Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1902-08-09
JONES ISLAND FISHERMEN
Sketch of. a Big Industry in Mil
waukee, Wis.
LIVELIHOOD FOR MANY.
Between 10000 and 1000 Pounds Of Fish
are Shipped Daity-Scenes on
Jones Island.

of the Eastern states. milwaukee, fish
rs they are called. are in demand. Time
was when fish caught in Lake Michigan
III this vicinity brought two and three
ceats more pound than fish caught in
the ether Great Lakes. Why this was
80 is not explained except that the fish
ermea WAC ply their trade In this lake
10 this neighborhood are sfi!ied ia their
craft. know how to handle the fish after
they arc caught. and, above all, kuoH
where TO find the best varieties.
blight Side OF the Work.
70 catch aud prepare FIVE or ton tons
OF hSh for the market Involves q great
deal Of labor. for fishing - Il business
~ rs different from Che sport OF the
angler as foot bailsis from pi%-pong.
IL Is true There areStimce when The lot
of the hardy fisherman is far from be-
ing unpleasant. On bright simmer
morning when the lake is uufled only by
light breeze. when the sky is blue and
made beautiful by great snowy clouds
that promise only fair weather. When
fishing is good and the world seems hap-
py, then the fisherman embarkS in his
Sta3Ck or his steiner or his dorS, vi h
light heart aud directs his way ont
into the lake where he knows the fish
are most plentiful. Those are times
when the men in the fishing business are
happy. They think pf the t1lcrs in the
mills and factories and the glad that
they are permitted to breathe tho in
yigoPatiug mir Of the lake instead of the
atmosphere OF the mills.
Fishermen Endure Hardships.
During the winter months. and early
IA the spring and late in Ee fall, life 90
the bounding hllor Is far fgom being
= summer holiday. II becomes q grim
arnt with the elements aud. their work
becomes toll Of the hardest Kind Rails
ing ICY nets from the cold waters Of the
LAKE, taking he FISH from thp mcshp4
snd laborn@ wi the management of
Che boat Is bitter work The hardShiDs
endured by the fshcrfolk during the cold. !
raw days are severe beyond the under |
standing of most people WlIoec daily |
routine embraces n0thinI more rigorous |
IN the way OF physical cHdurance than |
walk mud from II c0zY Office or other |
Mace Of employment equally us com |
Portable
But for all that the fishermen cling 10 |
their vocation Some quit after time |
some who have accumulated ccmpeten- |
~. others who have found more attract |
i've employment. but lor the greater part |
fisherman born is fisherman until he |
Is too old TO sink n net or handle line |
"A Community of Fishermen.
Jones island is the seat Of Milwaukee, |
fishing industry This fact proclaims
itself IN a variety of ways. A glance |
across the river from the mainland near |
the harbor inlet indicate the nature of |
the principal occupation Of the inhabi- |
tants Of this peculiar little island. How |
ever, il one is in doubt, let him analyzc |
the Od0rs that are waited across to him |
and he will find that although there is Il |
trace of something burning" in the air |
the most pronounced smell is that of fish. |
The gar&lgp Crematory which il situated |
on Jones island emitS IN odor that |
mingles with the fishy smells and it |
might be said that the latter have lost |
some OF their individuality as conse-
auence.
A Visit to Jones Island.
Filled with desire to know |
something of the fishing industry Of the |
island one stands on the pier opposite the
FIFE saving station and whistles for Il |
terry. Presently a roughly made hoati
may be seen poking its nose out from
the garbage plant wharf. A diminutive
Jones Islander is in charge. He is |
boy Of hardly more than 10 years, yet !
hc handles the unwieldly oars like a vet
Gran. An understanding as to ferry
charges is quickly reached and he is |
engaged to take the traveller over to the
island and in aud out of the little bayous |
into which the fishermen direct their |
craft when the days work is done The |
odor becomes pronounced. The fish |
smell is in the aScendenCy and soon that |
something burning Odor is lost in the |
upper air One soon forgetS the smells |
however. in the impressions that are |
quickly received of the signs of activity |
manifested everywhere. 4 fishing tug |
has just arrived and her crew is dis |
charging her cargo. -Four hrawny men |
are engaged in carrying the result of the |
days work from the hold into the fish |
houses, Heavy wooden boxes that taper
toward the bottom are used as recepta- |
cles for the fish and IN these they are car |
rIcd into the Shantics The tug seems |
overloaded with these tubs. Some con |
tain nets. wet and slimy but the most |
of them are filled with beauties of the |
fake Trout seem to predominant, al |
though here and there are tubs filled |
with herring. \ few perch are there. |
NOW and then, on rare occasions an |
eel is numbered among the mass. but !
eel are more often caught by the ''httln |
fellows the men who fish near the shore
an small d0rieS or crude sail boats
Ihe hSh have been dressed which !
means that they have been Shorn of
whatever exterior protection they had. |
One wonders how these men could find |
time To clean - many fish, when one has
n mind visions of the bDtchy work rho |
amateur fisherman makes of the work of |
cleaning his catch. But these fish are |
cleaned aud are ready for shipment. The !
hSh are placed IN barrels and before night |
W. w transported across tho |
river, where they are carried TO the 6sb |
t dealers r,,,, VINO send them to all parts Of
200 pounds. This is rather iargnr t tbatN
IS usually made at this season Of H.
year. Fishermen say business is slack
nut they look for good results durinr
the fall. ""''h-
Fishing with Steam Boats.
Auoiher steam tug puils busily into the
harbor and her cargo is unloadrd 81.
together there are eleven large tngs in
tle trade and several gasoline boats in
tue Jones Island fleet. They START on,
between q ana O'Clock in the morninc
and make haste te reach the spot vhrrT
they placed nets the ,iay before. Earh
tug carries from two 10 four miles ar
nets. Some carry more On reaching
the Fishing grounds. places that look for
all the world like any uther part Of the
lake, the boats come to a stop. 4 buoy
lnari!S the end of the nets The end i
caught aud drawn into the boat oyer .,
large wooden spool which saves the
threads from injury aud relieves thr
strain. Yard after yard is hauled In.