2670 



AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 



or hiring vessels for fishing in Gloucester f A. There are cases of hiring 

 vessels for fishing. 



Q. Who does it? A. It is generally done by outside vessels. 



Q. Who hires them ? A. Sometimes a successful skipper will charter 

 a vessel. 



Q. You mean hire a vessel? A. Yes. 



Q. Do Gloucester merchants, who are fitters-out and producers offish, 

 let their vessels ? A. No. 



Q. Do they hire vessels? A. Some do, but it. is very seldom doue; 

 there are merchants who do not own vessels. 



Q. The business of hiring vessels does not amount to anything im- 

 portant. Do you mean to say there is no such thing ? A. No. 



Q. What do you think is the average life of a fair fishing-vessel, not 

 an extraordinarily good or unusually bad vessel ? A. The average life 

 of the vessels owned in Gloucester, in 1876, was 13.34 years. 



Q. Do you make that out from documents ? A. Prom an annual pub- 

 lication published by John S. E. Eogers, of Gloucester, Mass. 



Extract handed in as follows : 



The years are given in which 467 of the vessels in the list were built, the balance 

 being boats of which no record is kept of their age. A comparison of them will indi- 

 cate pretty nearly the depressions and prosperity of the fishing business during the 

 last twenty-five years. The oldest vessel in the district is the schooner Magnet, of 

 Annisquim, which was built in 1837 ; the next oldest is the schooner Glide, of Manches- 

 ter, built in 1839. The oldest vessel in Gloucester Harbor is the schooner Meteor, built 

 in J 844. Each year since 1844 has furnished one or more of the vessels which make 

 up our list, as follows : 



Tear. 



1876. 



1875. 



1874. 



1873. 



1872. 



1871. 



1870 . 



1869. 



1868. 



1867. 



1866. 



1865. 



No. Tear. 

 1864. 

 1863. 

 1862. 

 1861. 

 1860 

 1859. 

 1858 

 1857, 

 1856 

 1855 

 1854 

 1853. 



No. 

 13 

 13 



6 

 6 

 2 

 7 

 4 

 1 

 1 

 1 

 1 



Q. Do you suppose it to be correct on that point ? A. Yes ; for the 

 compiler is very accurate in getting up statistics. 



Q. That is the average age of vessels existing at the time ? A. Yes. 

 I may explain that this book gives the year each vessel was built and 

 the number of vessels built in each year down to 1876. 



By Sir Alexander Gait : 



Q. Do you mean that the average life of a vessel would be about 14 

 years ? A. 1 think so. 



By Hon. Mr. Kellogg : 



Q. Do you mean that it is as long as the vessels can go a trip ? A. 

 Of the vessels in the fishing business, owned in Gloucester, the average 

 age was a trifle under 14 years. 



By Mr. Dana : 



Q. When a vessel is brought into Gloucester, not new, do the tables 

 show where she was built ? A. The table shows the year when and 

 where built. 



Q. Some vessels are pretty old ? A. One vessel in the table was built 

 in 1837. 



