FISHING STATIONS— lUELAND. 371 



spoken of^ as the "pole- or liammer-trawl," an old- 

 fashioned contrivance only suited for work in smooth 

 water along shore. It is called the " hammer-trawl," 

 from a peculiarity in part of its gear. A general idea 

 of this kind of trawl is given in Plate XV., but we are 

 unable now to say what were the exact measurements 

 of the net we had an opportunity of examining. The 

 body of the net is of a conical form, with a square 

 mouth, and the cod terminates in an opening as in the 

 ordinary beam-trawl. This is of course closed when 

 the net is at work. The mouth of the trawl is kept 

 open by means of a long wing or " sleeve " of netting 

 on each side, gradually tapering towards its free 

 extremity, which is fastened by its upper and lower 

 edges to an instrument called a " hammer." This 

 consists of a stout flattened bar of iron (a) having a 

 wooden upright in the centre, and tlie end of the net is 

 fastened to the top of this and to one end of the iron 

 bar or shoe. The tow-rope is made fast by a short 

 bridle in a corresponding manner on the opposite side of 

 the upright. The hammers, one in front of each of the 

 wings, serve to keep the ends of the ground-rope at the 

 bottom, and move over the ground in the same way as 

 the iron heads in the beam-trawl. The wings and mouth 

 of the net are corked along their upper margin or back- 

 rope, and weighted with lead on the lower edge or ground- 

 rope. When the trawl is used it is towed aloug by a 

 rope or warp from each wing, leading on board through 

 a block at the end of a pole 25 or 30 feet long, wliich 

 is rigged out on each side of the trawl-boat ; this 

 arrangement keeping the wings so far se23arated that 

 the water can act with facility in extending them and 

 so opening the mouth of the net. 



' See Trawling, p. 52. 



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