312 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Mat 18 1883. 



known to accomplish the task in half an hour. It will be seen 

 that the labor of baiting three or four tubs, which falls daily 



to each man when the fishing is good, occupies a considerable 

 portion of the day, or, rather, of the night," since the baiting 

 IS usually done at night. In baiting at night each man has a 

 lamp of peculiar pattern which is fastened to the edge of his 

 tub by a hook; sometimes the trawls are. snarled, and the 

 whole night is devoted to clearing and baiting them. A man 

 wiD go into the hold to bait after the fish are" dressed in the 

 evening and perhaps not finish his task until daybreak, when 

 it is time to go out to set again. 



Methods qf fishing.— As has been remarked, the haddock 

 catchers never anchor on the banks when fishing. The usage 

 in this respect has greatly changed within the last few years. 

 When the fishery was less extensive and was carried on 

 entirely upon the inshore grounds they were accustomed to 

 anchor, set their trawls and under-run them, but now the. 

 trawls are all set while the vessel is lying to waiting for the 

 dories. This operation is called "setting under sail," and its 

 successful performance is one of the most complicated evolu- 

 tions performed by vessels or boats, requiring a high degree 

 of skill on the part of the men on the vessels and in the boats. 



Let us imagine, ourselves on the deck of a haddock schooner 

 at daybreak approaching Jeffries Ledge; the skipper, having 

 first sounded and ohtained the desired depth of water, de- 

 cides to make a set and gives the order, "Get the. top dories 

 ready," at the same, time indicating how many tubs he thinks 

 it desirable for each dory to set. The four men to whom the 

 two top dories belong adjust the anchors, buoy-lines and 

 buoys which are alreadv in the dories, and also place in them 

 the other necessary tisking-gear. The dorv-tackles are then 

 hooked on, and the boats are swung over the side of the 

 vessel. The middle dories are theu equipped in a similar 

 manner by then- respective crews, and as soon as these are 

 ready the top dories are dropped into the water and paid 

 astern and the middle ones are swung over the side, the bot- 

 tom dories being theu prepared for action in their turn. The 

 middle dories are now dropped down and paid astern with 

 the others, and the bottom dories are swung upon the sides 

 and are ready to be lowered at the propel - moment. Eight 

 men take their places in the dories towing astern ; perhaps, 

 in fact, the four men belonging to the top dories are already 

 there and ready to set. 



The skipper now gives the order to one of the dories that 

 was first put out, "Throw out your buoy. 1 ' This being done 

 the dory tows astern of the" vessel until the buoy-line runs 

 entirely out; the men in the dory then sing out, "Let go the 

 painter. " The dory is cast off and they begin to set their 

 trawl in the ordinary manner, their course, usually being to 

 leeward, and nearly at right angles with the direction of the 

 vessel. This operation is repeated in succession with each 

 dory, the last dories dropping astern after the others have 

 been let go. Sometimes when the wind is moderate and it is 

 practicable, all six dories are dropped down before the first 

 begin to set. The boats having been let go in the manner 

 described, are thus left scattered along in the wake of the 

 schooner at intervals of 100 to 200 fathoms, the first and the 

 last dory being from three-quarters of a mile to a mile and 

 a half apart. As soon as the dory has been dropped, the 

 vessel keeps off and runs to leeward and is ready to pick up 

 the first one as soon as her trawl has been set, and the others 

 in regular succession. The time occupied in setting the trawls 

 under sail varies from half an hour to an hour. 



When the dories are picked up, a part or all of them are 

 taken on deck and the vessel immediately begins to work 

 back toward the weather buoys; as soon as the weather 

 buoys are reached, the boats are usually dropped again in the 

 manner already described and the men begin hauling. This 

 second evolution ocoupies from one hour to an hour and a 

 half, according to the strength of the wind and other circum- 

 stances. As the dories are dropped a second time they find 

 themselves at the very place where they threw overboard the 

 first anchor, and a mile or two to the windward of the place 

 where they dropped their last anchor. They are now able to 

 haul to the leeward, which is easier than hauling to the wind- 

 ward and is more advantageous to the fishing, since the 

 tender-mouthed haddock are less liable to drop from the 

 hooks of a trawl when it is slack than when it is taut. 



