302 NEW ENGLAND FISHERIES 



usually a small cask, in order that the trawl may be readily 

 found when necessary. 



A second dory is lowered from the vessel about a quarter 

 of a mile from the first, and so on until all have been sent 

 away. The men in the dories set their trawls, sometimes 

 a second one near the first, and soon begin to underrun 

 them. This process consists in hauling the trawl aboard 

 the dory again. The signal for underruning the trawls 

 usually is given by the captain from the vessel in order 

 that the trawls may be set no longer than he thinks proper, 

 as he is a better judge of weather conditions than are the 

 men who are busied about their work. When a trawl is 

 thrown into the water it has a ground-line attached so that 

 it can sink into the water the required depth and the trawl 

 be kept in part of its length, at least, from resting on the 

 bottom of the sea. 



In the bow of the dory is placed a "gurdy," or broad 

 wheel, over which the trawl is placed when it is hauled 

 aboard the boat. As the trawl comes aboard fish are found 

 on the hooks. These are freed from the hook and landed 

 in the bottom of the boat by the one who hauls the trawl 

 by a dexterous yank and twist. The other man receives 

 the hooks as they come aboard, baits them, and coils the 

 trawl again into the tubs for use at another time. When 

 the trawl has been hauled, or all of them if more than one 

 is used, the men seat themselves at the oars and pull for 

 the vessel. Hauling a mile and a half of trawl from ocean 

 bottom on a cold day in winter takes more strength and 

 pluck than the average laborer possesses. These men who 

 go down into the sea in winter are strong, tough, plucky 

 fellows, the like of whom it would be hard to find in any 

 other calling. 



Usually the vessel meets the dories more than half way 

 in picking them up. By the time the last dory is found 

 it is dark; there may be some trouble in finding this one, 



