MASSACHUSETTS: GLOUCESTER DISTRICT. 



169 



head. Cadiz salt is more extensively used than either of the other varieties. Trapaui salt is 

 generally used by cod fishermen bound on long trips, while Liverpool salt is used in pickling 

 mackerel and herring. 



The quantity of salt taken by fishing vessels varies very much, and is determined by the kind 

 of fishery and the length of the intended trips. Grand Bank cod fishermen absent from home 

 from two to four mouths or more average 210 hogsheads, though some of the largest vessels take 

 as high as 300 hogsheads, or about 80 tons, of salt on a single voyage, while the shore cod fishermen 

 may take either a few bushels or none at all, their fish being cured on the wharves. Cod fisher- 

 men carry their salt in bulk, but the mackerel catchers take it in barrels which are afterwards used 

 for packing the fish. The quantity of salt required for curing A'arious kinds of fi.-h is discussed in 

 the chapter on methods of curing. 



Salt withdrawn from warehouses to be used in the curing of fish is free of duty, this draw- 

 back in a measure taking the place of the bounty formerly allowed to fishing vessels. Reference 

 to the chapter on marine salt will show the amount consumed by the various fishing ports and the 

 amount of duty saved during a period of years. Two concerns and twenty-six men are constantly 

 employed in handling salt in Gloucester. The invested capital in buildings for storage is 810,000, 

 and the cash capital for carrying on the business is $25,000. 



For many years prior to 1801 there were very few direct importations of salt into Gloucester, 

 but since that date many ship-loads have arrived from foreign ports. In IbTO, 45,000 hogsheads of 

 salt were imported in 7 brigs and 10 barks. In 1875 the importations were 108,480 hogsheads iu 

 2 ships, 12 barks, 12 brigs, and 10 three-masted schooners. Of these 42 vessels, 34 were under the 

 American, 5 under the English, and 3 under the Austrian flag. The amount used in curing fish in 

 the year 1875 was 100,245 hogsheads. 



The wholesale price of salt in Gloucester each year since 1800 has been an average of about 

 $2.75 per hogshead of 500 pounds. The prices, per hogshead each year, were as follows: 



Up to 1873 salt withdrawn for curing fish on board of vessels licensed for the fisheries was 

 free of duty, but that used on shore for curing fish was subject to a duty of 8 cents per 100 

 pounds. Since 1873 all salt withdrawn for curing fish has been duty free. The amount used 

 yearly in Gloucester for this purpose during the past eight years, and the wholesale value of the 

 same has been as follows: 



PROVISIONS USED BY THE FLEET. The annual consumption of agricultural products by the 

 Gloucester fishing fleet is very large and includes a great variety of articles, as may well be 

 supposed wheu we consider that nearly 4,500 men must be fed during the greater part of the year. 

 The value of provisions consumed on the vessels during the year 1879 is estimated at $310,000, 



