FRESH-HALIBUT FISHERY, 49 
was also lying to. As day broke on the following morning we saw a schooner at anchor and ran 
down to her in company with the Walen. Finding the anchored vessel was the Restless, we hove 
to, and Captain Thompson (from the Walen) and I, each of us accompanied by three or four men 
of our respective crews, went aboard of the Resiless for a chat with the skipper and crew. She 
was anchored in 83 fathoms of water, and her crew were just setting their trawls when we ran 
down to her. The skipper of the Restless said he broke out his anchor the evening before and 
let his vessel drift until the latter part of the night, when, finding deep water, he let it go again. 
We stayed on board of the Restless until some of her dories returned from hauling, about 10a. m., 
when, seeing that they were getting fair fishing on the gear that was in the deepest water, we both 
returned to our own vessels and set under sail outside of the Restless. 
We were in 115 fathoms, which was then thought to be a great depth to fish in, but the Walen 
went still farther out, in 135 fathoms. We caught about 4,000 pounds of halibut on a short set, 
and anchored; and the Walen, as I afterward learned, got 8,000 pounds or more, and also came 
to anchor. In the meantime the schooners John S. Presson, William T. Merchant, Lizzie K. Clark, 
of Gloucester, and the George Peabody, of Salem, made their appearance on the scene of action, 
and anchored at no great distance to the northwest and southeast of us. The Lizzie K. Clark 
anchored a fair berth, about 2 miles, to the north-northwest. The afternoon was fine, with a mod- 
erate and decreasing northeast wind, and current setting to the northwest or north-northwest. 
Knowing full well that the first vessel arriving home with a fare of halibut would be likely to 
strike a “high market,” and, of course, wishing to be first, we set twenty skates of trawl, the 
whole string, in the evening, not fora moment suspecting that there was any ice in a southerly 
direction from us. : 
The next morning was fine and calm, but cool. We had our breakfast before daylight, and 
just as day was breaking an “ice glin” was noticed in the southern board; and when it grew 
lighter an immense field of ice could be seen drifting toward us with the current, which still ran 
north-northwest. Of course, the first thing to be thought of was to get our gear, if possible, or, 
at least, as much of it as we could. We hoisted the dories out and started at once. One of the 
crew, who had a fainting fit the evening before, was very ill, and I was therefore obliged to go in 
a dory in his stead. Before leaving the vessel I gave the men orders to get all the gear they 
could, and if the ice came on them to cut and go aboard. The trawl that we went to haul was off 
the starboard quarter, four points abaft the beam. We pulled for the outer end, and on reaching 
it began to haul as though our lives depended on our efforts. 
We succeeded in getting a skate and a half of our trawl, about 500 fathoms, in the boat, when 
we saw the flag in the rigging of our schooner, which we knew to be a signal for us to return to 
the vessel, as the ice was nearing her fast. We instantly cut the trawl, put out our oars, and 
pulled with all our might to reach the vessel before the ice did. Another dory, which was near 
us, started about the same time, and we both met the ice about 600 feet astern of our schooner. 
When the ice passed the vessel the men on board had the presence of mind to throw a buoy, to 
which a line was fastened, on one of the leeward cakes of the floe. This buoy we got hold of and 
made it fast to the bow of the dory, securing the bow of the other beat close to the stern of the 
front one. The current was running at least 2 knots, and the buoy line being under the ice near 
the buoy, we had a hard struggle for some time to make any progress toward the vessel and to 
get the line on top of the ice. The men on the vessel held the line as taut as they dared to, not 
to risk parting it, while we jumped out of the head dory upon the ice, sometimes hauling the boats 
over the large cakes and again shoving the smaller pieces clear of the dories and line. The ice 
was broken into séctions of all sizes, from a piece of a few pounds weight to one of 50 feet in 
SEO y——4 
