306 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
into use about 1882, two vessels having been built and set to work in 
that year by the Grimsby and North Sea Steam Trawling Company, 
which has the reputation of being the first in England to construct 
vessels specially for this trade; at least the first to employ steam 
successfully, though it is on record that experiments had previously 
been made to utilize steamers for beam-trawling. 
There is considerable variation in the size of the steamers employed 
in trawling. They range from about 40 to 120 tons. Among the larges ' 
are those from Grimsby, which generally act in the double capacity of 
catchers and carriers. The Zodiac , which was the pioneer vessel of the 
last mentioned class, is an iron, ketch-rigged screw-boat, 92 feet long 
between perpendiculars, 20 feet beam, 10 feet 6 inches depth of hold, 
and 192 indicated horse-power. 1 The Granton , a Scotch built, schooner 
rigged, wooden, screw steam-trawler, one of the largest and finest of 
her class, is 108 feet long over all, 100 feet between perpendiculars, 19 
feet beam, and 10 feet depth of hold. Her nominal horse-power is 
45 ; effective horse power 225. She steams 11 knots, and makes 14 
knots under sail and steam. 2 
A few side- wheel steamers have recently been built in Scotland spe- 
cially for beam-trawlers (and for towing herring boats as well), some of 
the fishermen preferring this class of vessel to the screw steamers. These 
depend more entirely on steam-power than the propellers, and therefore 
have only one mast, stepped well forward, on which can be set a jib and 
mainsail. 
As a rule, the screw steam trawlers are fine weatherly boats, and the 
best of them are probably not surpassed in sea-going qualities by any 
vessels in the world. 
The North Sea sailing trawler is the most important type of vessel 
engaged in the beam -trawl fishery, if the numbers employed and the 
work it has to perform are taken into consideration. 
With comparatively few exceptions these vessels are built of wood ; 
a few iron smacks have been constructed, but they do not appear to have 
met with great favor, judging from the fact that their numbers have 
not been materially increased of late years. 
The North Sea trawler is designed to secure the maximum of sea- 
worthiness with a fair amount of speed. In the former quality it is 
probably not excelled by any vessel of its size in the world, and although 
it is comparatively light rigged (“jury rigged,” as it is called by some of 
the English fishermen), it nevertheless oftentimes attains a moderately 
high rate of speed. 3 It is ketch or “ dandy ” rigged-— the arrangement 
of spars and sails being specially well adapted to the work it has to 
perform. It ranges in size from 35 to 85 tons, though comparatively 
few vessels of this class are smaller than 50 tons, while many of those 
now being built range upwards of 70 tons. The following dimensions 
1 See Plates II, III, and IV, pages 294, 296, and 298. 
3 See Plate V, page 300. 
3 See Plate YI, page 302. 
