i68 HARBOUR CONSTRUCTION. 



If a harbour is " barred," or tidal by which I mean dry, or 

 nearly so, at low water fishermen frequently incur loss, and 

 run serious risks, by having to remain at sea until the tide has 

 flowed sufficiently to allow of their entering. 



The risk of entering a harbour under such circumstances 

 is sometimes much increased by the sea becoming rougher 

 during the time that the tide is making, and not infrequently 

 by a number of boats making a simultaneous rush for the 

 harbour as soon as there is water enough to admit them. 



During a storm which burst on the east coast of Scotland 

 during the fishing season (August) of 1848, fifty-one boats and 

 thirty-one lives were lost at the entrance of Peterhead harbour 

 from this cause, the boats getting wedged together so that they 

 could not move, and having to lie exposed to the full fury of 

 the gale in a beam sea. The boats at Wick suffered in a similar 

 manner, but not to quite so great an extent. 1 



When boats cannot gain a harbour in good time, so as to 

 deliver their fish, the value of the fish decreases rapidly. Thus, 

 in many ports, if herring are not delivered before noon, the 

 price falls to the extent of, it may be, five to ten shillings 

 per cran. 2 The reasons for this are : (1) The boats, as a rule, 

 have all their nets hauled in by 6 a.m., and if the fish lie bulked 

 in the boats over a certain time, they heat and become soft. In 

 this state they are unsuitable either for curing or for the fresh-fish 

 trade. (2) The fresh-fish dealers usually make their arrangements 

 to suit the train service, and these are completely upset if the 

 boats are not fairly punctual ; in consequence of which, and also 

 on account of the fish having deteriorated in the manner above 

 described, they will often not buy them at all. 



In a fishery harbour there should be sufficient space for 

 all the boats that frequent it to lie together without crowding, 

 enough depth of water in every part of it to enable them to 

 be afloat at all times of the tide, slipways for hauling them up 

 when necessary, and proper facilities for taking in their nets 



1 There was a marked diminution in the loss of life and property amongst the 

 fishing-boats at Great Yarmouth when the bar was deepened so as to give a depth 

 of 10 feet of water at low spring tides, the depth previously having been only 

 about 2 feet. 



2 The herring " cran " measure has a capacity of 37 imperial gallons. A 

 " last " of herrings is equal to about 10 crans. It is, however, not a measure of 

 capacity, but a Dutch count of ten thousand, 132 herrings being by custom 

 given as 100. 



