538 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [48] 



probably been introduced by former residents of the Channel Islands — 

 Jersey and Guernsey — who, coming here to fish, have brought with 

 them the ideas of rig they have formerly been most accustomed to. 



The following are the details of a St. John's boat of this type (see 

 plate X), which may be taken as a fair representative of the class to 

 which she belongs : This is a carvel-built keel boat, open, with a mod- 

 erate sheer, sharp bow, raking curved stern, considerable rise to floor, 

 round easy bilge, side flaring slightly above water, a good run, no over- 

 hang to counters, and a heart shaped, raking, square stern, with rudder 

 hung outside. She is rather roughly built, of spruce chiefly, has 19 sets 

 of timbers, 1J by 1£ inches, and is fastened with black wrought-iron 

 nails. Like the so called " Yankee boat," this also has a wash-strake, 

 above the gunwale, which is 6 inches high in the middle. Inside of the 

 upper edge of this are fastened 3 large, clumsily made spruce rowlocks 

 (each 18 inches long, 4 inches deep, If inches thick in the middle, and 

 chamfered at ends), and into these are shipped square-cornered row- 

 locks, shaped something like the figure 4. This style of rowlock seems 

 to be preferred by the St. John's fishermen, for I noticed that it was 

 almost exclusively used, except, perhaps, on the seine or trap boats. 

 The (i scull-hole" in this boat is unique, being simply two round wooden 

 tholes stuck in the stern, on the port side, so as to steady the oar. 



The interior of the boat is divided into standing rooms, fish rooms, aud 

 lockers, on the same general plan as on the larger sharp- sterned craft. 

 Aft is a locker 4 feet 3 inches long, covered with loose boards G or 7 

 inches below the top of the wash-strake, or just beneath the gunwale. 

 Forward of this is the after standing room, 15 inches fore and aft, 

 next the fish room, which is loosely covered with boards laid from one 

 thwart to another. In this is stowed the stone ballast, around the 

 mainmast, which is stepped in the thwart at its forward end. A sec- 

 ond standing room, 14 inches fore and aft, is immediately forward of 

 the mainmast ; then comes a fish room (3 feet C inches), and next the 

 forward standing room (17 inches). There is a cudd} T at the bow, with 

 a fixed deck and bulk-head; a door or hole in the latter serves as an 

 entrance, and the foremast is stepped close to the after end of the cuddy, 

 which is 3 i'eet 6 inches long. In this are stowed lines, food, etc. 



Two small sprit-sails and a diminutive jib are carried, the latter tack- 

 ing down to the stem head. The sails are coated with a mixture of coal- 

 tar and cod oil, and no booms are used ; the single part of the mainsheet 

 reeves through a thimble, one of which is secured to either side of the 

 stern by a rope becket. The anchor and anchor-line are the same as 

 those in the larger sharp-sterned boats, though possibly a little smaller; 

 aud the oars differ only in size. 



The following are the principal dimensions : 



Ft. In. 



Length, over all 19 



Beam, extreme 5 



Width of stem 3 2 



