Yale University Library

39002008475700

fA I

'f'^c.-.^*

YALE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY

c

1876, by FROCTER

ftefe®

OF GLOTJCESTEK,

FROM 1628 TO 1876,
! WITH

THE

5^i^l\ef ie^ of G^^loude^tef

FROM THE

rmST CATCH BY THE ENGLISH
IN 1623,
^0 tl\e der\ter|i|ikl Yeki^, l8^6.

GIVING AN ACCOUNT OP

THE SETTLEMENT OF THE TOWN ; DEVELOPMENT OF THE
FISHING BUSINESS j VARIOUS BRANCHES ; STATIST
TICS OF CATCH; MODELS OF VESSELS;

The Granite Interest ; The Advantages of Capp Ann as a
Place of Summer Resort.-Etc, Etc,

GLOUCESTER :
PROCTER BROTHERS, Bublishers,
CAPB Ann ADVijRTISEK Opficb.

/YALE

(^hiM 5

iO

PREFACE.

In this centennial year of the nation,
when all the world is to be represented
at Philadelphia, our young city by the
sea, through some of her leading citi
zens, felt a strong desire to add her trib
ute to the exhibition, and let the people
know what she had been doing for a hundred j-ears or more.
The, Centennial fever was raging ever3'where, and the sj-mptoms
were soon manifest in our community. Meetings were held, and it
was determined that the fishing business, which Gloucester had pur
sued so long and clung to so tenaciouslj-, through good seasons and
poor, through sacrifices of life and property which are indeed appall
ing, should be represented. To this end a committee was appointed,
and owing to their untiring zeal and labors there raaj' be seen in the
Gloucester department of the Agricultural Building at Philadelphia,
a tank 23 x 12 feet, filled with water, in which correct models of the
fishing fleet, of the olden time and of modern times, are afloat, illus
trative of the various branches of the fisheries. A miniature wharf,
of the present day, perfect in all its details, and a cob wharf of the
olden time, a graving dock and marine railway, make into the tank,
while crews.of miniature model fishermen, clad in the garments pe
culiar to their avocation, impart animation to the scene, the whole
giving a vivid idea of the manner in which the fisheries of Glouces
ter are pursued. About the tank may be seen specimens of the
products of the fisheries, of fishing gear, cordage and various patent
ed articles of merit used in the business, together with specimens of
minerals, mosses, shells, coral, sea-corn, and other curious produc
tions of old Neptune's garden at the bottom of the sea, brought in
by the fishermen or gathered along our beaches.
In connection with this exhibition, this pamphlet has been prepar
ed, giving a history of Gloucester and of her advancement in that

branch of industry in which she has attained such a prominent posi
tion, that, in this Centennial year, she can safely challenge any port
in the world to a comparison with her catch of fish, her clipper ves
sels, and the enterprise and daring with which the business is prose
cuted. She stands to-day at the head of the fisheries, as headquart
ers for the purchasing of fish, from first hands, a fact which a walk
about her wharves demonstrates to a certainty. The telegraph brings
orders daily from all portions of the countrj', and the facilities for
transportation arc such as to warrant purchasers to send their orders
direct to Gloucester. If another half-century witnesses such rapid
growth and progress in this branch, as the past has developed, we
may expect to sec the shores of her outer harbor lined with wharves,
the much talked of breakwater on Dog Bar completed, the marginal
railroad in active operation, horse railroads around the Cape and
throughout the city, her population doubled, and vacant lots on hill
side and valley, covered with neat dwelling houses.

GLOUCESTER AND HER FISHERIES.

VIEW OF GLOUCESTER IX 1830.

CHAPTER 1.

Geological — Islands — First Occupation op Territory — Early
Settlement — Growth of Town — Division of Lands — Ship
Building — Military Services, etc.
5j,_j-|HE northern promontory of Massachusetts Baj-, known as
liSlI Cape Ann, on which the City of Gloucester is situated, is a
headland of about five miles in average breadth and extend
ing about nine miles from the main land into the Atlantic Ocean.
Its geological features are remarkable, and, at first sight, strike ev
ery beholder with astonishment. The under-lying formation seems
to be everywhere of solid granite, which rises to the surface over a
considerable portion of the territoiy, and in several places is thrown
up roanj' feet above, forming rocky hills and extensive and precipi
tous ledges. Scattered thickly, too, all over the territory are bould
ers of every size, having, in many instances, such regularity of shape
and vast magnitude as to entitle them to no mean rank as natural
curiosities. In a few places these boulders are heaped together in
immense masses, extending over large tracts of tlie surface, where
the eye seeks in vain for signs of vegetation or even for soil to sup
port it. These peculiar features of Cape Ann give a somewhat rug
ged and sterile aspect to the sceneiy, but this is amply compensated

by the unrivalled attractions of beauty and sublimity which the
ocean here presents.
Oflr the head of the Cape, and quite near the shore, lie three
islands worthy of mention on account of some historical note ; for
they are the same islands, fronting "the fair headland Tragabig-
zanda," named the Three Turks' Heads by Capt. John Smith, in
1614. They are now known by other names, one of which, Thach-
er, perpetuates the memory of the first and most distressing ship
wreck that ever happened on the Cape, by which, in August, 1635,
about twenty persons, men, women and children, lost their lives at
that island, upon which Mr. Anthony Thacher and his wife were
thrown alive by the sea, and were the only survivors.
The first occupation of Cape Ann by people of the English race
was in 1623, when a fishing vessel, sent by a company in England
with a view to the establishment of a settlement somewhere on the
coast, not being able to complete her lading at the usual fishing
grounds on the coast of Maine, " the master thought good to pass
into Mattachusetts Bay, to try whether that would j'ield him any."
Here he succeeded ; and, having completed his. cargo, proceeded
with the same to Spain ; having left fourteen men " in the country
at Cape Anne," for the purpose, without doubt, of beginning the
work of the plantation projected by the English company. History
refuses to gratify us with any further information concerning these
men, but we know that, besides the pilgrims at Plj'mouth, the only
other persons of European parentage they could then find within the
present limits of Massachusetts were a few persons at Nantasket
and a few others at Wej'mouth.
Early in the next year (1624) the same ship, commanded by the
same master, and accompanied by another vessel of one hundred and
forty tons, came again to Cape Ann, and, after an unsuccessful sea
son's fishing, returned to England, leaving now thirtj--two men to
remain at the plantation. Not discouraged by the ill success of this
year the adventurers in England continued their eflbrts to establish
a permanent colony on the shores of Cape Ann, and sent, in the
next year, three vessels, one of which, of about forty tons, brought
out " kiiie and other provisions." They also appointed a competent
iffan, R^ger Conant, to be its governor ; but from various causes
their enterprise came to an end this j-ear and the plantation was
broken up. Mr. Conant, with some of his companions, removed a
few miles further west to Naumkeag, now Salem, where, soon after
" a new colony upon the old foundation," was established, which, in

DAYIS & FEAES,
MANUFACTUEEKS OF STANDARD
Black and YelloAv

Lincoln and Cape Ann Sou' Westers,
FANCY AND CAPE ANN LONG COATS,

OUE STANDAED BLACK OIL CLOTHINQ
is the only genuine in tlie market, as we are the only parties having the i^atent process of
mixing and applying the Black Pkeparation.
Also our JC'E'KitjO'W is not excelled by any manufacturer in the country, being
made from the best Cotton Cloth in the market, and using pure boiled Linseed Oil
which is prepared expressly for us, we can warrant them perfect in every respect.
SEND FOR PRICE LIST. SAMPLES SENT IF REQUIRED.
Office and Manufactory,
BXtQiW^EBTBE, {GAPE AMN.^ MAm,

a short time, became the great Colony of Massachusetts Bay. Du
ring these last two years the Plymouth people seem also to have
carried on the fishing business at Cape Ann, having had, in 1625,
two vessels engaged in it, but their eff"orts in this direction were also
abandoned at the end of the last named year.
A spot on the westerly side of the principal harbor of the Cape,
the largest tract of land on its borders fit for planting, has always
been pointed at by tradition as the spot occupied by these first Eng
lish occupants, and early records designate the place as " flSsher-
man's field." Here they dried their fish and gave some attention to
the cultivation of the soil, receiving an occasional visit from the na
tives probably for purposes of trade ; and we can scarcely doubt
that they sometimes ascended the high ledge of rock on the shore,
so marked a feature on the spot, to look down upon the settlement
and the queerly-shaped and singularly-rigged vessels lying at anchor
oflT their "stage" or wharf; and to enjoy a view of the beautiful
sheet of water before them, embosomed as it then was in a girdle of
the original forest.
How soon after the departure of Conant and his company Cape
Ann became the residence of new settlers, it is impossible to tell.
From a sermon of the last century it seems to have had inhabitants
in 1633, and there can be no doubt that fishing was " set forward,
and some stages builded" as early as 1639. In 1642 the settlement
had grown to such consequence b}- the arrival of Rev. Richard Blyn-
man with several others from Plymouth Colonj', and a few families
from Salem, that, in May of that year, it was established to be a
plantation and called Gloucester. The whole number of settlers to
the close of 1650 was eightj'-two, about one-third of whom remained
in town and found here their final resting-place. Of a few of these,
Babson, Bray, Day, Elwell, Haskell, Ingersol, Robinson, Sargent,
and Somes, descendants continue at the present time.
Strange as it maj' seem, there is nothing to show that the first
settlers of Gloucester were fishermen. A very few may have been
engaged in that occupation, in a small way ; but it is certain that
almost all of them were emploj-ed on the land and not on the sea.
Several of them were ship-carpenters, and one of these, William
Stevens, was one of the most prominent of the settlers. He enjoj'ed
some fame in his occupation before he came to New England, as the
builder of the " Royal Merchant," a great ship of 600 tons, at Lon
don ; and we know that he built a ship in Gloucester in 1661 ; and
perhaps he built many others in the intervening years. Though it

!l m

T^^^T'TP'

m

IJ-V^ ^T'T'

I

BLACK AND YELLOW.
^s^ ? 'JT.

4-. 'J''

Karingr liad a larg-e and Airect iiractical experience witli tbe
n'anti^ of tlie
FISHERMEN AND SEAMEN,
anil baving: devote«l nty wbole time exclusivelv- for jeara to tbe man
ufacture anfl improvement of

I claim a superiority- for my g-oods over all otber manufacturers,
and offer tbem to tbe tra<le as tbe
BEST IN THE MARKET !
For tlie protection of the trade, all tny goods are sold di
rect from the Manufactory, and all orders should be ad
dressed to
J. F. CARTER,
GLOUOESTEE, (CAPE ANN,) MASS.

10
seems hardly possible that the town could have been less inviting
for agricultural purposes, it is true that many of the first and later
settlers took up such scattered tracks of clear land as they could
find and derived their means of subsistence chiefly from the cultiva
tion of the soil.
The Church organized by the first settlers was the nineteenth, in
the order of formation, in the Colony of Massachusetts. It was not
a happy body of Christians for a number of years. Dissensions pre
vailed during Mr. Blynman's ministry, and probably hastened, if
they did not induce, his departure from the town. He removed to
New London in 1650, and was soon followed by many of the friends
who had accompanied him to Cape Ann. The next settled minister
was Rev. John Emerson, who came in 1660, and continued till his
ministry was closed by death in 1700. A second church was set off
from the first in 1716, a third in 1728, a fourth in 1742, and a fifth
in 1754, and corresponding divisions of the territory into parishes
were also made. These parochial divisions have now no significance
whatever, and the religious societies of the city at the present time
are entirely independent of them.
The town had slow growth during the first half century of its ex
istence. The whole number of men who became new settlers from
1651 to 1700 inclusive, was only eightj'-seven, of whom about fifty
became permanent settlers, and were residents of the town when
they died. The names of some of them are numerously represented
by descendants, and it is not likely that Davis, Hodgkins, Lane,
Lufkin, Norwood, Parsons, Pool and Rowe will cease to be the
names of living persons on Cape Ann for many generations to come.
In 1700 there were about 700 inhabitants in the town. Nearly all
of the tax-paj-ers were commoners, that is, owners of all the territo-
tory of the town not yet granted awaj*. Except in one instance, to
William Stevens, of five hundred acres on the Chebacco side of An-
nisquam River, no verj- large grant had been made. Only one gen
eral grant in contiguous lots, that of 1688, had been made to all the
commoners ; but the possession of the soil was constantly becoming
a greater object of desire on account of the fine growth of timber
with which it was covered, and it was this, without doubt, which
led, in the first quarter of the eighteenth century, to the transfer of
all the common land into the hands of the individual proprietors.
The town hitherto had been of no importance as a maritime place ;
and, at the close of its first half century, all the property it held in
vessels was comprised in six sloops, a boat, and a shallop. But a

11

RICHARDSON'S PATENT ICE CRUSHER.

Awarded Silver Medal by Ameri
can Institute, N. Y.,
With important and valua
ble improvements,
is now used by all of the Fresh
rish Packers of Gloucester, Mass.,
also by others on the Atlantiq
Coast and the Great Lakes who all
recommend it as an economical
machine, saving ice, labor, time,
flsh and freight, for, with less la
bor, the ice it crushed so uniformly
in size that more fish, with less ice
can be packed in the same space,
and kept longer and better than
with ice crushed by any other
method. Look at one, in Agricultural
Building, Columns A and B; 20
and 21 in Gloucester's exhibition of
the progress in the fisheries; in
Machinery Building, Sec. B 3, Col
umn 19; or in Tufts' Soda Foun
tain Establishments on the Cen-
tennial Grounds.
Send for Circular to
DAVID W. LOW,
Agent,
aiOUCESTEE, UASS.

rioha.rdso:n's
— AST) —
THE CENTENNIAL STEERERS
CONTAINING MANY VALUABLE IMPROVEMENTS AND WELL WOR
THY THE ATTENTION OF VESSEL OWNERS.
Four hundred of them are now
in use on Fishing Vessels and
Yachts and have given perfect sat
isfaction. ClieaiivMt »ncl Best
W^livf'la ill file marhet.
In vessels using these Steerere,
the wheel can be left in any position
without securing it by beelcet or other
wise. When blowing hard or in a
heavy sea, the man at the wheel is
in no danger of being injured or
'• thrown," as the action of the sea
has no effect whatever upon the wheel.
Nautical men will see the advanta
ges of this in the coasting trade or
in vessels short-handed.
ft on ly requires five and a half rev
olutions of the wlieel from hard up
to hard down.
For full particulars and references
send for pamphlet and price list to
FRED. L. STACY, Agent,
GLOUCESTER, MASS.

12
season of great activity in ship-building now commenced. Ships
and brigantine's were built for Boston merchants, and a large num
ber of sloops by people of the town for their own use. Many of the
latter were used for the convej'ance of wharf timber and other wood
to Boston, and some were emploj'ed in the distant eastern fislicries ;
but there is nothing to show that Gloucester had, before 1700, a
single vessel engaged in fishing as far east as Cape Sable. About
this time, however, a vigorous pursuit of this business began, and
with var3-ing fortune it has been carried on to the present time.
Out of the fisheries of the town grew a commerce with foreign coun
tries — chieflj' Spain, Portugal, and the West Indies at first, but
finally with many other parts of the globe. This has ceased in late
j-ears, and it may be said that now Gloucester sends no merchan
dise across the seas, and with the exception of cargoes of salt for
use in her fisheries, receives none. It does however carry on some
trade with the British maritime provinces of North America.
This town has worthily borne its share of all public burthens. It
sent about one-quarter part of all its men fit for military duty to
suppress the great Indian rising of 1675, and always contributed its
full quota to the various militaiy expeditions against the French
and Indians in the subsequent 3'ears till the final reduction of Can
ada. In the memorable j-ear of 1775 the people rose to the full
magnitude of the great interests at stake ; and with a prospect of
suffering and gloom opening before them, declared that they would
defend their liberties at the expense of all that was dear to them.
So they had two companies in the battle of Bunker Hill, and sent
altogether two hundred and twenty men iu the first campaign of the
war ; and when Capt. Liuzee, in the sloop-of-war Falcon, attacked
the town in the same year, and attempted plunder and destruction,
they boldly met his force and defeated and captured it : and when,
after a year of great hardship and suffering, on the 24th of June,
1776, the great question of a declaration of independence by Con
gress came before them at a large town-meeting called on purpose
to consider it, thcj- voted unanimousl3', if Congress should resolve
upon the measure, to support them in it with their lives and for
tunes. In ten daj-s the Declaration was proclaimed to the world.
The immortal document was read from all the pulpits of Gloucester,
and copied into the records of the town. It was also copied into
the records of tlie Third Parish, whose patriotic clerk, Thomas Mar-
ett, added — " May God Bless these Free and Independent States

13

NEW ENGLAND FISH CO.,

(Sdccessoes to a. W. Dodd,)
Wbolesale Dealers in and Ship
pers of

DODD'S WHARF, GLOUCESTER, MASS.

