68 CHANGES IN TRAWLING VESSELS. 



received damage. The mode of working the two trawls would 

 thus appear to differ materially in the respective countries, 

 since, according to an interesting paper by Mr W. L. Calder- 

 wood\ as soon as the contents of the first trawl are placed on 

 the deck, the second is immediately ' shot ' overboard. The 

 same arrangement has been found at Grimsby by Mr Holt, who 

 mentions, however, that the reserve-trawl is shot while the 

 ' cod '-end wdth its fishes is still hanging from the tackle. The 

 General Steam Company's ships at Granton (nine in number) 

 have not varied in regard to the single trawl-beam, but they 

 carry a second net. Consequently, the large snatch-block and 

 rollers occur on the port-side only. As before, the net is at- 

 tached to the trawl-beam by grummet-lashings or by cord. 

 The other parts, comprising the dandy and bridles (each about 

 25 fathoms) and the chain for the former do not differ materi- 

 ally from previous descriptions. The steel-wire rope is about 

 the same length, viz., 200 to 240 fathoms, and lasts about ten 

 months. The aluminium trawl-warp does not seem to have 

 met with favour in Scotland. In some ships it is not, as 

 formerly, left on deck after the check of wire-rope is fixed to 

 the mizzen-mast, but carried outside the bulwarks, so as to 

 avoid accidents to the men. Those which, like the Montrose 

 ships, use a Manilla rope (generally about 180 fathoms), require 

 a new one every six months, the old one being utilised in pre- 

 paring ground-ropes. 



The shooting of the trawl is carried out in a similar manner 

 to that of 1884, only there are no trawl-davits at the taffrail in 

 the best Aberdeen ships ; and, instead of the snatch-block then 

 in general use, more convenient 'dandy' scores (snatch or 

 tumbling blocks), of which Sudron's or Scisson's patent are the 

 best. At Granton and Montrose the trawl-davits are still in 

 use, with snatch-blocks on deck. The lid of the block is 

 opened during trawling. The trawl- warp leaves the drum, 

 passes round a capstan, and out through rollers, either on 

 the port- or starboard- side, according to the trawl in use. 

 Blocks on the mizzen-mast are still employed to hoist the 



1 ' British Sea Fisheries and Fishing Areas,' Scottish Geogr. Mag., Feb. 1894 

 p. 73. 



