352 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
At one time I thought to go in for the luxury of dry boots, so I put a 
pair before the fire ; but in a few moments after a sea struck us, and 
when I looked down the companion again I saw one boot jammed up- 
right at the foot of the ladder full of water, and the other gaily career- 
ing all over the floor upon the bosom of a festive wave, which had floated 
up all the small gear and so-called furniture, and was then engaged 
splashing the table underneath. All this time the good skipper never 
wearied for a moment, and never left the deck except for a few seconds 
to snatch a mouthful of food, or a drink of cold-, creamless tea, which 
was his only beverage; but forced the vessel through the heavy sea 
with steam and sail combined until he carried away the gaff, and then 
with steam alone, until he brought us safely, in what even he owned to 
being c coarse weather/ through some of the most dangerous and intri- 
cate channels on the coast, and finally reaped the reward of all this 
great labor and anxiety when he heard from his employers that his 
cargo was in time for market, and that they were pleased with his ex- 
ertions.” 
In regard to the system of fishing pursued by the Grimsby trawlers, 
Mr. Mudd writes as follows under date of April 29, 188 ! : “Our vessels 
fish in fleets principally in summer, and one or two fleets continue all 
winter. A fleet of about one hundred and fifty smacks are attended 
upon by four or five steam carriers of 130 to 150 tons register, fifty to 
sixty horse-power engines, which carry their fish to market in ice; so 
that the smacks carry no ice; they [the smacks] go on the grounds for 
eight or ten weeks 7 fishing, then come home for a week and off again. 
This is the most profitable system of fishing. 
Steam trawling is a great rage just now. I helped to form a com- 
pany last year. We have two boats which have been at work three 
months with fair success. We are going in for four more. 77 
Steam trawlers, as a rule, go on the single-boatiDg system, generally 
carrying on their operations within 20 to 60 miles from the land, from 
which distance they can easily reach the markets while their catch is 
in good condition. Sometimes they act in the capacity of carriers and 
trawlers, too, fishing in a fleet, the product of which as well as their 
own catch, they take to market. It may be explained in this connec- 
tion that it sometimes happens that sailing trawlers can do little fishing 
for several days at a time, because of a continuance of calm weather. 
On such occasions the steam trawler finds her opportunity, and by the 
time that the fleet gets a good day’s fishing she may have obtained a 
large catch herself, which adds materially to the income she may derive 
from the carriage of fish. 
“When single boating, 77 writes Dunell, “they often average £60 
per week in their gross catch. During the summer they act as car- 
riers to a large fleet of sailing smacks. After being out about a week 
they will catch £10 to £60 worth of fish themselves, and at the same 
time bring in a cargo in boxes from the sailing smacks. This arrange- 
