70 HISTOEY AND METHODS OF THE FISHEKEES. 



get those we had out. The wind blew strong all day, so we did not put our dories out again. I 

 never before have seen such a succession of strong winds and gales with the barometer so high. 

 It has not been below 29.70, in the open air, in any of the late gales. 



Thursday, March 7, 1878. Blow! Blow I At daylight it was still blowing strong, and I felt 

 utterly disgusted with the state of things in general, and the weather in particular. At 8 a. m. the 

 wind moderated a little, and we put out our dories, and the men went to haul the trawls. We 

 got 3,000 pounds of halibut, baited up and set again. Capt. Peter Mathewson, of the Solomon 

 Poole, came aboard in the afternoon ; he has been on the Bank but a few days. He said that 

 while he was at home the Howard came in from the Western Bank with a good trip. She was 

 gone only thirteen days from home. The Ada K. Damon hove up this afternoon and stood to the 

 northward. We got no halibut on our trawls in the afternoon, so we hove up and stood to the 

 NNE. 4 or 5 miles, and anchored in 58 fathoms, and set eighteen tubs of trawl at 10 p. m. 



Friday, March 8, 1878. There was a moderate southerly breeze in the morning. We got 

 5,000 pounds of halibut on the morning haul ; baited up, and set again. Three of the dories caught 

 nearly all of the halibut, so all of them set at 10 a. m. in the direction where the fish appeared to be 

 most abundant. The sun was out to-day, so that I got observations latitude 44 4' N., longitude 

 52 30' W. Capt. Peter Dolliver, of the Lizzie, came aboard in the afternoon. He has not been long 

 out from Halifax, where he has been to refit, having lost cable, anchor, &c., in the heavy gale that 

 swept the Grand Bank the 4th, 5th, and 6th ultimo. He said he had himself tried, and had spoken 

 several others who had been fishing 18 miles northward of us, and the halibut were very scarce in 

 that region. We got only 2,000 pounds of halibut in the afternoon haul. Just as our dories were 

 getting aboard, the Ada K. Damon spoke us. She was running to the northward, towing her 

 anchor. It was then 5 p. m. We took in our dories, broke out the anchor, and shifted a long 

 berth, after dark, towing the anchor. We baited 12 skates of trawl and set them after we 

 anchored again. 



Saturday, March 9, 1878. There was a fresh whole sail southerly breeze in the morning, and it 

 looked like rain. We got very few halibut on the morning haul, and as soon as the dories were 

 aboard we began to heave up the anchor. The Carl Schurz spoke us at 7 a. m. She was running 

 to the NNW. While we were heaving up, the wind died away calm. We set only bank sail at 

 first, but at 2 p. m. the wind began to breeze up NW., and we hoisted the mainsail, and beat to 

 windward about 7 miles, where we anchored in 57 fathoms at 5.30 p. m., and set several skates 

 of trawl. It was foggy for a while at midday, but cleared in the afternoon and there was a fine 

 NNW. breeze, sky dark and overcast. Barometer 30 at 6 p. m. Every vessel in sight but one was 

 under way, so I conclude that they all find fish scarce, as we do. 



Sunday, March 10, 1878. This morning there was a light NNW. breeze, falling barometer, and 

 dark and cloudy sky. At 7 a. m., while our men were hauling, the barometer stood on 29.70. 



Capt. Daniel McKinnon, of the Mary F. Chisholm, came aboard. He had set, under sail, a berth 

 WSW. of us. He staid till our dories came alongside, and then he went back to his own vessel. 

 He thinks he will start for home to-day. 



We got only 3,000 pounds of halibut. We hove up the anchor and worked to the NNW. 

 under whole mainsail and jib. The wind had been breezing up since morning, and at this time, 2 

 p. m., it blew too strong for two men to pull a dory to windward. Therefore, after we got 3 or 4 

 miles from our last berth, we hoisted the dories out and set 18 skates of trawl to leeward ; I ran to 

 leeward in the vessel, and having picked up the boats we anchored at the lee ends of the trawls. 

 After McKinnon got his gear he started for home. There was a strong breeze and frequent snow 

 squalls in the latter part of this p. m. The barometer remains steady. I turned in at 8 p. m., after 



