[41] OPERATIONS OF SCHOONER GRAMPUS. 531 



either iced or salted. There is a small trunk-cabin aft, with two berths. 

 It is a stnall unpainted apartment, dingy, and not specially inviting. 

 The bunks are cased up and each has an oblong hole for an entrance, 

 very much after the style of berths on English fishing smacks. The 

 trunk is 5 feet 4 inches forward of the taffrail ; it is 6 feet long, 6 feet 

 4 inches wide at forward end, 5 feet 9 inches wide at after end,, and about 

 15 inches high. There are two wooden pumps just abaft the after-hatch, 

 between it and the long hatch forward of the trunk. Ordinary iron- 

 stocked anchors are used, these weighing 175 and 400 pounds respect- 

 ively. This vessel has chain cables. 



The Zephyr is schooner-rigged, with long, round mastheads, no top- 

 masts, and a single jib. There are two shrouds of hemp on a side to each 

 mast, but the masts are loosely stayed and curve aft. A boom and gaff 

 mainsail and foresail and a single jib are carried. These sails are hemp, 

 generally oiled or barked, and are, usually, on all craft of this kind — 

 jacks and western boats — very baggy and untidy looking, with hollow 

 leaches and peaks at varying angles. There are three reefs in the main- 

 sail and foresail and one reef in the jib. Old style, rope-strapped, 

 wooden-bush blocks are used. 



The following are additional details of construction : The frames are 

 made of birch and spruce. The floor timbers mould about G to 7 inches. 

 Birch plank 2 inches thick are used on the outside and for the ceiling, 

 white pine for deck, spruce for spars. The vessel is fastened with black 

 iron and juniper treenails. 



Her dimensions are: Tonnage 29 J tons; carrying capacity 400 quin- 

 tals offish ;* length, over all, 51 feet 6 inches ; outside the knight-heads 

 to foremast, 9 feet; between masts, 18 feet 9 inches; mainmast to after part 

 of taffrail, 21 feet 6 inches ; beam, 15 feet ; width of stern, 9 feet; depth 

 in hold, 6 feet 8 inches ; bowsprit, outside of knight-heads (it extends 

 inboard nearly to foremast), 16 feet 8 inches; foremast, above deck, 40 

 feet (head about 6 feet), 14 inches diameter at deck; mainmast above 

 deck, 42 feet 6 inches; same diameter as foremast; foreboom, 18 feet 9 

 inches; foregaff, 18 feet 5 inches ; main boom, 34 feet 4 inches; main- 

 gaff, 19 feet 9 inches ; tiller, 4 feet. 



Vessels of this size and class are employed in the fisheries along the 

 west coast of Newfoundland, and to a less extent elsewhere. They 

 are manned by 5 to 7 men and boys. 



The modern home-built fishing schooner of Newfoundland is gener- 

 ally designed in imitation of the clipper vessels of New England. It 

 differs from the latter, however, in usually being wider and somewhat 

 deeper in proportion to length, in being built of inferior wood, with a 

 rough finish, and in having sails not so well cut and tidy looking. The 

 size varies from 25 to 60 or 70 tons. 



* I give the tonnage, carrying capacity, and some other data, particularly that re- 

 lating to the materials used in construction, on the authority of the captain from 

 whom I obtained these statements'. The other dimensions are from actual measure- 

 ments made by myself. 



