Aug. 6, 1874] 



NATURE 



265 



full, to carry the ice clear of the propeller, a fine run 

 having a tendency to guide the ice into the screw well. 



The vessels are surrounded completely with iron-wood 

 bark about three inches thick ; the stern has an iron plate 

 down it, the rudder is sheathed on both sides and abaft, 

 and from the stem about ten feet aft iron plating about 

 half an inch in thickness is bolted. The rudder hole is 

 unusually large to admit a rapid change, and chains are 

 used for steering with. 



The " sheer poles," two long spars, are crossed and 

 lashed at one end and suspended from the bows with 

 heavy chains that cross from the bowsprit-cap and one of 

 the other ends on each side from the cat-head. They are 

 intended for men to jump on from the ice when coming 

 on board, or as a temporary resting-place when breaking 

 the ice from the bows or guiding the vessel, and for those 

 purposes man-ropes are slung and a ladder led from the 

 bulwarks to them and the ice. " Pokers," long poles with 

 iron spikes, are used as levers to move the ice, and occa- 

 sionally as tracking poles. The " crows' nest " is a barrel 

 lashed to the mast-head, fitted with a seat and rest for a 

 telescope and a trap-door, to prevent cold air rising. The 

 hold is divided into spaces called " pounds " by strong 

 partitions, to prevent the cargo shifting with the lurch of 

 the vessel. A tank fitted with a steam-pipe from the 

 boilers, to convert ice into water, completes the list of ex- 

 ceptional fittings in these vessels. The water so made 

 tastes like condensed water at first, but acquires the 

 aeration more rapidly. 



Twenty-three similarly fitted steamers vv..'nt to the fishery 

 this year. Thecrew,273 in all, consisted of captain, masters 

 of watches, engineers, firemen, cooks, stewards, and sea- 

 men. All share alike, except the captain, in the proceeds 

 of the voyage ; but the masters of w.ttches, engineers, 

 and firemen have their pay in addition. The captain has 

 6ii. currency for each young pelt brought in, and is. yf. to 

 IS. 6if. currency for each hundredweight of old seal 

 blubber. 



The men ship in one of three capacities, viz., " gunner," 

 " gunner without gun," and " batsman." If there is much 

 shooting, the gunners get each loj'. for the hire of their 

 guns : those with no gun are supplied with them from the 

 ship's stores. 



The cnly necessaries for the men's outfit, besides woollen 

 clothing, are a pair of sealskin boots with thick soles, a 

 lacing at the top to tie them close round the calf of the 

 leg and prevent watergeltmgin, and Iirge pyramidal nails, 

 " Irosters," or " sparrowbills," to avoid slipping on smooth 

 ice. A sheath-knife, a small steel, and eye-preservers 

 of glass w'ith wire gauze surroundings, complete the list. 

 The men are furnished from the ship's stores with bats, 

 straight poles 4' ft. long and i^ in. diameter, and " starts," 

 iron hooks and spikes, with a small piece bent at right 

 angles to the butt to stick into the bat. A groove is cut 

 in the latter, and the start is seized in the whole, consti- 

 tuting a " gaff," and combining the uses of boat-hook and 

 alpenstock. A haulmg rope, about three fathoms of i?. in. 

 cordage, to lace up and drag on board the seals, is also 

 supphed. 



The men are divided into three watches under masters 

 of watches, who choose their men in turn, one at a time, 

 and each watch is again subdivided under quarter- 

 masters, who are responsible for their men on the ice and 

 are furnished with two numbered flags bearing the ship's 

 name. These numbers are entered against the names of 

 those to whom they are given in a book kept for the pur- 

 pose, enabling the captain to tell at a glance what men 

 are away by the absence of flags. They are also divided 

 into boats' crews, consisting of " bow " and " after " 

 gu iners and two oarsmen, chosen in a similar manner to 

 the watchis by the bow-gunners, who take charge of the 

 punt.-, ruugh-built country boats, ti^at are numbered to 

 distinguish them. The Bc'ar carried twenty-five of these 

 punts. 



