HISTORY 21 



with all speed to London, thus liberating 

 the others to continue fishing operations. 

 The cutter when improved by the use of 

 steam became more independent of the 

 weather, and made more regular arrivals 

 at Billingsgate. This carries us up to the 

 eighties, when steam began to prove its 

 value for trawling, and the introduction 

 of the use of ice as a preservative gave a 

 great impetus to the trade. At this time 

 the smacks had an engine and boiler for 

 heaving up the bag or net when full of fish. 

 The engine worked a winch and made the 

 task very much less laborious. The ad- 

 vantages of machinery were immediately 

 seized upon and extended by the intro- 

 duction of steam for towing the net. This 

 soon became a success, so that in 1900 the 

 steamships far out-nurnbered the smacks. 

 At this period there were at least 1500 on 

 "the East Coast of Britain alone. Their 

 length was only about 95 to 105 feet at this 

 time, but such was their capacity that one. 

 steam trawler could do the work of half a 

 dozen sailing trawlers, whilst the steam 

 trawler only needed twice the number of 

 crew. With the opening of the present 



