AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION 2101 



Q. You do not think tbat it thickens up about the 10th of August ? 

 A. I was in the greatest scrape I was ever in off Milling tie lUr. 



Q. And that scrape frightened yon ! A. No. 



Q. When was that ? A. In 18(iii or IHuT ; I was in the Nrhooncr ('. 

 W. Dyer ; I was fishing then just in the lay of the l.nul off Malp.Hitie 

 and of the high land oft' New London. 



Q. How far off ? A. Probably 12 or l."> miles. 



Q. That would take you well clear of the bight altogether ! A. \V*. 



Q. What possible danger could you be in 12 or !." mil** oft ! A. \\* 

 hove to as usual under foresail a vessel makes leeway umltr fnn*ail 

 and I was not called to until 12 o'clock at night, when! |w>rhapH, w were 

 7 or 8 miles off the land ; a good breeze was blowing from the e;iMtwari, 

 and we raised our sails to carry ns out, because I did not consider that 

 we would be safe in going into Malpeque harbor at night, for there was 

 not half a light at the place ; it never was otherwise. We were going 

 straight out when the wind blew away my foresail and left the mam MI! 

 jib. 



Q. Was not all that liable to happen not only in the bight of the inl- 

 and, but almost anywhere ? A. There would have IMMMI no d-iuger if 

 we had not been in the bight and back of the island; under otlnr cir- 

 umstances we would have had no trouble in getting off with our jib. 



Q. If the wind was blowing east ? A. I do not say that the wind 

 there is direct east, but it is an easterly wind. 



Q. What possible difficulty could there have been in your petting 

 clear off around North Cape? A. My schooner is of 100 tons, lUliimor* 

 built, drawing 12 feet of water; I consider her as smart as any ve**rl 

 in our fleet, and when 1 went over by North Cape I did not find over 4| 

 fathoms of water, which was not near enough for the- purpose. 



Q. You were 12 miles off the bight of the island ! -A. Yen, 



Q. And you drifted within seven miles of the shore!- -A. Yes. 



Q. Now, with an easterly wind blowing, what possible difficult; 

 you in ? A. The wind blew away my sails. When 1 sj>eak of the * 

 being easterly there, I mean that the prevailing wind is from the north- 

 east and southeast. 



Q. You were seven miles off New London ; and can you n 

 without the slightest difficulty there ? A. No. 



Q. Drawing a straight line from North Cape to East 

 will it run off New London ? A. Twenty-odd miles. 



Q. Have you measured the distance!- -A. I do not 1 



Q. Is it on that supposition that you base your stateim- 

 When I went across the bar there were only 4 A fathoms 



Q. If the wind is as you state, is there any difficult: 

 with respect to a vessel being seven miles oft shor 

 of wind. 



Q. What would be the case with a westerly wind 

 not go ashore in a westerly gale if you tried to, if oft 

 I am speaking of; but, at the same time, you ooul 



westerly wind was blowing, and you were in the bight 

 island, could you not easily run around Last 

 could drift off to sea. 



Q. No danger is to be apprehended, as far as the i 

 cerned, in such a wind f A. No. 



Q. But with an east wind danger is to be feared 

 the wind is northeast and southeast. 



