FRESH-HALIBUT FISHERY. 45 
but I have never known of one getting a full fare in the locality. In the early part of the 
summer of 1879 the Alice M. Williams caught nearly 10,000 pounds of halibut at one set on the 
Beach, but afterwards could get only a few, and was obliged to leave Miquelon and go elsewhere. 
The fishing ground off Pass Island was about 8 miles southwest and southwest-by-west from 
the island, in 160 fathoms. It was only a small “spot,” not more than 2 or 3 miles in extent each 
way, if so large. After two seasons this also was worthless as a halibut fishing ground; though 
frequently visited since, I have never heard of a large catch being made there. ; 
I will return to the Grand Bank and show what I think was, in a measure, the accidental dis- 
covery of new fishing grounds. From the first it had been the general way for the halibut fisher- 
men to run direct for the Eastern Shoal Water, never dreaming that they were passing over much 
better grounds than any they had ever yet fished on. In March of 1870 the schooner O. B. Man- 
ning, Capt. Charles Nute, the schooner N. H. Phillips, Capt. William McDonald, and the schooner 
John Corliss, Capt. George Brown, all left Gloucester at or about the same time. I have positive . 
information that the two former were in company. These vessels had a fine run down as far as 
the western edge of the Grand Bank, striking it north of 44° N. latitude. About the time 
they reached the western edge of the Bank the wind sprang up easterly and blew heavy. Captain 
McDonald, whose vessel was new and the cable stiff and wiry, thought he would anchor and get 
the kinks out of it, so that it would be in working order when there was a return of fine weather. 
He was in 60 fathoms, and had not the remotest idea, it is said, of finding halibut in that depth of 
water, but after the vessel was anchored, and while some of the men were stradding the cable, ° 
&ec., one of the crew threw out a hand-line and caught a pair -of halibut. The rough weather 
lasted two days, but after it was over a fare was soon caught. Captain Brown, in the Corliss, 
anchored in about 50 fathoms on the western edge of the Bank to hold on until the easterly was - 
over. After the gale moderated, the trawls were set to get some bait and “try the ground.” On 
the first set only 4,000 pounds of halibut were caught, which was then thought to be poor fishing, 
but the skipper determined to set again, although some of the crew opposed it. On the second 
set between 45,000 and 50,000 pounds of fish were taken, and it was nearly two days’ work to haul 
the trawls and dress the halibut.caught on them. On the third set the majority of the fish were 
gone, so that not more than 3,000 pounds were taken. Captain Brown then started for home, 
realizing about $4,000 from the sale of the fish. The facts of the catch were obtained from 
Captain Brown, who is now dead. The schooners N. H. Phillips and John Corliss both got in 
about the same time and stocked nearly the same amount. The O. B. Manning, instead of 
anchoring as the other vessels did, kept on and carried sail to get to the eastward. She tried 
over the old grounds, but when she had been from home three weeks she had only 5,000 pounds 
of halibut, and taking a heavy gale about this time her dories were stove, and the prospect for a 
successful trip looked discouraging. However, the dories having been repaired as well as the 
circumstances permitted, the vessel worked to the westward and struck halibut on the western 
part of the Bank in about 51° 20’ W. longitude and 44° 10! N. latitude (my informant, one of her 
crew that spring, thinks the above is the right position, and probably he is correct), and soon 
made up a fare of 86,000 pounds. After the first two seasons fishing for halibut on the western 
part of the Bank, these fish, though plenty in the winter and spring, grew scarce in summer, but 
in the fall good trips were got for several years on the Hastern Shoal Water. The scarcity of 
halibut on the Grand Bank in summer obliged the fishermen to look elsewhere, and as they knew 
very well that these fish were more or less migratory, but did not know that the species went into 
deep water, many places were visited where, in former years, halibut had been reported plenty by 
people who had caught them while in pursuit of other fish. In this manner the west coast of 
