166 GEOGKAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. 



among Gloucester merchants to distribute their products directly to large dealers throughout the 

 country. Prior to 1860 the work of distributing fish taken by Gloucester vessels was very largely 

 done at Boston, but to-day, although Boston handles in transshipment a vast amount of fish, yet but 

 a small part of the Gloucester catch is sent there for distribution. Dealers are directly interested 

 in the capture and cure of the fish, so that it is for their interest to prepare them in good shape and 

 send them to market in the best condition. The curing and packing is done on the wharves where 

 the fish are landed, and as soon as they are ready for shipment they are teamed to the cars or the 

 steamboat landing or carried to the latter place ou lighters built specially for this purpose. 



Gloucester has good facilities for a wide distribution of the products of the fisheries, being ou 

 the line of the Gloucester branch of the Eastern Railroad, which connects with roads to all parts of 

 the country. Besides the railroad communication there is a fleet of nineteen sailing vessels, 1,101 

 tons burthen, and a steamboat line constantly plying between here and the leading markets. The 

 Cape Ann Advertiser states that the first steamer to sail regularly between Boston and Gloucester 

 was the Mystic, run by the Gloucester Steamboat Company during the years 1860 and 1861, when 

 she was chartered to the Government. At the beginning of the business most of the trade freight 

 was billed to Boston only, and was confined mostly to barrels, halves, quarters, and kits of fish, 

 and fish in 450-pound boxes and bundles. This trade from 1870 to 1873 warranted the running of 

 a daily steamer carrying freight and passengers until late in the fall, when three trips were made 

 per week during the winter. Business in 1875-'76 warranted building a new steamer making 

 daily trips throughout the year. The steamers touch at East Boston and land their west-bound 

 freight, connecting with all the fast freight lines over the Boston and Albany road, and then 

 proceed to their berth at Central Wharf, where a connection is made with the Metropolitan 

 Steamship Company with freight for New York and other points, and with the Philadelphia and 

 Baltimore lines and all the inside lines to the South. Bills of lading are signed in Gloucester by 

 all routes, rail or steamer, through to any point in the United States, and rates given, so that the 

 business of transportation is now ou such a footing that the Gloucester merchants have no trouble 

 in doing business with connecting lines out of Boston. The trade has changed somewhat of late 

 years, and fish is now packed for the market in all kinds of ways and size of packages, a large 

 portion of the goods going West. 



Fresh fish intended for market either in New York or the West are sent by rail rather than by 

 steamboat. The halibut companies have for a number of years chartered cars for their sole use; 

 these are loaded with fish and taken to Boston in season to connect with night trains for the New 

 York and other great markets. 



For the handling aud transporting of fish in Gloucester there are employed sixty horses and a 

 large number of low wagons called jiggers. In 1845, before the introduction of the railroad or 

 steamboat lines, fish were shipped in sailing vessels. There was then little need for hauling fish, 

 only two horses being thus employed. In 1850 there were not over half a dozen used for this pur- 

 pose, but in 1880 the number had increased to sixty, valued, with wagons, at about $15,000. 



FISH BOXES AND BARRELS. Fish are shipped from Gloucester to all parts of the United 

 States, to the West Indies, aud to various parts of Europe. Brine-salted fish are packed in barrels, 

 the size aud material of which are regulated by the laws of the State. Dry fish are generally 

 packed in boxes containing 400 to 450 pounds each, though a large part of this product is now 

 made into prepared or boneless fish, and shipped in smaller boxes containing from 5 to 200 pounds. 

 Fresh fish packed in boxes with ice are sent to all parts of the country, even as far west as Califor- 

 nia; such boxes usually containing 450 pounds of fish. These barrels and boxes are brought to 

 Gloucester by rail and vessel from Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, various towns in Massachu- 