-A.. ^V. BRA.Y, ^gent.

Wholesale Dealers and Shippeks or
Fresh Halibut,
COD, HADDOCK,
Salt and Pickled Fish,
l&m&miev,j Mm

W. H. OAKES,

S. G. POOL,

W. H. GARDNER.

STOCKBRIDaE & CO.,
SHIPPERS OF

FRESH HALIBUT

and Wholesale Dealers in
FRESH AND SALT FISH,
STEAMBOAT WHARF, - - Foot of Duncan Street,

Seth Stockbridge,
D. I. Robinson.

Wholesale Dealers and Shippers of

FRESH

FISH,

STONE, RICHARDS & CO., )
ANDREWS, RICH & CO., >
P. H. PRIOR & CO. >

WM. H. COOK, Agent and Treas.

14
Till Time shall be no more, with Liberty, Peace, and Safctj'. May
America be Emanuel's Land. Amen and Amen."
The Revolutionary War brought great poverty and distress upon
tlie people of the town. Their own soil afforded but a scanty sup-
pl3' of the necessaries of life, and they were obliged to send vessels
to Virginia for the corn which they could not raise at home. Their
commerce and fisheries were destroyed. The young and middle-
aged men fell victims to the war — some on the battle-field, some by
sickness at camp, some in prison ships, and many in the depths of
the ocean. More than one hundred went down at sea, in two pri
vateer ships which were never heard from after their last departure
from home ; and more than three hundred, about one-third of all the
able-bodied men of the town, who had bravely entered into the con
test for liberty, were no longer among the living when the great
blessing of independence was secured. With this result achieved
and a wide field for energy opened, the people resumed their former
pursuits, and though the ante-revolutionary prosperity of the fisher
ies was not fully restored, they found in that branch and a success
ful foreign commerce sufficient returns to j-ield them all the substan
tial enjoyments of existence.

15

HiGGINS&GIFFORD

Manufacturers of

SAIL JJOATS, SEINE BOATS,
ROW BOATS, PILOT CANOES,
YAWL BOATS, LAUNCHES,
^QUAETEB BOATS, DINKEYS, and
DORIES.
NEW AND SECOND-HAND
Seine Boats, Dories and
Ya-wl Boats,
Constantly on Hand. Also,
Dealers in Boat Trimmings.
REFERENCES :— Most any fitter in Gloucester or New England.
P. 0. Bo:;, No. 130, GLOUCESTER, MASS. Send for Price List.
wm. H. WONSON ^ SON,
Wholesale Dealers in and Cureks op

SU Oi'def^, feyBqail of otl\efwi^e, pfomptly attended to.

Wm. H. Wonson,
Wm. H. Wonson, 3d.

sn^iTs: & o-OTT.

'TlShole^ale 3fi^h '^ealev^^

Sylvanus Smith,
Addison Gott, Jr

149 JAOKSOIsT STREET,
BMmmM^F! Mam*

VIEW OF THE OLD FORT AND HARBOR IN 1837, WITH GRAND BANKER
AND PINKEY AT ANCHOR.

CHAPTER 2.
Early Fisheries — New Settlement — Fishing Losses — Fisheries
Previous to the Revolution.
Nature has marked out the principal employments to which the
people who dwell on Cape Ann must resort for the means of sub
sistence. When they want bread they may, indeed, according as
the demand for granite is great or small, get it from stone ; but
their chief reliance must be upon the occupations which call upon
men to go down to the sea in ships. We have already seen that
the first of the English race who occupied its shores were attracted
by the advantages here offered for carrj-ing on " the great sea busi
ness of fishing."
About twenty years before the period just alluded to, Gosnold,
the first navigator known to have visited the coast, so "pestered his
ships" with codfish, while lying off one of its capes, that that head
land, from this circumstance, then received the name it has ever^
since borne— Cape Cod. Twelve years later (1614) another Eng
lish captain, the famous John Smith, found about Monhegan, on the
coast of Maine, " within a square of two or three leagues," the
" strangest fish-pond" he ever saw ; where, in 1619, an English ship
got a fare that yielded twenty-one hundred pounds in money ; and
where, the next j-ear, several ships did even better than that. His
account of the abundance of fish in those waters has even a touch of

17

GEORGIE PERKINS & SON,

WHOLESALE ^^^K

DEALERS IN

Dry Fish, Maclerel, Smoked Halibut, k„
JOSEPH O. PEOOTEE,
INSPECTOE AND WHOLESALE DEALER IN

r^ und ffckhd f^i§h

COMMERCIAL STREET,

^VHOLESALE

FISH BBAl^BUi,
GLOUCESTER, BVIASS.
And 505 N. 2d Street, - - ST. LOUIS.
GEO. P. TRIGG & CO.,
WHOLESALE DEALERS IN
Off k Piclled Fisli,
PROVISIONS, &c.,
182 Duane Street, NEW YORK, and
GLOUCESTER, MASS.

GEO. P. TRIGG,
SIMEON M. AYERS.

TS. B. MannfMctarerii of tbe Ct^Iebrateil JEVIti:-
X£A and BOSXlJLXlSei flSH.

18
poetic rapture ; for he asks "what sport doth yield a more pleasing
content, and less hurt or charge, than angling with a hook, and
crossing the sweet air, from isle to isle, over the silent streams of a
calm sea." From the date of Capt. Smith's voyage English ships
continued to resort to the coast of Maine for flsh for several years,
but their visits appear to have ceased soon after the settlement of
the country. He tells us that thirty-flve came in 1622, the year be
fore the voyage of the one that came flrst as far to the west as Cape
Ann. These flshing voyages to the coast of Maine led to the estab
lishment of several flshing plantations in that part of the country,
and before 1640 it seems that at Pemaquid, Casco Bay, Cape Por
poise, Piscataqua, the Isles of Shoals, and perhaps at some other
places, settlements had already been made, from one of which, in
the six years from 1639 to 1645, three thousand quintals of flsh
were exported. The Pilgrims at Plymouth do not appear to have
engaged in fishing as a regular employment ; but, in the first settle
ment of the Massachusetts Colony, at Salem, we flnd preparations
for flshing ; for, in 1629, materials for the business were sent over,
and mention is made of fishermen among the settlers ; and, as early
as 1634, a merchant of the country was fishing with eight boats at
Marblehead. The last date brings us to notice a new settlement on our own
shores, which was made in 1G33 ; but no facts authorize us to say
that the settlers were fishermen, or, indeed, what their employments
were. The lapse of six years, however, again connects our territory
with fishing occupations, and brings us to a proper starting point
for a brief historical sketch of the fisheries of Gloucester.
By an act of the General Court, passed May 22, 1639, it was or
dered that a fishing plantation should be begun at Cape Ann, with
certain privileges and exemptions, for the encouragement of Mr.
Maurice Thomson, merchant of London, and others, to promote the
fishing trade. To what extent Mr. Thomson availed himself of the
encouragement here offered, no one now can tell, and if it were not
that the Gloucester Records contain one single reference to the
" parcell of land where Mr. Tomson's frame stood," there would ex
ist nothing to show that he ever even commenced the enterprise.
This " frame" stood, it is supposed, on what was afterwards called
Duncan's Point, so named from Peter Duncan, a merchant, who
owned the place and carried on a small trade there about 1662. It
is worthy of note that a steamer now leaves this very spot daily,
laden with the products of the Gloucester fisheries to be distributed

19

Established 1849.

John Pew & Son,
Producers of and Wholesale Dealers in

And Importers of

83 Spring Street, Gloucester, Mass.

JOHN PEW.

CHAS. H. PEW.

JOHN J. PEW.

20
all over this vast country. It seems probable that Mr. Thomson, or
some one else, did something more than erect a* frame about the time
the act was passed for his encouragement, for a writer of that period
who was in the country in 1639, mentions Cape Ann as a place
" where flshing is set forward, and some stages builded ;" and anoth
er early writer calls "Cape Ann a place of fishing; being peopled
with fishermen till the Reverend Mr. Richard Blindman came." Of
the company who came with him, and of other settlers who came
about the same time, it does not appear that any engaged in the fish
ing business. It is certain that neai-ly if not all of them sought the
most favorable spots for agriculture they could find, though it is quite
probable that a few, who were located' around the harbor, may have
engaged to a very limited extent in shore fishing in small boats. In
a case of litigation, in 1651, about a piece of a net, mention is made
of "the bote and voyg ;" and about that time there appears to have
been a fishing stage at Annisquam. A few years later Peter Duncan
carried on a small trade at the Point, in the Harbor, where it is sup
posed that Mr. Thomson erected a building or a frame for the pur
poses of his fishery in 1639, and, in company with others, owned a
shallop. One man, in 1663, agreed to pay a debt of fifty pounds in
" good merchantable fish and mackerel," and at this time we find
"flsh and mackerel" among the articles in which the salary of the
minister was to be paid ; but not till many years after the settlement
of the town can anj' evidence be found that a vessel of sufficient size
to resort to distant flshing banks was owned in it. In two instances,
in 1680, a sloop is found as part of the property of deceased settlers,
and, in 1693, a tax-list on record at the State House in Boston, shows
that all the personal estate of this description, then held by the people
of Gloucester, was composed of six sloops, a shallop and a boat ;
and one or more of these, there is reason to suppose, was employed
in wood-coasting. In 1695 the sons of Jeffrey Parsons had a flshing
stage at Fieherman's Field, and one of them, who died in 1714, had
one third of a fishing vessel, one half a shallop, and one half of an
open sloop, all valued at £54 ; and another, who died in 1722, had
three " scooners," part of two sloops, and shop goods and stores for
fishing. At the last named date this business seems to have become
firmly established in the town, though to what extent it was pursued
can be a matter of conjecture only ; but it seems quite certain that
persons were engaged in it at the Harbor and at Annisquam, — at the
latter place more extensively, perhaps, than at the former, for one
merchant, whose vessels sailed from 'Squam River, died in 1734, leav-

21

Jas,G.Tar[&B[o., Wholesale Dealeks jIN
DRY AND PICKLED

D

•n-

o

i!
t

MACKEREL Vf

AND

Prime SIVIOKED HALIBUT, j
OP OUE OWN CUEING, ' '
A SPECIALTY.

AU orders from any part of the country
promptly attendeil to at the lowest market
price the day the order is received.
SEND FOR PRICE LIST.
We fit out sixteen vessels and therefore
obtain our flsh from flrst hands.
P. S. The acoomp.anying cut represents
onr fltting-out and curing establishment at
GLOUCESTER, MASS.
JAItEES et. XARIt.
DA.VI1> TARR.

CUREES OF AND DEALERS IN

DRY and PICKLED FISH,

—ALSO,—

BONELESS and PREPARED FISH.

22
ing six schooners, a wharf and fishiug-room at Canso, and a large
amount of other propertj'.
A more extensive maritime business in another branch had, how
ever, been commenced in the early part of the eighteenth century.
A portion of the wood land of the Cape was then divided and many
vessels were built in the town and used in the transportation of this
article to Boston. There seems to be good ground for believing that
as many as fifty sloops must have been engaged in it at one time ;
but it was a trade that must necessarily be of short duration, and
flnally other employments for the vessels must be sought. Fishing
was, of course, the only resource, and we flnd, before 1720, several
sloops engaged in the distant fisheries. As early as 1711 certainly
our fishermen began to resort to Cape Sable, and in 1716 mention is
made of a "scooner" employed in flshing there : — the same one per
haps, the flrst of her class, that was built and owned by Capt. An
drew Robinson, a noted flshing captain who invented the rig of that
class of vessels. This man is said to have been so industrious on
the banks, when fish were plenty, that he would not leave his place
on deck even to eat ; but when he was hungry he had a ship-biscuit
brought to him which he contrived to eat by working it round in
his mouth with his teeth and lips, while his harfds were attending to
the hook and line. During these flrst j'ears of the fishery the men
were greatly annoyed by the French'^nd Indians, and some were kill
ed ; but the business was rendered most discouraging' by the havoc
of shipwreck. The year 1716 is a year memorable in the annals of
the town for the first sad and sweeping calamity of the kind, which
has so often since shrouded it in mourning. On tliis mournful occa
sion, five vessels, comprising, upon a reasonable supposition, not less
than one-tenth part of all the tonnage of the town, were wholly lost
in that j-ear on a fishing voyage to Cape Sable ; and about twentj-
men, a fifteenth part, probablj', of all the male citizens, of the place,
perished bj- the catastrophe.
The history of the Gloucester fisheiy from this time to the Revo
lutionary War may be brieflj' related. The vessels with which the
business was first carried on were the sloops built in the town. A-
few schooners were added about 1720, and probably soon became the
favorite class of vessels for this business. Many of them were of
the burthen of fifty tons or more, and were therefore suitable for
voyages to the Grand Bank and other distant fishing grounds, and
for employment in coastwise and foreign voyages in the winter sea
son. They were of a peculiar model, which prevailed about a hun-

23

^^ ALL, DAY & (Jo,

Manufacturers of

®

y^:^ —

FISHEEMEN'8 OUTFITS,
CA.BLES,
^©1 B'@#©^ f!rawl M$m0s,j #0, #©..
GANGS OF RIGGING made to order at Short Notice.
83 & 85 Commercial Street,
BOSTOItT.

24
dred years. The following is an exact representation of the model
and rig of the "old banker," one of which appears in the tank at the
Gloucester department of the Centennial Exhibition at Philadelphia.

MODEL OF GRAND BANKER OF 1741.
About seventy of these schooners were owned in Gloucester in
1741, and nearly all of them were probably engaged in the Grand
Bank fishery. In the fishing voyages, it was the custom for the men
to go, as it was called, " on their own hook :" that is, an account
was kept of the fish caught by each man ; and, at the end of the
voyage, the proceeds were distributed accordingly. The reason for
such a practice is suflBciently apparent in the account of a seasons'
work by one crew on the Grand Bank in 1757. In that year, the
Sch'r "Abigail," Capt. Paul Hughes, made three trips in about six
months, and flshed, in all, sixty-seven days, with the following result
as to the number of codflsh caught by each one of her crew of six
men: Paul Hughes, 6643; B. Foster, 5000; Job Galloway, 4244;
Nathaniel Day, 3929 ; Rufus Stacy, 3784 ; William Smith, 3435.
Notwithstanding the discouragements of the twent}^ j'ears immedi-
aielj preceding the reduction of Canada, growing out of the wars of
that period, and occasional losses by shipwreck, there was no abate
ment of the energy with which the people of the town pursued the
fishery. During that time it became the basis of a considerable for
eign trade which was not onlj' profitable to the merchants, but bene
ficial to the fishermen in giving tl\em winter employment. In the
latter years of the period now under consideration, we flnd Glouces
ter vessels making voyages to Cadiz, Bilbao, Lisbon, and different

25

SMITH & BXJR]S^HA.M,

WHOLESALE DEALERS IN

DRY, PICKLED AND
SMOKED FISH,
Jos. Friend's Wharf, GLOUOESTEE, MASS.
H. C. Smith, ) xWEspecial attention given to putting up Boneless Cod, Tongues
E. g. BURNHAM, (  and Sounds, Mackerel, &c. 
AVJEIOLESAXiK
Dealer,S[iippe[&>^^ Exporter of fish,
Also Importbk of and Wholesale Dealer in
GILBERT'S WHARF, - GLOUCESTER, MASS.
D» o„ a^ ii» mM.'Mm^m^,
Receivers and Wholesale Dealers in
DRY and PICKLED _ _

FISH,

ORDERS SOLICITED AND
PROMPTLY jFILLED.

Gloticester, Mass.

Wholesale Dealer in

JSJSl^ OILS.
Wharf at ROCKY NECK.
p. O. Address, Eiut dloncester, mass.

HENRY W. MEARS,
Manufacturer of Best Quality
^M\m %$\\i\\^ Jm%
TRAWL LINES,
GANG-IISr-GS-, &c.,
ESSEX, MASS.
Orders by mail will receive prompt attention.

