The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-12-09
CITY Ne US
KNOWS WHERE THE
FISR COME FROM
wADswoRTH BRAvED A STORM
TO LEARN.
Went Out onto Lake Michigan the Day
of the Big Blow in Minneapolis and
Saw Real Fishermen at, Work-How
Hundred Thousand Are Caught
Each Year. 81.

Eyer since he 21 was boy Frank randar FL
where the fish came from. Now he
knows He learned about it in as thrill
ing an experience as he ever had or
read about.
He set out from Frankfort, Mich,
at 5 O'Clock on the morning OF Aug.
II last, the day of the big blow in Min
neapolis, and he says he will never for
get the few hours he spent aboard the |
fishing smack Rough Rider during the
storm.
Altho the weather was rough, all the
and had not the slightest fear. In the |
party were Albert Fairchild, owner of
the smack, for 40 years a fisherman
in that vicinity, and a crew Of five
men, w. J. and Charles A. Fairchlld,
sons of the owner; Captain Oliver
Troubier, a strong, why Frenchman,
with thirty years experience; LOWS
Sloter, an engineer and fisherman upon
the lakes since 1878; Knudt Frey and
Mr.. Wadsworth and son W inthrop:
About ten miles from shore fierce
wind came up and the boat was tossed
about like a toy. The waves dashed
over the top deck and the smack was
completely at the mercy Of the storm.
By the time the boat had reached the
fishing grounds the storm had abated
watch the fishing operations.
Lifting the Big Nets.
Mr.. Wadsworth gives an interesting
account of the lifting Of the tlsh.
"When the boat neared the flag
pole,' said Mr.. Wadsworth, "the crew
seized it and pulled in rope 200 feet
long which was attached to it. This
rope reached to the heavy rock sinker
and the fshnet at the bottom OF the
Ill 81 hn hnp
is fastened large, heavy iron roller.
Over this the rope net and fish are
pulled. On some boats this is done
by machinery, but on ours it was done
by two men constantly walking back
ward and forward by each other, as
at each haul, the two men inside rel1ev-
ing the two men outside at each box
full of 1900 fish. AS the boat moved
slowly along, the net was pulled up
it came in over this iron roller the
fish came with it, caught in the netting.
Let No Good Fish Escape
"some little time after fish gets
in the net he begins to bloat, and then
it is impossible for him to escape. AS
the net is pulled up, you can see the
fish wriggling about in the net thirty
or forty feet below the surface of the
water, and as they approach the surface
the men are careful to watch and spike
or basket those likely to escape.
GAS soon as the men pulling up the
net drop each handful of netting and
fish upon the front deck, man down in
the boat pulls them in and carefully
folds the net in a three bushel box and
them fourth man separates the fish,
fish with spike. Then he sorts the
fish up in different boxes according to
grade and time they have been in the
net Most of the fish are alive and
fight desperately to get away. On this
first day, we pulled in over eight hun
bred pounds, mostly whitefsh, weighing
from 2 to 31a pounds each, some lake
trout from 2 to pounds each. We also
pulled in some perch, suckers, and kind
of fish called lawyers, because they are
SO slippery and worthless. These were
all thrown back.
eve headed our boat, after pulling
up six miles of net, for South Manitou
island, nine miles away, On the way
over the men dressed all the fish, TAX
ing three or four dexterous slashes of
sharp knife to each fish, and on land
ing the fish were all packed in ice.
"Planting'' the Nets.
"The next day the lake was very
smooth, and we started back for the
=
three more miles of net and about three
hundred pounds of fish and then we be-
gan to plant or relay the nets. The
nets are made Of stout thread with E
strong, small rope about the size Of {
clothesline, on the top and bottom, al
it stands in place about six feet higl
securely anchored along the bottom o.
the lake. Every nine feet there is
round lead sinker weighing one-thirt
Of a pound, strung on the bottom core
and just opposite this is light ceda
block strung on the upper cord. Thes
hold the net upright when sunk. Fac
net is 1900 feet long and they are tie
together so that any amount can be lie
out. We dropped ten miles of netting
to each end of which were attache
heavy rock sinkers ard ropes reachin
to the buoys. It took the men jus
eight minutes to run out one boxfu
or 1900 feet Of netting. The speed O
the boat is adjusted to suit the re-
pidity with which the men can get tn
net out in perfect form. It sinks to tn
bottom of the lake and the boat in lay
ing them goes in a zigzag course, s
that the fish at night, when they cannc
see the thread Of the net, run into 1t i
swimming in either direction.
nnaS in nets pace ese where's @pst the Fe
from 100 to 200 feet deep and allowed t
remain down from two to three day
or over two nights. No one has an
vested rights in any particular localit
and different parties often place the
nets over each other, causing delay an
boats and catches and ships about or
hundred thousand pounds of fish ever
season, which he sells for 6 cents
pound. We returned to Frankfort Au
18, with over one thousand pounds {
Al fish,"