The sun. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1937-1972, October 04, 1940, Image 7
THE SUN, NEWBERRY, S. C, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 1940
The Fishing Industry of New England,
Founded by Basques in 1500, Is Oldest
And One of Most Colorful in U. S. Today
A typical scene on the piers at Gloucester, Mass., at the turn of the
century showing mackerel ready for shipment.
By ELMO SCOTT WATSON
(Released by Western Newspaper Union.)
T HEY say that in this
machine age there is
little romance and ad
venture in modern business.
Yet, amid many of the na
tion’s great industries which
have lost much of their “col
or” through mechanization,
there is one that is still large
ly hand-operated and in which
the individuality of those who
follow that trade remains in
tact. That is the great New
England fishing industry.
It is probably the oldest contin
uously operated industry in the
United States today for it goes
back nearly 450 years to that sum
mer day about the year 1500 when
a small group of Basque fisher
men set out from a little coastal
town in France in their small
fishing boat. They had little luck
on their usual fishing grounds and
as the days went by ventured far
ther and farther away from wa
ters they knew. However, even
in new waters lines and nets were
still drawn up empty. This was
their livelihood and it was neces
sary that they find a fishing
ground which would yield them
a full boatload before they re
turned home.
They continued their search for
more lucrative fishing waters and
after many weeks they came to
a strange coast where trees were
green and flowers were bloom
ing. They set their nets and cast
their lines and in an almost un
believably short time the boat
was filled. They set sail for home
and upon their arrival regaled
their fellow fishermen with sto
ries of their astounding luck in
waters “on the other side of the
sea.”
Thus was born an industry
which was to play its important
role in the colonization and devel
opment of the New World and to
provide the archives of New Eng
land with many historic sea
sagas.
As an indication of the poten
tial wealth of the early New Eng
land fishing industry, Gosnold,
first navigator on the coast,
caught so many cod that one voy
age of six months yielded him
2,100 pounds in money. Where
upon he remarked, “What sport
doth yield a more pleasing con
tent and less hurt or charge than
angling with a hook crossing the
sweet air from isle to isle, over
the silent sterse of a calm sea.”
Doughty Capt. John Smith of
Virginia paid tribute to the indus
try with these words, “Let not the
meanness of the word ‘fish’ dis
taste you, for it will afford as
good gold as the wines of Guiana
and Potassie with less hazard and
charge and more certainty and
facility.”
By 1504 the Basques were fish
ing regularly along the New Eng
land coast. As word spread
among other fishermen of the Old
World of this fabulous fishing
ground, the adventurous Basques
were joined by men of other na
tions. When the explorer Verra-
zano landed south of the Pisca-
taqua river near Boston he found
fisheries carried on by French,
Basques and Portuguese.
Historic records of Massachu
setts show that by 1615 there were
400 French and Portuguese and
200 English sails along the coast
of New England. In 1623 a fish
ing vessel attempting to land at
a settlement on the Maine coast
was unable to complete the land
ing and “the master thought it
good to pass into Massachusetts
Bay.” He left 14 men and re
turned to his home port in Spain.
Next year the same vessel re
turned and left 32 men. Thus
was established the village of
Gloucester where much of the
early history of the Massachu
setts fishing industry was to be
written.
By 1639 fish had become a
medium of exchange and were
being used as money. It was also
due to fishing that all the arts of
navigation flourished. In this '
same year the General Court of
Massachusetts recognized the
contributions its fishermen were
making to the development of the
New world by relieving them of
military duty.
In 1643 the citizens of the then
small village of Boston held a
celebration and the whole citizen
ship turned out to pay honor to
the launching of the “Trial,” first
vessel to be built in that city.
Designed to carry on trade be-
rween the Old and New worlds,
the “Trial” was forerunner of a
.ong line of clipper ships which
made colorful history for another
century or so. Loaded with a
cargo of salted and smoked fish,
the “Trial” set sail for Balboa
and Malaga. On her return trip
she brought wine, fruit, oil, iron,
and wool.
At the beginning of the Eight
eenth century New England was
beginning its trade with the West
Indies. Clipper ships took car
goes of fish to the Indies and
there exchanged them for sugar,
molasses or rum. These prod
ucts in turn were taken to Africa
and exchanged for slaves which
were sold to the Southern colonies
or exchanged for tobacco.
Fish for Appeasement.
Meanwhile, Massachusetts was
branching out in other directions.
