THE GEORGE'S BANK COD FISHERY. 197 
They are used to exposure, and are warmly clad and well protected with their oil-clothes. A lands- 
man would not like the position, with the vessel pitching up and down, and it would be difficult 
for him to keep on his legs; but the fishermen seem to take to it naturally. There they stand at 
the rail, hour after hour, pulling in the fish—halibut and cod—each anxious to do his best and to 
be the ‘high-line’ man. 
‘So long as the weather is pleasant they pursue the even tenor of their way, each day adding 
to the catch, and at night they are rocked to sleep in the cradle of the mighty deep. A feeling of 
uneasiness pervades their hearts if the fleet draws near; in the excitement of getting a trip they 
are apt to anchor near each other. There is danger in this, as the sad record of the past bears 
mournful evidence; or in case of a sudden storm, and the breaking adrift of one or more of the 
vessels, which may always be expected, these drifting vessels become terrible messengers of 
danger, coming in contact with others of the fleet, and they go crashing on their work of destruc- 
tion in the darkness and the storm. This it is which has made the George’s business so very disas- 
trous, and now there has been awakened in the minds of the skippers a sense of the fearful risks 
they run by so many anchoring together, and they are more cautious concerning it. If they will 
remember this and continue to exercise prudence in this respect, the losses will be few in compar- 
ison with those of the years gone by. Last year not a vessel was lost in the George’s fishery, and 
we hope that 1875 will result as fortunately. 
“A week or ten days’ fishing in the best of the season, when the fish bite sharp, will give them 
a trip, and then homeward they come, and the fruits of the fishermen’s daring gives an impetus to 
‘business which is felt throughout the city. Coming as it does at a dull time, it is particularly 
welcome, and all with one accord unite in giving their best wishes to the George’s fishermen for 
short trips and lucky ones.” 
9. HISTORY OF THE GEORGE'S FISHERY FROM GLOUCESTER. 
Capt. Epes W. Merchant tells us that the first vessels went to George’s after codfish in 1821; 
these were three pinkies, commanded by Elisha Oakes, Robert Marston, and Samuel Wonson. “Fish 
were very scarce that year. Several of the vessels went to the bay cod fishing. Some of the others 
left off entirely. These three pinkies ran off to George’s in June. The fishermen were very timid 
about the trip, for they had an idea that there were very strong currents on the Bank, and that 
they would risk drawing their vessels under if they were to anchor. One very fine day the three 
vessels were alongside, and one of the skippers proposed: ‘Let’s anchor and try it.’ They made 
up their minds to double the crew on one of the vessels, taking two or three men out of each of: 
the others, and anchor. Well, after they had anchored and bit up, the tide commenced running 
and she began to go through the water. They didn’t know how fast the current would go, got 
frightened, hove up, and came home without a fish. Nobody then went there after codfish until 
after the halibut fishing was tried. The halibut vessels were the first to anchor. Mackerel ves- 
sels began to go to George’s in 1825 and have continued to cruise there ever since.” 
Capt. Chester Marr, one of the oldest skippers of Gloucester, claims to have been one of the 
first to make a trip to George’s Bank after cod in the month of February; this was about 1835. 
Describing the abundance of cod, he remarks in his quaint way that they were “solid from top 
to bottom.” In one night he caught 75 tubs of codfish and 15,000 pounds of halibut. This was 
on the south side of the Bank, south and east of the North Shoal, in 33 fathoms of water. It was 
a bright moonlight night, and the fish could be seen swimming along the side of the vessel “as thick 
as mackerel.” Before that time the vessels had never succeeded in getting fares of cod, because 
the halibut were so thick. Some vessels had gone for halibut, but none for cod. 
