46 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
who are professional boat-builders often fail to imitate the dory successfully, he thinks 
the Indian builders of St. Paul have no reason to feel ashamed of their workmanship. 
The dories vary in size from about 13 feet in length on the bottom (the size used for 
hand-line cod fishing) to 15 or 16 feet. 
In some localities, particularly on the southern coast of California, the typical 
sharpy or bateau is sometimes used for fishing. Those seen were similar to the small 
flat-bottomed craft in common use on the Chesapeake and Delaware Bays. 
IX.— CHINESE FISHING CRAFT. 
The vessels and boats used by the Chinese in the Pacific coast fisheries are dis- 
tinctive in form and rig, and embrace a number of types having special peculiarities. 
The junks are the only craft large enough to be registered. These are not, however, 
documented like ordinary fishing vessels, but are considered alien vessels sailing under 
a permit from the custom-house. There is quite a fleet of junks from San Diego and 
and also one sailing from San Francisco. 
30. Chinese fishing junhs . — The junks used by the Chinese fishermen that sail from 
California, and of which examples may be found at San Diego and San Francisco, 
are generally above 5 tons, the largest of them being about 15 tons. These junks 
are built in California and resemble in many particulars craft that are used on the 
coast of China. One of the largest that sails from San Diego, and which is shown in 
fig. 2, plate xv, has the following characteristics : 
It is a carvel-built keel craft, with strong sheer, raking stem, sharp flaring bow, 
and rounding bilge. It is practically sharp aft, like an old-style “pinkie,” but has a 
sort of overhanging counter, forming a kind of square stern, which is merely an exten- 
sion of the bulwarks posteriorly. It has a very wide rudder, which, as is customary 
on Chinese junks, is so arranged that it can be lifted up when the vessel is in harbor 
or lowered below the keel when it is sailing. The object of lowering the rudder is that 
it may prevent the vessel from making too much leeway when sailing by the wind. 
The rudders of the California junks, however, are perforated with numerous holes, 
like those on vessels built in China. There is a large hatch on the after part of the 
deck and another amidships. A rude sort of windlass, which is used for hoisting the 
anchor and perhaps other apparatus, is located just forward of the mainmast. This 
junk is lorcha-rigged and carries two masts and two sails. The foremast is stepped 
close to the stem, its heel resting upon the apron a few feet under deck. It rakes 
slightly forward. The mainmast is much longer than the foremast. It stands a short 
distance forward of amidships and has no rake. It is supported by two shrouds 
on a side, one of these being set up well forward and the other several feet abaft 
of the mast. Lorcha sails, made of cotton duck, are carried. In the illustration 
these are shown furled. The foresail tacks down to a bumpkin that extends forward 
beyond the stem. Each junk is usually provided with one or more flat-bottomed skiffs, 
like those used in the shrimp fishery at Monterey, which are described in another 
paragraph. 
The junks are roughly and cheaply built; nevertheless, they have the reputation 
of being pretty good sailers and seem to be safe. They fish chiefly along the coast of 
southern California, and also on the Mexican coast, and do not return to American 