The first state in the colonies to
Miss Reba Onigman has the
distinction of being the only wom
an fish commission merchant in
the world. She operates at the
Boston Fish pier.
have a mint, it coined what be
came known as the “pine tree”
shilling pieces in 1652. Where
upon Charles II of England be
came displeased because he was
not given a share of the profits.
Massachusetts promptly sent ap
peasement in the form of “ten
barrels of cranberries, two hogs
heads of samp and 3,000 codfish.”
At the beginning of the Eight
eenth century cod fishing was in
a prosperous condition. The an
nual production was about 330,000
quintals and the value of the fish
exported was about $700,000,
there being 400 fishing vessels of
about 50 tons each in Massachu
setts alone. By 1731 more than
7,000 men were employed in the
New England fisheries. A re
port of the Massachusetts fish
eries made in 1837 shows what
strides the industry was making.
The total value of the cod and
mackerel caught that year
amounted to $3,208,866 and the
number of vessels engaged in fish
ing was 12,290, while the number
of men employed had risen to
16,722.
Today, the New England fishing
industry has reached such propor
tions that the annual catches
amount to 670,000,000 pounds in
round figures with a value of
$20,000,000. Products manufac
tured from the catch amount to
an additional $24,000,000. Cen
ter of this great activity is Bos
ton where the “Stock Exchange”
of the New England industry has
headquarters and where the great
fish plants pack, ice and ship mil
lions of fresh fish annually.
•Activity at the Boston fish pier
gets under way officially at seven
o’clock in the morning when the
auction opens. In a huge un
adorned room with its ceiling run
ning up the four stories of the
building, the auctioneers stand on
a railed platform in the center.
Around the platform cluster the
buyers and it is they who decide
the fortunes of the “farmers of
the sea.” For, the prices they
bid for the catch determine the |
earnings of the men manning the
fishing boats, who operate on
shares.
Heroes of the Pier.
Many of these men are direct
descendants of the Basque, Por
tuguese and Spanish sailors who
first made their way to the “other
side of the sea” in the Sixteenth
century. Many still live in the
same sturdy houses of wood and
stone built by their earlier ances
tors. There is keen rivalry
among them for fishing honors of
the year. The crew of the boat
that chalks up the biggest catch
become the glamour boys of the
Boston fishing world and are ac
corded the same admiration and
popular homage as a big league
baseball star or a college football
hero.
They live well, these men who
take the ever-present dangers of
the sea in their daily stride, and
they live with the carefree gaiety
of those to whom physical haz
ards are all in the day’s work.
Oddly enough, they eat little fish.
Steak is a favorite meat, with
plenty of vegetables and fruits,
and woe to the cook whose pies
emerge from the oven with other
than a crisp flaky crust.
When auction of the catches has
been concluded the work of un
loading the boats begins. Each
boat on its trip out takes on a
load of shaved ice in which to
pack the fish as soon as caught.
This method brings the catch into
port as fresh as it came from
the nets. Unloaded in huge bas
kets and transferred to carts, the
fish are rushed into big pack
ing and distribution plants. Here
they are made ready for millions
who, until modern methods of
mass merchandising took fresh
fish 1,500 miles inland, had little
opportunity to enjoy seafood ex
cept in a smoked, salted or
canned state. This method of dis
tribution has also removed fish
from the status of a “Friday
only” food item and now many
families far away from the sea-
coast enjoy fresh fish several
times a week.
Meet Blue-Eyed Reba.
Exploring the activities on the
fish pier you may be surprised to
find a slender, blue-eyed woman
in the thick of the auction or in
specting a basket load of fish
swinging onto the pier from a
boat, for in such an atmosphere
one does not ordinarily expect to
find a woman. She is Reba Onig
man, who is in her eighth year as
the only woman fish commission
merchant in the world. Miss
Onigman will tell you that she is
“in a business that stinks.” How
ever, she will add in the next
breath that “there’s romance in
the fish business,” and she would
not “give it up for the world.”
Miss Onipman’s daily schedule
might dismay a good many less
hardy women. She is up at five-
thirty o’clock and down on the
pier by six. From then on she is
“just one of the men.” She sells
her fish at the auction, inspects
the catches that come in on con
signment for her and operates in
a quietly business-like fashion
that has won her the respect of
the weather-beaten men with
whom she deals. Winter finds
her clad in T igh rubber boots and
a Sou’wester. In summer she
looks as dainty and fresh as
though she were just starting off
for some purely social feminine
activity. Her blouse is crisply
fresh and more likely than not a
blue bow is tucked away in curly
black hair lightly frosted with
premature gray.
