Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1913-05-28
CHAMPION WEIR BUILDER


/ 'twas as hard place as ever l puht
weir."
| So spoke Capt William |. Mayo, OF
Castine, who has built more fish weirs
than any other man on the Atlantic coast,
If mot in the iworld, in telling about a
weir which he drove on the shore Of
Bakers island, of Mt Desert, last
spring. In all probability there are very
few weirs on this coast which, for solidity
OF construction, compare with it. The
captain knows LOT none of the same
construction, in which such hes y spiling
is used.
But when he.went cut to Bakers, which
Is one OF the.most unprotected places on
the Maine coast line, hesknew with wha,
he must contend. Fourteen years ago he
put a weir in at that point. At that time
he learned the force with which the sea
will drive down upon the island, and the
velocityiof the wind. With this experi-
ence he knew the new weir must be sub
stantial. He made 1t so.
AT low water there is only about seven
feet of waterfall. that point, and with the
right sort..of.a breeze prevailing that seven
feet kicksdiup nasty. Whatever is in
tended to withstand its fury must be built
properly The same 10 truesot.the condi-
iions at high water.
The bottom, at that point, is Of blue clay,
and into this the captain drove his
twenty-five foot piles, measuring ten and
twelve inches in diameter at the butt, to
depth OF seven to nine feet. To do this
it was necessary that q steam pile driver
be used. l. The machine which he used for
this work vast equipped with i,50o
pound hammer, having drop OF FIVE feet.
1t is This ,hope.and expectation that the
weir will last for several years, but know
ing Baker island conditions as he does,
he says it wouldn't surprise him lot to
see any big storm sweep il OUT of
existence.
CaptainlMsyo wssl eaely in the fishery
industry. He was born ut Southwest
Hsrbor on the island of Mt. Desert, and at
the age. OF seventeen Was a tuli-fedged
fisherman, having as boy become ia
miliar with all the quirks Of the business.
He went.to the Grand Banks la the fisher
men, which then sailed from man. ports
on theaMaine coast. instead OF but one,
Bucksport, as al present. lie went with
the men from Gloucester and became
known as one OF the best men who ever
stepped over the side Of fishing schooner
At the Grand Banks ne was never shirker
and when Afterwards he sought place On
board OF one of the Georges banks fisher
men it was ready for him.
In this way he became thoroughly
acquainted with the salt fish business, as
well as that of the fresh fishermen, for
that is what the Georges banks fishermen
are sfter-fresh fish for the market.
One OF the best trips which the captain
ever made, according to his tell, was v hen
he sailed out OF Gloucester in the fishing
schooner Mary E. Hardy, Capt. Charles
Hardy, master. She carried a crew OF
eighteen men and an engineer, and st the
end OF thirteen days had earned q $50,
which gave the men siS6i u each for the
trip.
That was fshin',n remarked the cap
tain in speaking of it, and then he added,
''but We struck the mackerel good that
timel"
1t was in the year 1851 that Captain
Mayo went to Deer Isle and built fish
weir on what is known as White island
bar. That was the first weir he ever con-
structed. Before that he had helped in
putting up the weirs, but never had taken
charge OF the work. Since then he ass
been very constantly at it, although most
4 .l.st
fishing calling so strong that he needs
must journey to Gloucester and get aboard
Georges bank craft aud make trip. Ii
Is needless to say that he is always well
come, for they know him in Gloucester.
1t would be impossible TO state the
number of weirs he has erected, both for
himself and for others, for most Of the
time he hnds it necessary TO hire men to
tend his own weirs, while he is away
making fish traps for others. The
number will total hundreds, for it covers
period OF thiriy-one years, not one OF
which has passed without putting up a
number OF these eontrivanees with which
to catch fish. Some years they have
numbered many more than score, Others
the total has dropped to about DOZEN
though it has rarely been less than that.
In that time he has caught large num-
Der OF fish in his many weirs and made a
lot of money. One of the best weirs
which he has ever owned, from an earning
standpoint, was one of the first which he
built and which is still in operation. 1t
is located at Grant berry Isles, and is known
as the Maypole weir-
1t was this weir which gave him the
largest eaten, in point of value, which he
ever made in a single tide. That weir
full of fish stocked him SOS. In sixty
days, the same year, that weir stocked
him q, 900.
During his entire career as q weir fisher
man, Captain Mayo has never operated q
weir outside the State Of Maine. A few
years ago be thought he would fish else
where for time and went TO Florida 70,
purfs.Sa Nheu he Uaf thara hs