The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-05-10

Total, Maine to Texas 100,
In this legion are about 5000 men
who may be termed the elite corps of
the fisheries, the deepwater men,
who sail out of Boston and G1ouces-
ter. r All Of them are competent to
take up naval duty without previous
preparation
Some, and a very large percentage
it would probably be found, could
qualify as officers for special duty,
navigating the very waters that the
United States must watch-the
steamer lanes
The Gloucester and Boston fish
ing fleets are constantly passing to
and fro over these waters. In 1915
not less than 7244 trips offshore were
made by vessels Of these fleets, ag-
gregating 40 sail.
To men who have secured the fish
ing grounds Feast of .66''-that is,
east Of Sc degrees west longitude.
which may fairly be counted off
shore waters a voyage even to the
Irish coast or the edge of the SOCIAL
ed. barred zone of the Germans,
where English patrols would be met,
would entail no seagoing hardship.
trip takes Boston and Gloucester YES
sells a third of the way across the At
lantic. Here. as every sea traveller
of peace time knows, it is not I'M
common for the liner and the Glou-
FISHERMAN to exchange hail and fare
well 1000 miles from land.
In the fleet are many men who
have extended their voyages even to
the waters of the British Isles-for
the nackereI seiners have fished in
Irish waters; while voyages to Ice
land and Greenland for. halibut are
not uncommon.
The New England fisherman,
therefore, would count it all in the
days. work to step aboard a fast pa
troll vessel to convoy q steamer across
the ocean, or to lie in wait off Great
South Shoa1 Hghtship to spot such
a visitor as the German subsea fight
err U-53, which appeared there on
Oct. s last, and sank six cargo YES
sells while the United States Navy, its
hands tied by neutrality, was oblig-
ed to look on.
In order to use the fishermen in
the highly important work OF sub
marine hunting it will be necessary
for the government to furnish YES
sells in which he may carry on his
hunt to the best advantage.
Sailing vessels will not answer.
Therefore the bulk Of the present
fishing fleet plying out of Gloucester
and Boston will be free to follow it's
usual pursuits. But every sort of
craft propelled by gasoline Of steam
is in demand.
The sailing fleet could be left to
pursue it's peaceful affairs, its crews
recruited by men who could be found
to take the place Of those drafted in
to the navy, while the power vessels.
with their crews, entered the patrol
work.
There are several hundred of these
power vessels available, of all kinds
and sizes, between PASSPORT and the
Rio Grande. Many are modern craft,
built in recent years to employ to its
fullest economical efficiency the gas
,oline engine, and these would serve
with little change as submarine spot
tiers. +.
At the head Of the list of fishing
craft that would be taken over by
the government would be the steam
trawlers running out of Boston.
These are IA in number, sturdy, full
powered vessels built in recent years
on the plans of the British trawlers
of the North Sea Fleet, and like
them, specially adapted to mine
sweeping and mine laying. In the
latter work probably they would at
first be employed.
| AS it is doubtful If the Germans
could succeed in laying any mines in
American water, the trawlers later
! might be free for offshore patrol
work.
In this they might be manned by
their original fishing crews, with
possibly one naval officer added to
the ships company as captain Of the
craft.
While figures cannot be given to
show exactly the relative Importance
of the British fisheries and American,
and the consequent relative strength
of each as a training ground for ma
val seamen, an idea may be gained
( of their relative standing by the value
Of their manual catch.
For the year before the war be-
gan the combined catch of the Eng
fish, Scotch and Irish fisheries was
valued at $56,00o,000.
In 1915 the catch of the American
fisheries, as the fish came from the
sea, was valued at $79,00O,000.
/ With these figures as basis, it
may be deducted that the American
fisheries should yield third more
man-power than the British.
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