fishermen's memorial and record book. 77 



Account of the First Trips to Georges after 

 Halibut. 



It is claimed by a large majority of those interested in the fisher- 

 ies, that the schooner Nautilus was the first vessel which ever ven- 

 tured to Georges on a halibut trip. There are others who assert that 

 the schooner Romeo is entitled to the claim of being the pioneer 

 schooner in this branch of the fisheries. "We have made the most 

 careful inquiries, and from one of the crew of the Nautilus we obtain 

 the date of her sailing, and several interesting particulars of the trip. 

 We could not obtain any date of the sailing of the Romeo, although 

 we interviewed one of her crew. He felt confident that there was not 

 many days' difierence in their time of sailing, and was rather inclined 

 to the opinion that the Nautilus was the first. Our informant is pos- 

 itive that he is correct in his dates, and as he is a man of undoubted 

 veracity, and in the absence of any contradictory statements, we 

 publish his narrative. The vessel was commanded by Capt. John 

 Fletcher Wonson, recently deceased ; one of the most able and care- 

 ful skippers among those of the olden time. 



In 1828, while coming home in the Nautilus, from Wilmington, N. 

 C, he noticed on the chart used on board the vessel, a picture of a hali- 

 but, under which was printed the words, " Good halibut grounds here." 

 This he remembered, and, two years after, concluded to give halibut 

 catching a trial. On the fifth of March, 1830, the vessel started out 

 of the harbor on her trip for halibut. Among her crew was the fol- 

 lowing persons, all of whom but the last named are now living : John 

 W. Wonson, Nathan F. Wonson, Samuel G. Wonson, Daniel Doug- 

 lass and Benjamin Marble. The result of this trip was twenty hali- 

 but, which were landed, but met with a dull sale. The schooner 

 Romeo, Capt. Henry Pew, sailed soon after, and brought in a trip of 

 upwards of three thousand pounds, which were sold for three cents 

 per pound. Other vessels soon followed, but the business did not 

 amount to much until it had been prosecuted five or six years, when 

 it began to assume considerable importance, and became established 

 as a regular branch of the fisheries. 



This first trip of the Nautilus came very near being the last to one 



