﻿[35] 
  THE 
  GULF 
  FISHING 
  GROUNDS 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  251 
  

  

  out 
  and 
  the 
  sail 
  set 
  " 
  flying 
  " 
  without 
  a 
  stay. 
  They 
  arc 
  beamy, 
  shallow, 
  

   center-board 
  craft, 
  with 
  a 
  very 
  light 
  draught, 
  a 
  quality 
  that 
  is 
  essentially 
  

   necessary 
  in 
  a 
  vessel 
  which 
  must 
  knock 
  about 
  the 
  shoal 
  water 
  on 
  the 
  

   reefs, 
  where 
  sponges 
  occur, 
  or 
  frequent 
  shallow, 
  barred 
  harbors 
  like 
  

   those 
  of 
  the 
  Florida 
  coast 
  in 
  the 
  region 
  that 
  they 
  visit. 
  They 
  are 
  sharp 
  

   forward, 
  have 
  a 
  projecting 
  cut-water 
  or 
  " 
  long 
  head," 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  called 
  ; 
  a 
  

   moderately 
  raking, 
  curved 
  stem 
  ; 
  considerable 
  rise 
  to 
  the 
  floor 
  ; 
  rather 
  

   quick 
  turn 
  to 
  the 
  bilge; 
  along, 
  lean 
  run; 
  slightly 
  overhanging 
  counter 
  

   and 
  broad 
  square 
  stern, 
  the 
  latter 
  being 
  much 
  thinner 
  at 
  the 
  sides 
  than 
  

   in 
  the 
  center, 
  although 
  this 
  feature 
  is 
  scarcely 
  prominent 
  enough 
  to 
  

   characterize 
  it 
  as 
  being 
  of 
  the 
  pattern 
  commonly 
  called 
  a 
  V-shaped 
  

   stern. 
  They 
  are 
  flush 
  decked, 
  and 
  have 
  no 
  bulwark 
  or 
  waist, 
  but 
  in- 
  

   stead 
  a. 
  so-called 
  "log 
  gunwale," 
  varying 
  from 
  10 
  to 
  18 
  inches 
  in 
  height, 
  

   which 
  runs 
  along 
  the 
  sides 
  from 
  the 
  knight 
  heads 
  to 
  taffrail. 
  Chain 
  

   cables 
  are 
  used, 
  and, 
  as 
  a 
  rule, 
  short-shanked 
  anchors, 
  while 
  the 
  vessels 
  

   are 
  generally 
  provided 
  with 
  some 
  form 
  of 
  patent 
  windlass. 
  The 
  larger 
  

   craft 
  usually 
  carry 
  a 
  galley 
  on 
  deck, 
  a 
  small 
  box-like 
  affair 
  about 
  5 
  or 
  G 
  

   feet 
  square, 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  cooking 
  is 
  done. 
  The 
  larger 
  schooners 
  have 
  

   a 
  forecasKe 
  under 
  deck 
  aud 
  a 
  trunk 
  cabin, 
  the 
  latter 
  generally 
  of 
  tol- 
  

   erably 
  large 
  dimensions. 
  I 
  noticed, 
  however, 
  that 
  the 
  cabins 
  of 
  the 
  

   vessels 
  I 
  was 
  on 
  board 
  of 
  were 
  peculiar 
  in 
  having 
  no 
  berth 
  boards, 
  as 
  may 
  

   be 
  seen 
  on 
  northern-built 
  craft. 
  This 
  feature 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  somewhat 
  

   general, 
  too, 
  on 
  the 
  vessels 
  of 
  this 
  region, 
  for 
  the 
  same 
  arrangement 
  

   was 
  found 
  on 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  smacks 
  built 
  at 
  Key 
  West, 
  though 
  other 
  

   smacks 
  had 
  cabins 
  similar 
  to 
  the 
  same 
  class 
  of 
  schooners 
  built 
  in 
  New 
  

   England. 
  Instead 
  of 
  berths 
  there 
  arc 
  extraordinarily 
  wide 
  lockers, 
  ex- 
  

   teuding 
  out 
  from 
  the 
  vessel's 
  side 
  some 
  5 
  to 
  7 
  feet, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  size 
  

   of 
  the 
  cabin. 
  A 
  wide 
  bed 
  can 
  be 
  made 
  up 
  on 
  these, 
  on 
  which 
  several 
  

   persons 
  may 
  lie, 
  an 
  arrangement 
  which 
  utilizes 
  the 
  space 
  to 
  the 
  best 
  

   possible 
  advantage. 
  But 
  while 
  this 
  method 
  of 
  sleeping 
  may 
  be 
  found 
  

   practicable 
  on 
  a 
  sponger 
  in 
  a 
  smooth 
  sea, 
  it 
  would 
  scarcely 
  meet 
  with 
  

   favor 
  on 
  a 
  vessel 
  employed 
  in 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  offshore 
  fisheries, 
  for 
  the 
  simple 
  

   reason 
  that 
  in 
  rough 
  water 
  the 
  occupants 
  of 
  one 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  cabin 
  might 
  

   at 
  any 
  time 
  find 
  themselves 
  suddenly 
  wakened, 
  if 
  nothing 
  worse 
  hap- 
  

   pened, 
  by 
  being 
  pitched 
  to 
  the 
  other 
  side, 
  whenever 
  the 
  vessel 
  took 
  a 
  

   lurch. 
  Iron 
  ballast 
  is 
  generally 
  used, 
  and 
  as 
  a 
  cargo 
  of 
  sponges 
  has 
  

   little 
  weight 
  enough 
  ballast 
  is 
  carried 
  to 
  bring 
  the 
  vessels 
  down 
  to 
  their 
  

   load 
  line*. 
  The 
  quantity, 
  of 
  course, 
  varies 
  with 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  craft, 
  

   but, 
  being 
  so 
  wide 
  and 
  shallow, 
  they 
  require 
  much 
  less 
  ballast 
  tban 
  

   vessels 
  of 
  a 
  heavier 
  draught. 
  They 
  are 
  seldom 
  coppered, 
  but, 
  to 
  protect 
  

   them 
  from 
  attacks 
  of 
  the 
  toredo 
  or 
  boring 
  worm, 
  their 
  bottoms 
  are 
  kept 
  

   well 
  coated 
  with 
  metallic 
  paint. 
  

  

  The 
  vessels 
  built 
  at 
  Key 
  West 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  much 
  more 
  durable 
  than 
  

   those 
  obtained 
  from 
  other 
  sources. 
  Their 
  frame 
  is 
  "nraderia," 
  a 
  sort 
  

   of 
  red 
  wood 
  indigenous 
  to 
  Florida, 
  and 
  which 
  is 
  reputed 
  to 
  be 
  exceed- 
  

   ingly 
  durable 
  ; 
  the 
  planking 
  is 
  yellow 
  pine 
  ; 
  Avhile 
  the 
  fastening 
  is 
  chiefly 
  

  

  