26
ports in the West Indies ; besides which it had also become common
for them to make trading voj'ages in the Winter season to Virginia.
The peace of 1763 secured to our people unmolested use of the
flshing grounds, and, from this time to the Revolution, thej- carried
on the business with energy and success ; though one of those terri
ble misfortunes that shocks a whole community, and brings unutter
able sorrow to many private bosoms, occurred in the meantime and
cast its sad gloom over the town. In March, 1766, nineteen vessels
sailed for the Grand Bank, and, while on the passage thither, were
met b3' a violent storm, which wrecked and scattered the fleet, and
sent many to the bottom. Two were cast away at Nova Scotia ;
seven foundered at sea, with all on board ; and several of the others
were so much disabled that they were obliged to return. The num
ber of men lost by these shipwrecks is not known, but it was not
probably less than fortj'.
We know but little of the relative importance of the Bank and
shore fisheries at this time ; but it seems that the latter were almost
wholly confined to Sandj' Bay and the coves on the outside of the
Cape, while the chief seat of the former was at the Harbor. From
such information as can be obtained, it appears that from 1770 to
1775, between seventy and eighty schooners, of an average value of
one thousand dollars, resorted yearly to the Grand Bank for cod ;
and about seventy boats fished for cod and hake and pollock on the
ledges near our own coast. The business yielded a scanty support
to the flshermen, and, as a class, they were poor ; though then, as in
more recent times, some who began at the hook and line rose to be
the most prominent and successful among the mercfiants who carried
it on. No means exist for ascertaining the average annual earnings
of the flshermen ; but the accounts of a single schooner for 1773 are
preserved, and show the product of her two trips to the Banks to
have been 550 1-2 quintals of fish, which sold for £302. 9s., or a lit
tle more than one thousand dollars in silver money. Supposing the
number of the crew to have been six, and deducting the expenses
and the vessel's part, and the bill for necessary supplies to the fami
ly of the poor fisherman while absent, it will be seen that there could
have remained little or no surplus of his season's work, and that
want must soon have compelled him to hurry away again once more
upon the waters, "as a sailor in the foreign or coastwise trade of the
town. Such is a brief historical sketch of the Gloucester fisheries down
to the beginning of the Revolutionary war, at which time the town

27

MANUFACTURERS OF
NETS, SEINES and TWINE,
No. Ill COMMERCIAL STREET,
BOSTOIST.

%.

-^« ! i

li^ - '^^il

FISHERMEN AND OUTFITTERS.
MACKEHEZ SEiy-E netting made ft-om Badley Twine.
We keep iu our stock but one grade of FOGIE SEINE TWINE and NET
TING, and that the very best manufactured in the country, without regard to cost.
rVMSE MACKEHEZ seines, fitted complete, ready for the water, of best
material, at moderate cost.
FOUNDS, WEIRS, THAI'S, SHORE and MINNOW SEINES and NETS.
IINEN GUI, NETS made from Knox linen Ticlne.
Patent and Seine Twine, Maitre Cord, Hemp and steam-tarred Ma
nilla Seine Rope, Russia Purse Line, Spooner's Whale Line, Oak
and Cedar Buoys, Seine Rings, Leads, &c,, &c.,
iiv iiAR«>}i: STOcxf, AnrD i-or 8ai.e at loimsT prices bt
H. 6l C. W. lord,
111 Commercial St., BOSTON.

28
had risen to be the second in New England in this important busi
ness, in which Marblehead took the lead, and was but slightly in ad
vance of our own town. To sum it up in a few words it may be
stated that in the fisheries of the town there were then engaged at
least one hundred and fifty schooners and boats, aggregating four
thousand eight hundred tons, and employing six hundred men. The
yearly product of dried fish may be estimated at about forty-eight
thousand quintals, the value of which did not vary much either way
from one hundred thousand dollars.
During the Revolutionary War the fishing schooners could not be
employed for the business in which they had been previously engag
ed. Several were converted into privateers, a few rotted at the
wharves, and some were preserved till peace again made it safe to
engage in the Grand Bank fishery. A few small boats fished along
the shores, but their product was of inconsiderable amount, and small
as it was, probably exceeded the limited demand for home consump
tion. The boats used in this shore fishery were called Chebacco

MODEL OF CHEBACCO BOAT.
boats, from the name of the place where thej^ were built — a part of
Ipswich, now the town of Essex. The name has a striking similari
ty to that of a small vessel mentioned in the French marine diction
aries — the chabek; but there is no doubt that our Chebacco boats
derived their appellation as here stated ; and it is quite probable that
in rig and model they were peculiar to Cape Ann and were first used
in its waters. Like the "old Bankers," they have now entirely dis
appeared.

29

i^jr- \ ¦•jfl'" "I

° Js'W:"!! a ;¦¦ •¦ = " i
.>:3^^r >--«feJiJ ?5?ss«''"? j

0=

oo

ALL KINDS OF
ITets, Seines, Lines and Twines,
Suited to the Fisheries of the Continent,
manufactured by the
AMEEIOAN NET & TWINE CO.,
43 Commercial Street, - - BOSTON, MASS.
EASTPORT, MAINE,
Gomniission Merchants,

AND DEALERS IN

FISH, FISH OILS & FISH GUANO,
AND CCRERS OF THE .WORLD RENOWNED
"FINNAN HADDIES" and YARMOUTH BLOATERS.

IVIanufacturers of the Original Cape Ann Oil Clothing.
r . fKA:sTBORT, m:.a.in-e;.
tactories atjc^j^POBELLO, n". b.

CITY OF GLOUCESTEE, 1876.
CHAPTER 3.
Decline of the Bank Fishery — Fishing Company — Resumption
OF Bank Trips — Shore Fishery — Mackerel Fishery, Etc.
On the resumption of the Bank fishery, after the war, it appears
from one statement that sixty vessels resorted thither from Glouces
ter ; but the merchants of the town soon found a more profitable
employment in foreign commerce, and this branch of the fishery rap
idly declined till 1804, when we find that the whole number of ves
sels over thirty tons engaged in the fisheries of the town was only
eight ; and this falling-off in the particular branch here mentioned is
fully explained by the fact, that all the traditions of the business re
port that the average earnings of the Bank flshermen were so small,
that they were kept in a condition of poverty. Seeing this deca
dence, and stimulated in some degree perhaps by encouragement
from the general government, in the way of bounty, a few public-
spirited citizens attempted to put new vigor into the business by the
organization of a flshing company with an authorized capital of flfty
thousand dollars. This company began operations in 1819, by fit
ting out seven schooners, but it soon found that a business which
private capital avoided could hardly be expected to yield proflt, even
to the best corporation management ; and, at the end of the third
year, the enterprise came to an end, with a loss of a considerable
portion of the capital invested in it, — a result which seemed to ex.
tinguish all hope of prosperitj' from the pursuit of this branch of
industry. In 1820 the U. S. Census showed that the population of
the town had increased but twenty per cent, in thirty j-ears, and,
with the total extinction of its Grand Bank flshery, few entertained

31

B. ORIFFIN & SON,
Wholesale Dealers in
FISH BOXES
OP ALL KINDS,
IN SHOOK OR IVIADE UP.
Large Quantities constantly on hand.
42 Front Street,
GiHL,OTJCE©TEK, IttASS.

JOSEPH PARSONS,
Manufacturer of
OIL CLOTHING,

Fishermen's Furnishing Goods,
Water St., East Gloucester.
OIL CLOTHING at Wholesale and Retail.
Orders from all parts of the Country
promptly attended to.

Gloucester Fire Insurance Co.
GLOUCESTER, MASS.
JLSSETS, S186,4:00.
JOHN CUNNINGHAM, Seo'y. JOSIAH 0. FRIEND, Prest.

GEO. R. BRADFORD,
WILLIAJH A. PEW,
EOBERT FEAES,
ANDREW W. DODD,
MICHAEL WALEN,

DIRECTOBS.
HENRY A. BUENHAM,
JOSIAH O. FRIEND,
JOSEPH O. PROCTER,
GEORGE J. TARE,
JAMES A. STETSON,

MONSON L. WETHEEELL,
BENNETT GEIFFIN,
FEED. G. WONSON,
JOSEPH GARLAND,
CHARLES S. ROGERS.

D. E. ^^T-QODBURY,

Coinniission Merckant,
— IN —
DET & PICKLED FISH,
w^mm oi^i« iA^f, &®«,
0-31.0 TJCESTEIR^ Is^ai-A^SS.
AiiEX. McCu»»ir,
SHIP-SMITH,
And Manufacturer of
Fishermen's Knives,
AND
BAIT MILLS,
Which we make a specialty. Orders fi-om
all parts of the country promptly attended to.

EAST OIiOVCESTXIt, 9EASS.

On Georges in a Storm !

THIS BEAUTIFUL PAINTING
Has been Photographed, and copies may be
obtained of i»roctei' Brottaem. It is a
fine picture, showing two schooners riding
at anchor and another jogging under a dou
ble-reefed foresail. Just sncli a picture as
everybody wants.
Copyright secured according to law.
Send 7a cents to
FBOCTEE BEOS., Qloucester, Mass.,
and receive by return mail one of the above
pictures.

32
a belief that it would ever again recover the ratio of ante-revolution
ary growth. For a period of more than thirty years this flshery
ceased to be of any account in the business of the town, but, since
about 1860, the increased demand and consequent higher price of
flsh have induced many of its merchants to send their vessels to the
ancient fishing ground which contributed so largely to the early pros
perity of Gloucester, and which, in recent years, has been one of the
chief sources of that increase in business by which it has risen to its
present importance. The success with which this fishery is now pur
sued is doubtless due in a considerable degree to the practice of
trawl-flshing'. From the earliest times, till within a few years past,
it was the custom of the New England flshermen, who resorted to
that Bank, to flsh from the vessel only ; but they now use the French

MODEL OF TRAWLER OF 187C.
mode of fishing with trawls, which are lines, sometimes several hun
dred feet in length, with short lines and baited hooks suspended from
them at frequent intervals. They are often set a long distance from
the vessel, and as this work must be done and the trawls tended in
dories, as their small boats are called, it is sometimes very hazard
ous, and, unhappily, liable to fatal accidents.
During the flrst quarter of the present century, when, as we have
seen, the Grand Bank fishery was almost totally abandoned by the
Gloucester fishermen, the shore fishery continued to give employment

33

CUNNINGHAM & THOMPSON,

(Successors to POOL &. CUNNINGHAM,)

Producers &

Shippers of

^v^ anb ^icklcb 5fteh^
At the Oil! Fort Wtiarf, - - - GLOUCESTER. iViASS>
WM. B. COOMBS,
Fish Buyer & Shipper

MoQUINN'S WHARF,
EAST GLOUCESTER.
Highest cash Market Prices paid.
Extra inducements offered to Nova Scotia
vessels coming to the port of Gloucester for
a market. All trips settled for as soon as
the flsh are weighed off.

DENNIS & COLBY,

BURNHAM'S LOFT,
Near Union Hill, Gloucester, Mass.
AU orders will receive our personal atten
tion and satisfaction guaranteed.
Eepairing pTomptly attended to.

J. F. WONSON & CO.,

WHOLESALE FISH DEALERS,
EAST GLOUCESTER, MASS.

•John F. Wonson,
Fkedehic G. Wonson,

Roger W. Wonson,
Franklin A. Wonson.

"Wm. I». EtIiEHY,

AND DEALER IN

Paints, Oils, Varnish, Japan,

And COPPER PAINT.
Orders for Vessel or House Fainting prompt
ly attended to.
"""San w Office."'-' I Gloucester, Mass.

mm-

DEALERS IN

STOATES,

Lanterns, Fog Horns, Tin,
Sheet Iron, Copper and
Britannia Ware
For vessels use. Vessel Work a specialty
and attended to with promptness. All or
ders will receive personal attention.
146 Front St., Gloucester, Mass.

34
to a considerable number of the people. At the commencement of
this period about two hundred Chebacco boats, measuring nearly
three thousand tons, and employing - about six hundred men, were
engaged in it. These boats resorted'to the ledges and shoal grounds
near the coast, where they found at different seasons, cod, hake and
pollock. This boat-fishing was chiefly carried on at Sandy Bay,
Annisquam, and the other coves on the outside of the Cape, but the
advantage of a good harbor for their large boats drew a few of the
people away from these localities, to settle at the Harbor, soon after
1800. An increase in the size of the boats soon took place, and by
the end of the period now under consideration several pink-stem

MODEL OF "PINKEY" OF 1810.

schooners, or jiggers, as they were sometimes called, were employed
in the business. This shore flshery for cod probably reached its
maximum in 1832, when the amount of tonnage engaged in it was
6463 tons, the number of men employed 799, and the product offish
63,112 quintals, valued at 8157,780 ; to which must be added the
bounty of $25,172, received from the general government. But
another flshery had now for a few years attracted the attention of the
fishermen ; and the shore-fishing for cod, except that carried on in
winter, declined from this time, till it came to be, as at the present
day, of insignificant account in the business of the town.
Of the early history of the mackerel fishery in New England, as
well as that for cod, very little is known. Gov. Winthrop, standing
" to and again " within sight of Cape Ann, all of one day in June,

35
T, Xj. isA:ji.iro c5c CO.,
DEALERS IN MANILA AND HEMP CORDAGE,
Duck, Chains, Anchors, Paints, Oils, Varnishes, &c.
^•ic^haK: axwood, \ No. 107 Commercial St., BOSTON.
Agents for TARE & WONSON'S PATENT METALLIC OE COPPER PAINT.
FEARING, RODMAK & SWIFT,
SELLING AGENTS OF
Lawrence Duck Company, Old Colony Duck Company,
New Bedford Cordage Company,
AND PROPRIETORS OF
STAIffDARD CHAIN ITCTORKS,
23 & 25 Commercial St., BOSTON.
HENRY L. FEARING. FRANCIS RODMAN. WM. C. SWIFT.
~ WEST, PARKMAN & SON,
HAEDWAEE GOODS,
 AND 
JOSEPH WEST,
WILLIAM PARI
WILLIAM PARKMAN, JR.

WILLIAM PARKMAN, l Nq. 5 Dock Souare, BOSTON.
WILLIAM PARKMAN. JR. > ^ i.»uvi\ w^uuiu, uv/uivyii.

Constantly on hand Fish Hooks, Tnrines and Lines.
EATON, HARRINGTON & DANA,
HAEDWAEE, CORDAGE
FISHERMEN'S OUTFITS.
N. E. AGENTS FOR
Maliory, Wheeler k Co. American Screw Co. Gaylord Mfg. Co. Jiidd Mfg. Co,
Nos. 28 and 30 PEARL STREET,
Ot^sD-DaH™"'! BOSl®ffi.

36
1630, " took many mackerels " ; and three j-ears later a man was lost
from a passenger ship, by drowning, as he was casting forth a line
in trj'ing to catch some. As early as 1653 a coastwise trade in this
fish had commenced, and in later years it seems certain that some
were shipped to foreign ports ; for we find that, in 1G92, the remon
strants against an order passed by the General Court that no person
should haul ashore any mackerel with any sort of nets or seines
whatsoever, and that no person should catch any, except for use
while fresh, before the first of July annually, in refutation of the as
sertion that mackerel will not "save well" in May and June, st;ate
that they have shipped mackerel caught in those months beyond sea,
and add that they kept as well as those caught in other months. There
can scarcely be a doubt, therefore, that this fish was to some extent
an article of trade among the early colonists ; and we know that,
before the Revolutiqnary war, several vessels were empIoj'cd in this
fishery from the harbors on the south side of Massachusetts Bay ;
but Gloucester fishermen do not seem to have given much attention
to it till about 1821, for in the thirteen years immediately preceding
that date we find that, according to the inspection returns, the whole
number packed here was only 1171 barrels. From this time, how
ever, the business rapidly increased ; the fish became so abundant in
our waters that, in 1825, a single jigger, carrying eight men, took
over 1300 barrels, and in 1831 the whole catch of the town rose to
69,759 barrels ; but after the last named date mackerel began to be
scarce on our own coast, and the catch declined so rapidly that, in
1840, it amounted to only 8870 barrels ; and in that and the four
following J-ears the total aggregate taken bj- Gloucester fishermen
amounted to no more than 66,547 barrels. About this time the en
terprise of the fishermen led them to pursue the mackerel into their
distant retreats in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and for several years
nearly all the vessels of the town engaged in this fishery resorted to
that region, and it became the chief source from which the demand
for the fish could be supplied. With success widety varying from
year to year the mackerel fisheiy has continued to be pursued to the
present time. Late in the Spring months the fishermen start to meet
the " schools " when they make their first appearance in the waters
south of New England, from which they follow them to our own
coast and into the seas of British America ; but it is a precarious
fishery and it is agreed that a good deal depends upon luck ; for
there is often a wide difference in the result of the season's work of
men equally diligent and equally skilled in the business. Of late it

37

GEO. HARVEY,

BMimWlTM,

Duncan St., GLOUCESTER.
Anehors and Vessel Work a apeclalty.
Satisfaction guaranteed.

CAPE ANN

Neatly arranged on Cards, in packs of
one or more dozens, or in Books,
comprising; fine varieties.
Price per Doz. $1.50; Books accord
ing to size.
For further particulars write to Mr^, A.
X. Davis or Mrs. M, H. JBroy, CiLOU-
CESTEK, MASS. «®" Orders a(;c<>mpanied
by cash will receive prompt attention.

