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J. HORNELL ON 



Various sizes of these vallams are used according to the nature of the fishing. 

 The largest, having crews of 7 or 8 men each, are used in line fishing, 7 to 10 miles 

 off shore; a slightly smaller size, about 27 ft. long, is used in off-shore drift netting 

 and by divers engaged in the chank fishery, while still smaller ones are used for 

 inshore lining and netting. 



At Tuticorin a few of the largest size are employed also by coral-reef quarriers 

 to supply stone to the local building trade and sea-worn madrepore branches [chulli) 

 to lime-burners. The bulk of this coral-stone work is however carried on by large 



Fig 4. — A Tuticorin cargo lighter. 



plank built boats constructed as already mentioned on similar lines. The average 

 dimensions of these are : — length34feet, beam 6| feet, depth 2| feet, with a load capacity 

 of about two tons. Usually they have the same rig as the dug-out type, but when on a 

 coasting voyage they generally fit a short mizzen carrying a small lug. At the same 

 port (Tuticorin) a fine fleet of sailing lighters and coasters has been created since 

 steamer traffic was introduced, and nowhere can the successive steps in the evolution 

 of a new and dominant type be better studied than here. When coastal steam traffic 

 developed on the Indian coast about the middle of last century the cotton pressers of 

 Tuticorin built or brought to the port several square- sterned sailing lighters on Eng- 



