The Lobster Fishery of Maine: Bulletin of the United States Fish Commission, Vol. 19, Pages 241-265, 1899Cobb, John N. (John Nathan)
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The Lobster Fishery of Maine: Bulletin of the United States Fish Commission, Vol. 19, Pages 241-265, 1899
Cobb, John N. (John Nathan)
Lobster fisheries -- Maine
Both of my steamers have box wells aft, and from my experience,
compared with all other steam and well smacks afloat, I am
convinced that this well, for all practical purposes, is the best
that has yet been adapted to steam smacks. So far as the _Grace
Morgan_ is concerned, she has been a perfect success in carrying
her lobsters in all kinds of weather since I put her into
commission October 27, 1892, during which time she has had a
wonderful career, as well as carrying millions of lobsters.
Probably no boat of her size has ever had such an experience,
as she has run steadily the year around in all kinds of weather
during the past eight years. . . . Previous to buying the _Grace
Morgan_ I had run steamers in the lobster business, but they had
no well, and being so hot in their holds, particularly in the
summer months, the lobsters died so fast that the business in dry
steamers could not be made profitable. This is what prompted me to
construct a well in mine, as I have done.
The _Grace Morgan_ has a length of 49 feet, a breadth of 13.9 feet,
and a depth of 5.7 feet, a gross tonnage of 21 tons, and a net
tonnage of 10 tons.
The steam smacks now used average about 14 tons. They are usually
built low in the water, and have a small pilot-house forward, with an
open space between it and the engine-house, and living quarters aft.
The boat has also one or two short masts. Some of them also have the
pilot-house and engine-house joined together. In those with a space
between the pilot-house and engine-house the well is usually placed in
this open space. Where the pilot-house and engine-house are together
the well is either located forward or aft. These wells are generally
capable of bolding from 3,000 to 10,000 live lobsters. Small holes in
the bottom of the well keep it filled with fresh sea water. Should the
weather be clear the proportion of dead and injured lobsters will be
small, but in bad weather many are apt to be killed by the pitching
and rolling to which they are subjected.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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