Thursday, January 4, 1940.
THE BEAUFORT NEWS BEAUFORT. N. C.
PAGE THREE
I
Bill Sharpens
CARTERET COAST CENTER OF THIS
PROFITABLE FISHING INDUSTRY
(Editor's Note: Cooperating with Eill Sharpe of the
State News Bureau of the Department cf Conservation a.-.d
Development in Raleigh, who has just released the story
which follows were several leaders of the menhatlsi indus
try in Carteret County. Majority of the pictures to ba
used in the layout accompanying the story are by Roy Eu
banks, of Beaufort, who has perhaps the best collection of
menhaden industry pictures of any pcrocn hi the world.
One or two of the pictures to be used in the relaass a:s hy
Aycock Brown, editor of The Beaufort New.;, whs i'Ad
Sharpe on the idea last year to publicize this important
North Carolina Coast business.))
By Bill Sharpe j
The fatback fleet is setting out again from North Caroli- '
na ports. From the curious little crow's nests which pecu
liarize the fatback boats, keen eyes are scanning the sen.-, !
for the great school of menhaden which moan fortune to j
captain and crew. If the look-outs are alert and the weath-
er is favorable and luck is right, the boats will steam in to - j
night loaded with hundreds of thousands of the oily fish. .
loaded so heavily that the low deck will be awash ; loaded
so heavily that when tho day's catch is sold and the pro-;
ceeds distributed among the crew, the cash will make up i
for many a week of fruitless efforts. j
Most hazardous ana m ways me
iviusa iiimuiu u ,;,.
most colorful and adventurous
... v - ., . ,, n.i,
fishing in the world is the fatback
fleet. And it pursues the most nu
merous fish on the Atlantic Coast
more numerous by far than the
shad, the cod or the halibut. And
yet not one Amei-ican in a thous
and ever heard of the fish, per
haps not one in 10,000 ever tasted
it the menhaden, or "fatback" or
"mossbunker," as the fish is vari
ously known.
Tha migration of the menhaden
ar incredible to inlanders. On
September 18, 1901 an enormous
school of oily fish came into the
bay at Beaufort, North Carolina.
For days the fish had pressed
through the inlet until the shallow
waters were packed with them.
They were discovered and follow
ed by blues and sharks, which be
gan feeding on the menhaden.
Panicky, the smaller fish tried to
escape, rushing back out the nar
row neck of the inlet until it was
gorged from surface to bottom.
But multitudes of them, fleeing the
vicious bluefish, hurled themselves
upon the land until the beach was
strewen knee-deep. Eleven mil
lion menhaden were picked up that
day by natives, and sold .to .the
Beaufort and Morehead processing
plants. Similar jams are not un
common and one occurred on the
North Carolina coast in 1937,
when so many fatback invaded a
sound that boats could not be nav
igated through them.
The menhaden fleet roams up
and down the coast, following the
migrations of the fish, for which
no laws are known. The boats
take their catches to factories con
veniently located along the coast,
where the valuable oil is cooked
out of the fish, the residue becom
ing fish scrap and fertilizer. In a
good season, 750,000,000 of the
fish will be taken on the Atlantic
coast, more than 150,000,000 of
them off this coast.
In spite of the apparent inex
haustible supply of fatback, the.
profession of catching them is al
most as hazardous as gold mining
almost as profitable and profit
Jess. If the weather is too bad for
the fleet to put out when the
schools pass, all may be lost. If
a skipper is inept if he does not
have an instinct for wind, weather
and water conditions, his crew may
be sorely penalized. Therein, per
haps, lies the. fascination of the
highly specialized industry, for in
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Story About Fatback Fleet On N. C. Coast
: . . , . .
a good season, captain and mate in
, ...
a lew weeKS can ciear $o,uuu cain
nronortion.
and the crew share in proportion
All menhaden f ishir.g on this coast
is done on shares, the factory usu
ally supplying tnj boat and .eosi.-,
the captain furnishing and main
taining the crew, and the factory
paying $1.25 per thousand for fish
delivered. The fish are purchased
by count, but counted by volume.
So highly specialized is fatback
fishing, and such skill does it re
quire, that the trade is practically
a family institution, handed down
through generations. If you ad
dress a menhaden fisherman by
the name of Willis, there are 85
chances in a 100 that you have
named him correctly. If you add
the names of Guthrie and Davis,
you will perhaps account for 95
per cent of all the names found
among' menhaden fishermen.
