''\/'\ '^^^^^•^'^ ->VV".-" /'\. •J;^fl,^. , c ^"-n^. "-c^-^^ 0-^0 '^<^ .^^ A^ ..,,^ % '^'^.^^ 'bVV ^^'"^ ,/' '" A V . ^^^V^^^ '^'•'^'' ^'^ <-. ^<^ 0^ o"!"* ' r-.^ 4 o > o;' •^ $??• A«i^ - ^V-^, m ^a ^^6" A'- </ •J^b' •^ ^ . " ^ ^> •> (/•••.-:-0 ' .>» .^^^ ,,1- y tN^ "^A 0^ ^0 ^'^L i^ -r, <i>, * o . ' v'!^'^ >'l, ^-^ -^^ tb -J^ ^ .>^ •<f. ..se^^..'- o '-^..^ oC^-^'. ^^ .-^^^' *^/^'' ^0^ ^C^-' b V^ v^'' V' v./ ^Jll^,^ O > -^^0^ v^.-?^* -^ ^i^i^.' ^ '^ <^ ^^^W^%'^^.' <i> ^ A .0' <-^' ^ \ n-'. ^ ^ \ ^ a I : THE FISHERMEN'S ^Peiiwriiil mu\ ^mxA §mh BY GEOKGE H. PROCTEK, CONTAININ& A LIST OF VESSELS AND THEIK CREWS, LOST FROM THE PORT OF GLOUCESTER FROM THE YEAR 1830 TOTCTOBER 1, 1873, EMBRACING A PERIOD OF NEARLY HALF A CENTURY; COMPRISING FOURTEEN HUNDRED AND THIRTY-SEVEN NAMES, AND TWO HUNDRED AND NINETY-SIX VESSELS, INCLUDINO THOSE LOST IN THE GALE OF AUGU'ST 24, 1873. IT ALSO CONTAINS VALUABLE STATISTICS OF THE FISHING BUSINESS, OFF-HAND SKETCHES, BIG TRIPS, TALES OF NARROW ESCAPES, MARITIME POETRY, AND OTHER MATTERS OF INTEREST TO THESE TOILERS OF THE SEA. / GLOUCESTER PROCTER BROTHERS, Publishers, CAPE ANN ADVERTISER OFFICE. 1873. 1^ Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1873, by GEORGE H. PROCTER, In the office of the Librarian of Congress, at WasMngton. Procter Brothers, Printers, Gloucester, Mass. ; TABLE OF CONTENTS. PAGE I. — Preface 1 II. — Perils attending the Fisheries 3 III,— List of the Names of Twelve Hundred and Sixty-five Men and Two Hundred and Eighty Vessels Lost in the Fisheries and other maritime branches, from the Port of Gloucester, from the year 1830 to July 1st, 1873, embracing a period of nearly half a century ; also, the Valuation of the Vessel Property and Insurance thereon 8 IV. — Table of Kecapitulation 53 V. — On Georges in the Terrible Gale of February 24th, 1SC2. The ex- perience of one who was there for the first and last time . .64: of its Commencement , VI. — The Mackerel Fishery—Giving an Account years GO and Progress, with Statistics of the Catch for the past thirteen . VII. — The Haddock, Pollock, Cod and Halibut Fisheries, giving an Ac- count of the First Trips to Georges for Codfish 65 VIII. — The Commerce of Gloucester and the Fisheries .... 68 IX. — The Winter Fishery of 1846 — a Comparison between Then and Now, showing the wonderful Increase of this Branch of the Business . 69 X. — " Uncle Charlie's " Recollections of the Old Pinkey and Jigger Fleets also, of the Square Sterners, Half-Clipper and Clipper Model Fishing Vessels '^' XI. — Account of the First Trips to Georges after Halibut . ... 77 XIL — Incidents of the Gale of September 8th, 18G9 79 XIII. — Sea Fish and Fisheries 81 XIV. — Big Trips in the Bank, Georges, Mackerel and Haddock Fisheries 82 87 XV. — How the Pinkey Charles weathered it XVI. — Loss of Two Rockport Vessels. Thrilling Narrative of Mr. Charles Jordan, sole survivor of the crew of Schooner Helen Eliza. His Perilous Position and Wonderful Escape 88 XVII. — Fishermen's Superstitions. Remarkable Verifications of Dreams. Wonderful Presentiment 92 XVIII. — Greenland and Iceland Halibut Fisheries 96 XIX. — Estimated Products of the Fisheries for the year 1872. Tonnage Statistics 97 IV CONTENTS. XX. — Remarkable Escapes of Schooners Onward and Seddie C. Pyle on Georges — Loss of Schooners A.R.Andrews, and Rescue of her Crew — Lost in the Fog — Rescued from tlie Jaws of Death — Comprising the Details of Karrow Escapes by the Fisliermcn 98 XXI. — The Pirate Tacony's Raid upon the Fishermen .... 105 XXII. —A Valuable Branch of Industry 107 XXIII. — Recapture of Schooner E. A. Horton from the Custody of the Dominion Government — A Daring Act by a Yankee Skipper and his Crew 108 XXIV. — The Severe Storm of 1839 115 XXV. — Fishermen's children Playing on the Beach 117 XXVL — The Cape Ann Fishermen of To-Day 119 XXVII. — How Harry G. came to Sign the Pledge 123 XXVIII. — Picking the Nets and Trawls, in which we find a good haul of Sketches, Incidents and Facts, relative to the Fisherman and his Occu- pation 125 XXIX. — Dashings of Spray from Wavelets of Maritime Poetry by Home Authors 129 XXX. — A Musical Fisherman — His First Violin — Early Struggles — His Cruise in The Rival — Shipwrecked Yankee Fishermen Giving Con- certs in the Provinces .......... 149 XXXI. — Loss of Schooner Neptune's Bride — Two of the Crew saved — Eighteen hours on the Mast-Head —A Perilous Passage . 153 XXXII. — Leaves from the Log Book of Captain James Pattillo — How He served a Dominion OflScer who Boarded the Schooner Abigail — Puts to Sea in the Teeth of a Gale and outsails the Cutter — How he gets a load of Herring for Schooner Tiger — A Fearful Time on Georges in Schooner Alexander 156 XXXIII. — "Here comes Father's Vessc-l" 164 XXXIV. — Appendix 166 XXXV. — The Terrible Gale of Sunday, August 24th, 1873, List of the Lost Men and Vessels 167 XXXVI. — Sum Total of Losses for the past Forty-three Years . 