The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1905-08-03
boy SKIPPER OF BUCksPoRT. /"
LESTER A. CILLEY IN COMMAND OF
ONE OF THE FINEST FISHING VS.
Sells UNDER THE AMERICAN FLAG.

ONE OF THE FINEST f1S14NG VE6-
Sells UNDER THE AMERICAN FLAG.
Boston Sunday Globe.
Bucksport, Me-, sends q dozen or so
of stanch, well-found fishing schooners
to the Grand Banks of Newfoundland
| every spring. They are provisloned for
six months, and sail under orders to
stay there until they wet all their
salt" which means getting hold full
of cod.
The vessels of the Bucksport fleet are
all shand-liners," carrying dories in
which the crew 20 off from the vessel
at anchor to fsh-exactly as did Troops
men from the We're Here in Captains
Courageous"
No small responsibility rests upon
the shoulders of the skipper OF Grand
Banker when he points the bow of his
craft for the region of fog and cod. Be-
sides the vessel and her stores, worth
anywhere from $40, 600 to $4,000, there
is the crew of from Is to 80 men, who
must have their pay when they get
back to port whether there are any fish
in the hold or not. In short, the owner
is always stalking a good pot OF money
on the brains of his captain.
The skipper must navigate the ves-
sci, must know where to find the fish,
how to dress and stow them properly,
how to handle a crew-usually cosmo-
politan aggregation of all sorts and
manner of men-and to grasp any and
all emergencies which may arise, and
are quite likely to, with prompt and
unerring judgment
This season the first and finest of the
Bucksport fleet to get away was the
schooner T. M. Nicholson, an almost
new craft of the ''toothpick" model,
built and named for Capt. I. NJ. Nichol-
son, the owner of the most of the
Bucksport fishing fleet. She measures
nearly 100 tons gross, and her hold has
capacity of 1000 quintals of fish. She
is one of the finest vessels of her class
under the American flag.
When she hoisted her anchor and
with colors flying sailed out of Bucks
port Capt. Lester A. Gilley, ''the boy
skipper Of Bucksport," was at her
wheel. Capt Gilley will celebrate his
oath birthday on the Grand banks where
he will no doubt be the youngest skip
per in the fleet.
AS may be inferred he is lad Of no
ordinary mold OF he would not be in
trusted with a fine vessel loaded to her
scuppers with stores and bound to bring
home $4,000 cargo. And this with
no quill" He is no relation to the own
er. He is hired upon merit and ability
alone.
Capt. Gilley was born and brought up
in Bucksport in sight and smell of the
fish wharves. His father was an old
Grand banks skipper in the pork fat
and molaSses times, as were many of
hip ro1a fiuoc To hoo hoo ri no 1oro of
the Grand banks since he was child,
and like the average Bucksport lad
grew up with the longing for trip to
the region of which he had heard so
much
The average Bucksport lad is zone
tripper,' one whose longing for the ad-
venturous life of the Grand banks is
amply satiated by single trip. But
not so with Lester Gilley. When Is
years old he shipped on coaster, and
after two seasons of the strenuous life
at the wheel and pumps lie made his
first trip to the Grand banks and has
been going ever since. Summer trips to
the fishing grounds have been followed
by winters in Newfoundland after
frozen herring, and for six years the
cabin of a fisherman has been Capt.
Gilley's home.
Last year Capt. Gilley was given his
first command, the schooner Landseer
a comparatively small craft Fish
we're scarce and he was out nearly six
months, but he stuck to it and brought
home full fare of cod, in fact the
'high-line' of the feet, for tonnage.
1t was a case of pluck and grit to chang
on in the face of the fall gales, short
age of provisions and discontinued
crew, but Capt. Gilley knew that every
additional quintal in the hold meant as
much more money for the owner, and
fish are as staple as gold dollars.
This season Capt. Gilley sails the
finest craft of the fleet and goes down
to the Grand banks with picked
crew. He matches his skill and judg-
ment against shippers who were con-
ming the science of Grand bank fish
ing before he was born.
Personally Capt. Gilley is broad
shouldered six-footer, we'll set up and
just the man a football coach would
like to try at tackle. While the last
man in the Bucksport fleet to start a
SCRAP" once started it would be a
case of get out of the way Of the sboy
skipper" He never has any trouble on
his vessels-not more than once trip.
To his friends he is a big, good natured,
blue-eyed boy, restless as the waves
and bubbling over with animal spirits.