H. C. HUBBARD,
ttofi|ey &: doui|^elloi^ kt I^aw,
BERGENGREN'S BLOCK,
Front street, GLOUCESTER, Mass.
All business attended to with diligence until finished.
Nelson's Pat. Duck Preserver,
(PATENTED JAN. 7, 1873.)
Warranted to protect Ships' Sails,
Aivnings, Tents, and all kinds
of Hemp and Cotton Canvas
front Mildew and Decay.
SAILS, &0., saturated in tliis PRE
SERVER, will keep free from mildew and
mould till worn out, and remain white as
when new, as shown by numerous Testi
monials, after a test of two years.
MANUFACTURED AT
No, 81 Spring St,, Gloucester, Mass.
CHRESTEN NELSON, Prop. send for circular.

W. W. FRENCH,
fttoej&CounselloratLaw, tappan block,
13V Froivt Jixncxx,

GLOUCESTER, MASS.

MOSES L ANDREWS,

t%i ami ypat m\n,

near central wharf.

Rogers St., Gloucester, Mass.

38
has become customary to take these fish by seining, and when the
net surrounds a "school," there is a chance, indeed almost a certain
ty, of a great haul ; but it sometimes happens to a fishing crew that
no such chance occurs for months, and a bad voj-age for the vessel
and the men is the unfortunate result. The cases of total or partial
failure, however, are not sufficiently numerous to create discourage
ment, or to excite apprehension that Gloucester will soon cease to
exhibit that preponderance in this fishery it has so long enjoyed. It
is true that the last year was one of poor success, but in the preced
ing the quantity of mackerel packed in this city was 118,314 barrels,
of the net value probably of more than one million dollars.
A remarkable feature in the modern business of Gloucester is the
fisherj' for halibut on Georges Bank and Grand Bank. This fish is
the only one of the flat kind, so far as we know, that is extensively
used as an article of food in this country. It is found in the waters
of Northern Europe, and is said to afford a considerable part of the
diet of the people on the coast of Lapland, where it sometimes at
tains the weight of five hundred pounds. Those of a little more
than half this weight, or about three hundred pounds, are considered
large specimens by our fishermen. This fish is most highly es
teemed when in a fresh condition, and we are not aware that it goes
at all into the market in a pickled state, though great numbers are
" fletched," to use a fisherman's phrase ; that is, the skin with a por
tion of the flesh attached, is cut into strips, salted, and smoked, and
in this condition, when slightly broiled, finds much favor as a tea
table relish. There are large establishments in Gloucester for cu
ring halibut in this manner, and there is always a demand for all
they can supply. The fins of the fish are also preserved in salt and
pickle ; but those who eat them in this condition know but little of
the richness and delicacj- of the fresh fin.
It does not appear that the halibut has ever been abundant near
the coast, though the shore fishermen of former times occasionally
found them when fishing for cod, and were able to furnish a limited
supply for home consumption. It was not till the discovery of the
great feeding ground of this flsh, on Georges Bank, that the attention
of our fishermen was directed to a special prosecution of this fishery ;
and, indeed, not till the opening of railroad communication with all
the cities and principal towns in the country, and the use of ice ren
dered it possible to supply very distant inhabitants with this excel
lent article of food in a fresh condition and at a low price, did any
considerable number of vessels engage in the business. The Boston

39

O. IP. .A.TJSTII<T & OO.
Fishermen's Bread and Crackers.

Superior Pilot Bread,
ramll;.. do. io.
A. t S. do. do.
NlT7 do.
Sestcn Crickets,
Butter do.

Water Conliill
ITio Hac
Pic Hie
Sigar
Assorted it.

do. de.do.
de. do.
de.

Soda

BilOlUr

Sraliam

do.

Wine

do.

Uili

do.

Lemon

de.

Cream

de.

CoooaBit

de.

Sharon

do.

Tea Uized

do.

Peoples'

do.

aisger Ssaps,

Seed Cakes,

to.

The above articles kept constantly on hand for sale, made from carefully selected
Flour, and baked iu tbe most thorough manner; put up in suitable packages for Urocers,
Hotels, and Families.
SBIP BREAD and CRACKERS neatly packed in Barrels, Half-Barrels, Boxes
and Tins, and deUvered at short notice and warranted to keep on long voyages.
No. 116 COMMERCIAL STREET, BOSTON.
WHITON, BROTHER & COMPANY,
agents
BEIN^GH^lSd: CORDAGE COMI"Y,
MANILA anil TAERED HEMP CORDAGE, OF EVERy DESCRIPTION,
WOODBERRY MILLS COTTON DUCK,
All WIDTHS AND NDMBERS.
UNITED STATES BUNTING COMPANY,
BUNTING AIL COLORS AND WIDTHS,

IMPORTERS, .AJSm DB.A.LKRS IN
Russia, Manila and American Hemp, Oakum, Wire Rope,
AlSrOHORS, CHAINS,
IMJSSI.4. BOLT JROI*E, &c.
31 and 33 Commercial Street, - BOSTON.

40
market, in which, hitherto, one or two thousand pounds of halibut
would have sufficed for a daily supply, now furnished purchasers for
all that could Be brought, till the weather became too warm for dis
tant transportation ; and, when that season arrived, the fishermen
could sell at home, to be smoked and dried, all that could find no
sale in the former place. It was about 1836 that a vigorous prose
cution of this business commenced, and it had risen to such impor
tance in 1847, that the Gloucester vessels took in that year consid
erably more than three millions of pounds, which sold for something
over seventy thousand dollars. Besides the Georges fishery for
halibut, it has been customary, for a few years past, for the fishermen
to resort to the Grand Bank, for the sole purpose of trawling for
this fish, and in some instances more than a hundred thousand
pounds have been brought home as the result of a few weeks' trip.
On the opening of railroad communication between Boston and
Gloucester, it seemed expedient and practicable to bring the Boston
and other dealers in halibut to Gloucester to purchase ; and, to carry
out this design, a compan}^ was formed to buy the fish of the flsher
men, and await purchasers from abroad. But the enterprise, in a
money point of view, was a failure. The price to be paid was stip
ulated for diflTerent periods in advance, and it so happened that it
was a year (1848) when Georges Bank yielded as it never had be
fore. The object, however, at which the company aimed, was fully
accomplished, which object was to make our own town the chief
market for this flsh, so that now, however large the supply, local
dealers are ready to take them on arrival, and furnish Boston and
other customers according to the demand.
Besides the fishery for halibut, Georges Bank has also contributed
in another way and to a. much greater extent, to the recent prosper
ity of Gloucester. The great abundance in which cod is sometimes
found there recalls to mind the " pestering" of Gosnold's ship with
them off Cape Cod, and the "strange fish-pond," where Capt. Smith
found them so plenty, near Monhegan. This abundance, and the
introduction of fresh herring from Newfoundland to be used for bait,
induced our fishermen to engage actively in a winter fishery on that
Bank. The success of the trip depends mainly upon wind and
weather. Sometimes the whole fleet return lo port with the loss of
cables and anchors and with other damage, and without flsh to com
pensate. Often better luck attends them, and occasionally a few
favorable trips in succession yield a generous but still hardly ade
quate reward for the risk, labor and suff'ering of the employment.

41
To Wholesale Dealers In Fishing Tackle,
We are now prepared to promptly fill
all orders for Hooks emhraced in our Cat
alogue, consisting of a full line of
Limerick, Ringed and Flat.
Kirby, " " "
Hollow Points, Ringed and Flat.
Kirby Bass and Salmon, Flat.
Aberdeen, Flat.
Kinsey, Ringed and Flat.
Carlisle, ** " "
Virginia, Flat.
Mackerel, Flat.
Blackflsh, "
Eel, Ringed.
Central Draught, Eyed and Flat.
Central Draught, Ringed.
I. P. Cod, Ringed and Flat.
Kirby Sea, Ringed and Flat.
Halibut, Ringed.
Our goods heing made ty machi
nery, are uniform in manufacture
and imexcelled in temper, render
ing them superior to any goods
made, either American or Foreign.
The STANDARD size of NUMBERS can
be relied upon, and packed full
count ONE HUNDRED HOOKS in each BOX, packed in fine order.
Parties ordering our goods can depend upon having their
orders promptly filled and at prices beloiv any other mak
er's, or any importer in the country.
SEND FOR CATALOGUE AND PRICE LIST.
American Needle & Fish Hook Co.,
NEW HAVEN, CONN.

42
In another place, in these pages, interesting particulars in relation
to this fishery may be found, and among the statistics of the busi
ness the mind will dwell with painful emotions upon the list of those
who have found in it a watery grave, and also an unknown end ; for
no tidings ever come from the missing Georges flsherman. An un
usual absence gives rise to fearful apprehensions, and anxious
friends at home watch from the hills in agonizing suspense for the
returning sail ; but nothing comes save tlie moan of the sea which
sounds their requiem. None but the stoutest hearts will brave the
perils and hardships of such an employment, or of the dangerous
trawl-fishing on Grand Bank ; and the mournful losses, with all
their sad consequences, constitute a serious drawback upon the oth
erwise happy prosperity of the flsheries of Gloucester.

43

ANDREWS, RICH & CO.,

^wiiol3i;s.a.il,e;

COMMISSION MERCHANTS,
9 & 11 Commercial Wharf, Worth Side,

LEONARD WALEN,

DEALER IN

FRESH, DMOMIED FISH,
Curriers' k Cod Liver Oil.
GROCERIES, ODTEITTIXG GOODS, k
Constantlv on hand.
Rocby ]I^eck, - East Crlouceater.
P. o. address, Glouoestek, Mass.

HARVEY KNOWLTON, JR.,
Wholesale Dealer in
Dry k Pickled Fish,

SMOKED HALIBUT,
Fish Oils & Vessels' Outfits,
Hocliy ]¥eck, • Saat Clouceiiter.
P. 0. address, Gloucester, Mass.

CHAPTER 4.
Changes in the Fisheries — Seeking New Fishing Grounds —
The Fisheries as at Present Conducted.
The flshing industry of Gloucester is almost constantly under
going changes in its character and methods. Within the last thirtj'-
flve years an almost entire revolution has been wrought in the bus
iness. In 1841 the fisheries, after a gradual decline for many j-ears,
had about reached their lowest ebb, and from that point the tenden
cy was in the direction of expansion. Since 1847, notwithstanding
the decadence of the foreign commerce of the port, which at that
, time employed one ship and nine brigs, the tonnage of the District
has increased from 357 vessels, of a total of 17,548 tons, to 503 ves
sels, of a tonnage of 30,724 tons ; and the improved character of
the vessels engaged in the flsheries is shown in the fact that not
withstanding the disappearance of the square-riggers from the dis
trict, the average tonnage of the fleet has increased from 49 to 61
tons. An average Gloucester fishing schooner is now fully equal,
in every detail of equipment and the qualities which give speed and
safetj', to the first-class yachts that dance upon the waters of Mas
sachusetts Bay or Long Island Sound ; while her outfits for the
prosecution of the business contain every convenience which modern
ingenuity can devise, and her crew are supplied with all the neces- ¦
sities of life and regaled on many of the luxuries unknown in ordi
nary passenger transportation bj- sea.

45

^e ann Sdv^^^^^

A handsomely printed sheet of THIRTY-TWO COLUMNS, issued every
Friday Morning, by
PROCTER BROTHERS,
EDITORS AND PROPRIETORS,
Gloucester, - . . . ' Mass,
Each issue has all the Local News of Cape Ann, together with all the Fishing Items, a
reliable Fish Market, Good Story, and choice Miscellaneous Beading Matter, making it
emphatically The Best Advertising Medium on the Cape.
CIRCULATION, 3,50O COPIES. TEEMS, $2.65 per year, which includes postage,.
strictly in advance. Sent to any part of the country on receipt of price.
Subscribe for it if you wish to peruse a Live Local Newspaper.

46
The great change effected in the character and methods of the
Gloucester fisheries, within a comparatively few years, has been the
result of numerous causes. In the early days of the town there was
little difficulty in securing good fares of merchantable fish, in pleas
ant weather, at a short distance from shore, and accordingly the
shore flshery, with its inexpensive craft and outfits, assumed lead
ing proportions. As the fish removed farther and farther from the
shore, in consequence of tile disappearance offish food in near prox
imity to the coast, a better class of vessels and longer voyages be
came a necessity. "With this improvement in fishing craft, and in
creased expense, new fishing grounds, and a longer fishing season,
became possible and necessary. The enterprise of Gloucester fish
ermen was not long in finding new resorts for their calling, and the
introduction of the herring trade, bj' supplying bait at proper sea
sons, gave an added impetus to the business. The increased facili
ties for transportation, and the development of the ice business, af
fording better means of preserving and forwarding fish long distan
ces, however, wrought the greatest revolution that these fisheries
have witnessed, and placed Gloucester in the forefront of the flshing
ports of America. Since the opening of railroad communication
with Gloucester in 1846, but more particularly during the past doz
en years, an immense business has been done in shipping fresh fish
to all parts of the countrj-, the orders being received daily bj- tel
egraph, and the fish being iced and shipped direct to distant cus
tomers. Another outgrowth of the increased facilities for transpor
tation is the direct shipment of cured fish to all parts of the country,
a business that has increased from a modest beginning in 1863 to
huge dimensions, until Gloucester has become the distributing head
quarters for its own productions, and to a considerable extent for
those of other fishing ports. Several business houses in this line
send out trade circulars weekly, and fill large orders dailj- from a
long list of correspondents. A single house in 1874 shipped nearlj'
60,000 quintals of codfish, 214 tons of codfish stripped from the
bones and skin and packed iu small compass, and over 100 tons of
smoked halibut, to its numerous customers in the "West and South.
It is largely through the importance of this branch of the business,
in connection with the fresh fish trade, that the Gloucester Branch
Railroad has proved a profitable property to a bankrupt corporation,
and that a large steamer, making daily trips to Boston, and a re
spectable fleet of first-class freighting vessels, plying between Glou
cester and New York, find lucrative employment.

47
JOB JOHNSON. ESTABLISHED 1813. ACHIM JOHNSON.
m\ Jjooli and JJwHI^ %\o^H,
COR. MYRTLE & BEDFORD AVES.,
BBOOKLYN, N. Y.

Manufacturers of Best Cast Steel Wire,
And GENERAL HARDWARE,
Patent, and all other descriptions of Fish Hooks, Needles, &c.
Sail Needles, Pack and Bag Needles, Upholsterers' Needles,
Mattress Needles, Surgeons Needles, Spaj-ing Needles,
Dissecting Needles.
Every Description and Size of TORTIONAi DOOR SPRINGS.
PATENT AUTOMATIC GATE HARD"WARE,
JOB JOHlSrSON'S
SPHERICAL PATENT UNIVERSAL BALL CASTOR
FOR FXJRNITXJRK.
PATENT AUTOMATIC BUB6LAB PROOF BLIND and
S BUTTER FASTENER; PATENT UNIVERSAL
CLbTHES LINE SOLDER.
All Descriptions of Steel Wire Goods, Machinery, Springs, &c. &.c.
N. B. — Particular attention paid to Tempering and Finishing all
kinds of Steel "Wire Goods.
Sole Agents for the Celebrated Shrimpton & Sons Superior Sail
and other Needles.

48
"With these advantages, it is not a matter of surprise that the fish
eries of Gloucester should cover a wide range of operations, and
that a large proportion of its fleet should be engaged in some branch
of this pursuit during every month of the year, a fact that does not
hold true of anj' other New England fishing port. "With a business
capable of indefinite expansion ; with a fieet unsurpassed in seagoing
qualities ; with a maritime force of hardy men cradled on the deep'
from early j-outh ; it would be singular if Gloucester failed to turn
its attention in whatever direction fishing enterprise held out a pros
pect of successful operations. The successors of the men who
braved the perils of the sea in the primitive craft of the earlier years
of the eighteenth century ; who were undaunted from pursuing their
avocation by savage or hostile forces ere the Republic was born f.
are not the men to shrink at any hazard by storm or ice, and neg
lect opportunities that promise a successful issue in their dangerous
calling. It is not a matter of surprise, therefore, that in the Spring
of 1860, after an annual decrease for three 3-ears in the mackerel
catch of the port, until the product had been reduced nearly two-
thirds in quantitj', the project should be seriously contemplated of
embarking in the mackerel fishery of the North Sea, on the Norwe
gian and Swedish coasts, where the prospects of successful fishing
were believed to be favorable. Happily, however, that year saw a.
revival of this industry, the mackerel catch of 1860 being much
larger than ever before, and the project was abandoned. Ten years
later, when the halibut fishery had assumed considerable propor
tions, attention began to be turned to new grounds for this fishery,
and in 1870 an experimental trip was made to the coast of Green
land, with results which gave promise of a successful pursuit of this
distant fishery. During the next two j-ears half a dozen vessels
made halibut trips to Greenland, but in 1873 the fleet was reduced
to four vessels, whose voyages did not prove remunerative, and the
distance of the flshing grounds, the uncertainty attending the busi
ness, the high cost of its prosecution and the dangers from storms
and icebergs led to its abandonment. The pioneer in this flshery,
however, Capt. John S. McQuinn, was still possessed with the pur
pose of finding new fishing grounds, and on the 23d of May, 1873,
with a crew numbering twenty men, he set sail in the "staunch
schooner Membrino Chief, for the fishing grounds on the Icelandic
coast, where the fishermen of France and Northern Europe have
long pursued profitable ventures. It is probable that the voyage
was made at an untoward season, since it proved a failure, the ves-

49

ADDISOIf WITHAM,

^ 1 O- @ M
loft at Buvnliam Bro.'s Railway,
Water St., aLOUCESTER, Mass.
Orders promptly attended to; Satisfac-
tiuii guaranteed.
l9«conf1-ll!aiifl Itigrgrin;;* !Fiirni!«li«>4l.

