The Penn's Grove record., 1904-04-22
Hope Greek nipples.

saying we'll Is good, but dong well is
better, and that will apply to the fisher
men. They may say well, prophesy good
things TO come or not to come, predict a
failure or success, but the latter clause
"but doing well is better is what we all
wish and hope, but, hope is a good break
fast but a bad supper.
The fishermen have a brighter outlook
because every day the catch of shad is
increasing. Last Saturday they caught
70 to 100 at n lift and the fore part of
this week they are catching 100 to 200 to
a net daily. We we were high Monday
at PIP. M. with 2O8.
Last Saturday was one of the toughest
days in the Bay and made the largest sea
that some of the fishermen have exper-
fenced who have fshed here for thirty
years. There were only two or three
boats out from Hope Creek. We were
n OF them and the farthest away. For
a while it looked as if we in our boat
were going to make a visit to Davy Jones'
Locker before we would get ashore.
We had all Of our net off when the
wind came down northwest. We were
then seven miles away from the creek
and ON the opposite side OF the Bay. We
fastened our boat to II end of the net
and staid there for about one hour, hop
ing the wind would go down, but the
wind kept increasing and the sea kept
getting higher. Then We decided if we
were to get the net we would have to be-
gin or perhaps not get it all. One-third
of the net ran up the river and we took
this bow on. The rest of it laid down
the river so we took this over the stern
and by the time we had our net all on,
the wind had increased to a regular gale.
AS it was flood tide the seas began to
mount up several feet high, so that when
we We're in the trough of the sea we could
not begin to see over the top standing up:
All we could see would be the large
clouds which were hurrying past.
We then started the engine and tried
to go quartering to Hope Creek. A few
minutes running convinced us of the fu-
tllity of such a course. We had now
reached the centre of the bay, where the
waves were the highest and there was
nothing else to do but to sun quartering
before it and to try and make Bayside,
which was a little below us. We we're
getting along finely when a monster sea
broke over us which made us rather log
gy and hardly had that one passed when
another capped over us. We were now
i'll a bad way, with three of us, a large
net and ninety shad and the boat one
third full of water. Instantly | tore off
the bucket which | had tied down over
part of the engine which protected it
from the flying water, l quickly tore up
the foot boards and began bailing out
water with our third man pumping with
a large pump. If one more sea had cap
ped us as we expected, we would have
filled and sunk, but by quick work we
lightened the boat sufficiently to ride the
next n successfully. After much hard
work of bailing we reached Bayside soak
ing wet and almost frozen. We dried
our clothes and we're supped and dlned
at Earnest Bright's where we were treat
ed most royalty and afterwards at George
Watson's.
There came near being an accident the
other morning. Three colored men fish
ing from this place started out before day
break and were standing up in the boat.
At the mouth of the creek there was a
line stretched out from the lay boat to
the shore and they not seeing this, M
of them was knocked overheard, and
near drowning, but was rescued in
time. 1t can be easier explained this
way, ''three large negroes looking for a
view, n was knocked overheard and
then there were two"
l must write one more word on econo-
mics of which | wrote last week. 1t is
economical to catch few fish. Why?
Because if there are few fish you will not
wear your net out SO quickly and it will
last much longer. 1t will cause less work
because of fewer fish to handle, and less
fish to pick out of your net and less tan
giles to unite, thereby saving your hands
and patience. Last of all you will have
less money to count and bother with and
you thereby save the time it would have
taken to spend it. To those having sail
boats these truths are even more self
evident because they have evea less
chance so l would advise them thus:
In boats. as fashions, the same rule will
hold;
Alike fantastic if too new or old.
Be not the first by whom the new is tried,
Nor yet the last to lay the old aside.
R. HARRIS.