66 CHANGES IN TRAWLING VESSELS. 



the much-enlarged wooden ends in use in the otter-trawls in 

 the Forth in 1858. These huge wooden (door-like) ends have 

 on one side in front two powerful iron bars meeting to form a 

 V, and supported by two accessory stays, the whole forming a 

 projecting apparatus to which the chain connected with the 

 warp is fixed. Towards the rear a perforated iron plate gives 

 passage to two chains (one from each of the powerful iron bars 

 above-mentioned) for the attachment of the swivel for the 

 trawl-net. The lower edge of the wooden end is weighted 

 anteriorly with a heavy bar of iron, which occupies nearly half 

 the length of the apparatus. A special and powerful rect- 

 angular frame of wood, with a top snatch-block, is fixed at the 

 port-bow and taffrail for hoisting the ends on board ; and they 

 form a striking feature from a distance, as — with the boards — 

 they project 6 or 7 feet above the bulwarks. The foregoing 

 trawl is said to capture cod more freely than the beam-trawl, as 

 many as 20 score having been secured in one haul. It has 

 been adopted by most of the modern trawlers, a much greater 

 width of net and increased powers of capture being possible 

 with this apparatus. 



It was formerly pointed out that, when the iron trawl-head 

 was dislodged, great difficulty was experienced in repairing it — 

 especially in rough weather. The new trawls at Aberdeen had 

 in 1894 a broad band of iron which bends round the end of the 

 beam, and on which the loop of the trawl-head goes. It is 

 secured by an iron pin and safe. This sheath protects the end 

 of the beam, and must save much time at sea. At Granton 

 the ends of the trawls were guarded by flat iron plates, but they 

 did not form a loop over the ends. The trawl-heads were secured 

 by a pin, as already mentioned. In the finest ships the length 

 of the trawl-net is about 118 feet, and the arrangement is as 

 follows : — For the first 56 feet next the beam the mesh of the 

 net is 3 inches from knot to knot ; the next 38 feet has at first 

 a 2^-inch mesh, diminishing to 2 inches towards the posterior 

 end, while for 24 feet the bag or ' cod '-end of the trawl-net has 

 l-J-inch mesh. At Montrose the trawl-net consists of 44 feet of 

 3-inch mesh next the beam, then 44 feet ranging from 2 J inches 

 downwards, while the last 14 feet has 1^-inch mesh. There is 



