[41] WORK OF PISH COMMISSION STEAMER ALBATROSS. 157 



clear weather, and smooth sea promised a favorable opportunity for our 

 investigations the following day. 



We passed through a school of small fish outside of No Man's Land, 

 with numerous squid among them. We failed to identify the fish, but 

 the experts on board declared that they were not mackerel. The weather 

 was clear and pleasant the following morning, with light breeze and 

 long swell from the eastward. At 6.55 a. m. lowered the dinghy and 

 sent off a fishing party with trawl lines baited for tilefish. The gear 

 was set in 70 fathoms, latitude 40° 5' N., longitude 70° 34' 45" W. 

 As soon as the boat was clear we put the trawl over, continuing to work 

 in the vicinity, keeping the fishermen in sight until they returned at 11.35 

 a. m., reporting a remarkable absence of fish of all kinds, but two hake 

 and one whiting having been taken on the 950 baited hooks. At 2.45 

 p. m. the trawl line was set again in 111 fathoms, latitude 40° 01' 50" 

 jST., longitude 70° 39' 20" W., with the same number of hooks baited, and 

 was taken up at 6.45; a few hake, skate, and whiting were taken, but no 

 tilefish. Six hauls of the trawl were made during the day in from 65 

 to 168 fathomls, the forms taken corresponding very closely with those 

 taken in this locality in previous years. The morning of the 21st was 

 clear and pleasant, with light breeze from northeast, increasing during 

 the day to a fresh breeze and moderate sea. At 6 a. m. sent a fishing 

 party away with trawl lines and 950 baited hooks, which were set in 117 

 fathoms, latitude 40° 01' 50" E"., longitude 70° 59' W. The beam trawl 

 was put over and work continued within sight of the boat till 10.30, 

 when the party returned, having taken a swordfish, several skate, hake, 

 and whiting, but no tilefish. Our supply of bait being exhausted, we 

 stood to the southward into deeper water for dredging, and at 1.40 p. m. 

 put the trawl over in 1,000 fathoms, latitude 39° 42' 50" 1^., longitude 

 71° 4' W. After dragging it the usual time, we commenced heaving up, 

 but soon discerned that it had gone into the soft mud so deeply as to 

 anchor the ship ; the greatest care was observed in heaving, and finally 

 the trawl cleared the bottom and was hove up, but there was nothing in 

 the net, the lashing having given way and let the contents out. One of 

 the trawl-wing bags was full of mud and some small specimens, and the 

 trawl beam was bent so that the runners nearly met. Th« dredge rope 

 was stranded also about 40 fathoms from the end. A new trawl was rig- 

 ged, the rope repaired, and at 6.23. p. m. it was put over in 1,022 fathoms, 

 latitude 39° 44' 30" N., longitude 71° 04' W., and at 7.28 it was down 

 with 1,350 fathoms out on the dredge rope. The engines were stopped 

 and the vessel allowed to drift with the wind and sea, which gave 

 us all the speed required. At 8.13 began heaving up, and at 9.22 

 the trawl was safely landed on board, with a large and interesting 

 collection of specimens. The wind was blowing a fresh breeze by this 

 time, with a dangerous sea for dredging; in fact, the safe landing of 

 the trawl was due to the man in charge of the hoisting engine, who 



