﻿[09] 
  THE 
  GULF 
  FISHING 
  GROUNDS 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  285 
  

  

  Sloop 
  suiack 
  Challenge, 
  of 
  Mobile, 
  Ala., 
  29.24 
  tons; 
  built 
  in 
  Connecticut; 
  chartered. 
  

   by 
  Now 
  Orleans 
  parties. 
  

  

  Sloop 
  smack 
  Charles 
  Henry, 
  of 
  New 
  Orleans, 
  21.30 
  tons; 
  chartered 
  by 
  New 
  Orleans 
  

   parties. 
  

  

  VESSELS 
  LANDING 
  THEIR 
  FISH 
  AT 
  MOBILE, 
  BUT 
  OCCASIONALLY 
  AT 
  

  

  PENSACOLA. 
  

  

  Schooner 
  smack 
  Laurel, 
  of 
  Mobile, 
  Ala., 
  33.07 
  tons; 
  built 
  in 
  Maine. 
  

   Schooner 
  smack 
  Leonora, 
  of 
  Mobile, 
  Ala., 
  :!:i.02 
  tons. 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  foregoing 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  soon 
  that, 
  exclusive 
  of 
  the 
  steamer 
  de- 
  

   stroyed 
  by 
  fire 
  and 
  the 
  schooner 
  capsized, 
  there 
  were 
  twenty-one 
  vessels, 
  

   with 
  a 
  total 
  tonnage 
  of 
  709.21 
  tons, 
  employed 
  in 
  the 
  snapper 
  fishery 
  of 
  

   the 
  Gulf 
  in 
  the 
  winter 
  of 
  1884-'85. 
  

  

  hi 
  summer 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  sail-boats 
  are 
  employed, 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  regu- 
  

   larly, 
  in 
  the 
  red-snapper 
  fishery. 
  These 
  are 
  mostly 
  of 
  the 
  class 
  usually 
  

   engaged 
  in 
  the 
  oyster 
  fishery 
  in 
  winter, 
  and 
  vary 
  from 
  4 
  to 
  (J 
  tons. 
  

  

  Among 
  the 
  sail-boats 
  that 
  are 
  employed 
  in 
  the 
  IVnsacola 
  red-snap- 
  

   per 
  fishery, 
  in 
  summer, 
  is 
  one 
  that 
  deserves 
  special 
  mention, 
  since 
  in 
  its 
  

   rig 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  in 
  some 
  other 
  peculiarities 
  it 
  is 
  very 
  distinctive 
  in 
  type. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  a 
  carvel-built, 
  center-board 
  boat, 
  entirely 
  open 
  ; 
  with 
  long, 
  sharp 
  

   bow 
  ; 
  round 
  bilge, 
  tine 
  run, 
  and 
  vertical, 
  heart-shaped, 
  square 
  stern, 
  the 
  

   latter 
  being 
  rather 
  light 
  and 
  very 
  symmetrical. 
  The 
  rudder 
  hangs 
  out- 
  

   side, 
  and 
  is 
  managed 
  by 
  a 
  yoke, 
  the 
  yoke 
  lines 
  reaching 
  forward 
  of 
  the 
  

   mizzen-mast. 
  This 
  craft 
  is 
  rigged 
  as 
  a 
  three-masted 
  schooner, 
  without 
  

   jib, 
  and 
  carries 
  three 
  sprit 
  sails, 
  the 
  mizzen 
  only 
  having 
  a 
  boom. 
  The, 
  

   masts 
  are 
  adjustable 
  and 
  the 
  smaller 
  spars 
  and 
  sails 
  can 
  be 
  substituted 
  

   for 
  the 
  larger 
  instead 
  of 
  reefing. 
  So 
  far 
  as 
  w 
  r 
  e 
  know, 
  this 
  is 
  the 
  only 
  

   three-masted 
  open 
  boat 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  fisheries 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States, 
  and 
  

   we 
  are 
  not 
  aware 
  that 
  on 
  any 
  other 
  does 
  the 
  European 
  custom 
  prevail 
  

   of 
  substituting 
  small 
  sails 
  for 
  large 
  ones 
  when 
  the 
  wind 
  increases. 
  I 
  

   am 
  indebted 
  to 
  Mr. 
  Stearns 
  for 
  the 
  following 
  interesting 
  account 
  of 
  

   these 
  boats, 
  which, 
  he 
  says, 
  are 
  used 
  by 
  the 
  negro 
  fishermen 
  of 
  War- 
  

   rington 
  to 
  go 
  to 
  the 
  nearest 
  snapper 
  grounds 
  during 
  the 
  summer. 
  

  

  They 
  are 
  owned 
  chiefly 
  by 
  pilots 
  and 
  stevedores, 
  who, 
  having 
  used 
  

   them 
  in 
  their 
  own 
  trade 
  during 
  the 
  winter, 
  let 
  them 
  out 
  in 
  summer 
  

   to 
  reliable 
  negroes 
  for 
  fishing, 
  taking 
  one 
  share 
  of 
  the 
  catch 
  for 
  pay- 
  

   ment. 
  

  

  Formerly, 
  this 
  type 
  of 
  boats 
  was 
  used 
  almost 
  exclusively 
  by 
  the 
  pilots 
  

   of 
  Pensacola 
  to 
  board 
  vessels 
  at 
  sea. 
  The 
  pilots 
  would 
  go 
  from 
  the 
  shore 
  

   at 
  1! 
  or 
  '.j 
  o'clock 
  a. 
  in., 
  and 
  sail 
  in 
  various 
  directions 
  until 
  sunrise, 
  when 
  

   the 
  course 
  was 
  laid 
  for 
  home. 
  A 
  lookout 
  was 
  always 
  kept 
  from 
  elevated 
  

   stations 
  on 
  shore 
  during 
  the 
  remainder 
  of 
  the 
  day, 
  and 
  the 
  sighting 
  

   of 
  a 
  large 
  vessel 
  resulted 
  in 
  a 
  general 
  race 
  between 
  the 
  whole 
  fleet 
  of 
  

   boats. 
  , 
  

  

  Sometimes 
  the 
  morning 
  run 
  would 
  take 
  the 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  fleet 
  20 
  miles 
  

   from 
  land, 
  and 
  often 
  very 
  heavy 
  winds 
  and 
  seas 
  were 
  encountered 
  while 
  

   <)ut 
  there. 
  

  

  