The men in steamers divide amongst them one-third of 

 the gross catch ; the remainder goes to the owners for 

 expenses of outfit and shai'e of the pi'ofits. In sailing 

 vessels the men share a half between them, but have to pay 

 i/. to 2/. currency berth money for their chance. Nearly 

 8,500 men were engaged in the fishery during the spring 

 of this year. 



When young seals are met with, the men are sent on to 

 the ice, equipped as described. If the seals are not 

 numerous, the ship is kept as close as possible to them ; 

 each man secures as many as he can, and drags them to 

 the ship, the first tow being the property of that man who 

 sees the seals first. They are killed by blows on the nose 

 with the gaff, and are then scalped, by drawing a line with 

 the knife through the skin and blubber from chin to tail, 

 and skinning until the ribs on the left side are reached. 

 The knife is then stuck in the heart, to make a hole 

 through which a finger can be thrust to grasp a rib, and 

 the carcase is held in that way till the pelt is removed. 

 The scudders, or hinder flippers, are cut off, and when 

 " panning,'' one of the foremost paws is taken out to make 

 a hole through which to pass the slings for hoisting on 

 board ; but when towed to the ship both are left in to be 

 eaten afterwards. The fore-paws (or '' flippers '' in the 

 vernacular) when roasted are esteemed great delicacies, 

 and much attention is paid to the cook to obtain permis- 

 sion to cook them. 



As soon as a sufficient number arecollected for a "tow" 

 (six average-sized young ones being considered enough), the 

 first is laced from the head through one or twoholescut closj 

 to the edges of the pelt, so that the hair is on the ice ; the 

 second skin is then laid half-way along the first, and t'le 

 hauling-ropes passed for two turns through both, then for 

 one turn through the second only. The third is then 

 placed on the second, and so on to the last, when the end 

 is made fast. The other end of the hauling-rope is passed 

 through a hole cut in the nose of the first pelt, and a 

 loop is made for one hand to grasp while the other grasps 

 the end over one of the shoulders. The gaff is pushed 

 through the tow-butt behind, and forms a tail to the whole. 

 When the pelts are brought to the ship, they are hoisted 

 thus on board, and each man unlaces his own to secure 

 the hauling-rope and galT belonging to him. 



When the vessel cannot get near the seals or they are 

 extended over a large area, they are '' panned" or col- 

 lected in heaps, each marked with a flag by the different 

 sub-divisions. When taken to the pin the pelts are un- 

 laced and stowed flat, with the hair on the ice, to prevent 

 the sun burning them. If night comes on before the pan 

 is picked up by the ship, a lantern is sent and is watched 

 by a man trll the vessel arrives. With the prospect before 

 them of a whole night to be so passed, the men take axes 

 to make ice-houses, and light a fire of the carcases to 

 keep themselves warm. Often, however, the only chance 

 of the men being picked up is to remain by the pan until 

 the ship arrives, without any material to shelter or keep 

 themselves warm. 



The pelts are kept on deck at least one night to cool, 

 and are then stowed in the pounds as soon as time 

 permits ; otherwise they are a most unsafe deck cargo, 

 threatening to lurch with each motion of the vessel. 

 '■ Sish," or broken up ice, is sometimes placed between the 

 layers of skins ; they are counted when stowed, and the 

 account is kept by the senior " master of watch." 



The system of capture is the same with the old seals, 

 but one is considered enough for a tow, and shooting is 

 often resorted to when the ice is at all open, and becomes 

 a necessity in the case of the male " Hood," who fights 

 desperately. 



When the vessels are fast in the ice and no seals are 

 near, the gunners are sent away " swatching," or waiting 

 an opportunity to shoot any that may show themselves in 

 the lakes of water near-. When sent away for long dis- 

 tances, the men carry a board to rest on, and build ice- 



