Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1904-11-30
BRITISH TRANL INDUSTRY,
Great Fortunes Invested in Specially
Constructed Boats-How They
Are Operated.

The trawl fishermen of England fur
nlsh quite half of the total product of
the nations fisheries and they do their
work In costly steam trawlers that pa
trol the sea perpetually from Hull 10
Norway, says the Chicago American.
ihese modern steam trawlers, equip
ped with huge refrigeratiEg plants and
manned with picked crews, gathered
from the great fishing stations of Eng
land, remain at sea for weeks at a
tlme' Ihey are stanch, specially con-
structed vessels, with hulls of steel and
powerful engines. Great fortunes arc
invested IN these trawlers and the dear
est ambition of an English fisherman's
neart is to own a substantial share in
one Of them.
A hardy, self-reliant, useful class of
men are these trawlers of ENGLAND dis
regarding personal comfort, bearing
hardship and .risking life in a calling
tnat means nothing but a bare living
10 the fortunate few. But only a few
years ago TRAVELLING was in its infancy.
and not single steam vessel was en-
gagged in the Industry.
In 1862 the English trawler, all ready
for service, cost but $4,000. and not
more than 1000 Of them could be found
IN English waters, Suddenly, however.
the English railroad companies awoke
to the fact that there would be i'm
mense profit for them in a refriger
at1ng car service that would give Lon
don and all the big inland cities plenty
of fresh fish every day.
With the advent of the REFRIGERATOR
car the English trawler industry
sprang into vigor. In 1895 the total
product OF the North sea feet was val
ued at $13,0O0,o00, and shipbuilders all
over England were busy in the con-
struct1on of larger trawlers.
1t was in that year also that the
most important advancement of the
industry was attempted, a change from
! sails to steam. The first experiments
were most satisfactory as to actual
trawling results, but discouraging as
to attendant expenses. But the cost
was speedily placed within due limits,
and steam TRAVELLING forged to the
front.
The most of the trawling ia now
done in the southern half of the North
sea, but the Oldest TRAVELLING grounds
are along the Devo1shire coast, where
the men of Brixham worked at the
net more than 100 years agc.
Plymouth is a monster trawling sta
tlcn, and the number OF her traWlers
has quadrup-ed in the last Is years.
: But the men of this town are still con-
tent, for the most part, to go to sea
every morning and return with their
catch each night. But from Hull fleets
of steam trawlers put out into the
North sea to be gone for weeks.
The: beam ;trawl, which is used by
all these 1shtrmen. Is triangular.
fat, purse-shaped net, with it's wide
mouth kept disten1ed by horizontal,
wooden spar called the beam" These
nets, worked by powerful tackle and
engines, are Of prodigious size. They
are lowered into the water to the prop
er depth and remain there for hours,
while the vessel steams ahead at full
speed. Into the open mouth of the
huge net the fish are swept by thou.
sands. The weight Of the struggling
prisoners becomes enormous as the net
fills, but the fiber meshes are as strong
as steel and hold tons of fish captive