For the dories to haul then - trawls occupies from one to 

 four hours, according to the length of the trawl, the number 

 of fish on the hooks, and the state of the weather. While the 

 dories are hauling, the vessel is lying-to with the jib to wind- 

 ward and drifting back and forth along the line of boats, 

 waiting for the men to finish hauling theirtrawls or signalize, 

 by raising one of the oars, that they have a load of fish and 

 wish to be taken on board. After the lines have all been 

 hauled the dories are again taken on deck, unless another set 

 is to be made on the same ground. When the dories set the 

 whole length of lines it is very unusual for a vessel to make 

 more than one set in a day:' sometimes, however, a smaller 

 number of lines is set and the operation is twice performed. 

 In exceptional instances, after the whole string of tubs has 

 been once set, a smaller number, perhaps a tub to each man , 

 is set in the latter part of the day. 



The operation of shooting alongside of the dories and pick- 

 ing them up is one of the most difficult feats of seamanship 

 which can be accomplished by a fish in g schooner. 



The. haddock trawls are often set in rough weather and at 

 times when there is what would be called a strong whole-sail 

 breeze, and, occasionally, when it blows hard enough to make 

 it necessary to reef the sails. After the trawls have been set 

 and the vessel worked back to the weather buoys, if the 

 weather looks at all threatening, it is customary to take the 

 bonnet out of the jib and put a reef in the mainsail, so that if 

 the wind should increase while the trawls are being hauled 

 the vessel can be managed by the skipper and the cook— the 

 only men left on boar j. 



As might be expected, men are sometimes lost in this 

 method of fishing, the losses being occasioned by sudden snow 

 storms which cut the dories off from the view of those on 

 board of the vessel, or by heavy squalls which render it impos- 

 sible for the schooner with only two men on board to go 

 through the necessary evolutions* 



It should be stated that the evolution of setting under sail Is 

 varied at different times and by different skippers, but that the 

 differences in the manner of performing the evolutions are not 

 of much importance, and that the most common method is 

 that which is here described. 



When fishing on George's Bank, the Gloucester haddock 

 vessels are obliged by the force of the tide to resort to another 

 method of setting, which is called "double-banking the trawl. " 

 The tide is so strong that the trawls cannot be set. in the or- 

 dinary way, for the buoys would be carried beneath the sur- 

 face. Two dories are therefore lowered at once, and jointly 

 perform the aet of setting; only two tubs are set by each pair 

 of dories, The set is made in" the following manner: The 

 men in one of the, dories hold fast to the weather-buoy while 

 the men in the other dory set the trawl. After the trawl is 

 out, the dory which sets it holds fast to the lee buoy until by 

 BOme signal, such as lowering the jib, the skipper of the 

 schooner gives the order to haul. The trawls are left on the 

 bottom 15 or at) minutes before they arc hauled. The men in 

 the two dories begin to haul simultaneously; the anchors are 

 thus first raised from the bottom and presently the bight of 

 the trawl and the two boats drift along with the tide, the dis- 

 tance between them gradually narrowing as they haul. 



Haddock are often found so plenty on George's'tkat it is not 

 D'ecessaiy to set more fine at a time, even Were it easier to do 

 so, Since a single tub of trawl will often bring up enough fish 

 to fill a dory. "" Several sets of this ki n d can be made in a day, 

 when the weather is favorable. 



Some of the Maine and Swampscott vessels send out only 

 one man in a dory; this usage is called "fishing single dories, 1 ' 



and is, of course, practicable only in comparatively moderate 

 weather. 



THE MANNER OF CABINS FOR THE FISH. 



