THE STRUGGLE FOR EXISTENCE 43 



In March of the following year the boat, newly rigged, 

 was sent eastward to fish. At Damarin's cove another 

 disaster befell her, for she was driven upon the rocks in 

 a storm and sank to the bottom. There the boat remained 

 for a year when, at the instance of some fishing masters, 

 she was raised by the use of many empty casks, which, 

 being fastened to the boat at low water, buoyed her enough 

 at high tide to enable the carpenters to take her to a con- 

 venient place to make the needed repairs. But she cost 

 a great deal of money and "as she proved a chargable 

 vessell to ye poor plantation ' ' they sent her back to Eng- 

 land. 1 



Other disasters in the fisheries were in store for the 

 Plymouth people in 1624. They sent a ship to Cape Ann 

 to fish, but the captain and crew were drunken and lazy, 

 and "the loss was great.' A ship-carpenter was sent to 

 them this year from England, who built two strong shallops 

 and a large lighter. In the heat of the summer he was 

 stricken with a fever and died; his honesty and industry 

 had endeared him to the people, who felt that his death 

 was a "very great loss.' In striking contrast to the ship- 

 carpenter was the salt-maker who had been sent to them, 

 "an ignorant, foolish, self-willed fellow' who, after great 

 expense and bluster, made a failure of his salt works at 

 Plymouth. The next year he was sent to Cape Ann to 

 set up his salt pans there. Before the summer was over 

 he burnt the works, most of the pans were spoiled, and 

 "this was the end of that chargable business.' 



Although the fishing business at Plymouth met with lit- 

 tle success its progress in other parts of New England was 

 more encouraging. In 1620, Sir Ferdinando Gorges and 

 other English noblemen received a charter the patent of 

 the Council for New England which granted to them the 

 territory lying between the parallels of 40 and 48, with 



i Bradford, History of Plymouth Plantation, pp. 188, 228-229. 



