Omaha daily bee., 1903-03-29


Wv went out to prepare for this
N years Lenten food supply, the
Re3Z84f smacks scudded through snow
- squalls and sleet storms to reach
the fishing grounds OF the Georges and the
Grand Banks. Except for the fishery OF
mid winter, the early spring fishery Is the
stormiest OF the year, and every spring the
watchers at the Heads see smacks return
with colors at half-mast. Easter is sure TO
be a time Of mourning instead of rejoicing
for at least a few Of Gloucester's families.
The hazard deters none. Every season
the vessels race to the far of shore grounds
as II they we're yachts racing in summer
breezes for a cup. Life Is full OF keen de-
light for the men. They go out to their
weeks and months Of fishing as merrily as IL
they were boys going to play.
Fine racers are these sloops and
schooners, with their quick motions, built to
turn as suddenly on their heels as ever a
dancer twlrled. "Clap onl Clap on" Is
the motto, coming and going. When men in
cities are holding on to their hats and
women are struggling with their skirts in
March blasts, the fishermen heading toward
the great waters are holding on, too-hold-
ing on to all the sail that they can carry
and letting her drive through the green
Of It.
Great is the laughter of other crews at
that one whose skipper takes In more can
vas than they consider necessary; mighty
Is the pride of the crew whose vessel
passes the rest and manages to be at
anchor over the grounds by the time the
beaten ones fly in.
When a landsman goes out in a smack
to the off-shore grounds, he experiences
a curious change OF feeling before he has
been out long. He expects at first to ad-
Just his mind to the conditions Of life on a
lonely sea. He discovers. instead, that the
bank fishermen have all the neighborly in
terest and the gossip Of a village-a queer
village, whose streets are rolling ocean
water thirty fathoms deep, whose houses
are tossing craft, now dancing merrily on
the black ridges OF a blllow, now spinning
down into a black green hollow of swirling
water. But between those pitching houses,
over those graves of streets, passes the
scandal and the Jest Of a neighborhood.
Sarah Jane must 'a-been afraid OF
ryettin' her feet wet" cries a wag In a
'dory. 1--WE see her feelln' around under
double reefs tIyin' to pick out the smooth
spots" The village likes the suggestion
and by night Sarah Jane and her crew
have been labeled with a joke that will
stick to them until another victim arrives.
A green hand on mis- urSt Trip VIII De
hailed by somebody every time he sticks
his head above decks, With a Say, Bill,
watch out and tell US when the bakers
wagon comes along or "Bill, would you
mind running down to the corner and
gittin' US a paper Of fine cut?' until Bill
becomes acclimated.
The set Of the sails OF a smack, new ad-
ditions to her crew, new paint on her sides
all are talked over from vessel to vessel
In the SAM mat.er-of.fact way In which
men discuss one mothers houses on land.
Though they are anchored far apart for
safety's sake, and though the grounds are
so great that the vessels anchored at the
opposite outer hmits of the fleet cannot
see one another, communication between
the crews is wonderfully quick aud COM
plete. The men have become accustomed
to understand shouts that are not even
audible to a lnndsman. The motion Of a
hand on a craft a mile away Is not only
seen at once but interpreted unerrlngly.
Simple gestures. such as holding up both
hands or erecting an oar, all convey a di-
rect message that is never misunderstood
or overlooked.
So the men on a smack at one end of
the big fishing line seem to know always
how the smacks at the other end are faring
race to load first with fish and run for home
The men watch one another like hawks
and II a smack gets it's dories over a par,
ucularly good ground, the others move in