﻿228 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  [12] 
  

  

  yard, 
  in 
  the 
  steam 
  launch, 
  to 
  meet 
  Mr. 
  Silas 
  Stearns 
  and 
  invite 
  him 
  to 
  

   go 
  on 
  board 
  the 
  ship 
  to 
  have 
  an 
  interview 
  with 
  the 
  captain 
  relative 
  to 
  

   the 
  red-snapper 
  fishery 
  and 
  our 
  proposed 
  cruise 
  on 
  the 
  grounds 
  where 
  

   the 
  snapper 
  is 
  taken. 
  Mr. 
  Stearns, 
  as 
  I 
  learned, 
  had 
  left 
  Pensacolathe 
  

   previous 
  evening, 
  with 
  a 
  party 
  of 
  friends, 
  for 
  a 
  boating 
  and 
  hunting 
  

   trip 
  to 
  the 
  eastward, 
  his 
  intention 
  being 
  to 
  stay 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  weeks, 
  

   and, 
  perhaps, 
  extend 
  his 
  cruise 
  upward 
  of 
  100 
  miles. 
  It 
  was 
  deemed 
  

   desirable 
  to 
  have 
  some 
  one 
  to 
  go 
  out 
  with 
  us 
  who 
  was 
  familiar 
  with 
  

   the 
  snapper 
  fishery, 
  and 
  failing 
  to 
  get 
  Mr. 
  Stearns, 
  upon 
  whom 
  Captain 
  

   Tanner 
  had 
  depended, 
  I 
  was 
  requested 
  to 
  engage 
  some 
  one 
  to 
  go 
  in 
  his 
  

   stead. 
  Accordingly, 
  on 
  Wednesday, 
  February 
  4, 
  1 
  again 
  went 
  to 
  the 
  

   city 
  and 
  had 
  an 
  interview 
  with 
  Mr. 
  A. 
  F. 
  Warren, 
  senior 
  member 
  of 
  

   the 
  fishing 
  firm 
  of 
  Warren 
  & 
  Co., 
  of 
  which 
  Mr. 
  Stearns 
  is 
  the 
  junior 
  

   partner. 
  Mr. 
  Warren 
  kindly 
  offered 
  to 
  permit 
  his 
  foreman, 
  Mr. 
  Asa 
  

   Ward, 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  trip 
  with 
  us, 
  and 
  as 
  Mr. 
  Ward 
  cheerfully 
  assented 
  to 
  

   this 
  arrangement, 
  and 
  besides 
  had 
  the 
  reputation 
  of 
  being 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  

   best 
  experts 
  in 
  the 
  port 
  — 
  having 
  commanded 
  a. 
  smack 
  in 
  the 
  snapper 
  

   fishery 
  for 
  several 
  seasons 
  — 
  the 
  offer 
  was 
  very 
  gratefully 
  accepted. 
  

  

  On 
  this 
  occasion 
  I 
  also 
  purchased 
  some 
  lines 
  and 
  sinkers, 
  so 
  that 
  a 
  set 
  

   of 
  gear 
  might 
  be 
  rigged 
  suitable 
  for 
  catching 
  red 
  snappers, 
  since 
  the 
  

   hand-lines 
  on 
  the 
  ship 
  had 
  become 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  deteriorated 
  and 
  out 
  of 
  

   repair 
  after 
  two 
  years' 
  service. 
  

  

  As 
  the 
  navy-yard 
  steam-launch, 
  upon 
  which 
  1 
  had 
  gone 
  to 
  the 
  city, 
  

   would 
  return 
  after 
  a 
  short 
  stay 
  at 
  Pensacola, 
  I 
  decided 
  to 
  remain 
  at 
  

   the 
  town 
  until 
  the 
  next 
  day, 
  in 
  order 
  that 
  I 
  might 
  make 
  some 
  investi- 
  

   gations 
  concerning 
  the 
  fisheries 
  of 
  the 
  port 
  and 
  other 
  points 
  on 
  the 
  ad 
  

   jaceut 
  coast. 
  I 
  am 
  under 
  obligations 
  to 
  Mr. 
  Warren, 
  not 
  only 
  for 
  the 
  

   valuable 
  information 
  furnished 
  by 
  him, 
  but 
  also 
  for 
  the 
  important 
  assist- 
  

   ance 
  he 
  rendered 
  in 
  procuring 
  me 
  interviews 
  with 
  persons 
  who 
  were 
  

   best 
  able 
  to 
  supply 
  the 
  facts 
  I 
  wanted. 
  The 
  result 
  of 
  these 
  interviews 
  

   is 
  given 
  in 
  the 
  appended 
  notes 
  on 
  the 
  fisheries 
  of 
  Pensacola 
  and 
  other 
  

   points 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  coast 
  of 
  Florida. 
  

  

  I 
  returned 
  to 
  the 
  ship 
  on 
  the 
  afternoon 
  of 
  February 
  5, 
  and 
  busied 
  my- 
  

   self 
  during 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  day 
  and 
  evening 
  in 
  rigging 
  the 
  fishing- 
  

   gear, 
  which, 
  however, 
  was 
  not 
  completed 
  until 
  the 
  next 
  day. 
  On 
  the 
  

   morning 
  of 
  the 
  Gth 
  I 
  went 
  in 
  the 
  steam 
  launch 
  to 
  Pensacola 
  and 
  got 
  

   Mr. 
  Ward, 
  it 
  having 
  been* 
  decided 
  that 
  we 
  should 
  leave 
  port 
  in 
  the 
  

   evening, 
  so 
  that 
  we 
  might 
  reach 
  the 
  fishing 
  ground 
  oil" 
  Cape 
  San 
  Bias 
  

   the 
  next 
  morning. 
  

  

  We 
  got 
  under 
  way 
  late 
  in 
  the 
  afternoon, 
  and, 
  after 
  pulling 
  off 
  the 
  

   lumber-loaded 
  three-masted 
  schooner 
  Fannie 
  Whitmore, 
  of 
  Kockland, 
  

   Me., 
  which 
  we 
  came 
  across 
  on 
  our 
  way 
  out, 
  grounded 
  on 
  the 
  western 
  

   side 
  of 
  the 
  channel, 
  near 
  the 
  ruins 
  of 
  Fort 
  McPae, 
  we 
  steamed 
  out 
  to 
  

   sea 
  and 
  headed 
  to 
  the 
  eastward. 
  There 
  was 
  a 
  light 
  southwest 
  breeze 
  

   and 
  smooth 
  sea 
  in 
  the 
  evening, 
  with 
  a 
  promise 
  of 
  a 
  good 
  day 
  on 
  the 
  mor- 
  

   row. 
  This 
  promise 
  was 
  verified. 
  The 
  morning 
  of 
  the 
  7th 
  was 
  fine, 
  with 
  

  

  