﻿[49] 
  THE 
  GULF 
  FISHING 
  GROUNDS 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  265 
  

  

  ward 
  in 
  weather 
  so 
  bad 
  as 
  to 
  drive 
  tbe 
  loeal 
  pilot 
  boats 
  into 
  barbor 
  to 
  

   seek 
  shelter. 
  

  

  All 
  of 
  the 
  smackees 
  are 
  decked 
  with 
  tbe 
  exception 
  of 
  a 
  cockpit 
  aft, 
  

   where 
  the 
  crew 
  stand 
  to 
  fish 
  or 
  to 
  sail 
  the 
  boat. 
  The 
  interior 
  is 
  divided 
  

   into 
  tbree 
  nearly 
  equal 
  compartments. 
  Forward 
  is 
  tbe 
  little 
  cabin 
  or 
  

   cuddy 
  where 
  the 
  fishermen 
  sleep, 
  keep 
  dry 
  clothing, 
  and 
  spare 
  gear. 
  

   This 
  is 
  entered 
  through 
  a 
  small 
  hatch 
  or 
  companion 
  slide 
  aft 
  of 
  the 
  

   mast. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  provided 
  with 
  bertbs, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  we 
  could 
  observe, 
  an 
  

   old 
  sail 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  carelessly 
  spread 
  on 
  the 
  floor 
  being 
  used 
  for 
  a 
  bed. 
  

   Aft 
  of 
  tbe 
  cabin 
  is 
  the 
  well 
  wherein 
  tbe 
  fish 
  are 
  kept 
  alive, 
  except 
  when 
  

   a 
  boat 
  may 
  engage 
  in 
  the 
  capture 
  of 
  kingfish, 
  when, 
  as 
  will 
  be 
  de- 
  

   tailed 
  elsewhere, 
  the 
  fish 
  are 
  killed 
  before 
  being 
  put 
  into 
  tbe 
  well, 
  where 
  

   it 
  is, 
  nevertheless, 
  found 
  expedient 
  to 
  place 
  them, 
  as 
  they 
  will, 
  when 
  put 
  

   in 
  water, 
  keep 
  in 
  good 
  condition 
  for 
  about 
  twenty-four 
  hours. 
  The 
  well 
  

   is 
  somewhat 
  peculiar 
  in. 
  shape, 
  being 
  much 
  larger 
  at 
  the 
  botton 
  than 
  at 
  

   the 
  top, 
  the 
  sides 
  and 
  ends 
  having 
  a 
  strong 
  rake. 
  An 
  average-sized 
  

   well 
  is 
  about 
  3 
  feet 
  G 
  inches 
  long 
  by 
  2 
  feet 
  wide, 
  on 
  top, 
  while 
  at 
  the 
  

   bottom 
  it 
  is 
  G 
  feet 
  long 
  and 
  4 
  to 
  5 
  feet 
  wide 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  

   boat. 
  It 
  will 
  thus 
  be 
  understood 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  both 
  easy 
  to 
  select 
  and 
  take 
  

   from 
  tbe 
  well 
  any 
  fish 
  that 
  may 
  be 
  in 
  it 
  which 
  a 
  customer 
  may 
  wish 
  for. 
  

   Many 
  of 
  these 
  wells 
  have 
  a 
  coaming 
  about 
  the 
  top 
  which 
  flares 
  out- 
  

   wards. 
  There 
  is 
  also 
  a 
  coaming, 
  about 
  4 
  inches 
  in 
  height, 
  around 
  the 
  

   cockpit. 
  

  

  Tbe 
  material 
  employed 
  iu 
  the 
  construction 
  of 
  these 
  boats 
  is 
  the 
  same 
  

   as 
  that 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  larger 
  craft 
  are 
  built 
  at 
  Key 
  West, 
  maderia 
  wood 
  

   being 
  used 
  for 
  frames 
  and 
  yellow 
  pine 
  for 
  planking, 
  while 
  the 
  fastening 
  

   is 
  chiefly 
  galvanized 
  iron. 
  Copper 
  paint 
  is 
  used 
  on 
  the 
  bottoms 
  and 
  

   inside 
  tbe 
  wells, 
  and 
  a 
  new 
  coat 
  is 
  put 
  on 
  about 
  three 
  times 
  a 
  year. 
  

  

  Although 
  some 
  attempts 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  to 
  modify 
  the 
  hull 
  of 
  the 
  

   Key 
  West 
  smackee, 
  so 
  that 
  it 
  will 
  conform 
  more 
  nearly 
  with 
  other 
  

   boats 
  used 
  in 
  tbe 
  United 
  States, 
  little 
  has 
  been 
  done 
  towards 
  introduc- 
  

   ing 
  any 
  other 
  than 
  tbe 
  "Mudian 
  rig," 
  which 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  universally 
  

   popular 
  with 
  the 
  fishermen. 
  It 
  is 
  true 
  that 
  a 
  very 
  few 
  of 
  the 
  boats 
  

   have 
  a 
  boom 
  and 
  gaff 
  mainsail, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  apparent 
  that 
  this 
  innovation 
  

   is 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  limited 
  kind, 
  for 
  the 
  gaff 
  rarely 
  much 
  exceeds 
  in 
  length 
  

   the 
  half-inoon-shaped 
  club 
  attached 
  to 
  the 
  mainsail 
  head 
  on 
  other 
  boats. 
  

  

  As 
  has 
  already 
  been 
  said, 
  these 
  smackees 
  are 
  sloop 
  rigged, 
  with 
  few 
  

   exceptions. 
  The 
  long 
  tapering 
  mast 
  is 
  stepped 
  well 
  forward, 
  so 
  that 
  

   the 
  boat 
  will 
  be 
  perfectly 
  manageable 
  with 
  a 
  very 
  diminutive 
  jib, 
  and 
  

   when 
  it 
  blows 
  strong 
  the 
  latter 
  is 
  reduced 
  in 
  size 
  to 
  a 
  mere 
  rag 
  by 
  

   being 
  "bobbed;" 
  its 
  only 
  use 
  at 
  such 
  times 
  is 
  to 
  pay 
  the 
  boat 
  off 
  when 
  

   she 
  tacks, 
  and 
  to 
  prevent 
  her 
  from 
  griping 
  too 
  much 
  on 
  her 
  helm. 
  

  

  A 
  large 
  leg-of-mutton 
  (or 
  triangular) 
  mainsail 
  is 
  carried, 
  this 
  being 
  

   laced 
  to 
  the 
  mast 
  by 
  a 
  rope; 
  while 
  the 
  foot, 
  which 
  is 
  cut 
  roaching 
  and 
  

   hangs 
  loose, 
  its 
  middle 
  curving 
  downwards, 
  is 
  extended 
  by 
  a 
  long 
  boom, 
  

   made 
  of 
  tough 
  wood, 
  that 
  x>rojects 
  far 
  oyer 
  the 
  stern. 
  The 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  