Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-05-25


ahnoa a. forerunner of misery
dank and cherries breath OF vino ina
chilled the body as the sight OF the io'
lowing fog chilled the gayety anu 81"
thus;asm natural to healthy men ING
49, .r.ar f,re .strike" of swordlish
on Georges Banks. s,,,rner
~ low bank. dimming the SUNRISE
flush on the horizon when ne LII
climbed on deck. leaving hiS nv ~,
snoring in their cofiin-like p""Ns -
low. the hostile fog had WITHIN an ~.
marshaled it's forces surveys"
field bathed in a fresh morh'hs SUI
light, and at last sounded the emu
and was now sweeping down upon =.
yoiceless but menacing. on the "ihs'
OF n dull and surly east wind.
Overhead the sky was still biue anu /"
few light cirrus clouds cast gaiiy-hee.-
ing shadows across the dancing waves
Int n the fog approached. moving III
straight line with square front anu
rising like a wall the sky was coNcteu
as if a curtain We're drawn. the sun
light ceased to glitter on the cfests OIL
the light swell, the neighboring schooh-
or. n mile away, was swallowed up
damper breath swept across the NeS-
cal little tongues and advance ma
ments of mist drfted through between
the masts, and then down came the
fog blanket to cover the sky and the
sea with shroud of chilly gray.
Better git out the foghorn. Tom
said the skipper. and the wooden pox
with q lever on the side was brought
from its place on the shelf in the SKIP
pers little six feet by three CABIN.
where it reposed beside his seXtant.
the log the leaden sound, and varied
assortment of spare sou westers ana
rubber boots. From the iiaring mouth
OF n furnished brass horn issued dole
full blasts that seemed to the listeners
on board to strike against solid wall
of fog at the rails and go no farther
than the limits of the little vessel.
Well out to windward. faint in the
distance. they could catch. however.
an answering toot, the implorlng signal
of another fog bound fisherman who
thus announced to the universe his
existence and location. and begged to
be given his small amount of space
undisputed by the encroaching bows OF
another craft.
We're all right so fur's the Sister
Susan goes remarked Bill reflective
ly. FOR she's so fur away ter windud
that there's sea room enough fer er
six ma ted coal freighter. An most er
the other fellers Is away up toards the
Cultivator. where We see um a-strcak-
in of il yesterday. follerin' ole Mark
Hanson of Bailey's Island that they
cal, the fish killer on account of is
luck. So | callate we've gut the South
Edge putty much to ourselves. But the
Shindy of IL is them gol- blasted liners
that come boomin' right acrost the
bank on the short line fer Eurup. head
up an tail a shakin' all steam on an
ev'ry thunderin draft open, rushin'
them cussed mail bags acrost. But
you'd oughter 10 slow in a fog. There's
some fellers out on Georges a-iishin.'
seq YOU. oh. jest few trifin' shotes
of Down East Herrin' Chokers.
Gloucester Cod SINNERS. an Province
town Sandfleas. seq the steamer fellers
They don't cut no ice in this strenew-
yous age they sez. An they no bust
ness to be a-fishin on the steamin'
lanes. anyhow. Why don't they go an
fish somewheres else. bein' as how the
ocean is big enough. an lots er room
they seq. If er Teller goes an lays
down on er railroad track he gifts run
over"
H1ll delivered these remarks with no
little bitterness. seasoning his sarcasm
with few good mouth filling oaths.
and accepting the periodic Interrupt
tons Of the foghorn with the philo-
sophie patience born of many seasons
sword fishirr- i1
slung aloft. above the crosstrees.
where. hour after hour and day after
day had often passed while he scanned
the horizon III vain search for fins.
and vain desire for the excitement and
profit of a good strike of fish.
''Oh, | don't spose they really mean
to run down a fishin' schooner" spoke
up Luke, the charitable. who had eat
tied it, over and back from Boston.
They runs back an forth in the same
track they always did. the owners al
ways a-growlin' for more speed the
passengers a-holerin to git to Liverpool
in six days er less, an the cap'n boun'
to please his bosses in London or git a
grand bounce by-an'-by fer being dead
slow. They don't like to run into n
fisherman. but when fog comes
t-SouSii gov onto We. what are We
goin' ter do? Why. We do jest what
they does. chuck the coal in. keep in
the short route by the Grand Banks.
an toot yer big whistle now an then.
So. if fisherman happens to hear it
an stan one side, he is all right But
II he happens to be anchored acrost
the bows an gifts cut into in the fog
by one er them aZor-bowed liners,
why, there's er job for er few more
trawlers an seiners an swordishers.
mebby a raise in the price err fish at T
dock. an it's all the same er hundred
years from now. What the use er
kickin' at what's alters been so an
alters a-goin' ter be so. That's nv
say. And Luke proceeded leisurely to
fill and light very much broken and
dirty cob pipe, whose fumes struggled
family with the enveloping fog. hardly
succeeding in flavoring that cheerless
vapor with the comforting fragrance
Of "B. L.
The other men were slow to accent
this view of things. and were much in
clined to call the steamer fellers''
cowardly murdercrs, pirates and cut
throat sea-hogs. because of their Gus
tom of going at full speed in fog
across the fishing grounds. where they
wei know the danger of sinking the
defenceleSS SchOonerS CaDtainS of