:574 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES. 



1858. 



Iu 185>-! tarred the seine again. Fished until September 2ii, ami as (bo work at the I'm in was urgent, wo went no 

 more until October 18, when we went imt, lint caught no fish. November 1 we started down bay with two sloops to 

 fish for the factory at Southold. They have just built a factory there and wish to purchase fish. We heard there 

 were plenty of fish in Gardiner's Bay, so we took two sloops, expecting the crew to live in one and h ive the other 

 to carry the fish to the factory. And it. was calm nearly all day. We arrived at Sonthold late in the evening; came 

 to anchor, and before morning it was blowing a. gale from the east ; so we came back to .Tamesport. The wind blew 

 hard from the east for several days. And that ended our fishing for this season. This factory had been taking fish 

 all the season, and a purse-seine gang from Connecticut bad been fishing for them. I think it was the Lnce Brothers. 

 They did not fish in small boats towed behind a sloop, as we did, but used large doable-end boats, and had to lower 

 the sails to the purse and mate boats some \\ ays to windward of the fish, and haul half of the seine from the purse to 

 the mate boat while dropping down to the shoal of tish. They aiso used one or two boats, a trifle larger, to carry fish. 

 They had six men on seine and a man in each ear'away boat. 



1859. 



In 185!) tarred and bung the seine again, and went out for the first t hue ,.n June 1. Sold the tish to the factory 

 at Southold for most of the season. October 24, took 20,000 fish. 



I860. 



In 18hO we had a much larger purse-boat built, as I intended to clear up the seine, in future on the seiue-boa'H 

 It is sharp at both ends, and 20 feet long, fsome of the fishermen laughed at rue and said it will not work, but in 

 two years they all cleared up on the seine-hoats and now (1878) would think a man crazy who tried to clear the seine 

 as we used to the first years of my fishing; and when I commenced to purse lish they scooped them all on board (lie 

 sloop with hand-nets, bul we soon thought of a better \\ :i\ . 1 was the first that used a large net with a handle, the 

 same that is used at the present time.] I have- enlarged my seine this year (l^'.O) and now have it four hundred 

 meshes wide, and use six men instead of four, ami lia\e employed a small sloop, so that. I can have a ear'away. We 

 had the boats and seine ready, so that we were ready to lish on May ~:>, when we caught 7,200 fish; on the 24th we 

 took 21,000; on the 26th, 5,000; on the -,".>tb, 12.700; on the :!llth, 10,200, and the ".1st, 18,000. In the latter part of 

 July and first, part of August fish were very scarce. August 'J took 28,000 fish oft' Bridgeport, Conn. Had previously 

 fished nearly all the time in Feconie and (iardincr's Bays. August 13 tarred and bung the seine. September 11 the 

 sloop I have had to use has started for home to-dav. so I have only my little sloop now. 



1801 



May 31, 1801, I fixed up bunks and table in a small house v. c have rented, as my little sloop is not large enough 

 for us all to live on board and cany the tish, consequently I will be obliged to confine our operations in Peconic Bay 

 fishing for the tanners. 



July .'.". and 2(1 fishing at Cold Spring and Norlhport. July lit 1 look litl.OOO fish o(V r.iidgvport. Conn., and August 

 _' took 70,1100 at same place. August 24, oft" Milford, Conn., we saw lish in every direction as far as the eye could 

 reach, and good shoals. We went to work with a will, and we soon had the sloop loaded and then headed her for 

 Wading River. The farmers were looking for us, and we soon carted the fish out. We. had 77,000 fish. 



ISGii. 



In 18H2 we purchased a larger sloop called the William llattield. which will carry 20 tons; expect to have her to 

 tow 111" boats and .seine, and for the crew to live ; also to carry lish. using the- little sloop, the Aceordeoii, for a carry- 

 away. We have fixed and painted the sloops and boats; tarred and hung the seine, and have everything ready to 

 commence fishing the 4th of June, but the wind came on (n ldo\v ami we bad a violent east storm. 



Jimt '.Hi, Tlnn-.-'ilaii : Wind continues cast, so we did not lish, but lixed the deck boards and bunks on board the 

 William Ilatfield. Friday, Gtli : Went down bay; \viud eon:inncs cast ; went in Noyaek Bay, but caught no fish ; just 

 at night went up and anchored in the cove near "NYw Snilbik. Xtttitrfltn/, ~lli : Went our: caught ".,000 fish : lauded 

 them at .Tamesport. J/o<7//, 9th : Wind blows strong from (he cast ; we did not fish. Timrtaij, HI/A ; Went out in 

 Pecouie Bay : caught 6,500 fish ; sent them to J. Applie's factory ; pleasant. /fYrfn <.///, \\tli : Wind blew strong ; did 

 not lish. Thursday, 1 -''/< : Wen I out in IVcouie I! ay ; caught I.IT.O lish ; sent them to Jamesport for the farmers; ideas- 

 ant. J'riiliiti, \:]lli : Caught in I'econic Ha> Is.'Ullish; landed them at Jam. -.sport ; pleasant. Xtilurdinj, 1 itli : Caught 

 in Peconic ]la\ JJ.roo tish ; landed 1 hem at Jamesport; pleasant. J/o<;</;/. iC.lli : Went out in Pecouie Bay; caught 

 18,900 lish ; landed them at Jamesport; pleasant. Tm^ihuj, I'll* : Caught in Peconic Bay 23,050 fish ; landed at James- 

 port. JTrtliiixrlay, 18/// : Wind blew ha rd SYV. : we did not go fishing; we fixed the reel. Tli iirstiny, \\itli : Went out 

 fishing; caught none. Friday. 20/A : Went down through I'ecmneBav, and were hound down into Gardiner's Bay, 

 when, abreast of ( ,1 v, npnrl , we saw a good shoal of tish ; went around it, but, the water being deep, they dove the 

 seine and came up back side in g'iod shape; we took the seine on as soon as we could and tried them again; they 

 dove the second time, and while we were getting our seine on the' boats they had moved into shoaler water; we tried 

 them the third time, when we caught them ; we saved 27,r.nn ; sent them to J. Applie's factory ; pleasant day. 



