IMPROVEMENTS IN FISHING, AND IN THE NETS OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN."
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Laughrin, of Polperro, in the County of Cornwall,
for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FISHING, AND IN THE NETS OR
APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Laughrin at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 8th June 1881.
"IMPROVEMENTS
WILLIAM LAUGHRIN, of Polperro, in the County of Cornwall.
IN FISHING, AND IN THE NETS OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN.'
"
My Invention relates to an improved method and means for catching fish, such
as pilchards, for example, which are in the habit of swimming together in "schools"
or shoals, and it has for its object enabling such fish to be captured in deep waters
by means of a net resembling what is known as a seino net.
In carrying out my Invention I employ a net of considerable length in proportion
to its depth, and provided with suitable floats and weights in the same manner as
an ordinary seine, in addition to which at or near the lower edge of the net there
are placed eyes, loops, thimbles, or wood, fair leaders, through which is passed a
rope operated in the manner hereinafter described.
This net is carried on two vessels, preferably steam launches, one half of the net
The launches, for
being on one vessel and the other half on the other vessel.
example, are connected together at their sterns, and one launch thus tows the other
as near as possible to one side of the shoal of fish; at the proper moment the
two vessels separate, paying out the net between them simultaneously, and travel
in opposite directions round the shoal until they meet at the opposite side, and
thus bring the two ends of the net together, thereby causing the net to completely
encompass the shoal. The two extremities of the net are then secured, and the
vessels proceed on their course, passing cach other and leaving the net behind, but
taking with them the extremities of the rope herein before referred to, which is

page_text: thereby rapidly drawn until the bottom of the net is gathered together and closed,
so as to render it impossible for the fish to escape, after which the net may be
drawn up, and the fish taken out in the ordinary manner.
In lieu of drawing the rope for closing the bottom of the net by causing the
vessels to proceed rapidly on their course, as herein before described, it may be
drawn or pulled, so as to contract and finally close the opening at the bottom of
the net by hauling or drawing it in by any other suitable means.
By means of this Iuvention the delay and risk of waiting until the fish arrive in
sufficiently shallow water to enable a seine to be used in the manner heretofore
practiced is obviated, as it is rendered possible to take the fish in water of any
depth and at all seasons of the year.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Laughrin in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 7th December
1881.
WILLIAM LAUGHRIN, of Polperro, in the County of Cornwall.
"IMPROVEMENTS
IN FISHING, AND IN THE NETS OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN.”
My said Invention relates to an improved method and means of catching fish,
such as pilchards, for example, which are in the habit of swimming together in
"schools" or shoals, and it has for its object enabling such fish to be captured in
deep waters by means of a net resembling what is known as the seine type of net.
In carrying out my said Invention I employ a net of considerable length in pro-
portion to its depth, and provided with suitable floats and weight in the same
manner as any ordinary seine, and in addition to which at or near the lower edge
of the net there are placed eyeloops, thimbles, or wood fair leaders, through which
a rope is passed, so that the bottom of the net may be closed when desired in order.
to prevent the exit of the fish.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood, I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose shall refer to
the several Figures on the annexed sheet of Drawings, the same letters of
reference indicating corresponding parts in all the Figures.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings represents an elevation of a net con-
structed and arranged according to my said Invention, the net being shewn
developed or extended.
Figure 2 is an elevation of the net after it has been towed, so as to encompass a
shoal of fish, and Figure 3 is a plan of the same.
Figure 4 is an elevation, and Figure 5 is a plan of the net after it has been
drawn in at the bottom, so as to prevent the exit of the encompassed fish from
below.
The arrangement of the boats and their connection with the net is shewn
diagramatically in Figures 2, 3, 4, and 5.
A is the net (of the seine type) having considerable length in proportion to its
depth, and provided at the top with corks or other suitable floats A, and at the
bottom with the usual weights and the eye loops or thimbles B through which
the rope b passes.
This net is carried partly on two vessels, preferably "steam launches." One
half of the net being on one vessel and the other half on the other vessel. The
launches C, C, for example, are connected together at their sterns, and one launch
thus towes the other as near as possible to one side of the shoal of fish; at the
proper moment the two vessels are disconnected and separate, paying out the net
simultaneously between them while travelling in opposite directions round the
shoal until they meet at the opposite side thereof, and thus bring the two ends a, a¹,
of the net together, so as to cause the net to completely encompass the shoal, as
illustrated in Figures 2 and 3 of the Drawings. The two extremities a, a', of the
net are then secured and the vessels proceed on their course, passing each other
and leaving the net behind, as shown at P, Figure 2, but taking with them the
extremities of the rope b, which is thereby rapidly drawn through the eye loops or
thimbles B, until the bottom of the net is gathered together and closed, as repre-
sented at Figures 4 and 5 of the Drawings, so as to render it impossible for the
fish to escape from below, after which the net may be drawn up or a tuck net put
in, and the fish taken out in the ordinary manner.
In lieu of drawing the rope for closing the bottom of the net by causing the
vessels to proceed rapidly on their course, as hereinbefore described and represented

page_text: in the accompanying Drawings, it may be drawn or pulled so as to contract and
finally close the opening at the bottom of the net by hauling or drawing it in by
any other suitable means.
If required the whole of the net may be shot from one vessel, the other only
assisting to draw the foot rope after the net has been shot.
The net may be contracted as much as one half of the bunt, that is to say, the
net may be set two fathoms to one fathom of rope on the foot, and two fathoms of
net to one and half fathoms of rope in the head. On the sleeves the not may be
contracted at the foot one third, and on the head one quarter. The bunt may be
of twine, and the sleeves of silk, cotton, or any other suitable material, in order
that the net may be as light as possible, so as to be easily and rapidly manipulated.
If desired suitable bags may also be placed in the bunt.
By means of my said Invention the delay and risk of waiting until the fish
arrive in sufficiently shallow water to enable a seino net to be used in the manner
heretofore practised is obviated, as it is rendered possible to take the fish in water
of any depth and at all seasons of the year.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into effect, I
would observe in conclusion that what I consider to be novel and original, and
therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein before in part recited
Letters Patent is,-
The method of fishing by the employment of a net of the seine type, so con-
structed and arranged as to be capable of being closed up at the bottom or foot
after a shoal of fish has been encompassed by the same, substantially as and for
the purposes hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof; I, the said William Laughrin, have to this my Specifi-
cation set my hand and seal, this Sixth day of December, One thousand
eight hundred and eighty one.
UGHRIN
(4.5.)
OUT TITTY &