FKESU HALIBUT FISHEliY. 31 



atteinptiiig to rcgaiu the vessel would soou have been solved. Soon alter lie had been picked up, 

 the storm came oil in all its fury, a regular George's blow, with all the accompaniments, which 

 would have proved certain death to any one exposed to its fury in a dory." 



The above paragraphs are supplemented by the following reminiscences of Mr. Samuel G. 

 Wonsou : " Before this time (1830) a good many halibut were taken between Gloucester and Cape 

 Cod, especially on the southeastern part of Middle Bank. They were taken to Charlestown, Mass., 

 and traded off to the farmers for produce. Mr. George Wonson, father of Samuel G. Wonson, used 

 to take a good many in those early times. During the first of the season, before it was time for the 

 herring to come in, all fresh fish (halibut were sold fresh then) were taken to Charlestown and 

 traded off, alewives being brought back for bait; but later, when herring were plenty and they 

 were not obliged to go to Charlestown for alewives, the halibut were cut away, not being landed 

 at all, as there was no market nearer than Charlestown. After the first trip of the Nautilus to 

 George's, finding halibut scarce, she made two or three trips off Nausett (Cape Cod), and at times 

 found halibut plenty, the fish being sold, as before, to Mr. John Hareling, of Charlestown. Went 

 to George's again in June for cod, but found halibut so plenty that they took a trip of about 130 

 fish and run into Salem, where they disposed of part; another portion was sold to parties to take 

 to Marblehead, and the remainder thrown overboard, as they could not sell them. They fished in 

 from 20 to 50 fathoms, generally on bottom, but at times could take them up in the water. 



"The first smack for bringing in halibut alive was owned by John F. Wouson, and went 

 first about 1835 or 1830. These smacks used to carry seven men and average a round trip a week, 

 a trip being what the vessel would carry alive, or about 12,000 pounds." The quickest time of tak- 

 ing a trip that he recalls was by anchoring at 10 a. m., and getting under way at sundown with 

 14,000 pounds (about 300 fish in number). 



"About 1838," according to Mr. Wouson, " a little ice was taken by the smack Mount Vernou 

 to put in the napes of such fish as might be accidentally killed." 



The following additional facts concerning the early George's fisheries have been obtained from 

 interviews with Captains William Tarr and John Pew, of Gloucester. These gentlemen, who 

 were formerly actively employed as fishermen, were two of the crew of the pinkey Romeo on her 

 first trip to George's Bank in the spring of 1830. This trip of the Borneo was the second made to 

 George's for halibut by a Gloucester vessel, that of the Nautilus being the first. While going out 

 of the harbor the former met the latter vessel coming in, having on board only a few halibut. 

 The Korneo cauglit a good fare, and may therefore be given the credit of making the first success- 

 ful voyage to George's for halibut. 



During the first five or six years of the George's halibut fishery, that is to say, previous t.o 

 1836, the vessels never anchored on the Bank, but " fished at a drift," the men fearing the tide 

 would run them under if they should be unwise enough to anchor. When halibut were found 

 abundant, as was generally the case at that time, it was a common occurrence for a vessel's crew 

 to catch a full fare 12,000 to 15,000 pounds in one day's fishing. In some cases, when the fish 

 could be caught "pair and pair," a part of the men would not put out any lines, finding enough to 

 do in assisting their shipmates to gaff in the halibut which were hauled up. It often happened, 

 too, that halibut which were free would follow those which were hooked to the surface of the 

 water, and the fishermen with their gaffs frequently succeeded in catching them. Indeed, it is 

 stated by some of the old fishermen that it was not unusual for one-half of the fish to be taken in 

 this manner. After the day's fishing was over the halibut were eviscerated, washed out, but not 

 blooded or scrubbed. They were then thrown into the hold on top of the stone ballast, where they 

 remained until the vessel reached a market. Sometimes, owing to bad weather, the fishermen 



