52 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES. 



came on in a few Lours and the gear was out that time three days before we could haul. In the 

 mean time halibut struck, and were very abundant in the vicinity of the vessel. The afternoon 

 before we hauled the trawls the second time, we caught 16 halibut on a "bull- tow" a short section 

 of trawl-line with a dozen to twenty hooks, which is set from the vessel's stern, left out for an hour 

 or two and then hauled. There were few fish on the trawls, however, when we hauled them, for 

 they had been out before the halibut came along, but on our next set we got 10,000 pounds and 

 soon completed our fare, and went home. 



We reached the Grand Bank on our second trip some time in the latter part of February, 

 running on in latitude 44 25', where we found a number of halibut vessels that had been doing 

 fairly well in 55 fathoms on the western edge. We made a set under sail when we first got on the 

 Bank, in 55 fathoms of water, quite near some of the anchored vessels. When we set I saw a large 

 floe of field ice to the north of us which was drifting to the southward, and before we hauled our 

 gear was quite close. We did well on this set, and, as the wind had in the mean time changed to 

 the southward, and the ice began to drift northerly, we anchored where the best fishing was, and 

 set our gear out again. But when we hauled the lines, some three hours later, we got only 2 hali- 

 but, proving that the ice, or some other agency, made the fish move very suddenly. We now had 

 several days of heavy weather, during which we shifted out into 90 fathoms of water. The next 

 day after doing this it blew strong north-northeast so that we could not set any gear, but we ascer- 

 tained by setting a "bull- tow" that there were plenty of halibut where we lay. The second day 

 we lay there the wind was not so heavy, but the ice came down on us early in the morning. We 

 lay still, however, and getting into a clear place, set four skates of trawl in four strings, but got no 

 fish of any kind. By the time we had the trawls on board, the wind had changed and begun to 

 breeze up from southeast. We got under way and beat down to about 44 6' N. latitude, where we 

 anchored in 70 fathoms, and rode out the southeast gale, as well as one that followed it from the 

 northwest. After the northwest wind began to moderate we got under way and worked to the 

 southwest about two miles, where the schooner Chester R. Lawrence lay at anchor in 110 fathoms. 

 Her men had just goneu)ut to haul their trawls when we spoke her, so we lay by, jogging around, 

 until I saw that her crew were getting good fishing on the deep-water side of the vessel. We gave 

 her a berth on that side, anchoring in 142 fathoms, just at dark, and set our gear that night. We 

 fished there four days, and got enough to make us up a fare of nearly 60,000 pounds of halibut. 

 As there was a fleet of 8 or 10 vessels fishing in company with us I decided not to wait to catch a 

 full fare, since we were liable to obtain more money for 60,000 pounds of halibut, if we arrived 

 home first, than for a much larger amount if we reached port with the fleet. We therefore got 

 under way for home in the night, notwithstanding it was nearly calm at the time. It was fortu- 

 nate that we started when we did, for a gale that sprang up a day or two later drove many of the 

 vessels adrift, and interfered with the successful issue of their voyages. 



On our passage home we fell in with ice while running in a northeast gale, and our vessel was 

 "sprawled out" by heavy seas twice in one day, being knocked down so that her sails were in the 

 water, and the leeside completely buried. The night preceding the day on which we were knocked 

 down we had a tussle with the ice, immense floes of which, in the spring of 1876, were driven by a 

 succession of northerly winds nearly to the edge of the Gulf Stream. We were running under a 

 double-reefed mainsail, whole foresail, and jib with the bonnet out all the sail we could stagger 

 under when, a little after midnight, the watch shouted down the companion-way: "Hear the news 

 there below! rouse out; here's ice close aboard!" It reeded no second call to bring us out, for all 

 Realized the danger of meeting with ice while running at such a rate; for if the vessel should strike a 

 heavy piece her bows woul'l be crushed in like an egg shell. As for myself I hurried on deck in my 



