﻿286 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  [70] 
  

  

  At 
  a 
  later 
  period, 
  say. 
  eight 
  or 
  ten 
  years 
  ago, 
  tbe 
  stevedores 
  were 
  

   very 
  actively 
  competing 
  with 
  one 
  another, 
  and 
  it 
  became 
  the 
  custom 
  to 
  

   board 
  vessels 
  at 
  sea 
  to 
  solicit 
  tbe 
  job 
  of 
  loading 
  them. 
  Various 
  kinds 
  of 
  

   boats 
  were 
  tried 
  for 
  tbis 
  purpose 
  and 
  the 
  "pilot 
  rig," 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  here 
  called, 
  

   Avas 
  universally 
  adopted 
  as 
  being 
  the 
  best. 
  Whenever 
  a 
  vessel 
  came 
  

   in 
  sight, 
  there 
  would 
  be 
  a 
  dozeu 
  or 
  more 
  stevedores, 
  and 
  probably 
  as 
  

   many 
  pilots, 
  engaging 
  in 
  an 
  exciting 
  race 
  for 
  her; 
  all 
  using 
  all 
  sail 
  and 
  

   oar 
  power. 
  As 
  the 
  gains 
  of 
  success 
  were 
  large 
  it 
  became 
  no 
  object 
  to 
  

   spare 
  money 
  in 
  perfecting 
  the 
  boats. 
  

  

  In 
  1S7S 
  and 
  1879 
  there 
  was 
  greater 
  interest 
  in 
  tbe 
  "pilot 
  rig" 
  boat 
  

   than 
  in 
  almost 
  anything 
  else 
  about 
  Pensacola 
  Bay. 
  There 
  were 
  re- 
  

   gattas 
  in 
  rapid 
  succession, 
  and 
  the 
  entries 
  would 
  range 
  as 
  large 
  as 
  30 
  

   iu 
  number. 
  In 
  the 
  day 
  of 
  the 
  finest 
  specimens 
  they 
  could 
  and 
  did 
  out- 
  

   sail 
  anything 
  of 
  equal 
  size 
  that 
  could 
  be 
  found. 
  

  

  They 
  have 
  mostly 
  been 
  built 
  by 
  Eobert 
  Langford, 
  who 
  spent 
  his 
  

   wbole 
  time, 
  with 
  assistants, 
  for 
  ten 
  years, 
  exclusively 
  in 
  making 
  these 
  

   boats. 
  Tbe 
  original 
  model 
  w 
  T 
  as 
  the 
  Whitehall 
  pattern, 
  but 
  tbis 
  has 
  been 
  

   greatly 
  improved 
  to 
  meet 
  the 
  requirements 
  of 
  the 
  trade 
  in 
  wbich 
  they 
  

   were 
  employed. 
  

  

  Langford's 
  boats 
  are 
  built 
  with 
  the 
  greatest 
  care, 
  and 
  are 
  very 
  ex- 
  

   pensive, 
  but 
  such 
  is 
  the 
  excellence 
  of 
  their 
  construction 
  that, 
  eveu 
  with 
  

   the 
  rough 
  usage 
  which 
  they 
  receive 
  they 
  are 
  durable, 
  and 
  prove 
  a 
  good 
  

   investment 
  in 
  the 
  end. 
  Boats 
  of 
  similar 
  rig 
  and 
  proportions 
  were 
  built 
  

   at 
  New 
  Orleans 
  and 
  taken 
  to 
  Pensacola 
  to 
  compete 
  with 
  Laugford's 
  

   productions, 
  but 
  tbe 
  former 
  were 
  all 
  very 
  badly 
  outsailed. 
  

  

  Since 
  large 
  pilot 
  schooners 
  have 
  come 
  into 
  use 
  at 
  Pensaeola, 
  and 
  the 
  

   stevedores 
  have 
  abandoned 
  the 
  custom 
  of 
  boarding 
  vessels 
  at 
  sea, 
  

   these 
  boats 
  have 
  fallen 
  into 
  the 
  hands 
  of 
  the 
  fishermen. 
  There 
  are 
  

   12 
  or 
  15 
  of 
  them 
  now 
  at 
  Warrington 
  that 
  make 
  a 
  business 
  of 
  fishing 
  

   about 
  8 
  months 
  in 
  the 
  year. 
  From 
  four 
  to 
  seven 
  men 
  go 
  in 
  a 
  boat, 
  

   working 
  for 
  a 
  share 
  each. 
  They 
  leave 
  Warrington 
  at 
  daylight, 
  or 
  be- 
  

   fore, 
  and 
  go 
  from 
  live 
  to 
  fifteen 
  miles 
  from 
  the 
  bar 
  to 
  small 
  patches 
  of 
  

   fishing 
  ground, 
  and 
  leave 
  the 
  grounds 
  in 
  time 
  to 
  carry 
  their 
  catch 
  to 
  

   Pensacola 
  before 
  the 
  fish-houses 
  arc 
  closed; 
  or 
  in 
  cool 
  weather, 
  remain 
  

   longer, 
  and 
  send 
  the 
  catch 
  to 
  market 
  by 
  one 
  boat 
  the 
  following 
  morning. 
  

   Their 
  daily 
  catch 
  ranges 
  from 
  100 
  to 
  1,000 
  pounds 
  of 
  fish 
  per 
  boat, 
  aver- 
  

   aging 
  probably 
  about 
  100 
  pounds. 
  The 
  fishing 
  gear 
  is 
  rigged 
  similar 
  

   to 
  that 
  used 
  on 
  the 
  smacks, 
  but 
  is 
  generally 
  lighter, 
  lee 
  is 
  never 
  used. 
  

   These 
  boats 
  often 
  sail 
  10 
  miles 
  a 
  day, 
  going 
  and 
  returning, 
  besides 
  

   spending 
  a 
  large 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  day 
  on 
  the 
  fishing 
  grounds. 
  

  

  Boats 
  of 
  this 
  type 
  are 
  about 
  3£ 
  beams 
  to 
  length, 
  and 
  their 
  depth 
  is 
  

   practically 
  the 
  same 
  in 
  proportion 
  as 
  that 
  of 
  an 
  ordinary 
  Whitehall 
  

   boat. 
  They 
  vary 
  in 
  size 
  from 
  10 
  to 
  21 
  feet 
  in 
  length. 
  The 
  keel 
  is 
  shal- 
  

   low 
  and 
  quite 
  wide 
  in 
  the 
  middle 
  for 
  the 
  center-board 
  case. 
  Tbe 
  center- 
  

   board 
  is 
  iron, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  placed 
  a 
  little 
  forward 
  of 
  amidships. 
  A 
  boat 
  

   will 
  have 
  3 
  or 
  1 
  thwarts 
  according 
  to 
  its 
  size. 
  The 
  stern 
  is 
  decked. 
  

  

  