THE MENHADBX FISHERY. 273 



the first, of tlio season. Monday, 7lli : Wind blowing hard from southwest. Tuesday, 9th : Blowing and raining. 

 Wednexday, 9//i : Windy weather. Thursday , lOtk ; Windy. J-'riila//, llth: Caught 7,000 fish. (Our fishing was nearly 

 all done at this time in Great Peconic Day. above Robins Island, and when we go in the bay below it will be men- 

 tioned.) Saturday, 12th: Caught 1,500 lisli p. in.; tore the seine on a snag. Monday, I4lh : Caught 10,000 (ish p. in. 

 Thursday, 17th: Caught (i,(l(M) fisli ; very warm weather. Monday, 2lxt : Went out and about 1 o'clock p. m. saw a 

 shoal of drum-fish in about the middle of Peeonic Bay and put the seine around them. After pursing the seine we 

 found it impossible to raise the bunt of the seine to the surface, on account of the weight offish enclosed; wo hoisted 

 it up as we'll as we could with the throat halyards and commenced at one end of the seine and tried to take it on, but 

 could make no headway on account of the quantity of fish ; then we loaded the sloop with the fish that were in one 

 end of the seine, and with great difficulty we succeeded In emptying the seine of fish and getting it, on the boats. I 

 presume we let from 40 to 50 tons go; we saved one striped hass_and saw another in the seine, but were unable to 

 re it. It is saiil to be almost invariably the case that one or more bass are found in a shoal of drum-fish. Our 

 seine was so badly torn, or chafed, that it took several days to mend it, and our next fishing was on Juno 2rt. Mon- 

 day, ','./// : Went out in p. m. ; caught 8,000. 



fnli/ 1st, Thursday: Went fishing in p. m. ; caught I!, 000 ; we had to attend to haying and harvesting; did not 

 lish any more until the 9th. Friday, 9(ft : We caught 9,000 and spread them in the corn. Wednesday, Uth: Wo went 

 out fishing; caught none; getting in wheat, Air. 'I '< tln^day, 21st : Went fishing; caught 18,000. Thursday, 22d : 

 Caught 7,000 and carted them out. Friday, 23d : Went out : caught 12,000 fish ; sold a part of them and carted part. 

 We were busy with our farm work and did not fish any more until 



.Ini/iistSth, Monday: Went out; caught 3,500 fish. Tuesday, 10th : Went out; caught 21,000 fish. Wednesday, 

 llth: Wind cast : carted fish and plowed them under. Thursday, 12th: Went fishing; caught 11,000. Friday, 13th: 

 Caught 12,000 fish. Monday, 16th : a. m. windy ; p.m. went out; caught 8,000 fish. Tuesday, 17th: Went out; caught 

 17.000 iish ; landed them on shore for some farmers at Frankliuvi'le. Wednesday, Iftth : Went out; caught 8,000 fish. 

 Thiirxduy, ISV/i : Went fishing; caught 18,000 ; landed them for farmers in Frankliuville. Friday, 20th : Wind east; 

 came to Jameeport with sloop and seine. Monday, 23d : Went out fishing; caught 11,300; landed them just west of 

 Juinesport for a farmer. Tuesday, 24th: Went out; caugiit 2,500 fish ; they were very wild; we had great difficulty 

 in surrounding them. Thursday, 26th: Rainy day; we went ont fishing in p. m., but the wind blew hard and we 

 caught nothing. Friday, '27th: Went out fishing; caught 11,000; we joined seines; thought we could get arouud 

 them better, but made hard work of pursing. Saturday, 28th : We carted fish and mended seine ; came on to rain in 

 p. m. Xiiiiddy, 29th : An east storm. Monday, 30th : Wind continues to the east, so we did not fish. Tuesday, 31st: 

 Went out fishing; caught 13,000. 



September 1st, Wednesday : Went out fishing ; caught nothing. Thursday, 2d : Went out ; caught 7,000. Friday, 

 '.',<<: Windy; did not lish. Saturday, 4th : Went ont fishing; caught 10,000. I have a sore foot and the fall work com- 

 ing on, potatoes to dig, <fcc., so we quit for I lie season. 



1S53. 



In 1853 they started out in search of lish on April 2ft, but none were taken until June 6. The fishing was aban- 

 doned each year when (arming was more important and when there was no longer use for manure. 



1854. 



In 1854 the season began on May 30 and ended September 27. 



1855. 



In the spring of 1855 the small sloop was sold and a larger one of about 12 tons was purchased. 



V.'e now take another man to sail the sloop while we go to catch the fish. Previously we had been obliged to 

 anchor the sloop until we could purse the seine. And about this time we increased the width of the seine to 300 meshes. 

 On I he 2M of May got out and varnished the seine (up to this time we had used bright varnish on the seine), and on 

 May -39 went out to look for fish, bnt caught none. 



1856. 



In 1850 the seiue WHS again varnished and hung, and the fishing began June 2 and ended October 13. 



The catch taken June 30, 1856, was sold at Jesse Terry's pot works. They were the first I ever carried to a fac- 

 tory. Mr. Ten y had put up a small pot works on Red Creek Point to try out the fish that he caught with his draw- 

 seine. Formerly we had boated most of them over to Jamesport and sold to the farmers. Mr. Henry Wells says 

 he commenced trying out fish in July, 1850, at Shelter Island, and some parties in Grec.nport commenced fishing with 

 a purse-seine about the same lime that Mr. I'elly and Cleves commenced in Peeonic Bay, which was in 1848 or 1849. 



1857. 



\Ve used tar on the seine this year, instead of bright, varnish, which we had formerly used, and have made the 



Heine 3511 meshes instead of :!(in meshes deep. 