WM. COOS, Jr.,
Tarred and Bepaired.
NETS, SEINES, TWINE and FISHING
NETTINGS, of everj' description, furnished
to order. All VVokk Guaranteed.
spRxnrc} sxitxiiiv,
Near the Cape Ann Anchor Works,

JONA^ H, FRENCH, President. H. H. BENNETT, Treasurer, SCOTT WEBBER, Supt.
Cape Ann Granite Co,

— PUKNISII -

0mnih, ^niJding nnd ^onummtnl ffark,
OP EVERY DESCEIPTION; ALSO DEALERS IN
GRANITE FLAGGING & PAVING BLOCKS.
Office, Simmons Building, 40 Water St., (Room 12,)
Quarries: Bay View, Gloucester, Mass. BOSTOIST.

o(D
o ITS a

¦a c(SCO

C
aV)£O
O

So
-2 o
.a p

BUCKI'S BOOTS.

JONATHAN BUCK,
Manufacturer of
Fishermen's Boots
OF VARIOUS QUALITIES,
Hand-made and warranted superior to
any otner manufacture.
Factory at Harwich,
CAPE COD, - - MASS.

Owner and Manufacturer of
Voss' Improved Bait Ilill,
lEichardson's Imp. Bait Mill,
Small's Fatent Boom Crotch
Supporters,
And FXSHXSrt]^ KIVJCVIIS.
All kinds of Pishing Anchors constant
ly on hand. Vessel Work and Jobbing' of
every description promptly attended to.
Galvanizing done in all its branches.
Shop foot of Duncan St., near Rail
ways, GLOUCESTER, Mass.

50
sel being obliged to return empty, and the experiment has not been
repeated.

MODEL OF A HERRING VESSEL.
The Newfoundland and New Brunswick Herring Fisheries, of
comparatively recent origin, while not unattended with hardship
and danger, became at once an important auxiliarj- of the Georges
and Banks fisheries, and have been pursued unremittingly from the
start. During the present season herring have been shipped hence
to Sweden, at a good profit, and it is not impossible that this maj'
prove the initial step toward the resumption of exportation of fish to
foreign ports, an important industiy of the port in the early daj-s of
its flshing enterprise. The Spring of 187G has also been marked by
a new feature in the Georges fisheiy, the capture of halibut in im
mense quantities in deep water on the edge of the bank, good fares
having been secured in a hundred and fifty fathoms of water, a
greater depth than was before thought likely to furnish profitable
returns. As at present conducted the flsheries of Gloucester furnish re
munerative employment for its vessels and mariners for the greater
part of the year, and it is not probable that any considerable por
tion of its energies need be turned to new flshing fields iu the years
to come.
With the close of one flshing season another is inaugurated. On
the winding up of the mackerel flshery, and the partial suspension
of the Bank flsheries in the Fall, the better class of vessels thus em
ployed commence fltting for the Herring Trade, to which the ener-

51

PROCTER BROTHERS,
HISTOEY or GLOUCESTEE ;
By Hon. JOHN J. BABSON. A Handsome Cloth Bound, 8 mo. volume of 610 pages.
Plaice $5.00.
FISHERMEN'S MEMOEIAL AND EEOOED BOOK ;
A complete History of the Gloucester Fisheries, ft'om 1830 to 1873, giving a record of the
vessels and men lost for nearly half a century, thrilling incidents accompanying the peril
ous calling of the flshermen, interesting sketches of life on board a flshing cr.alt, together
with maratime poetry. Handsomely illustrated. Clotli $l.aO; Vapei- $1.00.
FISHEEMEN'S BALLADS and SONGS OP THE SEA ;.
A fine collection of songs, many of them written by these hardy toilers of the sea. Paper
covers, handsomely illustrated. I*i*ic© 5© cents.
GLOUCESTEE AND EOCKPORT DIRECTOEY;
Price $1.50. Copies of the above sent to any address, post paid, on receipt of price.

^LBOSTON. ^
Particular attention paid io the engraving of

FISH, TESSEIS, WHiRfES Al

Many of the Cuts in this Book were furnished by

F. A. EVIcKECHNIE,

178 CONGRESS STREET,
¦SarALL ORDERS PROMPTLY ATTENDED TO.

BOSTON.

52
gies of quite a fleet are devoted during the winter months. A few
vessels only engage in what is known as the salt herring trade, the
majority of the fleet securing their fares fresh, freezing them thor
oughly and stowing them in bulk, allowing their cargoes to remain
undisturbed until the}'^ are marketed in as good order as when taken
from the water. The Newfoundland herring trade was inaugurated
in the winter of 185G, and has been pursued with varj-ing success
since that time. This fleet usually sails from the middle to the last
of November, with an outward cargo of such supplies as are likely
to find a quick demand among the herring fishers of Newfoundland,
which are exchanged for the products of the sea. The crews of the
fleet do not engage in fishing to any extent, being occupied in ta
king proper care of the herring purchased of the local flshermen.
Having secured a cargo they return home, usually arriving in Jan
uary and Februaiy, when a portion of their cargoes find a ready sale
to the Bank fleet, for bait, the rest being marketed in Boston, New
York and Philadelphia markets, for food, where they are in active
demand, especially during Lent. The business is an important one,
furnishing emploj-ment for the vessels and men at a time when they
might otherwise be compelled to lie idle, and providing the means
for the early embarkation of the Georges and Bank fleets in the late

MODEL OF A GEORGE SMAN, 1870.

Winter and early Spring months. The business is also a godsend
to the people of Newfoundland, who are thus enabled to exchange
the products of their Winter fishery for the necessaries of life on
much more favorable terms than would otherwise be possible. The

53

CALYIN S. CEOWELL & CO.,
C0!^!!I!1SS10N HflERCHANTS

CODFISH, MACKEREL,
Salmon, Shad, J&c.

No. 124 North Wharves, PHILADELPHIA, Pa.

Kkferejtces :— W. H. 0. Fisher, New York, Messrs. VTise & Russell, Boston, B. A. Ba
ker, Gloucester, Messrs. Geo. Trefethern & Co., Portland, Me.
G. & J. T. DONNELL^
MANUFACTURERS OF GANGS OF
STANDING & KUNNING EIGGING,
Fishermen's Cables.
BOLT-ROPE, im\m anil WIRE ROPE fiirnislicd at Short Notice.
 :batti, ivjAiivii:. 
CROWELL ti PATTASyCALL,

©©^:E^i@@i,©^

CODFISH, MACKEREL, SALMON, HERRING, OILS, &c..

A. Leavitt Crowell, j
L. O. Pattangall. i

No. 39 Water Street, NEW YOEK.

SAWYER BLOCK,
Front Street, - Gloucester, Mass.

Having trustworthy associates practising in the courts in and near Boston can satis
factorily attend to all cases pending thci-ein entrusted to his care.

54
New Brunswick herring flshery is another valuable pursuit, and at
tended with much less danger than the more distant voyages to
Newfoundland. In the season of 1874-5, twenty-three schooners
made Newfoundland trips, and thirty-three were engaged in the
New Brunswick fisheiy.
Early in Februaiy, on the arrival of their supply of bait, the
Georges fleet fit away for their early trips, and the Grand and
Western Bank flshery assumes more important proportions. The
cost of an average Georgesman fitted for sea is about $7,868 ; this
includes the cost of hull, $5,200, spars, $400, rigging, $550, sails,
$575, 230 fathoms of cable, $450, 3 anchors weighing 500 lbs. each,
$120, 12,000 herring for bait, $150, dory, 30 tons of ballast, plat
forms, ice-houses, gurry -pens, lines, cabin furniture, lanterns, horns,
compasses, 4 tons of ice, wood, coal, water, etc. Each vessel takes
a crew of eight or ten men, and ordinarily is absent from two to
three weeks on a trip. The flsh are caught by hand lines, and each
man keeps account of his catch bj' cutting out the tongues of the
codflsh, which are carried to the skipper for record when the day's
work is closed, and by marking the halibut caught, on the head or
tail. At the end of the voyage each man's halibut are identified and
weighed separately', and the average weight or value of the codfish
taken is ascertained, and each man credited with the number caught.
The gross proceeds of the catch are subject to deductions for the
cost of bait and ice, and one-fourth of one per cent, is reserved for
the Widows' and Orphans' Fund, so that each man engaged in the
business contributes something towards the support of the families
of those whose lives are sacrificed in this hazardous occupation.
The net stock, or the amount remaining after the above deductions
have been made, is divided equallj-, one-half to the crew, to be dis
tributed according to their individual catch, subject however to a
deduction of each man's share of the '• crew's expenses," consisting
of cook's wages, water, medicine chest and milk, which expenses are
borne equall3- by the crew ; the other half of the net stock goes to
the vessel. The business is at its height in the perilous months of
February and March, and the hardy men who follow it are called
upon to wrestle for their lives with many a cruel storm.
No class of vessels are better calculated for a battle with the
^ storm-king, and no braver souls tread the deck, but the contest is an
unequal one, and many a staunch craft and gallant crew go down in
the conflict. In a single storm, on the night of Feb. 24, 1862, flf-
teen Gloucester vessels and one hundred and twentj- men were lost.

55

ID. J^. ^TO-JElir,

mmm@.

Shipyard on Pearce St., GLOUCESTER, Mass.
£ell\kin, i^it^ & do.,
MANOFACTUREBS AND DEALERS IN
liMP nil ^ mi 11 wl ill s /i^
la? & 139
Friend St.,

-AND-

44 and 4« CAMAI. STREET,
CORNER OP MARKET STREET,

56
leaving seventy widows and one hundred and forty fatherless chil
dren to mourn for the loved ones who would return no more. Last
year two hundred vessels were engaged in the Georges flsherj"^ at
some time during the j-ear ; a large fleet followed the business
the greater part of the j'ear, and a total of 1348 fares were landed
at Gloucester.

0-\ UKOliGlfiS IX A STOKM.
The Grand and Western Bank Fishery is pursued to a greater or
less extent during every month in the j-ear. Last year this business
emplo3'ed 175 vessels, and 499 fares were landed. The business
maj- be classed in two departments, a portion of the fleet making
short trips and bringing in their fares fresh, to supply the fresh flsh
trade, and the rest of the fleet making longer trips and dressing and
curing their fish as they are caught. This business emploj'S the
best class of flshing vessels known to the waters of the coast. A
modern " bankerf' of average tonnage, costs about $8,800. Such a
vessel, manned by a crew of twelve men and making nine trips to
the Banks, being .at sea 302 days, will require an expense of $1023
for trawl gear, $1824 for vessel's expense, $1420 for provisioning,
and $1135 for general charges, such as ice, bait, salt, etc. The man
who ventures on a trip in a " trawler " flnds little of the " pleasing
content " described by the early voy.ager. For him at least there is
little of romance in " the apostles' own calling." Life on the banks
he flnds a constant round of drudgeiy, so long as he is able to make
his daily rounds. Ho must rise early and work late in order to visit

57

Teaming & Boarding Stable.

All kinds of Heavy and Light Trucking and Teaming
«
PROMPTir ATTENDED TO.
Orders for Hauling Fish or Ballast entrusted to me
will meet with prompt personal attention.

'mm

OinB^ICKS :

Rear 157 Front Street, and
Spring, cor. of Pearce Street,

Gloucester, Mass.

58
his trawls, remove his flsh, rebait and reset the lines, and take care
of the day's catch. Tossed on the waves in his frail dory, at great
er or less distance from his vessel, he is subject to perils unknown
to the flsherman of the olden time. His frail boat rides like a shell
upon the surface of the sea, but iu experienced hands no description
of small sea craft is safer. Yet a moment of carelessness or inat
tention, or a slight miscalculation, may cost him his life. And a
greater foe than carelessness lies in wait for its prey. The stealthy
fog enwraps him in its folds, blinds his vision, cuts off all marks to
guide his course, and leaves him afloat on a mettsureless void. In
stances are on record of many a wearisome trip, of days and nights
without food or water, spent in weary labor at the oars, at last to
find succor from some chance vessel or by reaching a distant port ;
and imagination revolts from the contemplation of the hardships ex
perienced, the hopes awakened and dispelled, and the torturing fate
of the many " lost in the fog," of whose trying experiences nothing
is ever known. The product of this fisheiy is divided on the same
plan as that of the Georges fisheiy.
As the Georges fishery wanes in the closing Spring months, the
sfiortive mackerel puts in an appearance at the far South, and works
northward as the season advances. A large portion of the fleet en
gage at once in the pursuit of this delectable fish, and follow his de
vious wanderings until he disappears to an unknown haunt as win
ter approaches. The fleet flt awaj- in April, going as far South as
Virginia, but gradually- working towards the waters of Rhode Island,
and marketing their catch for the most part at New York. During
the Summer months there are two divisions of the mackerel fleet,
one fishing off' the shores of Massachusetts and Maine, and the other
making voyages to the B.ay St. Lawrence. The Southern and Shore
fleets have practically abandoned the old style hook and line flshing,
and are fitted with expensive seines and boats for the capture of

MODEL OF A SEISE BOAT.
mackerel on a wholesale scale. The silccess of this department is
greatly dependent on the dexterity with which a school of fish can
be surrounded and captured, and the employment is an exciting
one. The business is an uncertain one, as the mackerel is a ca
pricious fish, and but little calculation can be made of their move-

59

M -l

i'

ARTISTIC SERIES.

CAPE ifsCENERY

COMPHISINO

All the OBJECTS OF INTEREST which
abound in this Charming Retreat!
OLD OCEAN,
with her white- winged fleet sailing\across its
pathless track;
The BEACHES,
The RUCCED COAST,
The QUARRIES,
PUBLIC BUILDINGS,
LIGHT-HOUSES, and CHASMS,
EOEMING A SERIES WHICH DELIGHT ALL
WHO HAVE SEEN THEM.

Publishers,
GLOUCESTER, (CAPE ANN,) MASS.
SEK^r* ^3. no.
And let them forward you a Specimen Dozen,

The Fishermen's Memorial & Record Book
Gives you interesting facts relative to the fisheries. How flsh are caught, and where they
are caught, olden time and modern time flshing, Off Hand Sketches, Big Trips, Sta
tistics OF THE KISHEICIES, TALES OF NaRKOW ESCAPES, FEARFUL GALES, MAKA-
TIME POETRY, and other matters of interest concerning this important industry. Very
handsomely illustrated with original engravings. Price $1.00 in Paper Covers; $1.50
finely bound in Cloth. Sent anywhere on receipt of price. Agents wanted to whom ex
clusive territory will be given. Liberal commissions. Write for particulars.
JPHOCTEB BROS., JPtiblishers,
Cape Ann Advertiser Office, - GLOUCESTER, MASS.

GO
ments. AVeeks maj- elapse without the discovery of the fish school
ing on the surface with the proper conditions for their capture. Im
mense hauls, however, are sometimes made, more than can be prop-
erlj' dressed bj' the crew of the " seiner,'' and if no other vessel is in
the vicinity to accept of a portion of the catch, large quantities are
frequently thrown away through sheer inability to handle them.
The seining of mackerel occasions a great destruction of immature
fish, unfit for use, but such is the prolific character of the mackerel
that it has never been clearly demonstrated that this method of fish
ing has a tendency seriously to diminish the supply. The cost of a

MODEL OF MACKEREL CATCHER OF 1870.

mackerel vessel, fitted for sea, is in the neighborhood of $7700 ; a
200 fathom seine, of a depth of 30 fathoms, will cost $900 additional,
and a seine boat and dories $300 more ; salt, bait, lines, etc., and
the necessarj- provisions for a five weeks' trip make the total cost,
when ready for a fishing voyage, $9325. The Bay St. Lawrence
mackerel fishery, once of considerable proportions, has declined
largely of late years. The seining of mackerel is found impracticable
in this fisheiy, owing to the rock}- bottom in the waters where it is
followed, and the consequent destruction of seines. The number of
Gloucester vessels finding emploj-ment in the mackerel fisherj- in
1875 was 180. Of these, 93 made Southern trips, 117 fished otf
shore, and 58 visited the Bay St. Lawrence. G18 fares were re
ceived, 133 from the South, 425 from off shore, and GO from the Bay.

