EVOLUTION OF THE FISHING SCHOONER 315 



the main boom. This was the "pink," and was usually 

 curved upward sharply. The cabin was forward, with a 

 brick chimney and fireplace. It was dingy and dark, be- 

 ing lighted only by the companionway and two or three 

 dead-lights of thick glass. The sails were of hemp, or 

 what was called Raven's duck, as cotton duck was then 

 unknown. With these sails went a "scout horn,' to wet 

 them down when the wind was moderate. As hemp sails 

 were porous, and did not have the wind-holding proper- 

 ties of duck, the "scout horn" was an indispensable 

 instrument. It consisted of a pole about fifteen feet long, 

 with a leather pocket on the end holding about a pint of 

 water. By means of the ' ' scout horn, ' ' water was thrown 

 on the sails to make them less porous. 1 



The square-sterned chebacco boat, or dogbody, was the 

 forerunner of the square-sterned schooner, a vessel used 

 extensively in the mackerel fisheries when the fish were 

 caught with the jig; hence the name "jigger' was ap- 

 plied to this kind of a schooner. This vessel had several 

 points of superiority over the old type with high quarter 

 deck. Although her bow was as full as an apple and her 

 sides as round as a barrel still her lines were more sym- 

 metrically proportioned. "Instead of an open waist, the 

 bulwarks were filled in from deck to rail; the long low 

 quarterdeck made such vessels better adapted to the mack- 

 erel hook and line fishery; and the introduction of jib- 

 booms and additional light sails increased their speed and 

 efficiency in summer weather. They were much better 

 adapted to the needs of ocean fishery than the pinky, 

 since the yawl-boat or dingy had to be stowed on the deck 

 of the latter, thus limiting the deck space, while it could 

 be hoisted to the stern davits of the schooner, leaving the 

 deck clear for fishing or for temporarily stowing the catch. 

 Then, too, the cabin was aft, and the accommodations for 



i Fishermen's Own Book, pp. 38-40. 



