732 GEOGRAPHICAL BE VIEW OF THE FISHERIES. 



some places there be clams as big as a penny white loaf.' But we can indulge no further in Mr. Wood's account of 

 the fishes, except to add a few lines from his notice of shell-fish, which we give rather as a specimen: 



" ' The luscious lobster, with the crabfish raw, 

 The brinish oister, muscle, periwigge, 

 And tortoise sought for by the Indian squaw, 

 Which to the flats danco many a winter's jigge, 

 To dive for cockles, and to digge for clams, 

 Whereby her lazie husband's guts shee cramms."" 



FALMOTJTH. 



THE FISHERIES OF FALMOUTH SINCE 1800. Freeman thus comments upon the fisheries of Falmouth at the open- 

 ing of the present century : 



" The fisheries were never a very prominent business here ; and vet, in 1800, of GO vessels owned here, of about 55 

 tons average, 6 were employed in the fisheries ; 2 going to the Straits of Belle Isle, and 4 fishing at the shoals." 2 



The whaling business was carried on at Wood's Holl quite extensively forty years ago. There were at one time 

 as many as 8 vessels hailing from that port. There was a candle factory here at tbat time. The whale oil, 

 however, was sold in New Bedford largely. As the men died who had carried on the business, the vessels were sold 

 one by one, and the business here gradually ceased. 



Freeman's account confirms the facts given above, alluding to the former whale-fishery of the town in the fol- 

 lowing words : 



" Considerable ship-building was formerly carried on here ; and, at one time, 9 ships, averaging about 350 

 tons each, were employed in the whale-fishery from this port. The capital invested was about $'260, QUO ; the number 

 of men engaged in the business was about 250; and tlie aggregate return was, of sperm oil, 4,952 barrels, or 148,560 

 gallons; whale oil, 275 barrels, or s,250 gallons. This place, like others, has passed through business vicissitudes, 

 but has ever been regarded as in many respects an important and interesting locality. 3 



Prior to 35 years ago there were several fishing schooners at Wood's Hull. At one time there were 2 bankers 

 and 2 which went to Nantucket shoals. Relics of the old fleet are remembered by the names "Ann," "Isaac Cromwell," 

 and ' Sea Serpent." The " Sea Serpent " was a sharp-stem pinkie boat. It was finally decked over and changed to 

 the " Wanderer." 



Salt-works existed hero 30 or 40 years ago to a large extent, but no trace of them now remains. Two dollars 

 a bushel was often obtained for the salt. 



MARTHA'S VIXETARD. 



Marth a's Vineyard was discovered by Gosnold in 1002, though he gave tbat name to Neman's Land, rather than 

 to what is now the Vineyard. 



In 1642 "the Vineyard" was settled by Thomas Mayhew, of Southampton, England. In 1644 it was placed 

 under the jurisdiction of Massachusetts, and in Hiti4 was transferred to New York, but was restored to Massachu- 

 setts in 1692. 



HISTORY OF EDGARTOWH AND HOLMES' HOLE. Edgartown was formerly a whaling port of considerable impor- 

 tance. According to Starbuck, the deep-sea whale fishery was begun here in 1738 by one Joseph Chase, who came 

 from Nantucket and established himself on the shore of Edgartowu Harbor, and built a wharf and try-work. He 

 carried on the fishery for two or three years with his sloop, the Diamond, a vessel of 40 tons, but finally stopped on 

 account of his want of success. 



In 1739 James Claghorn purchased the Leopard, a sloop of 40 tons, and commenced the fishery, but he also 

 retired in two or three years. 



In 1742 John Harper commenced the fishery with several vessels, but ran through the same course as the others, 

 withdrawing in a few years. 



Regardless of the results accruing to his predecessors, iu 1744 John Newman commenced the whale-fishery. 

 Unfortunately his vessel was lost about a year later, while temporarily engaged in bringing corn from the South to 

 sujply the lack at home. 



In 1757, an embargo being upon the shipping, John Norton, for Martha's Vineyard, and Abishai Folger, for Nan- 

 tucket, prayed the general court of Massachusetts that they might be allowed to send vessels on whaling voyages as 

 usual, stating that unless they were permitted so to do many of the people must suffer for the necessities of life. 



In 1775 only 12 whaling vessels, with an aggregate of 720 tons, were in use at Martha's Vineyard. This number 

 of vessels was fitted out annually from Martha's Vineyard from 1771 to 1775, and employed 156 seamen, and annually 

 took 900 barrels of sperm oil and 300 barrels of whale oil. 



The outbreak of the Revolutionary war aft'ected the whale-fishery at Martha's Vineyard, as it did in other localities 

 in New England. Vessels were seized and carried to Eugland or destroyed, and the business became precarious and 

 loss was almost certain. 



1 Freeman, op. cit., vol. ii, p. 32. *lirid., p. 421. Ibid., p. 421. 