As the fish are brought alongside they are pitched into the 

 pens already described. As soon as the dories are discharged 

 and taken on deck, and the vessel is under way, the men 

 begin to dress the fish. The process of dress'ing differs 

 entirely from that of dressing cod; there are no dressing- 

 tables or dressing-tubs. The men distribute themselves 

 among the pens. Four or five men are engaged in ripping the 

 fish, this operation being performed by seizing the fish by the 

 eyes or some part of the head with the left hand and ripping 

 them downward from the throat. The remainder of the 

 crew occupy themselves in taking out the liver and roes, 

 which are saved in barrels separately, and in removing the 

 viscera. The fish are washed by pouring buckets of water 

 over them as they lie in the pens'on the deck, and are packed 

 away in the hold or left on deck, unless, on account of dis- 

 tance from the la.nd or mildness of the weather, it is necessary 

 to ice them, in which case two or three men go into the hold 

 and stow the tish away between layers of ice. The fish are 

 iced with greater or less care, according to the length of time 

 expected to elapse before the arrival of the schooner at the 

 market. All the vessels going to Le Have, George's and Cape 

 Negro carry from rive to six tons of ice each trip. 



PRODUCTIVENESS OF THE FISHERY. 



The vessels of the Gloucester fleet, in the winter of 1S80-'S1, 

 obtained on an average 350,000 pounds of haddock, valued at 

 $6,000. The schooner Martha C. obtained about 600,000 

 pounds, stocking $11,500. The Edith M. Pew obtained 550,000 

 pounds, stocking about $11,000. 



Cant. S. J. Martin, of Gloucester, Mass., writes under date 

 of February 12, 1SS2 that the schooner Martha C. arrived 

 yesterday with 90,000 pounds of haddock; she was gone eight 

 days. Schooner Josie M. Calderwood, 85,000 pounds, gone 

 seveu days. Schooner H. A. Duncan, SO, 000 pounds, gone sevon 

 days. Four vessels left Gloucester on Saturday and were 

 back on Wednesday, each with 40,000 pounds haddook, hav- 

 ing fished one day and a half. That is good and quick work. 



"Schooner Mystic, Capt. John McKehnon, has stocked the 

 year ending February 8, 1&82, §21,003. He claims high line of 

 the shore, haddockiug fleet, and so far as we know this is the 

 largest stock ever reported in this fishery. The crew shared 

 $780.06. In 1880 he stocked 817,765. the crew sharing $765."— 

 [flame Ann Advertiser, February 10, 18.82. 



"The new schooner Dido, recently built at Essex for Mr. 

 George Steel of this city, has been engaged in the haddock 

 fishery just one month to-day, during which time she has 

 made three trips, stocking $3,750. On her last trip she stocked 

 $1,100. Her crew shared lor the month, $138 each. The Dido 

 is commanded by Capt. Wm. N. Wells. Schooner Richard 

 Seester, Capt. Ozro B. Fitch, on a recent haddock trip stocked 

 $1,100."— [Cape Ann Advertiser, February 10, 1S82. 



THE LARGEST HADDOCK FARE EVER LANDED. 



half days' fishing. Absent ten days. This is the largest catch 

 and best stock ever reported in the haddock fishery." — [Cape 

 Ann Advertiser, February 24, 1SS2. 



The. catches of the average Portland and Boston vessels were 

 not, probably, more than half as great. The Martha C, be- 

 fore alluded to, in thirteen hours' "fishing caught 00,000 pounds 

 of cod and haddock. The total amount of haddock carried 

 into Boston in 1870 was 17,000,000 pounds; of this amount 

 probably at least 13,000,000 were obtained by the winter had- 

 dock vessels. The total yield of this fisherv does not. probably, 

 fall below 18,000,000 to 20,000,000 pounds. 



RUNNING FOR THE MARKET. 



No class of vessels, not even halibut sehoonei-s, take more 

 risks in running for market than do the haddock schooners. 

