336 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
small rope, and generally one considerably worn, it would, under any 
sudden strain, break before the hawser, and the trawl would not be lost. 
When this happens, more warp is paid out, and the vessel is steered in 
a direction which may, perhaps, clear the obstruction. If this is not 
accomplished, the next thing to be done is to try and heave up the ap- 
paratus. As the warp becomes nearly perpendicular, and the strain 
increases, the trawl generally comes away clear, frequently with only 
the net damaged, though the fishermen are not always so fortunate. 
In winter a “ hawse” is used instead of a trawl-rope stopper. This 
device is made of a piece of old towing hawser that is not good enough 
for towing. It is 19 or 20 feet long with an eye- splice at each end, and 
well parceled to prevent it from chafing on the rail. The inner end is 
shackled to a chain collar on the dummy and the other is fastened in 
the usual manner to the towing hawser and reaches just outside the 
rail. The “hawse” is used to save the towing rope from chafing on 
the rail. When towing a trawl, with strong winds, the warp is taken 
off the dummy, and the bight carried forward and stoppered to the fore- 
stay with a good piece of rope, and turns are put on the capstan ready 
for heaving. The bight is also supported along the rail with rope 
yarn. These precautions are taken to clear any vessel that may be seen 
to leeward, by coming in stays, which the smack will do at once if the 
stopper holding the “ hawse” is cast off. They are also necessary to pre- 
vent the loss of the trawl when the latter comes afoul of rough ground 
or any object on the bottom, such as a wreck, anchor, etc. The “ hawse” 
will part under a sudden heavy straiu, and it can, of course, be cut if it 
can not be otherwise cleared soon enough ; the vessel then swings at 
once head to the wind. 
After being stopped the trawl-rope is parceled where it comes across 
the rail $ it is then pushed into the proper place, where it is held by 
stout hard-wood pins which are stuck in holes bpredin the rail. It may 
be explained here that on top of the main rail is fastened a false rail, 
inches thick, to take the chafe of the towing hawser, and through 
both of these rails are bored 1^-inch holes, 1 8 inches apart, near the after 
end, where the warp usually conies, and 2J feet apart farther forward. 
The position of the trawl- warp on the rail depends on how the captain 
wants to keep the vessel’s head. If, for any reason, it is desirable to 
keep her nearly before the wind the warp is shoved aft to the mizzen 
rigging, while if she lays off too broad, the hawser is put farther forward 
and a pin stuck in the rail abaft of it. Sometimes it is necessary to 
take the warp to the capstan, which is several feet forward of the 
dummy, but, generally, the vessel will lay near enough the wind with- 
out doing this. 
When the trawl is out, the tiller is allowed to swing, the sheets are 
eased off a little, and, as a rule, the towing hawser is placed so that the 
smack will head a point or two free from the wind. The amount of sail 
lpt ? when towing the gear, as has been stated^ depends on tbo strength 
