The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-06-15

the shore. are loaded into rowboats, one
| end remaining with the engine and the
| other taken out and hooked into the first
beckett the "beckets," of which there
are twenty-five on the seine, placed about
440 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 "becket" being pro-
vided with a ring; into the ring Of the
first "becket' is hooked the rope now
brought out. The engine then pulls on
this line. and when it is in another coil
is sent out and hooked into the next
'becket," and so on. Two gangs of men
receive each end Of the seine as it comes
in, remaining in the water until the haul
is ended, each gang being commanded by
a captain. This part of the work requires
great physical endurance.
When only about 100 feet of the seine
still remains in the water both engines
are stopped, the rest of the hauling be-
Ing done by the men themselves. By this
time the tide has carried the seine down
until the back or blunt" has swung be-
low the men, so that they have to pull
against the tide. A few hundred herring
are found gilled in the meshes, and this
is the only indication thus far that any
fish have" been inclosed in the net which
has swept such a tremendous expanse of
water. The two gangs of men, which are
about 100 yards apart, now begin to move
slowly toward each other, pulling in as
they go. This is continued until they
have approached within fifty feet of each
other, by which time the water within the
constantly narrowing limits inclosed by
the seine fairly glistens with the silveTy
fms and tails of the captured fish. which
are frantically endeayoring to escape. A
man follows the back of the seine, beating
the water with an oar to frighten the fish
toward the center and to relieve the pres
sure against the net. Fifty men are now
working with the seine. The water In
which those nearest the shore are stand
ing is about knee deep, while those fur
thest out are up above their waists.
AT this juncture a number of board
planks are placed end to end in the wa
ter, reaching from one side of the open
ing between the men to the other, the tops
of the boards extending several inches
above the surface. This effectuaIly closes
every possible avenue of escape for the
fish. The seine is now gradually worked
past the ends of the boards, the inclos-
ure in which the fish are held getting
smaller and smaller, until the length of
the water about corresponds with the
length of the board line-i. e., 50 or 50 feet
when the moment for the final maneu-
Vers has arrived. The lead line is now
moved slowly toward the boards until it
touches the bottom of them. 1t is then
carefully secured by the men, and at a
signal from the captain raised out of the
water. The scene which follows almost
deftes description. The fish are all retain
ed between the cork and lead lines, this
being the widest part of the seine the
middle of course, resting on the bottom
the men holding up the sides or walls of
the net standing so close as to almost
touch each other. The water which is
about waist deep, is churned into foam
by the thousands of struggling fish held
in this comparatively small Enclosure. not
over sixty feet long by twenty feet wide:
and itwould seem that surely the climax
of animal activity had been feached. Near
ly everything appears to be herring, but
| occasionally larger fish are seen plung-
ing through the mass; these are shad.
A large lighter is now brought alongside
the net, and the cork line thrown over the
rail -Four or five men with short dip nets
| get inside the circle, and standing in the
seething mass of struggling fish, COM
mence to shovel them into the scow. The
| fish beat merry tatto on the bottom of
| the boat as they are thrown in. Soon,
| however the bottom is covered and the
| pile rapidly deepens. The fish on top are
! all Topping vigorously, displaying a scene
| of the most intense activity, and bewilder-
| ing the eye to look upon it. The incessant
! patter of such multitude of fish in their
| expiring movements is unlike any Other
sound ever heard. The shad are separated
| from the herring, counted and put in a
| compartment to themselves many of them
| being splendid specimens.
| AT the haul of which this is a particul al
| description nearly 10000 herring were tax
en-, and over 800 shad, representing an ag-
gregate weight of about 1900 pounds
| which tested the carrying capacity Of the
| lighter AS to the herring this was con.
| sidered a good haul, being above the av-
| erage, while as to the shad it was some.
/ what below the average. The Ia rgest
| number of shad ever taken with this seine
at a single haul was 500, and of h erring
about 100000 Within a few minutes after
the lighter was loaded the tug having il
| In tow was steaming toward Washing,
ton, and the haul of the largest seine in
! the world, so far as is known, was ended
| the whole time consumed from commence.
ment to finish being six hours.