Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1897-12-29

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T have just returned from voyage
in pursuit of the live cod and hence
forth and forevermore there will be
added sweetness to the flavor of the
fish whenever it is my good fortune to
have it placed before me as it should
be served, for the memory of the
brave md sturdy seamen who risk
their lives in all sorts of weather
along o section of the coast that is
strewn with wrecks of their kind will
always remain with me.
No wind or weather daunts them;
they face the freshening northeast
breeze in the full knowledge of the
message it may bring them, without
tremor, and battle with the storms
and waves with the fervor that brave
men display when their lives are at
stake. All this along one of the most
treacherous portions of the Atlantic
seabord, and, although at times they
come limping into port presenting
sorry evidences of the hurricanes fury
and reporting possibly the loss of q
man or two, they patch up speedily,
replacing spar here and breadth of
canvas there. and are off again almost
before you know it to make another
try at the catch.
It was almost sundown when the
fishing smack Kitty NJ. anchored close
to dock at Stapleton. Two of the
crew put off in q dory and two more
followed them shortly. The first boat
returned in about half an hour with q
load of big sea CLANS, which were
stored forward. Each boat made sew:
eral trips for the CLANS, which are used
as the bait for cod, and when enough
had been procured the boats were
hoisted on deck and the anchor
weighed. The lights were placed on
the mainmast shrouds, and just as the
Kitty NJ. swung around and pointed
her bow toward the Narrows the cook
gave the call for supper.
After supper the mate and his crew
went to work, with very few words con-
cerning what was to be done, although
they joked, laughed and chaffed each
other the while. Each man knew his
duty and performed it mechanically.
Baskets of CLANS were thrown up on
deck and two of the men set to open
ing them. The CLANS went into pans
alongside of them; the shells over
board. The other men, under the eye
of the mate, picked over yard after
yard of stout line strung with number
less hooks, strengthening the line and
putting fresh hooks at various points.
To me the lines and hooks looked
hopelessly tangled, but under the
rough hands of the men they worked
out as smoothly as skein of yarn is
wound by skilful housewife. Then
the pans of clans were passed down
and the batting of the hooks began.
s'You are notgoingtosfish to-nlght|
I said.
"oh. no, replied the mate. eve We
-n..aeeG q
There's no time for this business
then"
AS soon as one pan of CLANS was
emptied it was replaced by another
full one. and as each hook was care.
fully hidden the long line was co1led
SO there would be no possibility OF
tangle when it was taken up. The
fishermen call this line ''trawl;" II
the South it is known as the "tro'
line" The hooks are attached to the
line by long smell and are about foul
feet apart. In all trawl lin carrie:
from four to five hundred hoo--s, and
Us the Kitty NJ. was provided with ter
lines, there was little loating done II
the fo'c'stle.
At eleven o'clock Captain Jack, thu
skipper, walked forward and foune
that six of the travis had been .baited
AS the start had been made so late III
said that this would do for the night
There was no time lost in turning
in," and speedily the crew stowe'
themselves away for the night-all ex
cept the lookout and the man at tn
wheel. At this hour the Kitty NJ. wa
bearing rapidly down the coast, an' u,
the lights of the towns on the north
ern shore twinkled far away in the dis
tance like row of stars that ha'
paused a moment on the horizon t.
nod friendly ''good night.
Long before the sun rose every sou
aboard the Kitty NJ. was awake an
stirring. The Kitty NJ, rocking grace
fully on the gentle swell, was at an
chor about eight miles off Barnegat
Two of the dories had already depart
ed, and the steady click of the oar
against the locks sounded across tn