The fatback fleet's task is a pic-
4 1 J I V, I'M ll i
V ';iV , Ml! !S . iv-ri ii Slhw
PICTURESQUE MEN HADE
turesque one. Tmo boaio t.ieui
f.elves are distinctive. Ranging up
to 200 feet ion, ihcy have hirrh
hows but the lir..s dip swiftly al
most to water level to facilitate
loading, resembling the famous
"Core Soundeis" of the local com
mercial fishermen. Infallible mark
however, is the single mast, with
its crow's nest rearing above the
water. In operation, the boats
cruise up to 75 miles from a facto
ry port. The fish are sighted far
off, cither by the reddish tinge
they give the water or by the agitji-
Extra Pair of Pants At
NO EXTRA COST
lion they impart to the sea when
disturbed by bluefish, sharks or
f'T'.iren Sp?H and direction of
rul two purse hints tafca off fron
uv s'-hool i:; quickly calculated,
lh ship. A "strike" boat follow?.
The purse net is paid out around
ilncthool and g.-adualiy bhorteiK-J,
vhile the striker boatman attempts
to haad off the fhh, at t!ic same
NOTES ON MENHADEN
It is the moat numerout of "
:;' U t!w fith on the Atlantic
' Coast.
' A great industry built to
: foliow the whimt of the fiih, is
built around the menhaden. '
F'nctoi ic along the coast open
cr cloo n the fish proceed on '
' their journey.
V i ?
The migration of the fish
arc almost incredible. Some-
tiros; echoed pack the inlet
so thick that boats cannot be "
navigated through them. Elev- 5
" en million menhaden, d.ivcn ''
5 onto the beach by biuefich, ''
f were picked ud at Beaufort
" in one day.
It takes inborn understand
ing of wind, weather and cur.
rents to succeed iu the indus
try. So hazardous are the e
ccnomics of the industry that
it is almost a family calling.
Perhaps 85 per cent of those
engaged in it are named Wil
lis.. 1c
750,000,000 menhaden are
taken in a single season off
the American east coast.
Sharks are "drowned" suf
focated by the press of men
haden when they are caught
in purse nets.
time signalling with his oars to the
pinw bouts the movements of the
school. The two purse boats are
lashed together, and the purse line
is drawn. This line closes the bot-
: -
i
i V
! FLEET BASING AT BEAUFORT-Eubanks-News Pic
torn of thj net lik;j r. puiv, pi".
eiti the ash .'son escaping !
swimming under.ieath the net.
Meantime, the menhaden steami .
has come up and To iikhI tha Ihir '.
! side of a iriiuiiie, in winch tl.
; captured fis'.i r.:e packed i:r th
"bum'' section of the net. All ov
this mufrt be done with the utmosi
dispatch if success is to attend the
"set '. The menhaden become
panicky, and if by command turn
their course first in one direction
and then another t j escape the net.
il this panifc turns into desperate
flight, there is danger of the allele
school breaking through by sheer
weight. If the puising has been
done swiftly and kisllfully, howev
er, the mass by now is so thickly
packed that the fish have no space
in which to swim. They thrash
nbout violently, turning the water
white with the oil which exudes
from their bod:e.
Woe betide the' day if the crew
has inadvertently entrapped a 1,
000 nound shark in the net. Such
a monster will quickly rip through
the bottom of the the purse, rend
ing a hole perhaps 30 feet wide,
ihiough which the whole school of
fish escapes and forcing the boat
to return to port for repairs. Small
sharks caught in the net are quick
ly dispatched, though many oi"
them suffocate from the pressure
of the smaller fish.
If the seining has been well done
and the school a large one, the
fishermen happily turn to the la
borious task of dipping them onto
the deck. The net is pulled up on
three sides, the lucky fishermen
working to the tempo of an ancient
sea chantey. When the boiling
mass is brought to the surface, a
huge dip net is lowered from tho
boat into the fish and the school
transferred onto deck. A reason
able "set" is from 50,000 to 100,
000 fish. But innay a boat has
been so ortunfate as to take 600,
000 in net, and then released as
many more fo rlack of capacity ty
Iik-.iI them.
A few days of luck like this will
make the fatbntk captain and his
crew r.eci rs or i':,2 v.'i:iter, repay
them for many a bootless errand
rr:to r. wir.try sea.
A menhaden boat has no fancy
job.-i. Everyone must help in
decking the catch except the engi
neer and cook. The engineer is
constantly on duty to maneuver
the boat into position. The coo!;,
an important figure in the indus
t'y, is always a past-master at pre-pm-iniv
short orders. He is sub
ject to call 24 hours a day, and in
many casc3 his cunning would be
t'lc envy of the chef of a metropol
itan hotel.
The fatback boat continues to
follow the school until it is loaded
o: until the fish disappear beyond
their ken. Back at port the fish
n;e unloaded by elevators, con
veyed immediately into huge ovens
r.id tie oil extracted. This oil is
used extensively in paints, varnish
c!:, soaps and in some countries in
food products. The residue of
f i; !i flakes are dried and used as
vvVt'Axer and for animal feed.
