﻿[5] 
  THE 
  GULF 
  FISHING 
  GROUNDS 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  221 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  afternooo 
  of 
  January 
  15, 
  the 
  ship 
  left 
  Key 
  West 
  Harbor 
  and 
  

   proceeded 
  to 
  sea. 
  Several 
  hours 
  -were 
  spent, 
  in 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  

   day, 
  in 
  dredging, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  early 
  evening- 
  the 
  ship 
  Mas 
  headed 
  for 
  Ha- 
  

   vana, 
  Cuba, 
  where 
  we 
  arrived 
  the 
  following 
  day, 
  passing 
  in 
  by 
  Moro 
  

   Castle 
  about 
  8 
  a.^n. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  four 
  days 
  that 
  we 
  remained 
  in 
  Havana 
  and 
  its 
  vicinity, 
  

   little 
  transpired 
  that 
  was 
  especially 
  worthy 
  of 
  note 
  in 
  this 
  report, 
  and 
  

   reference 
  is 
  made 
  to 
  the 
  reports 
  of 
  others 
  for 
  the 
  details 
  of 
  the 
  opera- 
  

   tions 
  carried 
  on 
  by 
  the 
  ship. 
  A 
  temporary 
  illness 
  during 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  

   time, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  my 
  unfamiliarity 
  with 
  the 
  patois 
  spoken 
  by 
  the 
  fisher- 
  

   men, 
  prevented 
  me 
  from 
  gaining 
  as 
  much 
  information 
  as 
  it 
  seemed 
  to 
  me 
  

   desirable 
  to 
  obtain 
  concerning 
  the 
  fisheries 
  of 
  Havana, 
  and 
  particularly 
  

   iu 
  relation 
  to 
  the 
  demand 
  and 
  supply 
  of 
  the 
  Cuban 
  markets 
  as 
  beariug 
  

   on 
  the 
  subject 
  of 
  the 
  importation 
  of 
  American-caught 
  fish. 
  

  

  From 
  casual 
  observations 
  from 
  the 
  ship 
  I 
  was 
  able 
  to 
  gain 
  a 
  general 
  

   idea 
  of 
  the 
  boat-fisheries 
  of 
  the 
  port, 
  and 
  a 
  short 
  row 
  about 
  the 
  harbor 
  

   in 
  the 
  dinghy 
  on 
  Sunday, 
  January 
  18, 
  enabled 
  me 
  to 
  obtain 
  some 
  defi- 
  

   nite 
  information 
  concerning 
  the 
  two 
  leading 
  types 
  of 
  fishing 
  boats 
  that 
  

   are 
  used, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  to 
  make 
  rough 
  sketches 
  of 
  them. 
  

  

  Each 
  morning 
  during 
  our 
  stay, 
  when 
  the 
  weather 
  was 
  suitable, 
  a 
  tleet 
  

   of 
  small 
  sail 
  boats 
  left 
  the 
  harbor 
  about 
  sunrise, 
  and 
  after 
  passing 
  Moro 
  

   Castle 
  scattered 
  along 
  the 
  coast, 
  chiefly 
  in 
  au 
  eiusteiiy 
  direction. 
  These 
  

   boats 
  fish 
  with 
  hand-lines 
  at 
  a 
  short 
  distance 
  from 
  the 
  shore, 
  where, 
  they 
  

   lay 
  anchored. 
  The 
  bottom 
  about 
  this 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  Cuban 
  coast 
  descends 
  

   rapidly 
  to 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  several 
  hundred 
  fathoms 
  at 
  a 
  comparatively 
  short 
  

   distance 
  from 
  the 
  land, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  therefore 
  obvious 
  that 
  fishing 
  must 
  be 
  

   done 
  close 
  inshore. 
  As 
  we 
  passed 
  along 
  the 
  coast 
  the 
  fishing 
  boats 
  

   were 
  often 
  seen 
  at 
  anchor 
  with 
  their 
  sails 
  down. 
  

  

  Between 
  3 
  and 
  5 
  o'clock 
  in 
  the 
  afternoon 
  the 
  little 
  fleet 
  return 
  to 
  

   harbor 
  to 
  market 
  their 
  catch. 
  

  

  The 
  boats 
  used 
  in 
  this 
  hand-line 
  fishery 
  are 
  mostly 
  of 
  one 
  type, 
  which 
  

   is 
  a 
  poor 
  imitation 
  of 
  the 
  American 
  dory, 
  from 
  which 
  it 
  has 
  doubtless 
  

   been 
  derived, 
  as 
  has 
  a 
  somewhat 
  similar 
  form 
  of 
  fishing 
  craft 
  in 
  use 
  at 
  

   Porto 
  Bico. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  flat-bottomed, 
  carvel-built 
  (the 
  sides 
  made 
  of 
  a 
  

   single 
  wide 
  board), 
  keel 
  boat, 
  with 
  little 
  flare 
  to 
  the 
  sides, 
  rather 
  straight 
  

   on 
  top 
  and 
  bottom, 
  sharp, 
  wedge-shaped 
  bow, 
  and 
  stern 
  like 
  that 
  of 
  a 
  

   dory, 
  excepting 
  that 
  it 
  has, 
  comparatively, 
  very 
  little 
  rake. 
  The 
  stem 
  

   is 
  heavy, 
  made 
  of 
  hard 
  wood, 
  and 
  rabbited 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  planks 
  tit 
  in 
  flush 
  

   with 
  its 
  forward 
  part. 
  One 
  of 
  these 
  boats 
  which 
  I 
  examined 
  and 
  meas- 
  

   ured, 
  ami 
  which 
  was 
  evidently 
  essentially 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  others 
  of 
  her 
  

   class, 
  had 
  six 
  sets 
  of 
  stout 
  timbers, 
  heavy 
  gunwales, 
  two 
  thwarts, 
  was 
  

   decked, 
  forward 
  and 
  aft, 
  for 
  a 
  length 
  of 
  2 
  or 
  3 
  feet, 
  had 
  a 
  stern-post 
  

   outside 
  the 
  V-shaped 
  stern, 
  and 
  gudgeons 
  for 
  hanging 
  a 
  rudder. 
  The 
  

   following 
  are 
  the 
  principal 
  dimensions: 
  Length, 
  over 
  all, 
  15 
  feet; 
  beam, 
  

   extreme, 
  3 
  feet 
  9 
  inches; 
  depth, 
  amidships 
  (top 
  of 
  gunwale 
  to 
  floor), 
  17 
  

   inches 
  ; 
  depth 
  of 
  keel, 
  5 
  to 
  G 
  inches. 
  

  

  