140 FISHERMEN'S OWN BOOK. 



of this port, on her trip to Georges, hauled up a codfish, which upon being 

 dressed, there was found in the paunch a wallet in a fair state of preserva- 

 tion. Unfortunately for the fisherman, there was no money in it ; but there 

 was an old letter and a horse-car ticket. The writing on the letter was so 

 badly obliterated that it could not be read, therefore no clue as to the owner 

 of the wallet could be obtained. 



In January, 1880, sch. Bessie W. Somes, Capt. Hodgdon, from the Banks, 

 brought in a twenty-pound halibut, in the skin of which were plainly visible 

 the initials and date, "W. E. McD., 1877." It is supposed that when a 

 young fellow he visited the sch. William E. McDotiald, and was set: at lib- 

 erty bearing the above inscription. 



Getting a Trip Under Difficulties. — Sch. Knight Templar, Capt. 

 Michael McDonald, which arrived from Grand Bank Feb. 20, 1874, had a 

 tough time of it ; but the plucky captain was determined to get a trip, and 

 he did so, bringing in 40,000 pounds of halibut, which stocked $4,000. He 

 left port Jan. 10 and arrived on Western Bank the 13th, where they encoun- 

 tered a severe gale and broke the main-boom. Finding fish scarce, he de- 

 termined to go to the Grand Bank. Most of the crew didn't relish sailing 

 a thousand miles from home with a broken main-boom ; but the captain was 

 inflexible, and they started with a ten-knot breeze, under a foresail only. 

 On the passage the foresail jibed over, breaking the gaff. Arriving on the 

 Bank the 20th, they set their trawls. A severe gale came on in the night, 

 when the vessel shipped a sea and smashed all the dories. This was another 

 stroke of ill luck, as what was the use of the trawls without any dories in 

 which to get them .'' Capt. McDonald, however, was not the man to be dis- 

 heartened. He had come for a trip of fish, and a trip he was going to 

 have, if within the power of mortal man to get it. Taking the remains of 

 one of the dories he used it to repair the others. Unfortunately he had no 

 nails suitable for the work ; but this difficulty was obviated by heating some 

 board nails, thereby rendering them pliable. It blew a living gale of wind 

 most of the time ; but during the lulls of fifteen days there were opportuni- 

 ties to set the trawls several times, and this gave him his trip. 



After hauling up the anchors to start for home, having no immediate use 

 for the stocks, he sawed them in two, using them to "fish" the main-boom, 

 and was thus enabled to carry the mainsail when needed. On the loth of 

 February, while off the Gulf of St. Lawrence, just to the eastward of Sable 

 Island, they were struck by a hurricane, shipping a sea, which again smashed 

 the dories and threatened to swamp the vessel ; but she came out of it 

 handsomely and brought her plucky captain and crew safe to port. 



