The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-04-02
WITH THE HERRING FLEET.
Reckless Captains of the Fishermen
Who Take Long, Chances.

Ihe Lenten seasons due observance
represents an increased fish diet for
many people in the United States. A
IaVorite fish at this season is the her
ring and in ordinary years it is cheaD
enough, but this winter has been So
mild. IN the regions where The herring
are cauShc that they could not be
the price will be high.
PIacenua bay, on the south coast of
newfoundland, is the home of the her
ring. and it is in this remote inlet the
are caught, to be carried by schooner
and ran to the markets of Chicago and
the cities of the middle west. They are
cured IN two wavs. by sailing and
1reezing. The business of purvevine
these herrings forms o1e of the most
important branches of the great Ameri
IAN oeep-sea fishing industry prose-
cuted out of Gloucester, Mass and
embodying IN no small degree the
prosperity of the. New England sea
towns Every winter. before Christ
mas, - fleet of American vessels eoas
to Placeatia bay from ,SIouces ter. car
rying stock OF barrels and salt and
all the requisites for The handling and
curing OF the Ilsh. as well as the re-
qulslte money With which To buy the
catch from the LEGAL f1sherfolk.
The American vessels have no right
10 net the herring themselves. This
must be done by the coastfoik. the FISH
being taken !; IN the inshore waters of
the colony, where the Americans have
no fishing rights. The behring's are
brought to the SHIPS sides at a mini
mum OF slips per barrel, and as much
above that as .he market demands. In
nard weather, when the Hsh Fan he
frozen easily, the price keeps IJw:
when it is soft and shippers want TO
get away promptly better figures are
fetched This season, being abnormaily
mild. the price has gone. as high as 81
a barrel.
Reckless, daredevil divers are the.
captains of the herring boats. and lit
comrades are their crews. ..Ratten
down everything and let her drive be-
fore the gale" is usually the order
and dive they sometimes do until they
bring up the bottom. Three years ago
one OF the most daring shippers in the
heet was hOmeWard bound IN a furious
gale with the hold packed to the
matches with the frozen behring's and
126 barrels Of The sa ted FISH slowed
along its deck. Suddenly wave more
mighty than its forerunner tossed the
stern of the little vessel high IN the
air. the comber abroke on her back
scuttle. the craft tilted at an angle of
torty-fivex degrees, and the force Of the
mighty volume of water sweep the
whole 126 barrels out over the fore part
Oh the snip INTO the ocean, caFrylnS
away the bulwarks and some OF the
gear, butt otherwise doing very little
damage Another captain, whose valor
was tempered with discretion, was
twitted by some of his foolhardy crew
for shortening sail. He took a desper-
ate extremity to restore his prestige.
Waiting till all hands but the helms
man We're in the forecastle, he fastened
them there and then compelled the
sailor at the wheel to keep her up to
it until a fiercer gust than any knocked
the foremost out of her, and he had,
perforce. to release them to make good
the damages, which came near losing
the vessel with all hands. He is now
more popular than ever, and never
lacks an active crew.
g g @
The honesty of these men is very
noteworthy. A thief is an object of con-
tempt with them. One skipper carried
three bags of gold, each containing
$500, under his berth from Gloucester
to the offing at St. Pierre, the French
colony. into which he had to run. being
storm bound. Then he locked them up,
fearing the proximity of whisky might
prove too great a temptation for his
men.
The gold is brought to purchase the
herring. About 800, 900 in American
gold is left in the bay every winter.
When the intense cold comes the her