61
In the mackerel fishery each man packs his own catch in barrels
provided for the purpose, putting a private mark upon the head of
the barrel. On the arrival of the vessel the catcli of each of the
crew is culled and weighed separately, and packed according to
grade, as Nos. 1, 2, 3 or 4. The whole trip is sold together°and
each man is credited with one-half the value of his individual catch
after deductions have been made for his share of the bait, preparing
fuel, filling water, milk, and cook's share of the catch. The vessel
pays for one-half of the bait, and the crew's expenses are 'shared
equallj'.

MODEL OF MARKET-BOAT.
The only other branch of the fisheries requiring mention is the-
ofF-shore fishery for codfish, hake and pollock, although considerable
is done in the menhaden fisherj-, lobster trapping, the clam fishery,
and other incidental branches of the business. The off-shore fisherj-
is pursued by numerous dories and a small fleet of market boats,
from 20 to 50 tons burthen, using trawls and dories. Tlie business-
is of considerable importance at some seasons of the year, and its
total product in 1875 was $284,000. In this fishery one-fourth of
the product goes to the vessel, and the remaining three-quarters
goes to the crew, in equal parts, after deducting expenses of towage
and wharfage. The crew furnish their own fishing gear and provis
ions. From the gross stock of all flshing trips from Gloucester, is de
ducted one-quarter of one per cent., which sums, with donations
from the charitable at home and abroad, form a fund to relieve the
distress of widows and orphans, which is constantly arising in con
sequence of the perils of the flsheries.

CHAPTER B.
The Fishermen of To-Day — Fishing Incidents — Statistics of
Catch — Big Trips.
The extent and character of the fisheries of Gloucester attract
thither the fishermen of all countries, anxious to secure the advan
tages in the prosecution of their industry which they cannot else
where obtain. In most parts of the world fishermen are regarded as
belonging to the lowest strata of societ}', and the meagre returns
from their labors prevent their rising to a higher plane. Even in
as enlightened a country as Canada it has been possible for a pow
erful firm to secure the control of a large coast territoiy, restricting
the ownership of land to small parcels, inadequate to furnish prof
itable agricultural returns, compelling the inhabitants to resort to
the fisheries for support. Obliged to purchase their provisions of
such firms at exorbitant rates, and to dispose of their fish to the
same parties at whatever price they choose to fix, whole communi
ties are " reduced to an undisguised stage of vassalage, the want of
resources and education affording them no means of resisting this
1 oppression," says the oflflcial report. The Gloucester fisherman, if
: industrious and of good habits, may support his family in comfort,
J secure a home of his own, and the means of engaging in business in

63
a small way for himself, or of smoothing the footsteps of declining
years. His children enjoj- the privileges of good schools, and his
family are surrounded by all the elements of civilization and refine
ment. As the oppressed operatives of the old world find their op
portunity in the manufacturing centres of New England ; as the ten
ants of the European landholder seek an asj'lum on the fertile acres
of the West ; so the oppressed fisherman of other lands turns his
eye to Gloucester as his one hope of escape from the bondage in

which he is held. The native born citizen makes but a small ele
ment in the catalogue of the fisheries. The men who sailed the fleet
a quarter of a century ago are largely included in the ranks of the
fitters and buyers of to-day. Their early experience proves their
best capital in conducting the business, and gives them success
where others might fail.
To supply the fleet with practical flshermen large drafts are made
upon the provinces of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, and every
spring sees hundreds of young men on the way from various ports

64
in those maritime countries to the United States to engage >in the
Gloucester fisheries. The present season three-score such were lost
bj' embarking in an unseaworthy vessel. The Nova Scotian is num
bered among the best class of our fishermen. Bred to the business
from earl}' youth, discontented with the inferior craft and methods
of his native land, ambitious for greater advantages than are afford
ed him at home, he prosecutes his calling with a zeal that assures
success. If his habits are good and he makes a proper use of his
opportunities, there is nothing to prevent his rising to the part own
ership and command of the vessel in which he sails, and many of the
smartest skippers of the fleet are of Nova Scotian birth. A consid
erable percentage of the fishermen of to-day are from the Western,
Islands, apd as a general rule they are thrifty and provident, and
seldom fail to become landholders after a brief residence in this
country. There are also man}' Swedes, Norwegians and Danes on
the fishing force, men of character and intelligence, and often of no
inconsiderable culture, proving a valuable element in the community.
Such are the occupations, and such the men, of the Gloucester
fishing fleet. The industry is an important one, furnishing a food
supply wTiich the nation could not well do without. The fleld of op
erations is an extensive and fruitful one, and it is tilled at great cost
of vitality and sacrifice of life. The men who engage in it do not
fail to find a certain pleasure in the pursuit, and it is doubtful if any
considerable number of them could be induced under any circum
stances to exchange it for other occupations affording more certain
and profitable results. Yet to paint a life upon the ocean wave with
roseate hues would be a false delineation. The fisherman's lot is one
of laborious toil and exceeding hardship, taken at its best. A lot
crowded with incidents, sometimes of a novel description, but too
often, alas ! of a sad and heart-rending character. A few such inci
dents must suffice for these pages :
Dec. 16, 1874, while the schooner Sultana was lying at anchor on
Grand Bank, a sudden motion was felt by those on board, and it
became evident that the craft was being carried through the water-
by some unseen and unknown power. Looking forward, it wag ob
served that the cable was drawn taut, and that some " monster of
the deep " was attached thereto, and drawing the vessel along at the
rate of twelve knots an hour. Soon they obtained positive evidence,
as a mammoth whale came to the surface to blow, having the anchor
of the vessel hooked either into his jaw or blow-hole. There was
also another whale which swam near, evidently greatly astonished at

65

TOWED BY A WHALE.
the predicament of his companion. The men on board one of the
dories, which had just returned from visiting their trawls, had barely
time to make fast their painter ere the vessel started. Another do
ry, with two men, was at some distance, also visiting their trawls.
The captain stood ready with axe in hand, in ease of emergency, and
allowed the whale to tow them some distance ; but not wishing to
lose sight of the men jn the dory, was obliged to cut the cable —
otherwise he might have succeeded in capturing the whale. The
above spirited picture gives a good idea of the Sultana in tow. It
was drawn by Eory McDonald, steward of the vessel.
The schooner Sarah C. Pyle, Capt. Richard Warren, was struck by
a cross sea and capsized Jan. 30, 1870. The crew found safety by
clinging to the sides of the vessel, until one of their number was able
to cut away the main shrouds with a pocket-knife, when the vessel
righted, nearly full of water. The foremast was cut away and a jury
mast rigged with the foreboom, and such progress as was possible
was made in a westerly direction. ^ For eight days the men were
obliged to cook their food in sea .water, their water casks having
been lost, and to melt ice to I'urnish drink. At the end of that time
they encountered a vessel aild were furnished with water and other
necessaries. Five of the crew were transferred to the vessel, but
the skipper and four men remained on the wreck, determined to get
it into port. In this condition they encountered a terrific gale, of
three days' duration, and were blown off seawards a distance of two
hundred and forty-five miles. Even then they remained undaunted

66
by danger and flrm in their intention of rescuing the property under
their charge, and declined an offer to be taken off. The wreck was
towed into a New Jersey port Feb. 13th, two weeks after the disas
ter, — a fortnight crowded with great hardship and danger to the
men so faithful to duty.
John Maynard, of New London, and William Corthell, of Lyme,
Conn., of schooner Gilson Carman, left that vessel on Georges, on
Wednesday, Mar. 17, 1869, in a dory, to haul their trawls, and while
doing so, a very heavy thunder squall sprang up, driving them from
the banks. They had at the time several halibut and from sixty to
seventy codfish, which they had to throw overboard, with the excep
tion of one, which they retained to eat. After eating a little it 'made
them sick, and they were obliged to throw it away. On Thursday
night they saw a vessel, but were unable to attract her attention ;
were drifted about all day Friday and Friday night, without anything
to eat. On Saturday morning a duck lit in the vicinity of the boat,
which they managed to kill, and ate it raw. On Saturday night,
when they had nearly given up the idea of being saved, they made a
light a few miles ahead. They immediately pulled for it, when it
proved to be the schooner Henry Clay. During the time they were
in the boat they had a steady storm of rain and snow, and were fre
quently capsized, but with the aid of a bucket they managed to keep
the boat clear of water. Corthell had his feet badly frozen. May-
nard's arm was badly chafed and swollen, and both suffered greatly.
Sch. Neptune's Bride was wrecked at Malcomb's Ledge, Me., Sept.
22, 1860. Twelve of her fourteen men found a watery grave by the
swamping of the boat in which they sought to reach the shore. One
other, Henry Johnson, was enabled to regain the boat. She was full
of water, but fortunately there was a bucket in her, and a coil of rope.
With the former he commenced bailing, and by dint of hard labor
managed to free her, although she was continually taking in water.
A hogshead tub from the vessel had drifted across the boat amid
ships. This he secured with his rope, and that made the boat ride
more easily. When he got tired of bailing the boat he would crawl
into the tub, and when that got full of water he would- commence
bailing the boat again. He knew not whither he was drifting, and
became so utterly exhausted that, long ere daylight dawned, he fell
asleep. At noon-time a Belfast schooner sighted the craft, bore
down to her, and her single passenger was received on board and
kindly cared for. One other of the crew, named Marsh, secured a
resting place at the foremast-head, where for eighteen hours he en-

67
dured greater agonies than death could inflict. The surging waters
reached to his waist, while the pitiless rain beat upon his unprotect
ed head, and the pangs of thirst and hunger clamored that he should
cease the unequal strife and seek oblivion in the seething flood. But
the instinct of self-preservation was strong, and he maintained his
position until his feet were chafed and raw, and delirium set in. His
critical position was at last discovered by two flshermen on Seal IsL-
and, and he was taken off and tenderly cared for until reason re
sumed its throne and he was able to take passage for home.
, Subject to perils like these, and hardships greater than pen can
describe or imagination conceive, the flsherman plys his busy trade.
Through his labors mainly Gloucester has grown from a population
of 6350 and a valuation of one million dollars in 1840 to a present
population of 16,754 and a valuation exceeding nine millions, show
ing in the brief period of thirty-flve years an increase of 264 per
cent, in population, 853 per cent, in valuation, 358 1-2 per cent.
in dwellings, 442 per cent, in wharves, and 213 per cent, in vessels.
Through his skilled operations, and the advantages taken of his la
bors, the fishing business of Gloucester has grown from an enter
prise of secondary importance to rank among the valuable producing:
interests of the country. Less than thirty years ago, in 1847, the-
total value of the flshery products of Gloucester amounted to $589,-
354. Last year the production of the Gloucester fleet was as follows :

Bank Codfish, 177,473 qtls.,

$998,628

PICKLED PISH.

Georges Cocltisli, 185,758 «

1,021,669

31,750 Herring,

913,494

Halibut, 2,462,364 lbs.,

172,365

163 bbls. Codfish, 40 1-4 bbls.

Bank " 7,248,423 "

507,389

Swordfish,

1,097

Hake, 4,257 qtls.,

12,774

410 5-8 bbls. Trout, 75 3-4 bbls.

Cnsk, 2,349 "

7,047

Fins and Napes,

4,042

Pollock, 9,417 "

32,964

21 7-8 bbls. Salmon, 205 bbls.

Herring, » 38,292 bbls.,
153,168
Tongues and Sounds,
2,282
Shore Fisheries, ¦\ Fresh Fish,
89,738
Shell Fish, (Clams, etc.)
10,000
the work of V Cured "
185,697
All other Fish,
8,000
dory fishermen, ) Oil,
8,945
Oil, other than above,
100,000
Mackerel, 18,172 5-8 bbls. No. 1,
7,065 1-8, " " 2,
327,112184,780
Total,
$3,909,500
21,763 " " 3,
174,104
4,039 3-8 " " 4,
24,205
The business is not uniformly successful. More largely than any
other occupation, probably, it is subject to circumstances over which
the men engaged in it can have but little control. The best results
are most likely to be secured by the skipper who understands fully
the habits and probable movements of the fish, and who displays the
68
beet judgment in conducting the voyage, but not unfrequently the
wisest calculations fail to achieve success, and it often happens that
one vessel will come in with a full load while another, with apparent
ly equal chances for securing a fare, will be obliged to return with a
meagre catch.

The largest fare of fresh halibut ever landed at Gloucester was
brought in by schooner Centennial, March 30, 1876, after an absence
in the Grand Baiik fishery of only three weeks. Her catch weighed
off 129,557 pounds. The largest halibut fare from Georges Bank
ever landed was 65,000 lbs., by sch. Pioneer, after a three weeks'
trip, the cook receiving $167 and the "high line" (or man making the
best catch) $181 as the result of the trip. The largest codflsh fare
from Georges was that of the sch. Samuel E. Lane, in 1875, weigh
ing 123,115 lbs. The largest stock ever made on a Georges trip -was
$2824.55, by the sch. Everett Steele, in 1865. The largest codfish
fare from the Banks was 240,000 lbs., by the sch. Grand Master, in
1875. The largest stock in this fishery was made l»y sch. Reunion,
in twelve weeks in 1868, her catch being 153,044 lbs. halibut and 23,-
875 lbs. codfish, netting $8354. Sch. Gertie E. Foster landed last
year 668,517 lbs. halibut, and 19,220 lbs. codfish, stocking $26,071-
.56 in eleven months ; her master, Capt. Edward Morris, stocked
$64,769.78 in the years 1873-4-5. Sch. Alfred Walen made four
trips in eighty-six days last year, taking 300,000 lbs. halibut and
stocking $10,900 in that period. The highest price ever brought by
a halibut trip was 21 cts. per lb. for white and 14 cts. per lb. for
gray for 9000 lbs. brought in by sch. T. L. Mayo.

V J

CHAPTER 6.
Table of Gloucester Fishing

Shipwrecks and Fishing Losses
Losses from 1830 to 1876.

It might almost be said that every projection of land or rock
along the rugged promontory on which the city is seated, has its
direful tale of death and disaster to relate, while not a few take
their local designations from sad scenes of shipwreck of which they
have been the unmoved witnesses. From Norman's Woe on the ex
treme South, towards whose rough reef many a "sheeted ghost"
has swept since the disaster which tradition asserts gave it its name,
and whence between the fitful gusts may still be heard
" the sound of the trampling surf
On the rocks and the hard sea sand ;"
past Thacher's Island, where Anthony Thacher and his good-wife
were so strangely reunited on a summer morning in 1635 ; to Gal
lop's Folly on the North ; all along the coast are barren islets and
jagged rocks with each its separate tale of disaster to narrate.

70
Sometimes unnoticed and unknown, often in sight of anxious
watchers impotent to help, not unfrequently despite the bravest ef
forts for their succor, men have gone down into the jaws of death,
while the dashing waves have sung their requiem. In 1796 the ship
Industry of Boston was wrecked at Little Good Harbor Beach, and
all her crew met a watery grave, with none but the all-seeing eye to
witness their desperate struggles with the storm-king. In 1829 the
ship Persia was wrecked on Eastern Point, and all her crew were
lost, while the unconscious town slept, nor dreamed of the dark
tragedy enacting so near at hand. In 1839 a score of men were lost
in a terrible storm that swept across the harbor. And oft has the
despairing mariner, clinging to his insecure foothold on stranded
wreck, been snatched from the yawning gulf that waited to cover
him, by the efforts of brave men willing to risk their lives for his
succor.

