The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1898-03-19

the seine boat at various points in the berth,
can be seen very slowly rowing toward the
land; they are following the seine, and are
known az the lookout boats, so called
because it is the duty of the occupants 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 but the seine At this point several
coils of rope, which have been piled on the
shore, are loaded into row boats one end
remaining with the engine and the other
| taken out and hooked into the first
''becket;'' the 'bec&ets, of which there
are twenty two on the seine, placed about
40 feet apart, are large wooden hnats. Two
ropes about thirty feet long leading from
each, one to the cork and the other to the
lead line. each 'becket'' being provided
with 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 Il captain.
This part of the work requires great physi-
cal endurance.
When only about l 200 feet Of the seine
still remains 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 '.bunt'' has swung below the men,
so that they have to pull against the tide.
\ 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 IA tremen
dous 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 60, This is con-
tinned 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 silvery fins and tails Of the cap
tured fish, which are trantically endeavor-
ing to escape \ man follows the back OF
the seine beating the water with an oar to
trighten the fish toward the centre and to
relieve the pressure against the net. Fifty
men are now working with the seine. The
. water in which those nearest the shore are
standing is about knee deep, while those
furthest out are up above their waists.
At this juncture number of board
planks are placed end to end i'll the water,
reaching from one side of the opening be-
tween the men to the other, the tops of
the boards extending several inches above
the surface. This effectually closes every
possible avenue of escape fol the fish.
The seine is now gradually worked past the
ends of the boards, the inclosure in which
the fish are held getting smaller and
smaller, until the length of the cork line
still in the water about corresponds with
the length of the board line. e., so or
60 feet-when the moment for the final
manevres 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 sig
nal from the Captain raised out of the
water The scene which follows almost
defies description The fish are all retained
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 inclosure, not over sixty feet long by
twenty feet wide; and it would seem that
surely the climax of animal activity had
been reached Nearly everything appears
to be herring, but occasionally larger fish
are seen plunging 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 dig nets
get inside the circle, and, standing in the
seething mass Of struggling fish, commence
to shovel them into the scow. The fish
beat merry tattoo on the bottom of the
boat as they are thrown in. Soon, how
ever, 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 bewildering
the eye to look upon it, The incessant
patter of such a multitude of fish in their
| expiring movements is unlike auy other
sound ever heard. The shad are separated
| from the herring, counted and put in Il
compartment to themselves, many of them
being splendid specimens
At the haul of which this is Il particular
description nearly 100, 900 herring were
taken, and over 500 shad representing an
aggregate weight of absut ~. 900 pounds,
which tested the carrying capacity of the
lighter. AS to the herring this was con
sidered ia good haul being above the aver
age while as to the shad it was somewhat
below the average. The largest number
Of shad ever taken with this seine at Il sin
gle haul was 9, 900, and Of herring about
$50, 900 Within few minutes after
the lighter was loaded the tug having it in
tow was steaminS toward Washington, and
the haul of the largest seine in the world,
so far as is known, was ended, the whole
time consumed from commencement to
finish being six hours.
Where Our Best Wool Comes From.
The district of Bagdad, Turkey, in Asia,