the Despatch. At 5:00 the next morning the Despatch , with the 

 President on board, got under way and left the harbor. " Edwin 

 Linton (1927), at that time a beginner-biologist employed by the 

 Fish Commission, described this event in his reminiscences of 

 the Fish Commission: "l remember, on one occasion, the 

 President of the United States was there over night, was given 

 an exhibition trip on the Fish Hawk , and the process of operating 

 the beam trawl was shown him. Now we young assistants, coming 

 as we did from inland, knew nothing at first hand about Presidents 

 and their ways, or of the ways of those who were accustomed to 

 be about them. When we were told that there was to be a collecting 

 trip in the morning we reported for duty in our usual unconventional 

 attire. By the time the Fish Hawk was steaming out into Vineyard 

 Sound we made the discovery that officers and crew, and everybody 

 else on board, were each and all dressed in honor of the Chief 

 Executive, all bravely clad, and easy in their minds, except three 

 young men who were having all the disagreable sensation peculiar 

 to those who dream of like unpleasant experience. I remember 

 yet quite vividly, the appraising look which the Professor gave us 

 just before, as it seemed to us, he decided not to present us to 

 President Arthur. " 



The work of the Fisheries Laboratory and the operations of 

 the Fish Hawk continued to arouse public curiosity excited by the 

 visits of high officials. Local papers faithfully reported the sailing 

 and returning of the ships and the successes of the collecting as 

 well as the arrivals and departures of Baird. Thus the Cape Cod 

 Item of July 15, 1881, contains the following note: "Our streets 

 present a very animated and business-like appearance with the 

 arrival of the U. S. Fish Commission under the supervision of Prof. 

 Spencer F. Baird of the Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D. C. , 

 who with his family and corps of attendants is quartered in the 

 Webster House, among which are the following: Dr. Tarlton H. 

 Bean, J. Paul Wilson, Herbert Gill, Prof. C. Deering, Capt. 

 Herbert Chester of U. S. F. C. , Prof. J. Emerton, Prof. A. E. 

 Verrill, Sydney L. Sm.ith, New Haven. The Commission have at 

 their command two steamers, one the Fish Hawk, Z. L. Tanner 

 U. S. N. , Commander, for the purpose of going to various points 

 to dredge for specimens, and the Lookout , a fine steam yacht for 

 the purpose of accommodating distinguished visitors. Various 

 lines of telephone will connect the depot, post office, hotel, wharves, 

 and buildings used by the Commission. " 



In the following days of summer the paper reported (August 19, 

 1881) that "among important specimens obtained by the U. S. 

 Steamer 'Fish Hawk' on the last trip to Gulf Stream, was a fine 

 octopus or devil-fish, a number of tile fish weighing about 35 pounds 

 each, was also secured, the same being a very rare specimen. " 

 From miscellaneous news items in the paper we learn that 

 Assistant U.S. Fish Commissioner T. B. Ferguson arrived in port 



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