Another colorful personality
whom you may meet in a morn
ing’s round of the fish pier is the
commission merchant who start
ed off merely peddling a few
packages of fish from door to
door. Then he persuaded a cap
tain or two to let him handle a
day’s catch. Today, he is one
of the wealthy men of the indus
try.
Thus, the fish industry goes.
Fortunes are frequently made
within the space of a few short
months. The men who are its
keystones—the sturdy simple fish
ermen who still speak the lan
guage of their Portuguese, French
and Spanish forefathers — still
lead lives filled with the color
and adventure which are the
heritage of those who “farm the
sea.” The boats set forth with
the early tide and slip back into
port at sunset or dawn. The
great industry which served as a
foundation for this country’s ear
liest trading continues to flourish
and to provide the nation with one
of its most important sources of
fnr*/*
T T MAY seem odd to suggest that
A the Rt. Hon. Dr. John Bain
Sutherland, better known as Jock,
is tackling a new sort of job. The
job is still coaching a football team,
but this time it is the Brooklyn
Dodgers and not the Pittsburgh Pan
thers.
“This is my first shot at pro foot
ball,” Jock tells you, “and I’ll have
to admit it may be something en
tirely different.
“For example, there’s the matter
of forward passing. As yon know
we liked to hang onto the ball at
Pittsburgh as long as we could. I
used good passers when I had them,
but I didn’t like to throw the ball
around too much when I didn’t have
them.
“It is different with the Dodgers.
We have the passers, one of the
best in Ace Parker, and we’ll do
our full share of air work. I know
also that pro crowds demand a more
open or more spectacular game.
College football is full of spectacular
play, but no fireworks are demanded
by the crowds.”
Big crowds still remember those
slashing Panther backs who ran and
blocked with an offensive that was
hard to stop.
Speed Before Weight
“Being new at this pro game,”
Jock continued, “I may be entirely
wrong, but I still don’t believe
weight is as important as some oth
ers do. I’d rather have a fast 190-
pound lineman than a slower player
at 230 or 240. I still believe in speed
far above bulk. That extra yard
or two in moving around mean?
more than you might think.”
“What about a big, fast man?” *
asked Jock.
"As for instance?” Jock aske'j.
“Well, Cal Hubbard?”
“How many Hubbards do you see
around?” Jock said. “I mean 240
or 245-pound players who are Just as
Quickly Knit Robe
Decks Baby in Style
HAR\ »5ST HOME PARTY
(See Recipes Below)
Household Neuis
ifc.
JOCK SUTHERLAND
fast as your backs and ends? We
haven’t seen many Hubbards in foot
ball. Or Fat Henrys either.
The 1940 rush may break all rec
ords, both among the colleges and
the pros. Sport remains the big
mind distractor and footbaU leads
all other competitions in this re
spect.
I can’t recaU when the college
game had so many strong teams—
scattered all over the map—ComeU,
Princeton, Fordham, Tennessee, Al
abama, Tulane, Texas A. and M.,
Southern Methodist, Ohio State, Min
nesota, Michigan, Notre Dame,
Southern California, Washington,
Duke, Oklahoma, Missouri, Nebras
ka, L. S. U., Texas, T. C. U., Geor
gia Tech and Santa Clara. And
even this list is only a partial roll
call.
There should be at least 35 excep
tionally strong college teams this
year and they cover all known and
explored sections of the map.
The Football Phenomenon
Pound for pound, one of the great
football players and one of the most
amazing is 150-pound Dave O’Brien
of Bert Bell’s Philadelphia Eagles.
Little Dave has one record that
is almost beyond belief. As I recall
the vital statistics O’Brien’s slight
frame has never left a football game
through injuries in five years of col
lege and pro play. He finished three
years with T. C. U.’s hard schedule
minus a dent in his small but solid
system. And he was always be
tween a 50 and 60-minute man.
He was supposed to be too small
for the pro game. But in place of
being rumpled into a shapeless mass
Little Dave went along passing and
running and kicking without any
trouble.
You might ask Steve Owen of the
N. Y. Giants about him.
“One of the best I ever saw,”
Steve said, “smart running his
team, a fine ball carrier and one of
the best of all passers < And above
all as tough as green hickory when
it comes to taking his share of being
knocked about.”
O’Brien completed 40 passes in
his last two pro games a year ago.
That ought to be a record—and I
think it is.
Star Running Backs
A group of football coaches were
talking about the star running backs
of football, apart from the power
house delegation.
In the discussion my top nomina
tion was Cliff Battles, and no one
cared to dispute the pick. Cliff Bat
tles and Red Grange were two of
the first nominations.
