﻿272 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  [56] 
  

  

  stance, 
  one 
  may 
  be 
  sold 
  for 
  a 
  lump 
  stun, 
  his 
  weight 
  being 
  guessed 
  at, 
  

   while 
  a 
  certain 
  price, 
  as 
  high 
  sometimes 
  as 
  8 
  cents 
  per 
  pound, 
  is 
  charged 
  

   in 
  other 
  cases. 
  

  

  The 
  market 
  building 
  is 
  constructed 
  in 
  a 
  peculiar 
  manner, 
  with 
  a 
  view 
  

   to 
  keeping 
  the 
  fish 
  fresh 
  as 
  long 
  as 
  possible 
  without 
  ice. 
  It 
  is 
  made 
  of 
  

   narrow 
  boards 
  separated 
  from 
  each 
  other 
  about 
  li 
  to 
  2 
  inches, 
  so 
  that 
  

   a 
  free 
  circulation 
  of 
  air 
  can 
  be 
  obtained. 
  When 
  a 
  fresh 
  breeze 
  is 
  blow- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  wind 
  draws 
  through 
  quite 
  briskly, 
  enough 
  so 
  to 
  assist 
  in 
  cooling 
  

   the 
  fish, 
  which 
  are 
  either 
  spread 
  out 
  on 
  a 
  long 
  wooden 
  table 
  or 
  bench 
  

   or 
  suspended 
  by 
  their 
  tails 
  from 
  the 
  rafters. 
  The 
  latter 
  method 
  is 
  al- 
  

   ways 
  adopted 
  when 
  the 
  fish 
  are 
  not 
  going 
  to 
  be 
  sold 
  right 
  away, 
  since 
  

   the 
  wind 
  circulates 
  more 
  freely 
  among 
  them 
  and 
  keeps 
  them 
  cooler 
  than 
  

   when 
  they 
  are 
  lying 
  on 
  the 
  table. 
  It 
  is 
  said 
  that 
  fish 
  will 
  keep 
  perfectly 
  

   fresh 
  for 
  twenty-four 
  hours, 
  when 
  hung 
  up 
  by 
  the 
  tail, 
  if 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  

   strong 
  nortber 
  blowing. 
  

  

  A 
  considerable 
  percentage 
  of 
  the 
  kingfish 
  go 
  to 
  Cuban 
  markets, 
  and 
  

   at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  our 
  visit 
  the 
  smack 
  Aaron 
  Kingsland 
  was 
  employed 
  in 
  

   carrying 
  cargoes 
  from 
  Key 
  West 
  to 
  Havana, 
  making 
  a 
  trip 
  in 
  an 
  aver- 
  

   age 
  of 
  about 
  one 
  week. 
  

  

  Just 
  before 
  the 
  arrival 
  of 
  the 
  smack 
  at 
  Key 
  West, 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  fish- 
  

   ermen 
  are 
  duly 
  notified 
  from 
  Havana, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  of 
  the 
  day 
  she 
  intends 
  

   to 
  sail 
  for 
  Cuba, 
  the 
  fleet 
  of 
  boats 
  start 
  out 
  for 
  the 
  kingfish 
  grounds, 
  

   arranging 
  their 
  departure 
  so 
  that 
  a 
  good 
  fare 
  can 
  be 
  secured 
  in 
  time 
  

   for 
  them 
  to 
  return 
  on 
  the 
  day 
  that 
  the 
  smack 
  takes 
  in 
  her 
  cargo. 
  We 
  

   were 
  fortunate 
  in 
  having 
  the 
  opportunity 
  to 
  witness 
  the 
  interesting 
  and 
  

   instructive 
  operation 
  of 
  a 
  smack 
  loading 
  with 
  kingfish 
  for 
  Havana.* 
  

  

  The 
  vessel 
  lay 
  under 
  the 
  lee 
  of 
  a 
  long 
  wharf 
  that 
  reaches 
  out 
  into 
  the 
  

   harbor, 
  and 
  hovering 
  around 
  her, 
  from 
  stem 
  to 
  stern, 
  and 
  several 
  tiers 
  

   deep, 
  boats 
  outside 
  of 
  boats, 
  lay 
  the 
  fleet 
  of 
  little 
  smackees, 
  like 
  a 
  flock 
  

   of 
  sea 
  birds, 
  resting 
  on 
  the 
  waves. 
  They 
  were 
  just 
  in 
  from 
  the 
  fishing 
  

   ground, 
  and 
  the 
  fares 
  of 
  those 
  nearest 
  the 
  vessel 
  were 
  being 
  rapidly 
  

   transferred 
  to 
  the 
  smack's 
  hold, 
  where 
  they 
  were 
  carefully 
  packed 
  in 
  

   pens, 
  tier 
  upon 
  tier, 
  each 
  layer 
  being 
  covered 
  with 
  fine 
  ice. 
  The 
  method 
  

   of 
  icing 
  the 
  fish 
  differs 
  in 
  no 
  essential 
  particular 
  from 
  that 
  in 
  vogue 
  

   among 
  the 
  New 
  England 
  fishermen. 
  The 
  ice 
  was 
  hauled 
  down 
  on 
  horse- 
  

   carts 
  and 
  dumped 
  on 
  the 
  wharf 
  alongside 
  the 
  smack, 
  whence 
  it 
  was 
  

   transferred 
  to 
  her 
  deck. 
  Taken 
  altogether 
  the 
  scene 
  was 
  an 
  interest- 
  

   ing 
  and 
  animated 
  one. 
  The 
  fishermen 
  gathered 
  in 
  squads 
  on 
  the 
  vessel's 
  

   deck 
  discussing 
  the 
  various 
  incidents 
  of 
  their 
  trip, 
  or 
  speculating 
  on 
  

   the 
  general 
  phases 
  of 
  the 
  fishery; 
  the 
  shouts 
  passing 
  between 
  those 
  on 
  

   the 
  boats, 
  as 
  each 
  tried 
  to 
  learn 
  what 
  "luck" 
  his 
  compeers 
  had 
  met 
  

   with; 
  the 
  monotonous 
  repetition 
  of 
  the 
  " 
  tally" 
  as 
  the 
  fish 
  were 
  taken 
  

  

  * 
  A 
  few 
  days 
  later 
  I 
  went 
  on 
  board 
  the 
  same 
  smack 
  lying 
  at 
  anchor 
  in 
  Havana. 
  

   The 
  captain 
  told 
  me 
  that 
  it 
  usually 
  took 
  about 
  a 
  week 
  to 
  dispose 
  of 
  a 
  cargo, 
  the 
  fish 
  

   being 
  generally 
  sold 
  at. 
  retail. 
  

  

  