The Republican journal., 1907-01-03
OUT A LOBSTERIN6
How These Shell Fish are Trapped of the
Maine Coast.

VOU ~ lVOOu IuvUtNV
How These Shell Fish are Trapped of the
Maine Coast
Although from early childhood ac-
customed to seeing the lobster traps
pulled up for repairs near the fish
houses at Wells Beach, l had never
seen trap hauled, and in fact had
never been out in boat from that
beach, Last week l began to be rather
ashamed of the fact, and my curiosity
as to how the fish were taken being
aroused, | persuaded one of the fisher
men to take me "a clustering" with
him some fine morning. Six O'Clock was
the time he set for our departure, and
that meant an early hour for me to arise,
as | had about mile and half to ride
before reaching the little cove where the
start was to be made. For two morn
ings it was f6ggy and there was heavy
sea, rather too heavy for novice to
care to venture out, but the third day
dawned bright and clear. From my
window saw the golden ball peep up
from the ocean, as if to look before
venturing, then with one bound it
cleared the waters edge. A pathway
of light led straight across the oceans
breadth to the sun itself, as if inviting
us to come.
Anyone who has ever been near the
salt marshes know what difference
the tides make in the landscape. This
morning it was just high water, and
the river as it wound in and out over
the wide marsh, with scarcely ripple
on it, recalled to my mind the words of
James Russell Lowell in 'rlhe Summef
Storm"
"On the wide marshes the purple blossom
ed grasses
Soak up the sunshine sleeps the brimming
tide,
Save when the wedge-shaped wake in ST.
lence passes
OF some slow water rat, whose sinuous
glide
Waivers the long green sedges shade from
side to side"
1t was beautiful morning for ride,
and felt just glad to be alive
When we arrived at the cove our fish
erman was not there, ''haint come
down yet" we were told. But l en-
joyed watching the others launch their
| little boats, row out to their dories
which we're anchored in the cove then
proceed on their way to their lobster
traps, for the early morning is when
the greater part of this work is done.
| Most of these men have spent all their
| lives by the water, "iShin' off an on
| Just as they happen to feel. In the
summer especially there is great de-
| mand for Holsters among the cottagerS
and hotel keepers at the beach, and
often these fish are engaged days and
weeks in advance. 1t is then that the
! fishermen devote the most time to lobs-
tering.
Ii one has never before been where
the fishing business is carried on, it is a
novel sight. At Wells Beach there is a
row of four or five little weather-beat-
en- sheds from whose doors come odors
not exactly conducive to strengthen
ing the appetite. All around these
| houses are spread old and new fish nets,
lobster traps, boats past usage. anchors,
and in fact nearly everything used by
fishermen. 1t is in front of these fish
houses that the ocean forms little
cove, and dancing on the waters may
be seen twenty five or thirty boats
ready for service.
| My pilot, a fisherman all his his life,
though rather more progressive than
the others, well educated man, who
has not yet reached what some are
pleased to call "the prime of life," owns
a naphtha launch, and it was in this
that we made the expedition. We
didn't get started at a. m., it was
nearer 7.30, but the wait was far being
tiresome. 1t was a real pleasure to be
so near the ocean at the morning hour.
The launch was sturdy one, and
would hold comfortably as many as
eight people, provided there were no
lobster traps to be pulled in. With the
bait, Holsters and all necessary equip
ment aboard, there wasn't room for
many passengers. | sat on box in
one end, with my back against the rail
when | felt so inclined-a picture of
comfort it must have been.
AS soon as the machinery was in OPP
GRAFTON, and we were well on our way
Mr.. H was ready to talk, to tell me of
his boat, which early in the summer he
purchased at Swans Island, how he
came home from there in a day and a
half, it would have been less than day
if the machinery hadn't bothered, etc.
His father, an old time fisherman, who
doesn't believe in new tangled ideas,
can't quite approve of the boat rowing
and sailing being good enough for him.
When anything goes wrong his 81 told
you So" is sure to come. The old man
hasn't yet deigned to take a sail in the
boat. Other old-timers, and in fact
some of the younger fishermen, look
with disapproval, perhaps jealousy,
upon his launch, and are wont to
rather criticize its owner. No doubt in
time they will go and do likewise, for
it's certainly easier to sit still and reach
ones destination, than it is to row or
wait for an suspicious wind in order to
sail
On account of the fog and storms
Mr.. H had not visited his traps far
thest away for several days, and the
haul that morning was a good one. He
has fifty-three traps set and we visited
thirty-nine. In some we would find
five or six Holsters, Others contained
only two or three, and 1 believe he
pulled two empty ones. 1t was exciting
to watch for the first glimpse of the
trap, wondering how many Holsters it
would contain.
These traps are made of laths or hard
wood pieces, something like chicken
coop, excepting the top, which is round
and the bottom, which is lathed over.
Some have three openings for the lob
sters to go into, some have two, but the
majority have only one, that in the
end. The latter has an inner opening,
and once the lobster gets into that, he
is sure to stay unless there happens to
be a broken slat. These traps are