42 FISHERMEN'S OWN BOOK. 



off the smoke, but did not always do so. The crane, pot-hook, Dutch oven 

 and trencher were all there, and all brought into use, as I well remember. 

 We baked short cakes on the trencher, bread in the Dutch oven, and hung 

 our kettle on the crane, with the pot-hook, to make coffee or tea. 



"We had fine weather, and everything passed off finely except the smoke, 

 which refused to pass off at all, and under a less resolute commander than 

 skipper Robinson would doubtless have assumed command altogether. 

 No casualties occurred except the burning of a few short cakes, while 

 'Bijah (it being his first voyage) paid tribute to father Neptune, and was 

 himself again. We were gone three days. Arriving on the fishing grounds 

 we made but one 'berth,' catching and dressing until everything was full, 

 when we hoisted the foresail, for jib we had none, and bore away for 

 'Squam, arrived in the channel, dropped anchor, furled the sails, and went 

 home to see the folks." 



According to the records the first vessels employed in the Gloucester 

 fisheries were the "ketch" and the "sloop." The ketches were smaller 

 than the sloops, and were doubtless employed in the shore fishery, while 

 the sloops were used for voyages to a greater distance. The ketch was but 

 a miserable shallop, with two masts, one far in the stern and the other far 

 forward in the bows, to obtain all the room possible between. They were 

 little better adapted to the calling than the sloop, which any sailor knows is 

 a poor rig for a fishing trip. At a later day we find the pinkey and the old 

 Banker brought into general use. But the pinkey was only an improve- 

 ment in some respects upon the ketch, having the same dangerous rig of 

 two unsupported masts, and it is a wonder how they could have performed 

 some of the voyages with which they are credited. Some of the pinkeys 

 were as large as the ordinary fishing schooner, with spars in proportion. 

 With the pinkey to monopolize the shore fishery came the old Banker to 

 take the place of the sloop, a clumsy craft at the best, slow and unwieldly, 

 with short masts, full bow, and high quarter deck, not unlike the vessel in 

 which Columbus discovered the new world, though somewhat improved 

 upon, no doubt. These had their day and generation, and by gradual de- 

 velopment, adopting here and there what experience showed to be an 

 improvement, gave to the fisheries and to ocean navigation a new craft, with 

 a new name and characteristics peculiarly its own, the beautifully modelled, 

 swift and graceful "schooner." . 



With the exception of some disguise in the names of the narrators, the 

 foregoing account of the early fisheries at 'Squam may be regarded as essen- 

 tially correct, being either matters of history or statements of persons now 

 living. 



In conclusion we present a brief account of a trip to Grand Bank in 1816 

 or 181 7, resulting in the largest fare of fish ever landed on Cape Ann. 