 It is of the utmost importance to them to reach the .market 

 with theu- fish in good condition, and, if possible, to be in ad- 

 vance of other vessels engaged in the same business. In the 

 stormiest of weather all sail that they will bear is crowded 

 upon them, and harbors are made even in heavy snow and 

 fog. The trips are short, averaging frequently not more than 

 two or three days, and rarely not longer than a week or ten 

 days; they are, therefore, constantly running for the land, and 

 are more accustomed to making the coast than the halibut 

 vessels, and become so familiar with the harbors most fre- 

 quently resorted to, especiady with that of Boston, that they 

 are able to enter them when no other vessels, probably not 

 even pilot boat3, woidd care to make the attempt. What has 

 already been said about the dangers encountered by the hali- 

 but schooners will apply as well, in its fullest extent, to the 

 haddock schooners. 



THE MANNER OF OUTFIT. 



In the winter haddock fishery every man supplies his own 

 dory and outfit complete, besides paying his share of the pro- 

 vision bill. In the settlement of the voyage, the vessel draws 

 one-fourth of the net stock, or, in the case of the older ves- 

 sels, according to the old system, only one-fifth, after certain 

 stock charges have been deducted for bait, ice, wharfage and 

 towage. The remaining three-fourths or four-fifths of the 

 stock is divided equally among the crew, the owner paying the 

 skipper's commission or percentage from the vessels quarter. 

 The average share of the Gloucester crews for the year of 

 1S80-'S1 was about $200. The most successful shared $500 to 

 $550. The largest stock ever made in one day's fishing in the 

 winter shore fishery up tolS80 was that of the Eastern Quoen, 

 of Gloucester, which carried to the Boston market, in 1873, 

 25,000 pounds of haddock, and stocked $1,100. This vessel 

 also made the largest stock of that season, realizing in five 

 months $10,250 clear of all expenses, the crow sharing $550 

 each. The crew of the schooner David J. Adams, in March, 

 1881, shared $107 each iu a ten days' trip in the haddock fish- 

 ery. 



THE HADDOCK FISHERY FIFTY YEARS AGO. 



A write" in the "Fishermen's Memorial and Record Book" 

 thus describes the haddock fishing in the early part of the 

 present century : 



"The fitting out of the fleet for the haddock fishery com- 

 menced about the first of April The first move was to run 

 the boats on the beach, or landing, as it was then called, 

 and have thorn calked and graved. The latter process con- 

 sisted in applying a coat of pitch to the bottom and burning it 

 down with a tar barrel, which gave a smooth and glossy sur- 

 face. Fainted bottoms in those days were very rare. 



The time occupied in making a haddock trip was from two 

 days to a week, the fish being mostly taken on Old Man's Pas- 

 ture, Heart's Ground, and Inner Bank, about twelve miles off 

 of Eastern Point. The tish were taken to Charlestown for a 

 market, and purchased by the hawkers— among whom were 

 Jnhnnv Harridan, Joe .Smith, Isaac Kich and others, who 

 took them over bo Boston in handcarts, and retailed them at 

 a good profit. The codfish were generally salted. The small- 

 est were cured for the Bilboa market, and the largest were 

 made into dun fish, as they were called, for home consump- 

 tion. They were kept oh the flakes several weeks, and 

 thoroughly dried until they became of a reddish color, and 

 were highly esr^me.i as an article of food. The haking 

 season commenced in July, and the pollock fishery was pros- 

 ecuted from September* to the middle of November. Each 

 boat carried three men— skipper, forward hand and cook, who 

 -went at the halves, as it "was called, the crew receiving one- 

 half the gross stock, and the owners the balance." — (p. 73.) 



A recess was then taken. 



%he Mmttel 



FIXTURES. 



BENCH SHOWS. 

 June 6, 7, 8 and 9.— Cleveland, O., First Annual Bench Show of the 

 Cleveland Bench Show Association. Charles Lincoln, Superintendent; 

 C. M. Munhall , Secretary. 



FIELD TRIALS. 

