[23 1 WOEK OF FISH COMMISSION STEAMER ALBATROSS. 139 



13. Smith, Yariugton & Co. 



14. Twenty-six hundred thousand. 



15. Length, 170 fathoms ; mesh, 2^ inches. 



16. Two years. 



17. Very few ; not enough for the crew to eat. 



18. Twelve men. 



We saw numerous schools of menhaden oft" Fire Island light, and con- 

 tinued to see them at intervals till dark. The last run was seen off 

 Shinnecock light-house. 



The first factory visited on the morning of July 11 was that of the 

 Atlantic and Virginia Fertilizing Company, located at Long Beach, 

 Long Island. The superintendent, S. H. Doran, made the following- 

 statement, viz: 



" These works have been in operation for twenty-three years, and em- 

 ploy one fishing steamer. We have caught up to date this season 

 1,050,000 fish. The catch last year was 1,400,000. The first fish was 

 caught in a purse-seine on May 19. The average of oil to a thousand 

 fish is li gallons. They are small fish. We closed last year on the 15th 

 of JSTovember. We catch very few edible fish among the menhaden. 

 Southerly and a\ esterly winds are most favorable. Fish scatter apart 

 in warm weather and school together when the weather becomes cooler. 

 Mackerel arrive on the south side of Long Island about tbe middle of 

 May. We do not catch any mackerel after the 15th of June. The 

 most extensive part of the business done here is the manufacture of fer- 

 tilizers. The scrap furnishes ammonia, rock phosphate, the phosphate 

 of lime and phosphoric acid when treated with sulphuric acid." 



The next one visited was the Peconic Oil Works, Corwin & Cart- 

 wright proprietors, located at Shelter Island, Long Island. The fore- 

 man, Mr. W. M. Jennings, made the following statement, viz: 



"These works have been in constant operation for fifteen years, em- 

 ploying two steamers with single gangs. ' We have caught up to date 

 this season 3,500,000. We caught last season 7,000,000. We received 

 the first fish this season on the 10th of May; last season, 14th of April; 

 both caught in purse seines. We average one gallon of oil to the thou- 

 sand. We received fish on the first day of last December, on which 

 date the factory closed. We notice mackerel among the menhaden the 

 latter part of May, but do not see any after the 1st of July. In the bays, 

 mackerel are not caught among the menhaden. I do .not know whether 

 fish spawn here or not. The food-fishes in this locality are sea bass, 

 bluefish, kingflsh, and weakfish, all of which are caught in pounds. 

 The first salmon ever known in these waters was caught in a pound trap 

 this season and weighed 20 pounds. Fish scatter in small schools in 

 warm weather and get together in larger bodies as the weather becomes 

 cooler. At this place we simply dry the scrap in the sun. There are 

 two factories located 5 miles from here at Northwest. They are owned 



