232 FISHERMEN'S OWN BOOK. 



ed here, took in Jabez Rowe as partner, and they continued together some 

 years. After some twelve years here Mr. Hall died, and tradition says was 

 quite poor. In the course of time Deacon Gott, Messrs. William Burns and 

 William Norwood became interested in the dawning enterprise, and they 

 built the now old Rockport Sound Factory on Dock Square. They had in- 

 troduced steam power and many other later improvements. The price at 

 first paid for sounds was usually five or six cents a pound. One year, when 

 the price was held as high as eight cents, they thought of abandoning the 

 business on account of the enormous cost of sounds. This seems singular 

 to us, who in our time have known sounds to bring over $1.50 a pound. 



Two Old Jokers. — Among the fishermen of Maine who formerly sailed 

 from Gloucester was Captain Ezra T — , a great wit in his way, and always 

 ready with a joke or repartee. On one occasion, while engaged in the mack- 

 erel fishery, he had as one of his crew Hiram S — , who was noted among 

 his compeers for having a remarkably large head. The last-named individ- 

 ual being employed one day in stowing mackerel barrels in the hold of the 

 vessel, a discussion arose as to whether a barrel would go in a certain place 

 or not. Captain T — , who was on deck, happening to overhear the remarks, 

 pro and con, of the men in the hold, leaned over the hatchway and, speak- 

 ing to S — , said, " Shove your head in there," Hi. (an abbreviation for Hi- 

 ram) — '■'■if your head will go, a barrel will /'' 



But Captain T — met his match on one occasion in his friend and neigh- 

 bor, Captain R — . As the story was told, the former, who was sometimes 

 addicted to convivial habits, crooked his elbow rather too frequently one 

 evening, and having to pass through' a growth of woods on his way home, 

 got astray. After struggling through underbrush and other obstructions, 

 and losing his hat, he finally reached the house of his friend R — , who, of 

 course, supplied him with a hat, and started him on the right track for home. 

 A few months later Captain T — was engaged in trading along the coast of 

 Maine in his vessel, and, among other things, had some furniture to sell. 

 One day he called at the house of Captain R — , and tried to induce the lat- 

 ter to buy something. After enumerating the various kinds of goods he 

 had for sale, a thought struck him, and he asked, "Don't you want to buy a 

 table, R — ?" R — , who had a large family, replied, "Dod blast it, no ! I've 

 more tables now than I can fill with grub." "I believe that," said T — , 

 "but, at least, you ought to have one respectable table on which to put gen- 

 tlemen's hats, Vv^hen any, like me, for instance, comes to see you." "Oh, 

 yes, that's so," exclaimed R — , "but when gentlemen \\\ie you come to see 

 me, they generally come drunk and bareheaded." 



