440 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [4] 



been interested in the matter of building or running fishing vessels. 

 Among these was James Davis, esq., judge of the police court at Glou- 

 cester, and formerly a builder of fishing vessels at that port. 



However, although a slight change was made in some vessels to the 

 extent of building them a few inches deeper, no decided innovation was 

 made in the construction of fishing schooners until J-884. During the 

 summer of that year, Mr. D. J. Lawler, at the suggestion of the writer, 

 built the schooner Roulette, which was nearly 2 feet deeper than the 

 ordinary fishing vessels of her length. She proved to be remarkably 

 swift, as well as sea-worthy, though she still had the objectionable 

 features of a heavy stern and rather flat counters. 



In the spring of 1885, after my return from the cruise to the Gulf of 

 Mexico in the steamer Albatross, Professor Baird instructed me to pre- 

 pare the plans and specifications for a sailing schooner for the U. S. 

 Fish Commission, for which Congress had made an appropriation of 

 $14,000. 



It had previously been determined that a schooner-rigged sailing 

 vessel of about 80 tons net register would be best adapted to the re- 

 quirements of the Commission. 



The whole matter of designing her in all the details of model, rig, in- 

 terior arrangement, and equipment, with the exception of the steam 

 machinery and iron water-tanks, was placed in my hands. 



The matter of determining what form of steam apparatus would be 

 best adapted to the work of the new schooner was referred to Lieut.- 

 Commauder Z. L. Tanner, U. S. Navy, commanding the steamer Alba- 

 tross. He decided that a steam windlass, with engines of 35 horse- 

 power, would be the most suitable. Passed Assistant Engineer I. S. 

 K. Reeves, U. S. Navy, consulting engineer of the Commission, had 

 charge of obtaining and putting on board the steam boiler, steam pump, 

 iron water-tanks, and such piping as was necessary for the operation 

 of the steam apparatus, and to connect the water tanks.* 



Owing to the fact that I had to make a trip on the Albatross during 

 the summer of 1885, and also that other important work demanded my 

 attention, the preparation of the plans and specifications for the Gram- 

 pus was considerably delayed, and they were not finished until fall. 



Acknowledgments are due to Mr. D. J. Lawler, of Chelsea, Massa- 

 chusetts, for mechanical assistance he rendered in the preparation of 

 the model and plans, and for the specially creditable manner in which 

 he " laid down" the vessel and prepared her molds.f 



* The steam windlass, engines, and boiler were found on trial to be entirely too 

 heavy and disproportionate to the size of the vessel, and in consequence they had to 

 be removed. A wooden windlass was substituted ; this relieved the schooner of a 

 very considerable accumulation of weight forward and made her easier in a sea-way. 



t The fact may properly be mentioned here that the model and lines of the Grampus 

 were placed on exhibition at the rooms of the American Fish Bureau, at Gloucester, 

 Massachusetts, in tho autumn of 1885. They attracted much attention, so much in- 

 deed that they served as the basis for designing some new fishing vessels. One in 



