALWAYS
cramped. The dozen or fifteen men are
crowded into a little cabin in which
there is just room enough for a row of
narrow hunks on each side of a table
in the center. In the forward end is
the cooks galley, where that dignitary
exercises wonderful economy of space
i'm disposing of his pots and pans.
Even on deck, there it little room,
for what space is not occupied by the
water butts and other casks is taken
up by the dories, which fit into each
other like so many spoons. But fish
erman have neither time nor inclina-
ton for promenading. Once the banks
are reached the captain picks out his
berth, furls his sails, drops his anchor
and sets little triangular piece of can
vas known as a7riding sail. Just how
ho I'm 1,1or Er,1
not explain. Perhaps he couldn't if he
tried, but knew he does or else he
would never be captain of Gloucester
fisherman. The average navigator
would worry himself sick in trying to
find out where he was after floating
around on the banks for few weeks,
changing berths in the fog or in the
dark. The Gloucester skipper may not
trouble to take the sun" once month,
but still he has fair idea of the exact
| spot Of the banks on which his anchor
rests. There is tradition that some
of the veterans among them can de-
| termine their location by simply smell
ing of the lead as it comes from the
bottom. This beats even the old yarn
| which is told in rhyme of Obadiah
| Folger, the Nantucket whaler, whose
mate tried to puzzle him by dipping
the tallowed end of the sounding lead
into a box of earth brought from home.
| The grizzled captain was not to be
fooled that way, however, for he sang
out in great alarm: IN
Nantucket's sunk, I know, know.
Marin Starbuck's squash beds Just be-
low
Eeave no the lead! Heave no!
At any rate, they are the most skill
full of navigators and, what IS more to
the purpose, they know the banks bet
ter than the streets of their native
town and are more familiar with the
habits Of the cod than OF their next
door neighbor. Once the. anchor is
down the dories are sent out to set the
travis. The dories are slight. frail-
looking little boats, sharp at each end,
L with STRAIGHT Sides and fat fnttorno