[43] OPERATIONS OF SCHOONER GRAMPUS. 533 



placed a glass light, for the purpose of seeing schools of fish the boat 

 may be passing over. This is, however, as in this case, frequently 

 Emitted, the water-glass being used instead whenever the surface water 

 may be agitated by the wind. The skipper often stands at the bow, 

 and his experience enables him to detect the presence of fish by indi- 

 cations which would escape the notice of any but those trained to this 

 work. 



The thwarts are made of lj-inch thick spruce plank, and are strongly 

 kneed. A stout piece of hardwood plank, about 10 inches wide, is 

 nailed to the inside of the stern, above which it rises a few inches. The 

 top end of this is scored or scooped out like a boom-crutch, and this 

 serves for a scull-hole or for holding the steering oar. 



The boat is propelled wholly by six roughly-made spruce oars, each 

 with a peg near its handle. These oars are 22 feet long. A similar 

 oar is used by the "boss of the gang" to steer with. Boats of this 

 class are generally built in a rude manner, very little care being ex- 

 pended in elaboration of finish. They are sometimes painted, but 

 are more commonly heavily coated with coal-tar. The sole objects 

 are to get a boat that will be adapted to the work, will stand rough 

 usage and which can be built for the least possible expense. Wooden 

 tholes are used, two for each oar, and these are usually made of spruce 

 branches, which are tough and not easily worn out. 



The following are the details of the material used in building a boat 

 of this kind. The frames, twenty-seven in number, are of birch aud 

 spruce 2 by 2 inches, or 2 by If inches ; plank of pine, 1 inch thick ; 

 gunwales of birch, 3 to 5 inches wide, three-quarters of an inch thick; 

 black wrought-iron nails are used for fastening. 



The dimensions are as follows : 



Ft. In. 

 Length, over all 31 6 



Beam , 7 7 



Depth, gunwale to top of garboard ceiling 2 3 



Width of stern 5 9 



Depth of stern 2 1 



Distance between after thwarts 3 



A boat of this size and class is manned by seven men, one (the skip- 

 per) to look for fish and six to row. When setting the seine only four 

 men row, two throw the seine, and thu skipper steers the boat. 



A cod seine, of the kind used by such a crew, is 130 fathoms long, 

 76 feet deep in the bunt, and 61 feet deep in the "bridles," or at the 

 ends. The size of the mesh varies from 3J inches (stretch measure) in 

 the bunt to 4 inches on the arms and 5 inches near and at the ends. 

 Sometimes the catch is taken in the seine boat, which will carry enough 

 green fish to make 15 quintals of dry cod. 



(3) St. John? 8 Trap-Boat — A peculiar style of boat is used at St. 

 John's and vicinity for hauling the cod traps set along the coast, and 

 because of its special work is locally called a " trap boat." One of 