Cliff will tell you he was rarely
even jarred. Extremely fast and
slippery, he had a way of avoiding
any shock tackling. No one could
pick an opening quicker.
Everybody enjoys singing a song
of harvest home, even if they
haven’t had a personal stake in
bringing in the crops. At your har
vest home party, if you follow tradi
tion, you’ll have cornucopias filled
with fall fruits and garlands of
wheat or grasses grouped at the
center of your festive board. Little
dolls dressed in overalls and aprons
make amusing favors.
Farmer in the dell, blindman’s
buff, puss in comer, and the never
j to be forgotten game of charades,
in which the participants can give
| their all in dramatic acting, are tra-
I ditional juvenile game favorites that
! are likely to give the grown-up con
tingent an equally good time. You
may want to do a little bit of folk
dancing, with the ol£ time fiddler,
the pianist, and even an accordion
ist hitting off “country” songs.
When it comes to refreshments,
you may decide upon anything from
a big picnic spread to cookies and
a refreshing beverage. A fruit pie
is the most appropriate happy end
ing to your harvest home feast. Just
a hint to you homemakers if you
have trouble keeping the delicious
juice in a pie; quick cooking tapioca
may be used as a thickener, thus
eliminating the traditional hazard of
runaway juice.
Doughnuts and
hot spicy cider
are always an at
tractive and fa
vorite combina
tion to serve at a
party of this type.
Or you may like
to use the old
oaken bucket for serving punch.
Cherry Pie.
2% tablespoons quick-cooking
tapioca
1 cup sugar
% teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 No. 2 can sour cherries (2%
cups)
T /s cup cherry juice and 2 table
spoons water (to make 1 cup)
1 recipe pastry
Combine quick-cooking tapioca,
sugar, salt, butter, cherries, and
cherry juice; let stand about 15 min
utes. Line a 9-inch pie plate with
half of pastry rolled % inch thick,
allowing pastry to extend 1 inch be
yond edge of plate. Fold edge back
to form rim. Fill with cherry mix
ture. Moisten edge of pastry with
cold water; arrange lattice of pastry
strips across top. Flute rim with
fingers. Bake in a hot oven (450
degrees) 15 minutes, then decrease
heat to moderate (350 degrees) and
bake 30 minutes longer.
Rich Drop Doughnuts.
(Makes 1% dozen)
2 eggs
6 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons shortening (melted)
2 cups flour
% teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
Vx teaspoon nutmeg
6 tablespoons milk
Beat eggs until very light, and
gradually beat in the sugar. Add
melted shortening. Sift together the
flour, salt, baking powder and nut
meg, and add to the first mixture al
ternately with the milk. Drop from
a teaspoon into deep fat heated to
375 degrees, and fry until well
browned. Drain on unglazed paper.
Sprinkle with confectioner’s or pow
dered sugar.
Hot Spiced Cider.
2 quarts cider
1 cup brown sugar
1 6-inch stick cinnamon
6 whole cloves
1 teaspoon allspice
Add spices and sugar to cider;
place in kettle and let simmer over
| heat (not boil) for 15 minutes. Strain
| and serve hot in small glasses. Ado’
! a little grated nutmeg, if desired.
Baked Ham.
1 whole ham
1 teaspoon whole cloves
1% cups sweet cider
Vh cups brown sugar
Vi cup orange juice
Wipe ham with a damp cloth and
place in an uncovered roaster, skin
side up. Roast in a very slow oven
(300 degrees) allowing 25 minutes
per pound of ham. About % hour
before the ham has finished baking
take from oven. Remove skin and
pour off all excess fat. Cook cider
and sugar together to thick syrup
stage. Add orange juice and pour
mixture over ham. Dot with whole
cloves. Return to oven and bake Vi
hour longer, basting frequently with
liquid in pan.
Old Fashioned Jelly RoU.
4 eggs
% teaspoon baking powder
Vx teaspoon salt
% cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
% cup cake flour
1 cup jelly
Break the eggs into a bowl and
allow them to warm to room tem
perature. Then combine eggs with
baking powder and salt. Set the
bowl of eggs in a
smaller bowl in
which you have
poured hot water.
With a dover beat
er, beat the eggs,
baking powder,
and salt mixture
until it is thick
and light. Gradu
ally beat in the sugar and continue
beating until very light and fluffy.
Remove the bowl from the hot wa
ter and, with a spoon or spatula,
fold in the vanilla and the flour
which has been sifted several times.
