FIELDS AND HARVESTERS 45 



mighty to stop, an' in too big a 'urry, them liners. 

 Besides, what do a few poor fishermen matter ? " 



Many a home on the east coast of England, to say 

 nothing of the other side of the North Sea, has been 

 desolated by the reckless deeds of steamboat men. True, 

 commanders of stately liners and masters of tramps are 

 just as mercilessly driven in the race of life as any slave 

 ashore, and where the loss of a tide may mean a lost 

 market, or, worse, dismissal, there is not much room for 

 sentiment. 



Just as the Russian warships blundered through a 

 North Sea fleet, so other steam-craft have cut their way 

 through peaceful trawlers, and, though they have not 

 wantonly and cravenly fired guns, yet they have wrought 

 just as much mischief, for they have sent many an in- 

 offensive vessel to the bottom, with all her crew and 

 there has been no talk of retaliation or compensation. 



In thick weather or snowstorms on the Dogger and 

 other fishing - banks smacks especially have suffered 

 greatly. In the old days of sail alone, when craft were 

 almost helpless, a steamboat would loom up, and before 

 she was fully seen she had cut through and destroyed a 

 smack, and kept her course without so much as slowing 

 down or troubling to learn what mischief she had done 

 and how much death she had dealt. 



The total number of fishermen employed in 1909-10 

 was 103,719, and the number who lost their lives was 

 243 a death-rate of i in 427, but the death-rate in 

 the larger fishing-vessels was i in 203. The greatest 

 number of deaths were due to accidental or other 

 injuries, 217 fishermen meeting their end in this manner. 

 The bare official returns for the year named show how 



