The Van Buren press. [volume] (Van Buren, Ark.) 1859-1914, 1904-01-16
WINTER FISHING OFF SHORE.
Keeping the Market supplied Is leg
work, Hut the Hardy Men
stand ID All Right.

81 should think your hands would
freeze. fishing In weather like this
the South street stroller said, speaking
from the stringpiece OF the wharf to
fisherman standing on the deck OF a
handsomely modelled fishing schooner
lying alongside in Fulton Market slip.
says the New York Sun.
"oh, my. no" said the fisherman.
Eve look out for that all right
"The fisherman may sit all day in
winter In a dory on the open sea, with
the wind ALLOWING and the spray a-hy-
Ing and still manage to keep his hands
warm. He wears mittens when he's
| fishing.
Sometimes he wears two pairs, a
| pair of thin wooden mlttens with pair
OF rubber mittens over them, to keep
his hands dry. but oftener, guess, he
wears only one, a pair of good Cape
AIMS, fine, thick wooden mlttens.
Gle dips them in the sea, and wrings
them out pretty nearly dry before he
puts them on. Then the warmth OF his
hands and the movements Of his fingers
keep the mittens warm and flexible on
| the inner side. the side with which he
handles his lines, while on the back
OF the mittens, the side turned out
ward toward the wind and the flying
spray. there soons forms uniformly on
| the slightly dampened wool coating
OF Ice that serves as shield or protec-
| ton TO the back OF the hand. and then.
| with an elastic around the wrist OF the
mitten to keep the wind from blowing
in there, you arc all right and COM
Portable.
Occasionally, what with the warmth
OF the hand. and maybe getting II wet
now and then, moisture collects and
forms In ice at the tip of the mltten.
beyond the ends Of the fingers. This
| doesn't make any difference at first.
but when that Ice has GO. big enough
TO make knob that Is In the way, why.
you swat the end of the mtten down
on the gunwhale OF the dory and knock
the Ice on and then you 20 on fishing.
You'd think the fisherman would get
iced up all over, fishing in such wealth
err!
why, he does, Of course. On windy
day, with the spIndrlft flying freely. he
gets on regular coat OF Ice mall:
smooth plates Of It on HIS olskIns across
the chest. where he doesn't bend HE
body, and crunchy streaks Of Ice. like
| hiuuna n ba tIa u ba dnpa
bend. II be wears beard Il gets filled
and covered with Ice, so that he seems
to have beard Of Ice.
| Hes ice all over. The fisherman
wears rubber boots. and the legs OF his
oIlskin overalls he always has cut rather
short so that when they get frozen IN
they wont chafe and break on his an
kles. It's common thing TO see a fish,
erman step out OF q dory on the deck
OF the schooner. covered with Ice from
head to foot and with frlnges Of iciclcs
hanging down all around over his an
klcs at the bottoms OF his overalls-
regular ice king,
Then he doesn't try TO get the Ice
OF himself there on deck. II he tried
that with the Ice In his beard. for In
stance, he'd break his beard OF. He
goes below, into the warm forecastle.
and lets the Ice melt on him I'll II gets
TO where he can handle II, and then
he gets out of his Icy clothes and into
dry ones"
Pretty strenuous sort OF life, the
nshermans fishing on shore In win
tcr?"
well, ! suppose you might call II 80.
but the fisherman stands Il all right
as long Az he's got plank under him
10 stand on"