The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, April 6, 1902, Page 8

« Wornan Takes 2 tormy Trip Fortb Miles to Sea on Tandem - L% ) [ T‘ {\\ n m ol where all the fish daily in if there who arly mewspaper p ous. y are t pester me and we sneake Geadly quiet belated p e lamp pos reached the waiting for u w es on deck. we slowly it was glided winked and nswered back. was reached llows we into a ed and plowed of the city and played hide ited a billow and The phosphorus the water, and a d & myriad of tiny etta it was weird. sun was coloring the her boat. A series of least the shrieks star under hezdway and ghe followe 1 our wake, but near enough for the men to shout back and ne was the station boat, and we were the market one. Our tug goes out every THE SUNDAY CALL Ix - — ” EMPT>ING FiSH =aon SCoom Npo back night, Volta and remains th; at es' out until ock we commence to fish; h a tiny nef. , and is car- ried on in a ve rope other, ost come tog With a the end of an immense on the deck bf the twin, lide apart until team slowly forward for an or possibly but very slowly—just net from picking up e bottom. During this nen eat and d then they tar then, and th make the most of their t two hours, enough to keep the all the sn: time the drink a over a thing e It maka You feella bet- as he hospitably “Coma out 3 drinka de w you strong n, n toward body, “Wine's as the bottie was in Wine, of all things, when that boat was treating us in such a playful fashion. “You no drinka de wine? No? Then watcha the fish coma up,” and he sig- naled the men that the net was com- mencing to drag he: 2 Each boat slowly winds the rope up on a drum with a block and tackle. The force pulled us backward, and we ran side by side, with the net tugging and pulling between us, for about a mile. As 1 crossed the deck I saw any amount of rope—simply heaps and heaps of it. coil after coil was being thrown from the drum, and the fish were no nearer the surface. “For heaven's sake, how much rope did you let out?” I finally demanded, after I had been forced out of one corner and into another and out again to make room for it. “Oh, only about 350 fathoms,” the cap- tain answered nonchalantly. “The fish run deep and we have to fish Geep for them.” Three hundred and fifty fathoms. Think of it! There are six feet to a fathom, and 350 times 6 makes just about 2100 feet deep. Imagine going that far for a tomcod or a crab for dinner. Think what it means. Two tugs, four- ‘teen men, forty miles to sea and fully 2100 feet down in Davy Jones' locker. That's what it amounts to when fish or salad graces your festlve board. And rea hat is not so dreadfully deep, either. Six hundred fathc of rope is now anrd ther particui let out when the fish are rly lively. Suddenly 1 commenced to squawk and jnsta side of fiv of scre itly 11l was answered. In- s there were thousands aking birds circling and cirzling about th 2 *“The net con The birds know id one of the men in an inquiring glance. “See, de it is eat answ I should never think it expect n the cc was. And the fish! fish at of my natural life- ind tons of them. to see so many time. Al almost all varie- ties, even to ¢rabs, which objected strenu- ously to their imprisonment. When the fish were in sight, the Alex- ander threw nd . rope and cast loose from s0 that the net could be drawn on board the Henrietta. Just when I they could pull : at once, I saw us a sec was wondering whether 1 that weight on board he sailors run after what looked to me like immense butterily nets that youngsters play with. In a twinkling they were scooping the squirming mass out. When the scoop was filled they pulled a string that was/fastened to the handle and away went the fish tumbling one over the other into the boxes that were standing about for that purpose. Now and then a few would wiggle out of the net or would drop from the scoop and quicker than lightning would be pounced upon by the other eager set of fishermen. Some gulls became so sated that it was almost impossible for them to fly away. They sat on the water like tame birds and I could reach out any- where and pick them up by the dozens. Day after day they wait for the fishboats to supply their daily meal and as day after day passes and they are not harmed in any way they get as bold as brass. But how those fellows knew when the net was nearing the surface was what puz- zled me. They know more than they are given credit for it seems to me. Box after box was filled and when the net was light enough to 1lift on deck there was a general “Yo-heave-ho,” and there she was. As it is 50 enormous they can’t empty it as one ordinarily would. The center 18 found and it is carefully unlaced and then the two parts drawn apart and there vou are, with fish, fish everywhere, and not a place to step. After every wiggly member is out that met is passed to the other boat, where it is promptly hoisted amid the salls to dry. A new one passed over and the fishing begins all over again, but in exactly the same way. Just as soon as the.dry one is lowered the gulls all fly chattering away and not one is to be seen until the net drags heavily. Then they are about in full force. “You coma out and geta some fish. It is fresh. Just been caught,” laughed one of the'fellows as he poked his head into the pilot-house. “‘See,”” and he held up a frying pan smoking and steaming with nicely broiled cod. “You bringa the wine and de bread and coma along. We eata all the day long. No getta sick,” and he rolled along with the grease in the pan making a halo about him. There sat the crew, nine men all told. By the side of every man, save one, an American engineer, stood a loaf of bread and a demijohn. How that wine did flow and how that fish did everlastingly dis- appear. The men laughed and joshed—I suppose—and finally broke into & rollick- ing song. Even if these men do get up at an un- earthly hour every morning and don’t get back in the city in time to see anything civilized they are a happy crowd. Life is not full of perplexity for them. There is no uncertainty in this and that and no planning and disappointments. Every day is exactly the same. What they do one day they do the next and are happy in the.doingz. Three times during the day they let that net out and three times it returned laden with unhappy members of the finny tribe. Finally the two hundred boxes were filled way up and there wasn’t a nook nor a cranny that could possibly hold another scaly wiggler. The fishing for one day was finished. As it was Friday afternoon the two tugs came in together. One captain thought he would give the other feilow a rub and our sea dog gnswered with a vigorous wave of his hand &nd & signal to the en- gineer. Away we went. The sea was be- hind us and rather smooth, so we fairly skimmed the water. The men were busy sorting the fishes anhd putting them fa their own boxes. It seemed to me that there would be more waste, but' there is comparatively little. Even when the net was full to overflow- ing only a few drifted away and those that tried to were promptly raked in with the long-handled scoops. ‘While the men were busy, they were not too occupled to fling a merry word across the water or to sing In full, round tones any opera that happened to enter their minds. For Italians know music and they love the best of it, even if they do spend the best part of their lives tumbling about an the waves in quest of fish. ‘When we were opposite the Gate the Alexander was compelled to acknowledge defeat. She slowed up and we steamed through and made in the direction of the craft that was loosing her timber. “It was rough yesterday—most rough,” said the captain as he viewed the wreck with interest. “Good for us. Fish coma to top and coma M schools. Pleaty crad yesterday. Not mucha to-day.” So, you see, when the clerk of the weather does his worst he only pleases the sea venders. These chaps can stand anything. Buffets and slaps emly please them, and there are but twe grand dis- tinctions—land and water. As we neared the pler we gent forth the most unearthly shriek. In & second we turned the side and a voice called to us, “Who are you?" *“The Henrietta,™ was answered, and one persem shouted 1t to another. Just as we climbed en terea firma Pala- dint drove up. “I'm glad to ses you alive, he called out in his jolty voice, and he added as he shook hands, any time you please on my boat and take all the photographs you please. Any girl that can stand fifteen hours on a fishing smack and come in with a smiling face deserves that.” And the biggest of the big fishermen was won. MADGE MOORE. “You can fish