MR. A. H. PATTERSON ON A DECAYED TRAWL-FISHERY. 35 
carried out, or the markets will be lost ; all is hurry scurry to 
fill up the small boat and get the fish to the cutter. If the 
carrier reaches the grounds at night she announces her arrival 
by firing rockets, when the vessels will gradually edge up to 
her, circling around until within easy distance. It is an ugly 
job. in all conscience, forcing the often too-heavily laden small 
boat through surging, wallowing waves to the side of the 
cutter ; a writer describes the process as “ wild work when 
the crowd of broad shallops make fast to the carrier’s quarter. 
The crashing, the wallowing, the hoarse, sharp shouts of the 
fishermen, the vast lunges of the steamer, the furious efforts 
of the labouring sailors on the carrier’s deck, make up a wildly 
exciting scrimmage. The men are active as cats, cool as 
circus gymnasts, and as strong as they are dexterous ; so the 
trunks of fish are soon heaved up and the stout rowers make 
for the smacks, which are cunningly sailed within easy distance 
of the steamer.” Not seldom have the boats been swamped, 
and the two luckless fellows, clad in heavy sea-boats, and of 
course, smacksmen like, without lifebelts, gone down into an 
ocean grave in full view of their horrified comrades. Items 
to the following effect were frequent in the local papers : — 
“ October 7th, 1873. Three men lost belonging to the 
smack ‘ Ellen,’ whilst ferrying 29 packages of fish to the 
London carrying steamer, near the Dogger Bank.” 
“ June 7th, 1873. Three of the crew of the smack ‘ Pioneer ’ 
and one of the ‘ Ethelwolf’s,’ lost at sea whilst ferrying fish 
to the London carrying steamers.” 
A few items culled at random from Crisp’s “ Chronological 
History of Yarmouth,”* which refer to the more flourishing 
period of the local trawling industry may be interesting to 
quote : — 
“ 1874. January 1st. The screw smack ‘Pioneer,’ built 
for the Steam Carrying Company, launched from Messrs. 
Fellowes’ ship-yard at Southtown. Dimensions — length of 
keel 83 ft. 6 in., 20 feet beam ; depth of hold, io ft., and 
capable of carrying 1200 packages of fish. She made her first 
* A small work compiled mostly from the columns of the local 
papers. 
D 2 
