Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1898-07-07
HAULING THE SEINE.

the attitudes of the blue ridge. But
when the winter came they travelled
along their ancient trails to the river
and to Chesapeake bay. From these
waters they took their food, and from
those same waters they also breathed
the warmer air of the gulf stream, al
though they of course knew nothing of
that scientific fact.
Hundreds of thousands of civilized
men and women to-day receive large
portion of their food supply from the
same river, and its stores seem to be
inexhaustible. 1t is said that 350,OOO
herring have been taken from the Po-
tomac at one haul of a seine.
That is a pretty big fish story, but it
Is a true one, And tits also true that
5000 shad have been taken in one haul
of the seine. What do you think of that?
Twenty miles from Washington, and
about eight miles below Mount Vernon,
there is the largest seine in the world;
and it is operated skillfully about ten
weeks every year, beginning about the
middle of March. The length of the
seine is 1000 fathoms, or 5000 feet, 96O
| feet less than two miles long. Attached
to each end are large heavy ropes lead
ing to the shore, one rope being S,1OO
| feet long and the other 5000 feet long,
a combined length Of seine and rope of
276OO feet, or considerably over FIVE
miles.
The living quarters of the men con-
sist of two long, narrow buildings, one
occupied by the officers and the other
by the crew, the total number usually
employed being 20 or Is men. The only
other building on the ground is the en-
gine shed, situated on the shore, nearly
three-fourths of a mile south of the
main buildings. The shed contains two
engines, one known as the "land" and
the other as the boat" engine, which
pull in the 'lapd" and boat" ends ol
the seine, respectively. They develop
u horse power, and were constructed
expressly for this purpose.
Two hauls of the seine are made every
"a hours-on each ebb tide-regardlesl
of the weather. The seine boat is II
feet long and about 12 feet beam; Il il
propelled with oars, having seats foI
"A oarsmen, ~ on each side. The cap
tain stands with his back to the seine
facing the men and directing thei
) movements, as we'll as steering the boat
The seine is piled in the stern an,
5 occupies perhaps one-third of the boat
, Its width and depth are accommodate,
} TO the depth of the water, ranging from
u to 3s feet deep, the load line beinl
] supposed to always rest on the bottom
p The cork floats, Of course, hold the to
line on the surface of the water. O
E nearing the upper edge of the bert
o the seine is first let overheard, runnin.
- over an iron roller at the stern. Thi
is called the land" end of the sein,
and to it is attached the rope brough
out in the boat before mentioned, whic
reaches TO the engine, now over one an
half miles away. This rope is Sic
feet in length. The land engine immt
diately begins TO haul In on this lin
as soon as the seine is thrown out, bu
its movement is very slow compare
+ with the speed Of the boat. The boat
( now turned to the east, making for II
& channel The center Of the seine is Il
dicated by large can buoy.
The channel being reached the boi
I Is directed down the river until all a
/. ] 1,G00 fa:homs have run out, the seir
being laid out 10 the form Of a sem
S. circle and the ends being at least a mi
S apart. This end Of the seine is callS
the boat end.
An enormous coil Of rope which hi
been lying under the seine Is now di
closed On the bottom Of the boat, OF
? end Of which Is fastened to the sell
- and follows Il out over the roller Tb
rope is 10 sonnCct TIE boa end Of q