Line a 10 by 15 inch jelly roll pan
with buttered wax paper, and pour
the batter into the pan. Bake for
about 12 minutes in a moderate oven
(350 degrees). Remove cake from
pan and turn onto a towel which
has been dusted with confectioner’s
sugar. Pull off paper and trim
edges from the cake. Roll, and cool.
When the cake has cooled, unroll it
and spread with jelly which has been
whipped to make it spread more
readily.
Date Nut Cake.
3 cups raisins
2 cups dates (cut fine)
1 cup pecan nut meats (cut fine)
1 teaspoon soda
1 cup boiling water
Put fruit and nuts into bowl; dis
solve soda in boiling water and pour
over the fruit. Let stand while pre
paring the following batter mixture:
% cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2% cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Vx teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cream butter and add sugar grad
ually. Add egg and mix well. Add
fruit mixture. Mix and sift all dry
ingredients and add alternately with
the milk and vanilla extract. Place
batter in three well-greased layer-
cake pans. Bake in a moderate
oven (365 degrees) for approximate
ly 35 minutes. When cool, put lay
ers together with boiled icing to
which chopped dates and raisins
have been added. Then ice with the
plain boiled icing.
Chocolate Nat Gingerbread.
% cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 ounces chocolate (melted)
2 eggs
1% cups cake flour
1% teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ginger
Vx teaspoon cloves
Vx teaspoon salt
% cup milk
Vi cup nut meats (chopped fine)
Cream butter thoroughly and add
the sugar slowly. Add melted choco
late and eggs,
one at a time,
beating well. Sift
dry ingredients
and add alter
nately with the
milk, beating be
tween each addition. Add nut meats.
Bake as a loaf cake in a moderate
oven (350 degrees) for approximate
ly 45 minutes. Serve with whipped
cream, sprinkled with cinnamon, or
with chocolate fudge icing.
Magic Fruited Macaroons.
(Makes about 30)
% cup sweetened condensed milk
2 cups coconut (shredded)
1 cup dates (chopped fine)
Mix together the sweetened con
densed milk and coconut. Add finely
chopped dates. Drop by spoonfuls
on greased baking sheet, about I
inch apart. Bake in a moderate
oven (350 degrees) 10 minutes, or
until a delicate brown. Remove
from pan at once.
(Released by Western Newspaper Union.)
Pattern 6752
C'OR dress-up, out-of-dcors or
^ coziness indoors this lacy robe
is the newest thing for baby.
• * *
Pattern 6752 contains Instructions foi
making set; illustrations of it and stitches;
materials needed; photograph of pattern
stitch. Send order to:
Sewing Circle Needlecraft Dept.
82 Eighth Ave. New York
Enclose 15 cents in coins for Pat
tern No
Name
Address
New York Failed to Vote
New York failed to cast its vote
for President in the first election,
which made Washington Presi
dent. As the Constitution provid
ed, each state was to appoint pres
idential electors “in such a man
ner as the legislature thereof may
direct.” In some states electors
for the first election of 1789 were
chosen by popular vote; in others,
the legislatures appointed them.
The New York legislature could
not agree on the manner of select
ing the electors. As a result, none
was chosen, and New York failed
to cast any vote for President.—
Pathfinder.
due to Constipation/
Dr. Hitchcock’s All-Vegetable
Laxative Powder — an intestinal
tonic-laxative—actually tones lazy
bowel muscles. It helps relieve
that sluggish feeling. 15 doses for
only 10 cents. Large family size 25
cents. At all druggists.
Dr. Hitchcocks
LAXATIVE POWDER
Loose Tongues
How can we expect another to
keep our secret if we cannot keep
it ourselves.
BAWs\:~'Xj£Bte*sedRetie£-
RHEUMATISM LUMBAGO
stutssttttttttt
We Con All Be
EXPERT
BUYERS
# In bringing us buying Information, as
to prices that are being asked for
what we intend to buy, and as to the
quality we can expect, the advertising
columns of this newspaper perform a
worth while service which saves us
many dollars a year.
# It Is a good habit to form, the habit
of consulting the advertisements every
time we make a purchase, though we
have already decided just what we
want and where we are going to buy
It. It gives us the most priceless feeling
In the world: the feeling of being
adequately prepared.
# When we go Into a store, prepared
beforehand with knowledge of what is
offered and at what price, we go as
an expert buyer, filled with self-confi
dence. It is a pleasant feeling to have,
the feeling of adequacy. Most of the
unhappiness In the world can be traced
to a lack of this feeling. Thus adver
tising shows another of Its manifold
facets—shows Itself as an aid toward
making all our business relationships
more secure and pleasant.
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