FRESH-HALIBUT FISHERY 85 
the Williams when he went adrift, and he replied that his vessel held on only about fifteen or 
twenty minutes after the squall struck. The two captains made a brief stay, but soon returned to 
their own vessels, and went in search of their gear. 
I got good observations to-day, by which I found our position to be 44° 33’ north latitude, and 
53° 46’ west longitude. 
The skipper of the Andrew Leighton came aboard at 2.30 p.m. His vessel went adrift in the 
late gale, and in consequence he lost 18 skates of trawl, which were out, and these, together with 
previous losses, make 27 skates he has lost this trip, besides 75 fathoms of cable and two anchors. 
He told me that every vessel that was near where he was went adrift. He reports his trip as 
20,000 pounds of halibut, but as he could see no probability of finding his gear, he said he should 
go home, which, under the circumstances, was about all he could do. The wind at this time (3 
p. m.) was SSW., blowing a fresh breeze. After he returned to his own vessel he put the bonnet 
in the jib and started for home under three lower sails. 
We got about 9,000 or 10,000 pounds of halibut to-day. Set twelve skates of trawl at 3.30 p. m. 
While the men were out setting the gear the Edwin C. Dolliver spoke us and them ran a short berth 
to the NNW., where she anchored. Soon afterwards the Phillips also spoke us and ran to the north- 
ward, how far I don’t know, as it came on dark a short time after she passed us. The wind blew 
up smart at dark. We stuck out more cable and took our dories in before we began to dress the 
fish. After the dories were in we shoved them up forward as far as we could, so that they would 
be out of the way of our work. It was 9 p. m. when we got the fish dressed and the dories placed 
in their proper positions. At this time it was blowing strong and there were indications of a gale. 
Barometer 30, and falling quite fast. Thinking it best to get everything prepared for a gale before 
we turned in, I did not take off my oil-clothes, but sat down on the cabin floor to wait until the 
men in the ice-house got the fish iced. Feeling somewhat fatigued after the work and anxieties of 
the day, I soon fell asleep, but was awakened at 10.30 p. m., when the ice-house crowd came into the 
cabin. By this time the barometer had fallen to 29.80, and it was blowing heavily and storming. 
We manned the win@lass, hove in the strad, and then stuck out some more cable and set the dories 
amidships. 
Thursday, February 13, 1879.—At 7 a. m. wind SW., blowing heavily, with rough sea, thick 
fog, and drizzly rain. Barometer 29.60. At 9 o’clock the wind struck in a heavy westerly squall, 
and, thinking it would continue to blow a gale, I turned in and went to sleep. I waked at 10 
a. m., but not hearing the familiar roar of breaking waves, and howling of the wind, I knew ati 
once that it had moderated. I immediately turned out and inquired of the watch how long it 
had been since the wind died away. “Only about half an hour or less,” he replied. “Why 
did you not call me before? You knew I wanted to be called if it died away,” I said. ‘Well, 
I didn’t know but it’d blow agin soon; it looks nuff like it,” he answered in a dogged sort of 
manner. It could not be denied that it did look “nuff like it,’ nevertheless I told him to 
call the men forward and we would heave in some cable, at the same time rousing out the after 
crowd. We had hove in only about 30 fathoms before I knew by the bearings of the Dolliver 
that we were adrift. After the cable was in we found that it was chafed off square as an ax 
would cut it, and that we had lost 120 fathoms. It is probable that the cable was not on the 
bottom more than half an hour, and it must have come in contact with a very sharp rock to 
cut it off so quickly. Although the loss of cable is not an uncommon occurrence, I have gen- 
erally been fortunate in-that respect, never having lost so much before in the eighteen years 
I have been master of a fishing vessel. This is a special misfortune to us, too, at this par- 
