FRESH HALIBUT FISHERY. 41 



northeast bar of Sable Island ; anchoring in 60 to UO fathoms on both sides of the bar. He usu 

 ally went there in June for several years, but, at that time, it was thought to be exceedingly hard 

 and difficult to use trawls in such deep water. Notwithstanding the fact that good catches of 

 halibut were generally obtained, the crews were dissatisfied with the locality as a fishiug ground. 

 Patent line-rollers had not come into general use then, and hauling a trawl across the gunwale of 

 a dory, even in a depth of 90 fathoms, was a difficult task, involving much bard labor and fatigue. 



CARE OF THE FISH. As to the care of the fish at that time, we are told that the same methods 

 were employed as at present, though the work was not performed with so much skill and quick- 

 ness. A few years earlier, however, the process was quite different. Captain Sinclair remembers 

 that as late as 1845-'46 many of the George's halibut schooners (such as were not well smacks) had 

 no platform over their ballast, but were provided with ring bolts and spikes, which were fastened 

 alongside of the vessel's hold just under deck, these being so arranged for the purpose of " hang- 

 ing up" the halibut. The fish were suspended by their tails to the spikes and bolts, but in case 

 more were caught than could be hung up, the remainder were thrown on the ballast. In the 

 latter case many of the halibut came out in bad condition. Those which lay next to the rough 

 stone ballast would, of course, have the stones pressed into their under sides, and, if kept in the 

 hold a few days, they had a bad appearance by the time ihey reached the market. This method 

 was soon followed by the introduction of ice-houses, which quickly superseded all other expedients 

 for the preservation of halibut. The first ice-house that Captain Sinclair knew of being built in a 

 fishing schooner was one which was made on the William Wallace, C<tpt. James Pattillo, in the 

 spring of 1846. This had double bulkheads, separated 2 or 3 inches, the cavity between them 

 bl ing filled with tan-bark. 



Other parties agree in placing the introduction of the ice-house on fishing schooners at an 

 t-arlier date, and giving the credit of the invention, or rather the conception of the idea, to Capt. 

 George Blatchford. 



Among others, Capt. William Pulcifer, of Gloucester, states that the first ice-house used on a 

 Gloucester vessel was built in the pinkey Laurel, of which Capt. George Blatchford was master. 

 This ice-house consisted of a platform over the ballast, and three '-shifting planks" running fore 

 and aft in the hold, one of these being in the center and one on each side. A small amount of ice 

 was carried. This was not broken up and put on the fish as at present, but was simply carried to 

 keep the ice-house and fish cool. The fishermen did not at that time know that halibut would keep 

 longer by putting ice in and among them, but thought it would injure instead of preserving 

 the fish. 



Captain Marr also remembers that the Laurel was the first Gloucester vessel to have an ice- 

 house. He tells lis that the first ice-house he had himself was in the schooner Emblem. This was 

 built forward of the mainmast, was only 14 feet long, and had no divisions other than those made 

 by the shifting planks; pens were not built in the ice-houses until they had been used two 

 or three years. At first Captain Marr carried only about 1,400 pounds of ice. He agrees with 

 Captain Pulcifer in the statement that at first ice was carried solely for the purpose of cooling the 

 ice-house, the impression being general among the fishermen that no good purpose could be gained 

 by putting it among the fish. Captain Marr says: "We put the ice in one corner of the ice-house, 

 away from where the fish were stowed." 



In regard to the smacks that were used just previous to the introduction of ice-houses, Cap- 

 tain Marr says: " We used to build our wells about 4 feet deep, extending from just forward of the 

 main hatch nearly to the mainmast. The keelson and ceiling were taken out and about three hun- 

 dred holes bored in the bottom of the vessel. These wells would hold from 16,000 to 18,000 pounds 