"'-"/-«

¦«>:-, v:

Of late years the improvements in marine architecture and equip
ment have rendered disasters less frequent, and the additional facil
ities for saving life, furnished mainly by the Massachusetts Humane
Society, have greatly lessened the perils of mariners exposed to the
dangers of a lee shore. To-day coastwise navigation is compara
tively free from danger, if duly heeding the warning beacons of the
Signal Service Corps, and it is to be hoped that our maritime ports

71
may never again witness the wholesale destruction of life which they
have so often seen in the years that are past.
And while the loss of stranger crews upon her shores has so often
awakened sympathy and regret, Gloucester has constantly been call
ed upon to mourn her own sons who have gone down at sea. The
ambition of her youth has not been circumscribed by the narrow
confines of her fishing ventures or local commerce. Gloucester men
have sailed all seas, and their bones have whitened beneath the wa
ters of both hemispheres. Many a sailor and oflficer and ship-master
has graduated from her flshing craft from earlier to latest days, and
many a home has been darkened by the loss of husband or father or
brother upon some distant voyage. Whole families of sons, taking
to the sea one after another, have perished thus. The dark days of
the Revolution, brightened by the loyalty of Gloucester sailors and
fishers, took on more sombre guise from the sad fate of many of the
number. Sixty wives were made widows and scores of children fath
erless, by the loss of the privateer ship Gloucester in 1777. The
Cumberland carried down many of "the flower of the town" in
1778, and a large number were lost in the Tempest in 1782.
The history of the Gloucester fisheries has been written in tears.
No other industry by sea or land, sustains such a drain upon its re
sources and employes. . Other callings may shorten life, but none
show such constant and wholesale destruction. The men who go
out upon the Banks take their lives in their hands as surely as he
who goes into battle ; nay, the proportion of fatal casualties upon
the battle-field is much smaller than in this perilous calling. The
growing importance of the business has not been accompanied by
(greater exemption from disaster and death. In the last 46 years
Rthe aggregate fishing losses of Gloucester have amounted to 333 ves
sels, of a value of $1,361,300, and 1590 lives, or an average annual
Iloss of 7 vessels, valued at $27,420, and 35 lives. For the past
five years the average annual loss has been 18 vessels, $81,860, and
114 lives. And these figures, so far as loss of property is concern
ed, represent only the total losses of Gloucester vessels, and would
be largely augmented if we added the losses of cables and anchors
and spars, the damages by collision and stranding, and other disas
ters resulting only in a partial loss.
Think of a business in which, outside of ordinary depreciation of
wear and tear, and added to all other expenses and out-goes, one-
fiftieth of its capital and three per cent, of its employes are swept
away annually by disaster. In May, 1875, sixty persons lost their

72
lives by the burning of a church in South Holyoke, Mass. A month
later the floods in the valley of the Garonne, in France, swept away
fifteen million dollars of property and many lives. In 1874 twenty-
three lives were lost in a burning mill at Fall River, Mass. The
Revere Railroad disaster in 1871 resulted in the loss of twenty-nine
lives, and the bruising and scalding of many others. The Mill River
(Mass.) flood of 1874 swept away one hundred and forty lives and
much valuable property. The history of these and many other dis
asters of like character has been scattered broadcast by the fleet-
winged press, and awakened the sympathies of the world. But con
sidering the extent of country and valuation drawn from, these loss
es dwindle to modest dimensions compared with the fishing losses of
Gloucester. In a single year (1873) thirty-one of her vessels sailed
to return no more, and 174 of her fishermen were laid in an ocean
grave. In a single storm, " The Lord's Day Gale " of August 24 of
that year, nine Gloucester vessels went down before the dreadful
blast, and 128 Gloucester mariners met their doom.
On the next page will be found a table showing the loss of life
and property annually in the Gloucester Fisheries since 1830.

TABLE OF LOSSES.

Yeak. 1830
1832
18331834
1836
1837
1838183918401841
1842
18431844
184518461847184918501851
1852
185318541855 1856
18571858185918601861 1862
18631864
1865 1866
186718681869
187018711872
18731874
1875

Men.

24 44 6

10 77
15
10
4032
322621 2
9
42 36 73
44
162 6
85 11
2666
40 66
97
140 63
174 68
123

Vessels.

Total,

1590

31
I 11
5
4222
3
33
4332
12 9
13 3
4 76
5 767
1519 9
13 8
15
11 4
16
131912
31 10
16

333

Valuation.

$5,600 1,0001,000
1,5001,000
10,100 7,100
3,800
3,800 2,725
2,0006,000
4,8004,500
4,900 6,200
3,500
15,50017,300
41,800 10,000
14,600
20,900 14,40011,500
18,700
21,90026,350
54,250 66,500
38,000 79,900
40,300
114,250 82,67535,00083,450 75,200
89,00055,400
118,700 49,100 97,100

Insurance.

$1,361,300

$3,100

5,300
3,0003,150 1,400 150
150
2,000 1,500
2,350
3,600
4,450 2,200
12,90014,800
36,700 8,800
12,65016,100
11,475 7,750
8,537
16,475
20,494
43,880 53,225 8,300
50,525
32,400
82,09559,06928,15054,137
59,907 77,259
49,121
100,918 44,97581,726

$1,024,718

CHAPTER 7.
Commerce of Gloucester.
While Gloucester at the present time is undoubtedly the largest
seat of the fisheries in the world, it has not always occupied that
leading position in the United States. Marblehead was for many
years her competitor and greatly her superior. Fifty or sixty years
ago the fisheries was not the leading pursuit of Gloucester. No
doubt, years before, the fisheries exceeded the foreign commerce in
importance, but from 1783 to 1845 the fishing business had declined
from its former importance, and the Bank flshery, once so important,
had almost faded out of existence, so much so that some years less
than half a dozen vessels were engaged in this fishery.
But until 1860 Gloucester was largely engaged in foreign com
merce. It had two or three large mercantile houses, and ships,
barques, brigs and schooners running to the East Indies, South
America, Europe, Dutch Guinea and the West Indies. The harbor
of Gloucester has seen the arrivals from every part of the globe,
and its wharves and storehouses have held the products of every
clime upon the earth. But its commercial interests aside from the
West Indies (a trade in which for many years it had a large share)
was from 1810 to 1860, a period of fifty years, mainly directed to
Paramaribo or Surinam in Dutch Guinea. In various portions of
this period it had nearly the whole American trade to that port.
Its importations of sugar, molasses and cocoa were some years near
ly four hundred thousand dollars, and its exports two hundred thous
and. About 1860 this trade was transferred to Boston, and since
that period the foreign commerce of Gloucester has declined.
But two or three new branches of commerce arose to take the
place of this Surinam business. Among these are the Nova Scotia,

75
Newfoundland and Salt trades. The latter business has attained
• great proportions, and this ancient port shows more than ever the
presence of great ships and barques, sometimes as many as six be
ing in port at one time. Besides this important business Glouces
ter carries on quite a large business with the British Provinces, and
its importation of codfish, herring, wood and lumber are very impor
tant. These branches of business are likely to increase in the fu
ture, (especially the salt trade) , and this ancient seaport may yet
show a greater amount of foreign shipping at its wharves than it did
in ancient times.
It will be seen from these statements that not only as a fishing
port has Gloucester been celebrated, but as a seat of foreign com
merce it has occupied a very respectable position. But Boston grad
ually attracted the business of all the lesser ports such as Salem,
Newburyport and Gloucester, and now it looks almost as if the trade
of Boston itself was to be swallowed up by New York, Philadelphia
and Baltimore, who govern exports to Boston.
The total value of the imports into the District of Gloucester for
1875 was $107,610, as follows: salt, $65,531; codfish, $23,100;
fresh herring, $6,833 ; salt do., $1300; firewood, $6575 ; potatoes,
$2008 ; cigars, $746 ; coal, $620 ; fish oil, $350 ; eggs, $169 ; other
fl.sh, $174 ; miscellaneous, $204.
At an earlier period of the flsheries, the vessels fitted for the
Banks, then took their fares to Spain, bringing return cargoes of
salt, &c. Since that time there were no direct importations of any
note until the receipt of a ship load June 1, 1861, followed by anoth
er ship load June 5th of the same year, both from Liverpool, Eng.
These cargoes amounted to 8507 hogsheads, of an invoiced value of
$4905. In 1870, 20,136 2-3 hhds. of Liverpool salt, valued at $8673,
syid 24,879 1-2 hhds. of Cadiz salt, valued at $13,910, were import
ed in seven brigs and ten barks. In 1875 the importations were 74,-
032 hhds. from Cadiz, 20,480 hhds. from Liverpool, 10,966 hhds.
from Trapani, and 3,008 hhds. from Turk's Island. Total importa
tions, 108,486 hhds. in 2 ships, 12 barks, 12 brigs, and 16 three-
masted schooners. Of these 42 vessels, 34 were under the American,
5 under the English, and 3 under the Austrian flag. The amount of
salt used in the curing of fish was 106,245 hhds.

CHAPTER 8.
The Granite Industry, or Cape Ann.
While the fisheries furnish an exhaustless field for enterprise, Cape
Ann has yet another branch of productive industry in which the most
active operations make but small apparent dimunition of the supply.
Her hills and fields are marked by the outcroppings of the huge ledges
which underlie them, mines of wealth as truly as those of Ophir,
whose products have been freely yielded for the construction and or
namentation of the temples of the nineteenth century. Her rocks
are granite, of a beautiful, dark color, easily wrought into any desi
rable shape, and susceptible of a high polish.
From the earliest times the rocks of the Cape were made to serve
the necessities of the inhabitants, in the construction of their buildj
ings and fences, but their merchantable value was a thing of slow
growth. The rapid growth of the fishing business in the last century,
and the lack of harbor accommodtitions on the North side of the
Cape, opened a new use for this abundant material, in the mooring
of the diminutive craft of those days off shore. Flat blocks of gran
ite, about six feet square, and from ten to fifteen inches in thickness,
were prepared by cutting a hole fifteen inches in diameter in the cen
tre, into which an oak butt, having the roots attached, was inserted.
The stone and spar were then dropped at a proper distance from the
shore, and used for the securing of fishing craft, affording a safe
mooring except in heavy easterly gales, when it was found necessary

77
to secure greater pr^ecf^ion by seeking a harbor elsewhere. It
was not until 1824, however, that the business of working stone
for shipment reached any considerable importance. In that year a
Mr. Bates of Quincy came to Sandy Bay and leased a ledge, inaug
urating an industry that soon had a rapid growth, and became the
second business in importance on the Cape. Not long after quarries
were opened at Annisquam, where an extensive business was carried
on for many years, furnishing stone for the fortifications erected in
Boston harbor, and for wharf and building puiposes. These quar
ries were long since abandoned, and the business is not followed to
any considerable extent at this point.
The flourishing granite industiy at tigeon Cpve, now embraced
within the lines of Rockport, had its origin in 1827, when Messrs.
Ezra Fames and Beniah Colburn opened a quarry there, by the sea
side, and soon found a ready market for their products for building
an(i cemetery purposes. Their first year's business is said to have
resulted in a net loss of fifteen dollars, but the government became
their patron, and a profitable industry was soon developed. Their
flrst quarry was abandoned when it reached the level of the sea, but
new ledges were opened, and changes made in the firm from time to
time, until it developed into a wealthy corporation, under the name
of the Rockport Granite Company, who now own a valuable proper
ty and conduct an extensive business. The Pigeon Hill Granite
Company also have an extensive trade, and was the first in Rock
port to build a railroad from the quarry to its wharves to facilitate
the transportation of rough stone for dressing and shipment.
The extensive granite industry at Bay View is the outgrowth of a
modest beginning in 1848, when a quarry was opened to supply the
stone for building a bridge across Hodgkins Cove. The first stone
shipped from this point was in 1849, but no considerable business
was done in this line until 1853, when Mr. Beniah Colburn and Mr.
William Torrey purchased the quarries and commenced active oper
ations, which were continued, under various firms, for a dozen years.
These quarries were not worked to any extent from 1865 until 18'69,
when, on the suggestion of General Butler, who had erected a sum
mer seat in the immediate vicinity, that it was too valuable a prop
erty to lie idle, it was purchased by Col. Jonas H. French and oth-
ersj and a corporation organized, with a working capital of about
$125,000, to conduct the business, under the name of Cape Ann
Granite Company. Since the latter date an extensive business has
been carried on, large additions having been made to the landed

78
possessions of the corporation, and great-, jmii^ovements made in the
property. A railroad has been constructea, on which a locomotive
and eighteen platform cars are employed in the transportation of
stone from the quarries to the wharves, a distance of a mile and a
quarter ; the wharves have been extended and the harbor protected,
and the population and property of the village more than doubled.
The securing of the contract to furnish stone for the new Boston
Post OflSce gave an impetus to this company which at once placed it
in the front rank in the granite industry of the old Bay State. The
largest granite blocks ever quarried in this country were furnished
by this company, for the Scott Monument at Washington, D. C,
one of the blocks, for the foundation, being twenty-eight feet two
inches long, by eighteen feet eight inches wide, and three feet two
and three-eighths high, weighing nearly one hundred and fifty-one
tons. The company employ two hundred and seventy-five men, and
use four steam engines for hoisting and drilling purposes.
The stone business at Lanesville antedates the operations at Bay
View, and is still carried on on an extensive scale. The changes in
the management of this business at this A-illage have been numerous
within the past quarter of a century. There are now three flrms en
gaged in it, the Lanesville Granite Company, the Bay State Granite
Company, and Messrs. George Barker & Co., the latter being a
branch of a flrm also doing business at Quincy. These companies
represent a capital of about $110,000.
The only other part of the Cape where the business is carried on
to any considerable extent is at West Gloucester, where the quarry
ing of stone was commenced by the Gloucester Granite Company, a
corporation with a handsome capital, which was exhausted in the
heavy outlays required in the construction of a wharf, railway and
buildings, and in working the surface drift and developing the value
of the quarry. This property has since passed into the hands of
other parties, who are building up a successful and profltable trade.
The granite business combines with the flsheries in attracting set
tlers from abroad, the number of native-born citizens engaged in
either being but a small per cent, of the whole number employed.
The two branches of industry however serve to attract totally differ
ent classes of residents, the flshing business drawing its workmen
principally from Maine, the British Provinces and the Western Isl
ands, while the granite industry brings its quarrymen from " the
Gem of the Sea," its teamsters from the Granite State, and its-
skilled hammerers from the heather hills of Scotland.

CHAPTER 9.
Summer Attractions of Cape Ann.
Of the sea-side places of summer sojournings and recreation on
our Atlantic coast, from Eastport to Cape May, including Mt. Des
ert, Old Orchard Beach, Hampton Beach, Newport, Long Branch,
and Atlantic City, none equal in all particulars united, the promon
tory on which are located the city and parishes of Gloucester, and
the villages of Rockport and Pigeon Cove.
As to altitude Mt. Desert is pre-eminent ; but the general eleva
tion of Cape Ann, presented in hundreds of hills, ledges, bluffs, and
precipices, and in huge castellated and rounded rocks, is suflicient
for broad and various views. Besides, from the top of Thompson's
Mountain, in the West Parish of Gloucester, may be seen, on any
fair day. Bunker Hill Monument, and the domes of Wachusett, Mon-
adnock, Gunstock and Agamenticus. From Meeting-house Hill, in
the same parish, Butler's Hill at Annisquam, Pigeon Hill, Pool's Hill
and Great Hill, at Pigeon Cove and Rockport, and Lookout Hill and
Governor's Hill at Gloucester Harbor, the vision takes in more or
less of Massachusetts Bay, on the south side of the Cape ; and on

80
the north side, Ipswich Bay and the line of coast, backed by the
nearer hills and towns of Massachusetts and New Hampshire, ex
tending from Essex, Ipswich and Newburyport, far northeastward to
the hills below Agamenticus and the ancient town of York, in Maine.
It will be observed, of course, that within this compass of the eye,
something more than a score of miles from the northern shore of the
Cape, lie the Isles of Shoals.
As to stretch of sand. Old Orchard Beach is a marvel, but Little
Good Harbor Beach and Long Beach, on the south side of the Cape,
near the boundary between Gloucester and Rockport, and Coffin's
Beach on the Ipswich Bay border of the West Parish of Gloucester,
are more than satisfactory, as hard, smooth floors for the wheels of
carriages or the feet of pedestrians ; or for the accommodation of
picnics and bathing parties ; especially since they are placed in con
trast with granite boulders and ledges, and with pastures of sweet
herbage, bayberry and wild-rose bushes, close by them, and with
rugged hills but a little farther off.
As an area for sea-side rest and pleasure and for country shade
and enjoyment, at the Stime time. Cape Ann is incomparable. Here,
the tourists, the summer cottages, jnd the A'isitors occupying the ho
tels, are delighted with the remarkably blending of the marine with
the rural. If they would sail, there are harbors all around the in
dented shore, from any one of which they may go forth upon the sea
within sight of pleasant cities and villages, picturesque heights and
intervening vales, with wood and orchard and field. From the har
bor of Gloucester city, Fresh Water Cove, or Magnolia, the trip may
be to Salem, Baker's Island, Manchester, Lowell Island, Marblehead,
or, by rounding Eastern Point, to Thacher's Island. From Rock
port, Pigeon Cove, Folly Cove, Lanesville, Bay View or Annisquam,
it may be to Chebacco River, Ipswich River, Plum Island, Newbury
port, Boar's Head, Portsmouth, the Isles of Shoals, or, by doubling
the southern horn of the Cape and Straitsmouth Island, to Glouces
ter Harbor ; or, by the way of 'Squam River and the Cut, to Glou
cester Harbor and Massachusetts Bay. If they would ride, from
whatever starting place, the most popular route is the " road 'round
the Cape." On almost every rod of this highway of fifteen miles,
the waves of ocean, bay, or inlet, are within sight.
Branching from this principal road are other roads extending to or
passing through villages or sequestered neighborhoods near the sea,
or near the coves here and there. The ride may be varied from day
to day by turning into these by-ways, and so driving to Bass Rocks,

SI

GLOUCESTER, MASS.
Delightfully situated in the centre of Pavilion Heach where a full view of Gloiioepfcr
Harbor is obtained, forming one of the coolest retreats upon the coast. Every facility
for boating, flshing, riding, bathing, etc. CharmiuK fcenery on every hand. Good ]jiT%
ery stable in the vicinity, and every attention jiaid to the comlort of guests.
For terms, etc., address,
G. S. SBAYBY, Proprietor.

k
Patentees and IWanu*
factarer« of
ROWLOCKS.