 September— National American Kennel Club Field Trials on Prairie 

 Chickens. Jos. H. Dew, Columbia. Term.. Secretary. 



December 4— National American Kennel Club Field Trials on Quail, 

 Grand Junction, Teiui. D. Bryson. Memphis, Tenn., Secretary 



EASTERN FIELD TRIALS. 



THE special committee appointed at the last meeting of the 

 Eastern Field Trials Club, to select grounds and complete 

 the programme for the trials next fall, met at DelmooJco's 

 New York, on Tuesday evening, May 11. President Dormer, 

 "Vice-President Goodsell, and Messrs. Grainger and Leach were 

 in attendance. After full consideration of the suitability of 

 the several localities which had been suggested, it was unani- 

 mously voted that for the coming season the trials should be 

 held upon an extensive estate of several thousand aoxi 

 ated near High Point, North Carolina,, where quail are known 

 to exist in great abundance, and where the land and its cover 

 are pre-eminently suited for the purposes required. High 

 Point is a station on the North Carolina division of iha Bich- 

 mond and Danville. Railroad, fifteen miles from Greensboro, 

 and besides being of easy access by rail from points north! 

 south, and west, it affords ample hotel and boarding accom- 

 modations for visitors. Several of the most prominent of the 

 landed proprietors in the vicinity of High Point have united 

 in pledging themselves that the. birds shall, be carefully pre- 

 served previous to the trials, and that they will exert them- 

 selves to make the visit of the club and its guests enjoyable 

 and successful in every respect. It is expected that ai ran-r> 

 ments will be made for reduced railroad fares, coneeiTun<* 

 which duo notice will be. .given by advertisement hereafter', 



The committee uuna-niniosly voted to recommend the leas- 

 ing of permanent grounds, suitable as to size and location, and 

 the stocking and preservation of the same on a large scale 

 and to the end that this proposition, if approved, may be car- 

 ried out in time for the season of 1SS3, it was recommended 

 that at the next meeting of the Club, a special committee 

 should be appointed to make the necessary negotiations. 

 President Donner pledged himself to contribute a considerable 

 sum for the permanent establishment of the Club, and offers 

 of other large amounts were received through the committee 

 so that it is considered almost certain that the Club, in its new 

 and improved financial condition, may be able, after the pres- 

 ent year, to lease tor a long period for its own exclusive uses 

 a tract of land to be properly stocked and preserved for its 

 annual trials. It is apparent that in this wav the valua of a 

 club membership, with the privileges connected therewith 

 may be very largely enhanced, and that a more zealous spirit 

 of emulation to promote the success and growth of the Club 

 may be stimulated among all its members. 



The committee voted that the trials should begin with the 

 Member's stake on Friday morning, Nov. 17, 1SS3; the run- 

 ning for the All-Aged stake on Monday, Nov. 20; and the 

 Derby to follow and conclude. Entries for the Derby (open 

 to setters and pointers whelped on or after .Jan. 1, 1881.) close 

 July 1, 1882; for the AU-Aged and Member's stakes on Nov. 1 

 1882. All entries and communications in regard to the same 

 to be made to F. N. Hall, Secretary, P. O. Box B64, New York 

 city. 



The Member's stake this year will be a cup valued at 8100 

 which can be competed for ouly by members handling their 

 own dogs, but each member competing for the same must be 

 the bona fide owner of his dog for at least two months previ- 

 ous to Nov. L the date when the entries for this stoke are to 

 be closed. The entrance fee for the Member's stake is $10, 

 pay or play. To this stake will be joined a magnificent chal- 

 lenge cup of solid silver and valued at $250, which has been 

 generously presented by one of the members of the olub, upon 

 the condition that it shall be competed for annually in con- 

 nection with the Member's stake, and shall become the prop- 

 erty of a member only when he shall have won the Member's 

 stake on three different years. 



CLEVELAND BENCH SHOW. 



