FRESH-HALIBUT FISHERY. %5 
clang of the cook’s dinner bell, calling us away from “straightening up things on deck.” The 
crew is divided into two gangs for meals, the table in the forecastle not being large enough to 
accommodate all. One of the second gang noy came aft saying, ‘‘I’ll keep her along, skipper, 
while you get dinner;” whereupon I gave up the wheel, which I had held since starting, and 
went with the first gang down to dinner. For dinner we had the usual first meal at sea, which, 
hastily prepared, generally consists of boiled salt beef and potatoes, with biscuits, pilot-bread and 
butter, strong tea, and fried beefsteak. This bill of fare is very much changed as soon as the 
“doctor” (cook) has time to prepare a greater variety, and, though beefsteak or other fresh meat 
is rarely seen after the first few days out, the table is well provided with plenty of good raised 
bread, cakes, pies, duff, &c.; and last, though not least, the finest fish are served up in a manner 
rarely equaled elsewhere. 
After dinner the patent log was put out, a note made of the bearing and distance of the land, 
and then everybody was called aft to “thumb the hat,” in order that the watch might be set. All 
hands stand around an inverted hat, taking hold of it so that their thumbs are on top of the 
rim. The skipper then turns away his head, and, reaching over, touches one of the thumbs, and 
then counts around from left to right any number previously decided upon. The first one that the 
count reaches has the first watch. The counting then begins at the next thumb with “one,” and 
so on until each man knows his watch, and with the injunction, “Remember now, whom you call,” 
the performance ends, and the one having the first watch takes the wheel. 
On board of trawling vessels it is very common for dorymates to stand watch together on a 
passage, and in this case only half of the crew “thumb the hat,” they choosing their mates to 
stand with them. After the watch was set most of the men turned in and took a nap, while one 
or two busied themselves ganging hooks, &ec. 
At 3 p. m., the wind having increased to a smart breeze, we took in the staysail and gaff- 
topsail, At 5p. m., barometer 30.15; smurry-looking under the sun. The wind increased some 
after 5, and the sea made up sharp. 
A little before 7 o’clock p. m. our vessel took a heavy lurch to leeward, sending her lee rail so 
far under that, when she straightened up, the deck was nearly full, and several bucketsful came down 
the companion-way over the lower cabin door, which sets about 18 inches above the deck, wetting 
the bed-clothes in the lee-bunks, and also the boots lying on the floor. This episode called forth 
exclamations more forcible than polite from the occupants of the lee bunks, and shouts of laughter 
from their companions who could see only the ludicrous side of the accident. The sea by this time 
had risen sharp and choppy, and so frequent were the lurches—the main-boom often going under 
to the slings—that we soon after double reefed the mainsail. This done, I went below for the 
night, giving the usual order to “call me if there is any change in the force or direction of-the 
wind.” 
‘After the reefed mainsail was set we hauled the log and found that we had made an average 
of 10 knots since we passed Thatcher’s Island. Barometer at 8 p. m., 30.05. Strong breeze all the 
latter part of this p. m. 
Saturday, January 25, 1879.—The wind had moderated some at 7 a. m., and hauled to WSW. 
Barometer at this hour, 29.70; sky overcast. We shook the reef out of the mainsail and set the 
light sails. 
Soon after breakfast the hatches were taken off and the men took the trawls on deck and 
began rigging them up by bending the gangings, that had been unbent on the last passage home, 
into the beckets on the ground line. Each hook before being attached to the trawl undergoes a 
critical examination, and if dull must be touched up with a file, if crooked, straightened into 
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