The Coolidge examiner., 1937-10-28

But what profit might arise?"
That was King James query when
Pilgrims asked him, in 1913, to per-
NIT them to sail for the New World.
Fishing" they replied.
$50, God save my soul!" he ex-
claimed. "'Tis an honest trade.
Twas the Apostles own calling"
There's a reason why the Sacred
Goldfish is an emblem of Massa-
chusetts; why its effigy hangs now
in the statehouse, and has hung, in
one assembly hall or another, for
more than 200 years. 1t saved the
early settlers from starving; pre-
served with salt from England. it
became their first export. their first
source of revenue.
Boston, like Gloucester, catches
many other kinds now, from lobster
to mackerel, and helps feed the
whole United States. And cod is no
longer the favorite; haddock is
more in demand.
Go for trip in a trawler. Head
ing for the Stellwagen bank, the
dingdong echo of your radio depth
finders warns you that you are over
the fishing grounds, and the big
conical net is let go.
Wooden wheels, set on its lower
lip, let it roll easily over the ocean
floor; big wooden gates at each end.
opening outward keep it stretched
wide open, so that it scoops up ev-
erything that swims or crawls, from
"sea eggs" to squid
Coins. spoons. buttons, even
pieces of jewelry have been
found in fish taken off the New Eng
land coast; apparently they seize
such bright objects as may fall from
passing ships.
Green" or unfrozen, fish is
shipped as far west as Mississippi;
frozen fish, really fresh fish pre-
served by freezing which will keep
in perfect condition year or more,
reaches the Pacific coast, while
salted and dried Goldfish. or "baca-
lao," is consumed as far away as
southern Europe. the Caribbean,
and the coast Of Brazil.
Dawn brings the auction in big
pit" at the piers end. Signs on
the walls say all bidding must be in
English; bids are called in Eng
ish. but debates rage with confu-
sion of tongues.
Then this big. busy fish pier
echoes with excitement. Men in
rubber boots, wearing caps with
long visors like duck bills, throw
fish into rope baskets and swing
them to the docks. Others run hith-
er and yon, pushing bright-colored
carts filed with fish, followed by
shifting, hard-faced wharf cats.
Bostonians Are Good Sailors.
These Boston people love the sea.
For generations they sailed it to
make living. Now many sail for
fun, yet with all the skill and grim
intent of adventurous clipper days.
Be asked to sail in yacht club
races, especially if all your racing
experience has been on the deck of
a mustang, and you hear new
language. On the first day of soft
spots" in the air, of tacking, luffing.
crossing of bows and sterns, and
shutting off of the rivals wind,
sailing seems a sport not only of
odd speech but mysterious motions.
Then, all at once, you begin to
sense these tricks of jockeying with
boats. Here is horse racing, but on
wateri Instead of crowding the 9TH
er, riding in to the rail to slow
him down, you shut off his breeze
power Ship lines are only bride
reins; stiff breezes are spurs, and
letting out a spinnaker is merely
giving your nag her head.
Fair play and good craftsmanship
are ingrained., Inherited English
ways and proximity of Harvard,
with its generations of clean sport,
have foStered this love for games.
Plenty of Sport There.
Gymnasiums came early, here
circus acrobats and strong men
used to be invited to ''show off, for
the boys. That colorful character
in prize-ring history, John L. Sulli-
van, was born in Boston. Cricket,
hockey, boxing. rowing, swimming,
nigh bicycles, and ball players in
full boards, Boston fostered them
all: yet permitted no league base
ball games on Sunday till 1929!
Special "snow trains" leave now,
taking winter crowds with skis,
sleds, and toboggans, at the first
news of heavy SHOWS in the White
mountains. Born of the old East
Indian battledore and shuttlecock,
and introduced into England about
q century ago by returning army
officers, the game of badminton is
now also much played about Boston.
New among Boston sports is
midget motor-car racing. She has
q special Tom Thumb track, an odd
ly formed figure with seven turns.
To it, on race days, tiny speed cars
are hauled on trucks. for rough-and-
tumble contests.