FEESH-HALIBUT FISHERY. 49 



was also lying to. As day broke on the following morning we saw a schooner at anchor and ran 

 down to her in company with the Walen. Finding the anchored vessel was the Eestless. we hove 

 to, and Captain Thompson (from the Walen) and I, each of us accompanied by three or four men 

 of our respective crews, went aboard of the Eestless for a chat with the skipper and crew. She 

 was anchored in 83 fathoms of water, and her crew were just setting their trawls when we ran 

 down to her. The skipper of the Eestless said he broke out his anchor the evening before and 

 let his vessel drift until the latter part of the night, when, finding deep water, he let it go again. 

 We stayed on board of the Eestless until some of her dories returned from hauling, about 10 a. m., 

 when, seeing that they were getting fair fishing on-thegear that was in the deepest water, we both 

 returned to our own vessels and set under sail outside of the Eestless. 



We were in 115 fathoms, which was then thought to be a great depth to fish in, but the Walen 

 went still farther out, in 135 fathoms. We caught about 4,000 pounds of halibut on a short set, 

 and anchored; and the Walen, as I afterward learned, got 8,000 pounds or more, and also came 

 to anchor. In the mean time the schooners John S. Presson, William T. Merchant, Lizzie K. Clark, 

 of Gloucester, and the George Peabody, of Salem, made their appearance on the scene of action, 

 and anchored at no great distance to the northwest and southeast of us. The Lizzie K. Clark 

 anchored a fair berth, about 2 miles, to the north- north west. The afternoon was fine, with a mod- 

 erate and decreasing northeast wind, and current setting to the northwest or north-northwest. 

 Knowing full well that the first vessel arriving home with a fare of halibut would be likely to 

 strike a "high market," and, of course, wishing to be first, we set twenty skates of trawl, the 

 whole string, in the evening, not for a moment suspecting that there was any ice in a southerly 

 direction from us. 



The next morning was fine and calm, but cool. We had our breakfast before daylight, and 

 just as day was breaking an "iceglin"was noticed in the southern board; and when it grew 

 lighter an immense field of ice could be seen drifting toward us with the current, which still ran 

 north-northwest. Of course, the first thing to be thought of was to get our gear, if possible, or, 

 at least, as much of it as we could. We hoisted the dories out and started at once. One of the 

 crew, who had a fainting fit the evening before, was very ill, and I was therefore obliged to go in 

 a dory in his stead. Before leaving the vessel I gave the men orders to get all the gear they 

 could, and if the ice came on them to cut and go aboard. The trawl that we went to haul was off 

 the starboard quarter, four points abaft the beam. We pulled for the outer end, and on reaching 

 it began to haul as though our lives depended on our efforts. 



We succeeded in getting a skate and a half of our trawl, about 500 fathoms, in the boat, when 

 we saw the flag in the rigging of our schooner, which we knew to be a signal for us to return to 

 the vessel, as the ice was nearing her fast. We instantly cut the trawl, put out our oars, and 

 pulled with all our might to reach the vessel before the ice did. Another dory, which was near 

 us, started about the same time, and we both met the ice about 600 feet astern of our schooner. 

 When the ice passed the vessel the men on board had the presence of mind to throw a buoy, to 

 which a line was fastened, on one of the leeward cakes of the floe. This buoy we got hold of and 

 made it fast to the bow of the dory, securing the bow of the other boat close to the stern of the 

 front one. The current was running at least 2 knots, and the buoy line being under the ice near 

 the buoy, we had a hard struggle for some time to make any progress toward the vessel and to 

 get the line on top of the ice. The men on the vessel held the line as taut as they dared to, not 

 to risk parting it, while we jumped out of the head dory upon the ice, sometimes hauling the boats 

 over the large cakes and again shoving the smaller pieces clear of the dories and line. The ice 

 was broken into sections of all sizes, from a piece of a few pounds weight to one of 50 feet in 

 SBO v 4 



