46 



BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



coast, as well as far inland. This is remembered as the "Christmas 

 gale." The following fishing vessels and lives were lost: Schooners 

 Cleopatra and four men, Eacer, Adelia Hartwell, and Ivauhoe. Three 

 men were lost from the schooner Lizzie Griffin and one from the Lillian 

 Baxter. Total, 4 vessels and 8 men, from Gloucester. The Portland 

 schooner Breeze and the Nova Scotia schooner S. E. Killam, and master, 

 were also lost in the same gale. 



All vessels that arrived for some time reported the roughest weather 

 for many years, and most of them were more or less damaged. The 

 Grand Banks halibut fleet were outside of the gale and arrived in good 

 order. They experienced rough weather, arriving with small fares. 

 During the month weir-fishing was finished until spring. On account of 

 the many storms and much damage, it has not been very profitable. 

 The ten weirs located near Provincetown report as follows : Put down 

 April 20, taken up December 12, during which time they caught as 

 follows : 



Kind of fisb. 



Mackerel, cured barrels.. 



Mackerel, sold fiesb do... 



Herring, cured do. .. 



Herring, sold fresb do 



Squid do . . . 



Quantity. 



Kind of fish. 



Cod, pollock, and bake pounds. 



Bluefish do... 



Smelts do... 



Eels do... 



Flounders do 



Quantity. 



62, 300 

 1,000 

 5,000 

 2. 500 



10, 000 



Prices at the weirs averaged : herring, $1.25 a barrel; squid, $1 a 

 barrel ; smelt, 10 to 12 cents per pound ; eels, 9 cents per pound. 



During the month fleets have sailed on frozen-herring trips to For- 

 tune Bay, Newfoundland, as follows : 



Schooner Commonwealth sailed November 20; schooner Cecil H. 

 Low, November 27 ; schooner Henri N. Woods, December 2 ; schooner 

 Mystery, December 3 ; schooner Mary Fernald, December 3; schooner 

 Gov. Butler, December 4; schooner Nellie M. Davis, December 4; 

 schooner Mary E. McDonald, December 5 ; schooner Samuel V. Colby, 

 December 5 ; schooner Spencer F. Baird, December 8 ; schooner Jennie 

 Seaverns, December 8; schooner Herman E. Babson, December 9; 

 schooner Edith S. Walen, December 10 ; schooner Centennial, Decem- 

 ber 11 ; schooner Laura Nelson, December 13 ; schooner Maggie and 

 Lilly, December 14 ; schooner Electric Light, December 18 ; schooner 

 William D. Daisley, December 19; schooner Warren J. Crosby, Decem- 

 ber 19; schooner Arthur D. Story, January 1, 188G. Total, 20 sail, all 

 belonging to the port of Gloucester. No other vessels from the United 

 States will go to Fortune Bay for herring this season. 



The Eastport or Bay of Fundy herring fleet, from Gloucester, began 

 to start on their trips on December 4, the following vessels having 

 sailed during the month : Schooners Goldsmith Maid, Ada R. Terry, 

 Volunteer, Argonaut, Annie E. Lane, Joseph Story, Margie Smith, 

 William H. Foye, Porter S. Eoberts, Frederick P. Frye, Hattie Evelyn, 



