THAWLING. 95 



during that very cold season in almost incredible 

 numbers ; the nets were hauled up bristling- with fish 

 trying to escape through the meshes, and such catches 

 were made as the most experienced fishermen had never 

 before dreamed of. The discovery soon got wind, and 

 a migration of trawlers from Eamsgate and Brixham 

 took place; but although with the breaking up of 

 the cold weatlier this extraordinary congregation of 

 soles became dispersed, more attention was henceforth 

 directed to the North Sea fishing generally ; and in 

 subsequent years the Silver Pit has again been found 

 very productive wdienever the winter has been very 

 severe, or, as the trawlers call it, in " Pit seasons." 



At the time of the discovery of this ground the 

 number of North Sea trawlers was very small ; they 

 were then only of about half the size of the majority 

 of the smacks at the present day ; and not enough was 

 known of the fishing grounds to tempt the fishermen 

 far from the land in vessels of such little power, either 

 to face the weather they would be likely to encounter, 

 or to seek for fish at a long distance from the market. 

 The first objection has been fairly met by the large 

 increase in the size of the smacks ; and the second has 

 been practically removed by the great extension of 

 railways along the coast, the emj^loyment of large fast- 

 sailing cutters or steamers as " carriers " to collect and 

 bring in the fish from the smacks, and especially by 

 the introduction of ice for preserving the fish. As 

 the advantages of the North Sea fishery became better 

 known, Hull rapidly assumed importance as a trawling 

 station ; and in subsequent years Yarmouth, Grrimsby, 

 and a few other places along that coast became at first 

 the resort, and then the head-quarters of hundreds of 

 smacks. 



