﻿254 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  [38] 
  

  

  erect 
  and 
  at 
  ease 
  than 
  he 
  otherwise 
  could. 
  It 
  is 
  placed 
  on 
  one 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  

   stern, 
  and, 
  being 
  adjustable, 
  may 
  be 
  easily 
  removed 
  when 
  not 
  needed. 
  

  

  Mulberry, 
  oak, 
  and 
  horse-flesh 
  are 
  used 
  for 
  frames, 
  and 
  juniper 
  and 
  

   yellow 
  pine 
  for 
  plank, 
  while 
  galvanized 
  iron 
  nails 
  are 
  most 
  commonly 
  

   used 
  for 
  fastening. 
  

  

  The 
  Key 
  West 
  dinghies 
  are 
  " 
  built 
  by 
  the 
  eye," 
  no 
  model 
  or 
  lines 
  being 
  

   used. 
  The 
  builder 
  having 
  decided 
  on 
  how 
  large 
  he 
  is 
  going 
  to 
  make 
  

   his 
  boat, 
  gets 
  out 
  his 
  keel, 
  stem, 
  stern 
  post, 
  and 
  stern 
  board, 
  fastens 
  

   them 
  together, 
  and 
  sets 
  them 
  up. 
  He 
  then 
  puts 
  up 
  the 
  two 
  midship 
  

   frames, 
  which 
  are 
  secured 
  to 
  the 
  keel, 
  after 
  which 
  ribbands 
  are 
  run 
  

   from 
  the 
  stem 
  to 
  the 
  stern, 
  outside 
  the 
  frames, 
  to 
  give 
  the 
  boat 
  the 
  

   proper 
  shape. 
  This 
  having 
  been 
  done 
  the 
  other 
  frames 
  are 
  made 
  to 
  tit 
  

   the 
  ribbands, 
  and 
  after 
  they 
  are 
  all 
  up 
  the 
  planking 
  begins. 
  

  

  A 
  dinghy 
  which 
  I 
  saw 
  a 
  negro 
  building 
  at 
  Key 
  West 
  was 
  constructed 
  

   in 
  this 
  manner. 
  The 
  following 
  are 
  the 
  details 
  of 
  its 
  construction, 
  &c. 
  : 
  

  

  The 
  keel, 
  stern 
  board, 
  risings, 
  thwarts, 
  seats, 
  and 
  plank 
  were 
  hard 
  or 
  

   yellow 
  pine, 
  the 
  stem 
  and 
  timbers 
  horse-flesh, 
  and 
  the 
  keelson 
  piece 
  and 
  

   ribbands 
  cypress 
  "footlings." 
  She 
  had 
  eleven 
  frames, 
  sev 
  r 
  eu 
  strakes 
  

   of 
  plank 
  on 
  a 
  side, 
  two 
  fixed 
  and 
  one 
  adjustable 
  thwart, 
  a 
  wide 
  stern 
  

   seat, 
  two 
  rowlocks 
  on 
  a 
  side, 
  two 
  narrow 
  ribbands 
  running 
  fore 
  and 
  aft 
  

   in 
  the 
  bilge 
  and 
  nailed 
  to 
  the 
  inside 
  of 
  the 
  timbers. 
  There 
  was 
  a 
  beaded 
  

   gunwale 
  outside 
  that 
  was 
  1\ 
  inches 
  wide, 
  and 
  a 
  ribband 
  inside 
  the 
  tim- 
  

   ber 
  heads 
  that 
  was 
  li 
  inches 
  wide, 
  and 
  like 
  the 
  gunwale 
  one-half 
  inch 
  

   thick. 
  There 
  was 
  no 
  covering 
  over 
  the 
  timber 
  heads 
  as 
  on 
  most 
  north- 
  

   ern-built 
  boats. 
  Her 
  greatest 
  beam 
  was 
  a 
  little 
  aft 
  of 
  amidships. 
  In 
  

   other 
  respects 
  the 
  general 
  description 
  previously 
  given 
  will 
  apply 
  to 
  

   this 
  boat, 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  following 
  are 
  the 
  dimensions: 
  Length, 
  overall, 
  

   13 
  feet 
  6 
  inches; 
  keel, 
  13 
  feet; 
  beam, 
  4 
  feet 
  6 
  inches; 
  width 
  of 
  stern, 
  3 
  

   feet 
  3 
  inches; 
  depth, 
  17 
  inches; 
  depth 
  of 
  keel 
  (outside 
  of 
  garboard), 
  L| 
  

   inches; 
  depth 
  of 
  stern 
  (above 
  skag), 
  10 
  inches; 
  width 
  of 
  thwarts, 
  1 
  

   foot 
  ; 
  width 
  (fore 
  and 
  aft) 
  of 
  stern 
  seat, 
  15 
  inches. 
  

  

  The 
  same 
  style 
  of 
  boats 
  are 
  used 
  to 
  some 
  extent 
  by 
  the 
  market 
  fisher- 
  

   men 
  for 
  going 
  to 
  and 
  from 
  their 
  little 
  sloops, 
  though 
  these 
  are 
  generally 
  

   somewhat 
  smaller 
  than 
  those 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  described. 
  

  

  It 
  may 
  be 
  added 
  that 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  dinghies 
  carried 
  by 
  a 
  vessel 
  em- 
  

   ployed 
  in 
  the 
  sponge 
  fishery 
  depends 
  on 
  how 
  large 
  a 
  crew 
  she 
  may 
  have. 
  

   Generally, 
  the 
  vessels 
  take 
  one 
  boat 
  for 
  every 
  two 
  men, 
  exclusive 
  of 
  the 
  

   cook, 
  who, 
  while 
  the 
  others 
  are 
  out 
  fishing, 
  takes 
  care 
  of 
  the 
  vessel, 
  and 
  

   sails 
  her 
  about 
  wherever 
  it 
  seems 
  necessary 
  to 
  go. 
  The 
  small 
  craft, 
  

   which 
  carry 
  2 
  or 
  3 
  men 
  each, 
  and 
  which 
  often 
  prosecute 
  their 
  work 
  

   about 
  the 
  shallow 
  reefs, 
  sometimes 
  take 
  a 
  dinghy 
  for 
  each 
  man 
  of 
  the 
  

   crew, 
  and 
  in 
  fine 
  weather 
  the 
  larger 
  boat 
  is 
  anchored 
  and 
  the 
  men 
  leave 
  

   her 
  alone 
  and 
  go 
  off' 
  singly 
  to 
  seek 
  sponges. 
  

  

  3. 
  APPARATUS. 
  

   The 
  apparatus, 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  sponge 
  fishery 
  is 
  simple 
  in 
  its 
  nature, 
  and 
  

   consists 
  of 
  only 
  a 
  limited 
  number 
  of 
  articles. 
  

  

  