222 REV. R. C0"V7E ON THE WHITE-FISHERY 



nearest harbour. The danger is increased in stormy weather, when 

 the nets of two or more boats arc entangled together. The plunging 

 of the boats and the dashing of the waves render it very dangerous 

 for the men to stoop over the boats to clear the nets ; and the risk of 

 collision prevents the boats from coming near each other to assist in 

 clearing away the entangled j)arts. The nets are seldom got after- 

 wards when thus cut away ; or when found after the storm, they have 

 been so much torn as to be almost useless. Nets are also frequently 

 injured or lost by the buoys being maliciously cut off, when the nets 

 go to the bottom and get fast to the rocks. 



Instances have occurred, though not very lately, of boats deeply 

 laden with herrings being, before reaching the shore, overtaken by 

 wind, and going down. In one case, an accident of this kind near 

 Holy Island was occasioned by the boat getting stern way through 

 mismanagement, when she immediately filled and turned bottom up. 

 Two of the men clung to the boat till they were rescued by another 

 boat ; other three who were in the boat perished. About twenty years 

 ago, a Buckhaven boat went down about half-way between Berwick 

 and Burnmouth from having too large a cargo. The night had been 

 fine, but a brisk breeze sprung up in the morning, which was too 

 much for the overburdened boat. A fisherman, from whom the writer 

 had the account, was in a boat a Kttle farther out at sea at the time, 

 and he says, that the fears of himseli and his companions were first 

 awakened by seeing different articles, such as a hat and an oar, drift- 

 ing past them. On sailing in the direction from which the floating 

 materials came, the boat was found bottom up, but not one of the crew 

 was to be seen. Weighed down by their heavy boots, and exhausted 

 by previous fatigue, they had sunk to rise no more. But serious 

 accidents sometimes happen at this fishing from mere stress of weather. 

 Twelve years ago, a Greenses boat was upset in taking Berwick harbour 

 during a heavy sea, occasioned by a violent north-east wind. Two 

 men were drowned. The other two kept themselves afloat by the aid 

 of the oars till they were rescued. A very affecting occurrence took 

 place off North Sunderland six years ago, when the boats were fishing 

 there. When about twelve miles from the land, they encountered a 

 very high sea and violent wind, which compelled them to return. On 

 their way back to the shore, one of the Eyemouth boats was struck by 

 a heavy wave, and filled with water. The next boat tried to aid them : 

 the steersman of it had a brother in the disabled boat, who was seen 

 sitting on one of the thwarts immersed in the water, with his son, a 

 boy, in his arms. The rest of the crew cried out to the skipper as they 

 approached, "Will! mind your brother;" but in spite of aU that he 

 could do, the bow of the boat, tossed by the waves, pitched on the 

 back of the unfortunate man, and then the one boat was driven over 

 the top of the other. The blow, it was thought, broke his back, for 