172 PREFACE oXKo For some time past it has been my desire to prepare a Memorial Volume, which would con- tain, among other matters of interest to the fishermen, as well as to the large number of vessel owners and fitters, a record which should be as complete as could possibly be gathered, of that vast number who have been lost from the port of Gloucester, while toiling on the fish- ing-grounds, in the arduous avocation of wrest- ing from old ocean her finny treasures. Here in this volume are the names of these men recorded, and here will their memories be perpetuated among their shipmates and rela- tives, and handed down to those who in the j^ears to come shall sail the vessels, haul the lines and nets, in the prosecution of a business which has given to Gloucester a goodl}' portion of her wealth, and placed her in the position of the largest fishing port in the world. To the fishermen, the workers — those who have fought the elements at inclement seasons — much of this prosperity is due, and it has been my aim to render the volume of special interest to them and theirs. To those who have been so kind in furnishing information and in- cidents during the canvassing of the past six months, and who by their words of appreciation of the work have so efficiently aided its progress, I return my warmest thanks, as without their hearty co-operation its pages would not contain such a large array of facts and incidents. Those who have ever undertaken anything of a sim- ilar nature, requiring such persistent labor, know full well how much their success depends upon this " interviewing" process, which is, when courteously conducted, the surest means of obtaining informa- tion. Most especially would I return thanks to John S. E. Kogers, of the Gloucester Telegraph, and to John W. Wonson, for their courtesy in furnishing the means of obtaining information relative to some of the crew lists of vessels lost previous to 1850. I am also under obligations to John L. Shouey, Esq., editor of the Nut- II PKEFACE. serrj^ Boston, for facilities in obtaining some of the fine engravings wliich adorn tlie volume. And now, sending tliis, my first-born literary venture in book form into the world, I have in my lieart a hope that the fishermen and their families may find it of sufficient interest to insure for this Memorial and Record Book a welcome place on the home book- shelf, or a snug position among the I'eading matter on board the vessel. GEORGE H. PROCTER. '"»"""""" 'iiiiiiit Perils Attending the Fisheries. There is scarcely a branch of business in the known world which is pursued with such a fearful loss of life and property as that which attends the fisheries. To watch the pretty crafts when they sail away on their summer cruises for mackerel, gives one an idea that such an avocation is replete with enjoyment. These trips are in reality very pleasant, affording considerable excitement, much jollity, and agree- able labor, which yield good returns ; this may well be called the sunny side of the picture, for such it really is, although during the latter portion of them, in the autumn months, rough weather is often encountered with its accompanying dangers. When, however, winter comes, and the necessities of the fisher- men, many of whom have large families, render it imperative that they must follow winter fishing on Georges or to the Banks, then is presented a far different aspect. The summer with its balmy breezes, pleasant weather, clear skies and placid waters, gives place to the keen blasts, piercing cold, boisterous winds, murky sky and raging waters. Then the thick driving snow-storm, the terrible gales with 3 f 4 fishermen's memorial and record book. requiring all their accompaniments of disaster and discomfort, the steady hand at the wheel, the firm purpose to meet and overcome obstacles, the determination on the part of these bread-winners to meet the perils which encompass their pathway over the trackless waters, to ride out the storm, if possible, or, under canvas, to keep their little craft safely afloat, until the danger is past and they can once more resume fishing. Danger lurks in the track of the fisher- men during the inclement season, and they literally take their lives in their hands when they sail away on their winter trips. Since the introduction of trawl fishing, some twelve years since, lost another peril has been added to the fisheries, viz. : that of being from the dories while visiting trawls, or estrayed during the fog which oftentimes shuts in on the fishing grounds, enveloping them like a pall.