40 HISTOKY AND METHODS OF THE FISHEEIES. 



the bank. Atwood went two trips in the Grace Darling, setting his trawl when the weather was 

 suitable, and fishing with a hand-line at other times. He did well, making twice as much money 

 as his shipmates. 



The good success of Atwood stimulated others to try trawling, and the following spring three 

 of the fleet, one of which was the Grace Darling, fitted out with trawls. These were employed in 

 the same manner as Atwood had used his, being set only in fine weather, while hand-lines were 

 depended on when it was rough or stormy. 



In February, 1852, Atwood sailed in the schooner Golden Fleece, taking with him a trawl and 

 dory of his own. His intention was to stay on George's all the spring, changing with his boat and 

 trawl from one vessel to another as fast as they were filled with fish and left the bank for home. 

 This daring and enterprising project was never carried out, for soon after the Golden Fleece 

 reached the bank she encountered a furious gale in which she was lost with all on board. 



On the same day that the Golden Fleece sailed on her ill-fated trip the schooner Anna, com- 

 manded by Captain Sinclair, also started for George's, having on board two dories and two halibut 

 trawls. Each of the trawls had 100 hooks, placed, as now, 15 feet apart on the ground line. 

 These were managed in the same way as has already been described, being set only while the 

 weather was moderate. The fishermen of that period, according to Captain Sinclair, were not in- 

 clined to run much risk in dories, and, compared with the trawlers of the present day, might be 

 called timid about venturing out in rough weather. Nevertheless, a much larger number of hali- 

 but were caught on the trawls than on the hand-lines. 



In May of the same year the Anna made a trip to the Seal Island Ground for halibut, carrying 

 three trawls and three dories; the trawls were double the size of those used on George's. She was 

 absent from home two weeks and caught a fare of 15,000 pounds of halibut, taking them on a spot of 

 ground about 3 miles northeast of the Lurcher Ledge, which lies off the western part of Nova Scotia. 

 At that time the trawls were stowed in tubs made of flour barrels sawed off above the upper 

 quarter hoops. Later, however, some of the halibut fishermen adopted another method. When 

 they wished to bait their trawls they hoisted the dories, trawls and all, on deck. They then pro- 

 ceeded to bait the gear, coiling the lines in the boat, and when everything was ready the dories 

 were hoisted out again. As may readily be supposed, this way of handling the boats and gear 

 necessitated a vast deal of hard work, and was never practiced to any great extent. 



To go back to the Anna again: We are told by Captain Sinclair that, after the trip mentioned 

 above, she went to the Western Bank in June. She brought home 25,000 pounds of halibut, besides 

 a considerable quantity of codfish. She was absent three weeks. This fare of fish was caught on 

 two spots of ground, one of which bears west southwest a distance of 35 miles, and the other 

 northwest 40 to 45 miles from Sable Island. The depth of water in the latter place was 40 fath- 

 oms. The halibut were of large size, and mostly gray. That year, says Captain Sinclair, there 

 were five New London halibut schooners on the Western Bank. He can remember the name of 

 only one of these, the B. B. Colman. 



This statement seems to conflict with that of Captain Ashby, of New London, who says that 

 the Connecticut vessels did not visit the Western Bank until a much later date. 



The following year, 1853, there were three schooners from Gloucester and ten from New Lon- 

 don engaged in the fresh-halibut fishery on the Western Bank. Captain Sinclair claims to be the 

 first Gloucester fisherman to visit the Western Bank in pursuit of fresh halibut, though several 

 other skippers also make the same claim. There is no doubt of the sincerity of all these men, and 

 the only reason that can be assigned for so many claiming the same thing is that no one of them 

 knew about the others' going. The second year Captain Sinclair went there he began to fish off the 



