New-York tribune., 1906-12-23
CAPTAIN OF A BANKER "
Joe Peterson Returns to Maine
Coast zcith Full Fare"

Bangor, Me-. Nov Especially When the tug
Bismarck passed Bucksport the other day. on her
way from Penobscot Bay TO Bangor with tow OF
coasters. Captain Delano yelled 70 the crowd Of
tdlers on Nicholson's fish wharf:
Banker below-Cap'n Joe Paterson .,ru
fare"
That was enough 10 inform the men on the wharf
that one Of the luckiest OF Bucksports Grand Bank
fishermen had arrived in the bay and would soon
De nome 1t was such good news, such an irnpor-
tant occurrence for the little town. that It was
quickly spread far and wide. It meant that one Of
the fishing fleet which had left port early in June
had braved the perils Of the area of the sea of
Newfoundland known the Grand Banks had
ridden out all the gales. had been spared from being
sent to the bottom by the icebergs by the great
ocean liners which sweep across the outer edge Of
the fishing grounds. or by collision with other
craft gone adrift- 1t meant relief for anxious
wives and mothers sons, daughters and sweet
hearts. 1t meant something 10 the owner who had
staked thousands of dollars on the stanchness OF
his craft. the judgment OF his skipper and on
luck generally.
A full fare meant that the vessel had brought
home all the Goldfish that she could carry that her
hold was packed full Of split sated fish packed
IKE hes IN box-and nowadays fish are fish, in
quick and ready demand at high prices and as
good as gold. Sometimes fishing vessels &c to the
Banks and stay from June until November and do
not get a 'fuI fare" There may be weeks and
weeks OF Tcugh weather when the men cannot fish
there may Sc a scarcity OF fish or something may
happen so t'at the vessel is obliged to lose much
time in running in to land But the men, eighteen
twenty or more. must have their wages and they
must be fed and the hundred and one expenses OF
the trip are the same as if she filed her hold or
wet all her salt, as they say. Vessels have come
in which have made their owners much poorer
than II they had been tied I'D at the wharf all
summer
When vessel has Full fare it means much.
1t means money in the pocket Of the owner and
money in the pocket Of the skipper. 1t means grea,
satisfaction for everybody concerned and ADDS
much to the prosperity of the town
So it that when the stanch fishing schooner
NJ. B. Stetson Captain Joseph Peterson poked her
cutter bow around the bend in Bucksport NarroNs
loaded to the scuppers her colors flying. all Bucks
port hastened to the waterfront while a salute Of
thirteen guns banged out noisy welcome to
"Capn joe and his lusy crew, the, first banker
home.
The Stetson sailed from Bucksport on June and
arrived October 2 with $500 quintals Of cod,
thirds big" fish, one OF the best fares" ever
Captain Peterson's thirty-eghth voyage to the
Grand Banks had ended Thirty-eight times he
sailed for the the region Of fogs and gales after fish
a6 @ s06 them then FIRST hS as mere mere boy eleven years
finally skipper-thirty summers spent in the chase
shoals. the western shoals on LIE Have on Green
Ranks around the Virgin Rocks and TO the
Many a season he Gas chased the elusive cod in
f6n2any TIh Ii the o MeIe Here. the Carrie Pitman
Rudyard kiplings CAPTAINS Courageous; with
the Juno. the William Tell the Black Hawk, the
Harper, the Ben Franklin. the Robert Byron, the
arbehead the Snow sSGa the the 3ng 6ns 5ns
and hundreds OF others, the most Of which
Captain Joseph F. Peterson. of South Penobscot
is probably the Oldest Grand Banks fishing captain
now in the business. Although he was born in
Castine siXty-seven years ago. he doesn't look it,
and casual observer would say that he was per-
haps a little past fifty.
When he was ten years old his father, Peter
Peterson, who was mate Of ship, was drowned at
New Orleans. When eleven he went TO the Grand
t2ipper ] . and nd although boys on the Grand Banks
in those days got little beefsteak and few pea
For the ne next two % YEARS @ % he Went to the indies
and when nineteen was mate ate with Captain Rufus
one he went to the Grand Banks again, this time
each Year until the outbreak of the civil War.
when he and the most of his crew entered the
saw much service in the blockadng squadron and
participated in the bombaTdment EI OF Fort Fisher
After this war Captain Peterson returned to the
PsaGsf1 region b 05 ss 8na sailed
tain Angus Nicholson, one trip. and for the next
two wears sailed as master of the schooners Tele-
from Deer Isle and went fourteen years out OF
m99e IN bt thff foP tmf him 9he r
For the last eleven wears he has sailed out OF
in the schooner Matte +. for two years. the Edgar
S. Foster two years; the Arthur y 5. Wood .uff
tSi9 SF year ysFi IN the the NJ d sesoa III cars anu
In all his Grand Banks eXOcricDce he has failed
only twice 10 bring In a "ful fare" and although
he has had some thrilling times at ser never came
In with colcrs at halfnast for man lost
Captain Peterson has fire home at South
Penobscot. where he and his wife live. Three sons
and one daughter have grown up and have homes
Of their own. Only ono OF the boys has followed
who was first hand with his father on the last
trip
Captain Peterson has great fleet OF
Grand Banks fishermen disappear and another
take its Dlace He first sailed in the days when 5G,
quntals was considered big fare" but it would
take ive or six OF the oldtlme craft TO carry the
load the Stetson brought in a few weeks ago The
old feet have nearly all disappeared. except few
now used as coasters. one OF Captain Peterson's
the r. NJ. Nicholson. is a fine type OF
the modern craft. jaunty yacht compared with
the oldtlmers. Captain Peterson expects TO make
many more trips to the fogsy region before ne
uis NM fOr