716 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [16] 



was exceedingly boisterous and cold, with frequent storms, so that 

 there was very little time when fishing could be prosecuted. I would 

 say, as illustrative of the extreme inclemency of the weather in which 

 it was necessary to fish, that on January 19 the Grampus visited the 

 fishing-ground and the crew hauled her gear when the temperature 

 ranged from 2° to 7° below zero Fahrenheit. The vapor was unusually 

 dense, and seamen Collins and Campbell were considerably frost-bitten. 

 Besides this adverse condition of the weather, cod were unusually scarce 

 for this season of the year, and few were taken under the most favor- 

 able circumstances. 



On January 23 I resumed command, and we left Gloucester for 

 Wood's IIoll. At (3.55 a. m. on the same day we anchored off Cape 

 Cod, north of Chatham, the wind being to the southward and weather 

 foggy. The wind blew a gale from SSW. to NW. on the 24th, and on 

 the following day we reached Wood's IIoll at 3.38 p. m.. and immedi- 

 ately commenced to transfer the live fish from the vessel's well to the 

 tanks beneath the hatching house. On that evening and the following 

 day 219 fish were landed. 



On January 27 we took on board 2,000,000 young cod and sailed from 

 Wood's IIoll for Gloucester, getting under way at 10.10 a. m. On the 

 morning of the 28th the youug fish were put overboard in 29 fathoms 

 of water, Race Point bearing east 3i miles distant, temperature of air 

 and water each 33A° Fahrenheit. Shortly after noon we arrived in 

 Gloucester, and I then transferred the command of the vessel to First 

 Mate Collins, after which I went on shore to engage in other duties 

 which demanded my attention. At this time the vessel had become 

 very foul, and on January 31 she was hauled out ou the marine rail- 

 way to be cleaned, after which, on the following day, she was launched. 



It had now been decided by the Commissioner to try the experiment 

 of taking eggs from the cod on the fishing-grounds, by sending one or 

 more men on board of the fishing- vessels to collect them. Accordingly, 

 Mr. G. H. Tolbert, expert spawn-taker, who had been ordered to join 

 the Grampus, reported on board the vessel on February 3. From that 

 date until the close of the season's work eggs were obtained on every 

 occasion when it was possible to get them, and were shipped to Wood's 

 Holl either by express or in charge of Mr. Tolbert. I went on the vessel 

 only on one occasion after Mr. Tolbert joined her, which was on Feb- 

 ruary 18, when about one million eggs were obtained from the fishing- 

 schooners off Eastern Point, Gloucester. 



On February 25, in compliance with orders received from the Com- 

 missioner, I left Gloucester for Washington for a stay of several months, 

 the Grampus being left in command of the first mate. 



The work of collecting cod eggs was continued whenever opportunity 

 offered until March 14, at which date 5,000,000 eggs were taken. It 

 may be explained that the statistics of fish landed at Wood's Holl do 

 not by any means represent the number taken. In many cases, as for 



