﻿[71] 
  THE 
  GULF 
  FISHING 
  GROUNDS 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  287 
  

  

  flush 
  *v 
  itii 
  the 
  rail, 
  for 
  a 
  length 
  of 
  2 
  or 
  3 
  feet, 
  and 
  under 
  this 
  is 
  it 
  loeker 
  

   for 
  food, 
  &c. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  are 
  the 
  materials 
  used 
  in 
  constructing 
  these 
  boats. 
  

   Timbers 
  of 
  mulberry 
  or 
  " 
  tighteys," 
  which 
  are 
  very 
  strong 
  and 
  light- 
  

   stem, 
  keel, 
  stern-post, 
  and 
  stern, 
  of 
  oak 
  ; 
  plank 
  of 
  white 
  cedar; 
  gunwales 
  

   of 
  yellow 
  pine, 
  and 
  thwarts 
  of 
  yellow 
  pine 
  or 
  oak. 
  The 
  fastening 
  and 
  

   fittings 
  are 
  either 
  copper 
  or 
  brass. 
  

  

  All 
  have 
  three 
  sails, 
  but 
  the 
  mainsail 
  (or 
  middle 
  sail) 
  is 
  not 
  carried 
  ex- 
  ' 
  

   eept 
  in 
  light 
  winds 
  or 
  when 
  a 
  boat 
  is 
  being 
  driven 
  hard. 
  

  

  The 
  area 
  of 
  sail 
  on 
  these 
  boats, 
  says 
  Mr. 
  Stearns, 
  is 
  so 
  large 
  that 
  they 
  

   can 
  be 
  kept 
  up 
  in 
  fresh 
  winds, 
  only 
  by 
  having 
  a 
  large 
  amount 
  of 
  " 
  live 
  

   ballast." 
  From 
  three 
  to 
  seven 
  men 
  constitute 
  a 
  crew, 
  and 
  if 
  a 
  boat 
  is 
  

   racing 
  all 
  of 
  these 
  must 
  be 
  experts, 
  and 
  understand 
  how 
  to 
  place 
  them- 
  

   selves 
  so 
  that 
  they 
  may 
  improve 
  the 
  stability 
  and 
  sailing 
  qualities 
  of 
  

   the 
  craft. 
  Even 
  with 
  small 
  sails 
  and 
  a 
  moderate-sized 
  crew, 
  these 
  boats 
  

   will 
  work 
  to 
  windward 
  very 
  rapidly, 
  when 
  most 
  small 
  craft 
  will 
  not 
  

   " 
  look 
  " 
  that 
  way. 
  

  

  " 
  J 
  once 
  came 
  from 
  Warrington 
  in 
  one 
  during 
  a 
  gale," 
  says 
  Mr. 
  Stearns, 
  

   " 
  when 
  a 
  24-foot 
  keel 
  cabin 
  sloop 
  could 
  not 
  make 
  any 
  headway 
  to 
  wind- 
  

   ward. 
  In 
  ordinary 
  winds 
  and 
  seas 
  they 
  will 
  make 
  a 
  ,'U 
  point 
  course 
  on 
  

   a 
  wiud."* 
  

  

  The 
  larger 
  boats 
  of 
  this 
  class 
  cost 
  $450, 
  and 
  the 
  smaller 
  ones 
  from 
  

   $250 
  to 
  $300. 
  

  

  Each 
  of 
  the 
  vessels 
  earries 
  from 
  one 
  to 
  three 
  dories 
  of 
  the 
  pattern 
  built 
  

   in 
  New 
  England, 
  from 
  whence 
  they 
  are 
  obtained. 
  These 
  are 
  usually 
  

   IT 
  to 
  15 
  feet 
  long 
  on 
  the 
  bottom. 
  

  

  4. 
  APPARATUS 
  AND 
  METHODS 
  OF 
  FISHING. 
  

  

  Fishing-lines. 
  — 
  The 
  hand-lines 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  snapper 
  fishery 
  are 
  rigged 
  

   in 
  a 
  very 
  primitive 
  manner, 
  little 
  attention 
  being 
  paid 
  to 
  elaboration 
  

   and 
  refinement 
  of 
  details, 
  sueh 
  as 
  is 
  common 
  with 
  codtish 
  gear. 
  But 
  

   this 
  lack 
  of 
  care 
  in 
  rigging 
  the 
  gear 
  is 
  because 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  superfluous, 
  

   since 
  the 
  snapper 
  usually 
  bites 
  so 
  greedily 
  that 
  no 
  refinement 
  in 
  the 
  

   apparatus 
  is 
  required 
  to 
  entice 
  it 
  to 
  take 
  the 
  hook, 
  and 
  also 
  because 
  the 
  

   snoods 
  and 
  hooks 
  are 
  frequently 
  carried 
  off 
  by 
  sharks 
  and 
  jew-iish. 
  

   Therefore, 
  a 
  fisherman 
  who 
  would 
  spend 
  hours 
  in 
  rigging 
  a 
  hand-line 
  for 
  

   cod-fishing, 
  not 
  neglecting 
  the 
  smallest 
  detail 
  that 
  could 
  add 
  to 
  its 
  fine- 
  

   ness 
  and 
  supposed 
  attractiveness, 
  will 
  soon 
  learn 
  that 
  all 
  this 
  care 
  is 
  not 
  

   required 
  in 
  preparing 
  snapper 
  gear, 
  and 
  consequently 
  will 
  rig 
  it 
  as 
  

   others 
  do. 
  

  

  The 
  lines 
  are 
  usually 
  50 
  fathoms 
  long, 
  of 
  steam-tarred 
  cotton, 
  of 
  a 
  size 
  

   weighing 
  from 
  10 
  to 
  18 
  pounds 
  to 
  the 
  dozen 
  lines 
  of 
  25 
  fathoms 
  each. 
  

   A 
  lead 
  sinker 
  weighing 
  2£ 
  to 
  3 
  pounds 
  is 
  fastened 
  to 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  * 
  I 
  understand 
  Mr. 
  Stearns 
  to 
  mean 
  that 
  they 
  will, 
  when 
  sailing 
  close 
  hauled, 
  lay 
  

   within 
  '3% 
  points 
  of 
  the 
  direction 
  from 
  Avhich 
  the 
  wind 
  may 
  be 
  blowing. 
  

  

  