THE managers of the Cleveland Bench Show have provided 

 a liberal series of special prizes in addition to the regular 

 premiums, already announced! Silver medals will be riven 

 tor (A) best kennel 5 English setters, (Bj best kennel 5 Irish 

 setters, (C) best kennel 5 black and tan setters, (D) best ken- 

 nal 5 pointers, (E) best kennel 5 Irish water spaniels, (F) best 

 kennel 5 cockers or field spaniels. <G) best kennel 5 collie*, ill) 

 best kennel non-sporting dogs. ' I. Placque clock, ralue 30, 

 for best brace Irish setters. J. Steel engraving, van. 

 best native pointer dog, pedigree to track back three 

 tions. K. Placque, value. 610, best Irish setter puppy. L. Cash 

 $10, best English setter puppy. M. Steel engraving, value 325, 

 best St. Bernard puppy. N, Student lamp, value 810, best 

 Irish water spaniel, u". Box of cigars, best puppy, setter or 

 pointer. P. -'Book of the Dog," value Ski. 50, for best pointer 

 brood bitch, with not less than two of progeny. Q_ 

 value $15, for best brace black and tan setters. B. Steel en 

 gravings, value §35, for best pointer stud dog, with not less 

 than two of get. S. Steel engraving, value $30, r r best 

 .English setter brood bitch, with two or more of: progeny 

 T. Chair, value ?20, for best native setter dog, without Lave- 

 rack, Llewellin or field trial blood. D. Olive- stand, value, si;,, 

 best black and tan setter stud dog with two or more get. 

 V. Parker gun, value J13S, best English, Irish or black and 

 tan setter, or pointer puppy. VV. Mirror, 'value ;; : 10, be 

 eared Skye. X. Silverware, value. $15, host bull-terrier. 

 Y. Rubber wading boots, value $5, best English setter puppy 

 Z. Silver cup, value $:,'■>, best Irish setter, not placed at any 

 field trial in America. AA. Oil-stove, value iVi, best water 

 spaniel. B.B. Liquor, value, So, best fox-terrier. C'C. Silk 

 umbrella, value 88, best collie. DD. Silver cup, value S7, best 

 Yorkshire, terrier, EE. Cigars, value ->"., best rough-coated 

 tor. i.ir. FF. Album, value b20, best tov or pet dor, owned by 

 lady. GG-. Subscription to Daily Graphia. best pointer bltCa. 

 HH. Game medallion, value $80, best Irish setter puppy. 

 II. Wine, value $10, best Newfoundland dog or bitch. JJ. Sil- 

 ver cup, value .$15, best kennel of greyhounds. K' 

 dishes, value $25, best English setter dog: Lli. Cigars, value 

 Sri. best drop-oared Skye. MM. Two kegs powder, "\ aide 512. 

 best black and tan setter brood bitch, with two of pro = 'env. 

 NN Scarf-pin, value *1:.\ best fash setter brood bitch, "with 

 two of progeny. 00. Silver cup, value -r.\ best in i <■■> 

 dog, with two get. PP. Portoi ,, , - . n • . , 



brace Laveraeks, QQ, Carved (ram .<.■ u picture, 



value jjjJO, best setter or pointer, with t) I ial record. 



RR. Silver cup, value .s-.V\ best English stud dog, wito 

 ;et. SS. Dog-whin, collar and steel chain, best matched pair 

 English setters. TT. Pair rubber boots, best brace, p 

 sired by Faust. W. Cigar case, value >,"., best bulldo 

 are twelve other prizes, among them a Remington gun, value 

 $100, and a sewing machine, value #70. 



THE Sacramento Dee says of "Trunin^ vs. Breaking": -'The 

 author is the kennel editor of that well-known sporting jour- 

 nal, and a gentlemen who is regarded as the beai authority in 

 all matters pertaining to sporting dogs, His advice can be 

 relied upon by all persons interested in the breeding, care, 

 training or working of hunting dogs. " 



