FISHERIES OF THE PACIFIC COAST. 
97 
Capt. Joshua Slocum says that in 1877, being at the Philippine 
Islands, he conceived the idea of making a cod-tishing voyage to the 
Okhotsk Sea and carrying his fish back to the islands. He was in the 
schooner Pato , of about 45 tons register. Sailing from the islands in 
March, he first went to Hongkong, where supplies were taken on board, 
thence he proceeded to the Okhotsk via Yokohama. Salt and fish- 
ing gear were obtained from vessels met with at the Okhotsk and a 
cargo of 23,000 fish was soon taken. Before sailing on the return 
voyage, Captain Slocum concluded to take his fare to Portland, Oregon, 
which he did. This was, so far as we are informed, the first and only 
fare of salt cod ever landed at that place. Captain Slocum attended 
to the curing of the fish himself, treating them in the same manner as 
Bay of Fundy cod are cured on the coast of Maine. The fish were sold 
at prices varying from 5 to 12 cents per pound, and the voyage on the 
whole was a profitable one. 
History of a cod-fishing firm. — The following notes, which show in de- 
tail the varied experiences of a firm that engaged in the cod fi&hery in 
the “early days v and still continues the business, are based on reliable 
statements of those who participated in the events narrated. They 
throw much light on the history of the business, and lead to a clearer 
understanding of it. Although cod fishing was begun in 1864, there 
were as late as 1866 no suitable arrangements for curing the fish and 
no sufficient knowledge about handling them. At the start the fishery 
was only an adjunct to some other business. 
The late Thomas W. McCollam is said to have been the first on the 
Pacific coast to establish on a permanent basis a business devoted ex- 
clusively to the fish trade. In 1867 he bought his first cargo of cod, 
and the next year determined to engage permanently in the trade and 
to conduct the business on the most approved methods. At the begin* 
ning he bought and cured several cargoes of cod at Old Sausalito. But 
the location was not satisfactory and a new station was established at 
the mouth of Redwood City Creek, about 30 miles south of San Fran- 
cisco. Here wharves, storehouses, and flake yards were built sufficient 
for carrying on the curing business, and 5 acres of land were also devoted 
to it. He visited New England and purchased the fishing schooners 
Rippling Wave , Wild Gazelle , and Flying Mist. The first was lost ou the 
passage in Magellan Strait j the others arrived safely and were imme- 
diately sent to the Shumagin Islands for cod. 
The business appears to have been prudently managed, and pros- 
pered. In addition to the fish taken by his own vessels he bought 
many other cargoes. In 1873 a partner was taken into the busiuess, 
and the firm was then known as Thomas W. McCollam & Co. In 1874 
the schooner Alfred Adams was added to the cod-tishing fleet. But the 
same year the Flying Mist went to huut sea otters off Saghalin Island 
and the coast of Japan, meeting with marked success. The develop- 
ment of the business called for a change of site for the curing station, 
H. Mis. 274 7 