Send for Prices & Discounts.

Fishing" Establishments in Gloucester.

The Centennial Year, 1 8
tablishments in Gloucester
sels, as follows :
D. C. & H. Babson,
Clark & Somes,
George Dennis & Co.,
Cunningham & Thompson,
Dennis & Ayer,
Joseph Friend,
Sidney Friend & Bro.,
George Garland,
Benj. Haskell & Sons,
Samuel Haskell,
Harvey Knowlton, Jr.,
Samuel Lane & Bro.,
Lelghton & Co.,
David Low & Co.,
Mad docks & Co.,
James Mansfield & Sons,
McKenzic, Hardy & Co.,
George Norwood & Son,
Charles Parkliurst,

76, finds thirty-eight fishing firms and es-
Harbor, owning and fltting out 361 ves-

12 11 fi
9
15 7
U 73

20 131010

Wra. Parsons, 2d, & Co., 13
Perkins Bros., 10
Pettingell & Cunningham, 5
John Pew & Son, 20
Procter, Trask & Co., 4
Joseph 0. Procter, 13
Rowe & Jordan, 13
Say ward Bros., 6
Daniel Sayward, 5
Shute & Merchant, 13
Smith & Oakes, 7
Smith & Gott, 17
James A. Stetson, 2
George Steele, 11
James G. Tarr & Bro., 16
Walen & Allen, 14
Leonard Walen, 4
John F. Wonson & Co., 13
William C. Wonson, o

82
Eastern Point, Little Good Harbor Beach, Fresh Water Cove,' Mag
nolia, Meeting-house Hill, Coffin's Beach, Wheeler's Point, Annis
quam, — all within the bounds of Gloucester ; or to Andrews' Point,
the northern horn of the Cape, near Pigeon Cove ; or to Pebble Stone
Beach and Long Beach, on the Massachusetts Bay side of the town
of Rockport.
Encircled by the great road already described, is an extensive do
main, partly of forest, traversed in every direction by uneven and
winding foot-paths ; and partly of pasture, with hills and hollows
destitute of trees, but strewn with boulders ; and with a few swamps,
thickly covered with stunted maples and pines, with black alders, and
with bushes and ferns. Many of the boulders all over the hundreds
of acres of treeless undulations, are immense ; and they are both
gray and black with patches and flecks of moss.
Near the centre of this waste, are the cellars of an ancient settle
ment, now overgrown with grass and weeds, and overrun by grazing
cattle and horses. And from its many elevations may be seen the
towers and steeples of the city of Gloucester, two or three strips of
Massachusetts Bay, some of the roofs of Riverdale and Wheeler's
Point, the village of Annisquam at the confluence of Lobster Cove
and 'Squam River, the estuary uniting 'Squam River with Ipswich
Bay, Flag-staff Ridge, overlooking the River and the Bay, and sep
arating Annisquam from the Bay, CoflSn's Beach, directly across the
estuary from Annisquam, and the white sand-hills near, and, farther
away, the knob called the Loaf, at the Chebacco River termination
of the curving beach.
The atmosphere of these breezy elevations of the waste, is the
purest under the skies. It is wholesome with the mingled breath
ings of sea and land.
With this description of the landscape and of the views of the
Bays and the River, the reader is in a mood to believe that the old
Cape, at any point, is grand and admirable as a summer abiding
place. If he yet is in doubt about it, let him spend one heated term
of July and August in an actual survey of the region put before his
mind in this attempt at painting in words. So will he learn that
there is more here than can be pictured by the most ingenious pen.

CHAPTER 10.
PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
- Among the earliest laws of Massachusetts was one compelling all
the towns containing flfty householders to support a public school.
Gloucester at quite an early -date contained the requisite number,
but they were so far apart that it was deemed well nigh impossible
to gather the children into one school ; and the town's neglect for
several years to comply with the law, was no doubt overlooked.
Private or domestic instruction was not lacking, but it was not until
1698 that we find a record of the employment of a public teacher,
when, in town-meeting, Thomas Riggs, sen., was chosen to that of
fice, " to have one shilling and sixpence a day during the town's
pleasure, and the said Riggs' likeiug to carry it on." At that time
there was but one Meeting House in town, and there, till 1708, the
school was kept. At this date a school-house, twenty-four feet by
sixteen, with a height of stud of six feet, was built. This building
was erected " to keep a good school in for the godly instruction of
children, and teaching them to read and write good English." ITntil
1793 the privileges of the public schools of Gloucester seems to have
been confined to the boys of the town, the School Committee of 1790
recommending " that provision be made for the education of females,
a tender and interesting branch of the community that have been
neglected in the public schools of this town."
In 1804, the town increased its facilities for imparting instruction
to all its children, by creating eleven school districts, to defray the
expenses of schooling in which, it expended the first year $2,000.
This system continued for forty-five years, the districts increasing in

84
number to twenty-three. The inequality of school advantages, poor
quality of school-houses and conveniences, and other considerations
led to the abolition of the district system in 1849, at which time
there were 1672 children between the ages of flve and fifteen years,
and the annual expenses of the schools were $5,562.25. In 1850
the town assumed in its corporate capacity, the sole management of
the schools, and has continued it to the jDresent. It involved a large
outlay for new school-houses, but it secured uniformity of instruc
tion in all parts of the town, better teachers, and many other advan
tages. The school expenses, exclusive of cost of buildings, were in
1850, $6,086.19; in 1860, $13,267.50 ; in 1870, $40,510.07 ; and
for the present year are estimated at $54,695. In 1860 the whole
number of children in attendance was 2081 ; in 1870 the whole num
ber registered was 3205 ; and in 1876 the estimated number is 3500.
The schools of Gloucester now occupy twenty-four different build
ings, two being rented, and the remainder the property of the city.
One High School with six teachers, six Grammar Schools with thir^
ty-onc teachers, twelve Primaries with thirty-four teachers, and four
Mixed Schools, — in which both Grammar and Primary studies are
taught, — with six teachers, make a total of seventy-seven teachers
constantly employed during the school year of forty weeks. A teach
er of Drawing and a teacher of Music are also constantly employed.
Two or more additional schools are also kept during the winter, for
the accommodation of a large number of boys who are engaged in
the flsheries in other portions of the year. Winter evening instruc
tion in Free-Hand and Mechanical Drawing is also given to adults.
The care of the schools is confided to a Committee, consisting of the
Mayor, and nine persons elected by the citizens at large. The su
pervision of the school work is delegated to a Superintendent, elect
ed by the committee. John W. Allard, A. M., the present Superin
tendent, was elected in 1873. CHURCHES.
The early Religious Societies in Gloucester were denominated, as
was the custom throughout the State, Parishes, and were accurately
defined as to their territorial boundaries. No such distinctions now
exist, but one Society now retaining its original Parish name, and
therefore in speaking of the present Religious Societies in the city,
they will, with this one exception, be classified by sects in the order
of their age. The original parishes were all of the Orthodox Con
gregational order.

85
Unitarian.— The First Parish, organized in 1642, settled a Unita
rian pastor in 1834, and has been a pronounced Unitarian Society
since that time. It occupies the House of Worship erected in 1828,
on Middle street, on the site of the venerable edifice built in 1738,
and chiefly memorable as having been the target on which the British
commander, Linzee, brought the guns of the sloop-of-war Falcon to
bear, on the 8th of August, 1775. The present pastor. Rev. Minot
G. Gage, was settled over the Society; January, 1870.
Universalist— 1. The Independent Christian Society, (the oldest
Universalist Society in the United States,) grew out of the labors of
the Rev. John Murray, who came to Gloucester in 1774, and re
mained except during a short period while Chaplain of the Rhode
Island Brigade, in the struggle for National Independence, till 1793.
Its present House of Worship, the second erected by it, is situated
on Middle street, and was built in 1806. The present pastor, Rev.
Richard Eddy, was settled May, 1870.
II. Rev. Ezra Leonard, settled over the Third Parish in 1804, —
the Parish having been incorporated in 1728, — became a Universal
ist in 1811, and with the exception of a few members, his congrega
tion followed him in his new views, and he continued to be their
pastor till his death, in 1832. The Meeting House is located in that
part of the city best known as Annisquam, and was erected in 1830,
the flrst ediflce built by the Society on the same site, in 1728, being
then taken down on account of its age. The present pastor is Rev.
Henry C. Leonard, settled in 1876.
III. In 1830 a majority of the- Second Parish, incorporated in
1716, became Universalists, and continued to occupy the Meeting
House built about the time of the incorporation of the parish, till
1846, when the ediflce was abandoned and demolished. The Soci
ety have erected, in 1876, a Chapel at West Gloucester, near the
junction of the Essex and CoflSn's Beach roads. Their present pas
tor, settled in 1875, is Rev. Elmer F. Pember.
IV. The Universalist Society at Lanesville, for many years a
portion of the Annisquam Society, created a separate organization
in 1876. Their present place of worship is Village Hall, and their
pastor. Rev. Byron G. Russell, was settled in 1875.
Methodist. — I. Organized in 1825, in the limits of the Fourth
Parish, the Society built their flrst House of Worship on the corner
of Taylor and Prospect streets, in 1828. In 1858 they purchased
their present church ediflce on Elm street. The present pastor,

86
Rev. Albert Gould, was appointed to the charge, by the Conference,
in 1875.
II. That portion of the parent Society left in the Fourth Parish,
by the change in place of worship in 1828, continued to share the
services of the pastors sent by Conference to the Society on Prospect
street, until 1838 ; since which time they have been a separate
charge. Their House of Worship, erected in 1838, is located at Riv
erdale. The present pastor. Rev. Walter Wilkie, was appointed by
the Conference in 1876.
III. In 1871 a Society was organized at Bay View, and a House
of Worship erected in 1872. The present pastor. Rev. William B.
Toulwin, was appointed by the Conference in 1876.
Orthodox Congregationalists. — I. A rupture occurred in the First
Parish, occasioned by dissatisfaction with the doctrinal views of the
pastor, in 1829, which resulted in the formation of the Evangelical
Orthodox Church, that year, and of a Society a year later. The
House of Worship now occupied by the Society, the second built by
them on the same site, was erected .nt the corner of School and AJid-
dle streets, in 1855. The present pastor, Rev. F. B. Makepeace,
was settled in 1873.
II. The North Orthodox Congregational Church, located at
Lanesville, was organized in 1831. Their House of Worship, erect
ed in 1828, was enlarged in 1853. Rev. Samuel B. Andrews, their
present pastor, was settled in 1875.
III. The Church connected with the Second Parish, and organ
ized in 1716, withdrew from the Society, when a majority of the lat
ter changed their theological views, in 1830. A reorgjinization took
place, and a new House of Worship was erected in West Gloucester,
on the Essex road, in 1834. Rev. Nathaniel Richardson, the pres
ent pastor, was settled in 1874.
Baptist. — I. The Second Baptist Church, (the First having been
instituted at Sandy Bay, now the town of Rockport, in 1808,) was
organized in 1830. Their House of Worship, the third erected by
the Society, and the second on the present site, was built in 1871,
on the corner of Pleasant and Middle streets. Rev. J. M. English,
the present pastor, was settled in 1875.
II. A Baptist Chapel was erected at East Gloucester in 1858,
and greatly enlarged in 1869. The Church was organized in 1863.
The location of the House of Worship is on Chapel street, and the
present pastor. Rev. A. M. Higgins, was settled in 1875.
Roman Catholic. — I. St. Anne's Church. Mass was first eel-

87
ebrated in Gloucester, in January, 1849. In 1855 a Church ediflce
was consecrated. A new Church edifice, to be constructed of Cape
Ann granite, is now being built. It will have a seating capacity of
about 1200. Rev. J. J. Healy, pastor, was settled in 1871 ; Rev.
Eugene F. McCarthy, assistant, in 1876.
II. St. Joachim's Church. Mass was first celebrated in Lanes
ville about 1850. A Church edifice is now being erected. Rev.
Thomas Barry of Rockport, pastor since 1869, officiates every Sun
day morning, at Village Hall.
Episcopalian. — St. John's Church was organized in 1864. The
Church edifice, erected in 1864, is located on Middle street. Rev.
James D. Reid, Rector, was settled in 1868.
Swedenborgian. — The First Society of the New Church in Glou
cester, was organized in May, 1871. Services every Sunday morn
ing, at the residence of the pastor. Rev. Robert P. Rogers, Washing
ton street, opposite Granite street.
Second Adventists. — Three persons believing in the tenets of this
sect, held their first meeting here in 1871. Their present number is
forty-two, who hold monthly meetings for preaching, in Hicks' Hall,
Western Avenue, and weekly prayer meetings at private residences.
CHARITABLE SOCIETIES.
I. The Gloucester Female Charitable Association was organized
in 1834, for the purpose of assisting the poor. Its funds are derived
from annual memberships and donations. In 1875 it aided one
hundred and twenty-six ifamilies.
II. The Gloucester Fishermen's and Seamen's Widoivs' and Or
phans' Aid Society, was organized in 1859 as the Widows' and Or
phans' Fund Society, and re-organized in 1865. It is supported by
annual memberships, at $2.00, life memberships at $10.00, and the
payment by those engaged in the flsheries of one-fourth of one per
cent, on the flshing voyages of the yeiar. Last year the amount dis
bursed for the relief of widows and children of fishermen, and sick
and disabled fishermen and seamen, was $6,722.92.
III. The Tenement Association for Widows and Orphans, was
organized in 1871. Its object is, "To furnish at moderate rate,
homes for the widows of our lost Fishermen." It has erected, at a
cost of $7,500, a building containing ten tenements.
masonic.
I. Tyrian Lodge, A. F. and A. Masons, was chartered by tJie M,
W. Joseph Warren, G. M. of the Continent of America, March 2,- A.

88
L. 5770. Its regular communications are the flrst Tuesday of the
month at Masonic Hall, Front street.
II. Acacia Lodge. Instituted August 3, A. L. 5865. Regular
communications the flrst Friday of the month at Masonic Hall.
III. . William Person Royal Arch Chapter. Constituted Nov.
1871. Regular communications flrst and third Wednesday evenings
•at Masonic Hall. ODD FELLOWS.
I. Ocea?i iodg^e. No. 91, was instituted Sept. 10, 1845. Meetings
Monday evenings at Odd Fellows' Hall, Front streeti'i
II. Cape Ann Encampment, No. 33. Instituted. Nov. 8, 1866.
Meet flrst and third Thursdays at Odd Fellows' Hall; - .
TEJIPERANCE ORGANIZATPONS.
There are thirteen Temperance Societies in Gloucester, viz. : four
Lodges of Good Templars, one Temple of Honor an^Temperan^,
one Catholic Temperance Society, and seven Reform Clubs. The
^ity also has a fund of $10,000, bequeathed some years ago by Mr.
George Sanders, a wealthy citizen of Ci^bridge, whose ancestors
were from Gloucester. By the terms of the bequest the income is
"to be a permanent salary to be paid to some Worthy man who has
discretion and zeal for the cause, to be. constantly employed as a
Missionary iiythe cause of Temperai>ce, in reforming old drunkards
and preventing' young drunkards, and abolishing as far as possible,
the use of intoxicating articles." Mr. John T. Knight is the present
Temperance Missionary. MISCELLANEOUS SOCIETIES.
Grand Army of the- Republic. Post 45. Organized Feb., 1868.
¦ Meetings Thursday iifght, at G. A; R. Hall, Ftont street.
¦ Knights of Pythias. Cape Ann Lodge, No. 55.' Organized Nov.
16,1871. Meets Wednesday evenings, .at Lanesville.
' 'The Sawyer Free Library and'' -Gloucester Lyceum Librdry Associa
tion. The Ljceum was organized in 1830. Library added in 1854.
Incorporated 1872. The Library, located on Front street, is open
daily, and contains about 40QP volnrties.
Young Men's Christian Association. Thig Society was organized
in February, 1873. Its Reading Room, No. 58 Front street, is opeVi
daily from 8 A. M. to 10 P. M.
The Cape Ann Scientific and Literary Association was organized
in 1875. Its purpose is to cultivate a knowledge of science in gen
eral, and particularly to develop the .Natural (History of Cf^pe Ann.
It meets at Grand Army Hall on the second and fourth Monday
evening in each month. >••
Cape Ann Horticultural Society'. Organized February, 1866, ax\A
holds its annual meeting in Februery. , ¦

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