MR. T. J. WIGG ON THE HERRING FISHERY. 309 
the night, the grounds being brilliantly lighted by means ol 
hundreds of lamps of various kinds, and a walk round at 
eventide was a revelation, for from end to end of the long 
streets of troughs, one could see the rapid working of the lasses, 
and hear the strains of Scotch songs or some popular hymn 
with a swinging chorus. 
After a few fine days in November a period of storm again 
set in, and on the loth of that month the East coast was visited 
by one of the sharpest gales from the S.E. that has been 
experienced for many years. Happily the greater part of 
the fleet took warning, made for home and got into port safely. 
Strong gales from E. to N.E. with rain squalls caused business 
to be very slow for several days. The Yarmouth and Gorleston 
Times of November 18th, 1905, thus describes the scene in 
the harbour on Saturday, November nth : — 
“ Saturday dawned very wild and threatening, and by 
daybreak a strong S.E. wind began to ‘ pipe up.’ Soon 
after 6 a.m. hundreds of boats could be seen away to wind- 
ward, with a spanking breeze on their lee. The boats, with 
every stitch of canvas set, came scudding across the roads 
and into the harbour, the scene as they crossed the Bar being 
a very exciting one, for they were able to dispense with the 
services of tugs. By 10 o’clock room was at a premium, 
.and the cry was ‘Still they come.’ By n o’clock the gale 
had greatly increased in fury, by which time the great 
bulk of the fleet were in, but where to land their fish was 
what puzzled more. Every scrap of space was crowded 
with boats, waiting for turns, and as far as the bridge on both 
sides of the river boats were to be seen disgorging themselves 
of their catches, necessitating long distance carting in order 
to reach the Wharf. The scene looking seaward from the 
gutting grounds was extremely wild. Amid the scud, steam 
drifters could be seen struggling up from the North in the 
face of the gale, and coming into port, glad enough to get 
between the Piers. The scene in the harbour was one of stir 
and bustle all day long, what with the gale and the rush in 
of the fishing fleet. To add to the inrush, over 200 boats, 
fishing out of Lowestoft, finding the gale increasing, ran into 