The factoi ies along the coast op
erate only while fis'i are being
c-aui'ht in the vicinity. After the
migrations pass on, the factories
are closed and those at Southport
or places further south opened.
Processing, too, ?o dependent upoii
the fleet's luck, is a highly specula
tive business, and a season may
mean a fortune or utter failure.
Chailes S. Wallace of Morehead
City, is the dean o tfhe industry
and is said to have made and lost
more fortunes than any other man
in North Carolina. He has a large
fleet of boats which he operates
cooperatively with fatback cap
tains. The menhaden is rarely eaten in
this section, though when careful
ly prepared, it is said to have a
delectable flavor. Freed of some
of its ail, the fatback has a rich
sweet taste, somewhat like that of
a mullet.
SEND HIM OR HER THE NEWS
b
t j m x
Important Health
Measure Becomes
Law January 1st
Raleigh, January 2. One of the
n?opt important public health meas
ures ever enacted by a North Car
olina Legislature became effective
Monday, January 1, after which, in
the language of Chapter 313 of the
i'ublic Laws of 1939, "every wo.
man who becomes pregnant shall
have a blood sample taken and sub
mitted to a laboratory approved by
the North Carolina State Board of
Health for performing the Wasser
man test or other approved tests
for syphilis," Dr. Carl V. Reynolds
Mate Health Officer, reminds the
public.
Summarized, this new law pro
vides: That any duly licensed physician
shall, upon request of the woman,
secure the required blood sample
and submit it to the laboratory.
Midwives may not take such
samples but shall refer their pa
tients to a duly licensed physician.
Any pregnant woman who is not
able to pay a physician to take the
blood sample may have such sam
ple secured by the county health
officer or the county physician f o
submission to the laboratory.
In reporting births and still
births, physicians shall be required
to state whether such serological
tests have been made during preg
nancy, this information to appear
on the birth or stillbirth certifi
cate in each instance.
Violation of this act will consti
tute a misdemeanor, punishable by
a fine of $25, imprisonment for SO
days, or both, in the discretion of
the court.
Four-H Club members in Cald
well County are electing their 1940
officers, planning future club pro
grams, and starting project activ
ities for the new year.
'Human Cannon Balls'
Need Rigid Training
CliiT Gregg of Plymouth, Wis., who
'.rains hurru'n cannon balls, has dia
cK.sed same .if the secrets of the
bre.ith taking trick which thrills
?:rc:;s and exhibition crowds.
P lin'.inf? nit thrt 'die human pro
i'.c; !e experiences a few thrills of
his own each time he's shot from
the c;i:ii:cn, Gregg said:
"The performer enters a shell that
is shnped according to his body di
mensions. Compressed air shoots
the shell violently to the muzzle,
which springs back and ejects the'
perf.irmer.
"Simultaneously, an explosion is
set off In another chamber to pro
duce an artillery fire effect."
However, the performer must play
his part to perfection if the trick is
to be culminated successfully.
"As soon as the performer is re
leased he thrusts his head up,"
Gregg said, "and starts a climbing
motion with his arms and legs.
"If he permits his head to drop
he will fall short of the net."
He added:
"Hitting the net is no simple mat
ter. He lands with such force that
the net frequently is torn."
Gregg has built and sold five of
the cannons which shoot men not
at them. The guns are designed to
hurl a man approximately 150 feet.
The net in which the men land is
50 feet long, Gregg pointed out, be
cause no two performers are alike.
"A slight movement in the actions
of the performer will cause the dis
tance he is hurled to vary," he ex
plained. He declared a man could not be
thrown more than 200 feet "The
landing would kill him."
Despite the danger of the profes
sion, Gregg never lacks candidates
for the job of human cannon ball.
He said he has a drawer full of
applications from young men who
think that a firm back and a strong
heart are the only requirements.
"What they do not understand,"
he added, "Is that the requisites are
familiarity with the mechanism,
agility and above all presence of
mind."
New England Gourmets
. Stage 'Chowder' Battle
New Englanders have won a Hard
fought battle over whether tomatoes
properly deserve a place in clam
chowder.
The decision of gourmets was that
tomatoes should be outlawed from
the succulent dish.
Now, they have ruled that milk
has no place in fish chowder and
that the correct liquid is Madeira
wine. They based this on a recipe
found in an early cook book.
Andrew S. Seiler, Boston caterer,
found the recip"e in tire "Cook's Own
Book," published by Monroe S: Fran
cis in 1832.
"This receipt (not recipe) is ac
cording to the most approved meth
od practiced by fishing parties in
Boston harbor," read a preface. It
continued:
"Chowder Lay some slices cut
from the fat part of the bellypiece of
pork in a deep stewpan, mix sliced
onions with a variety of sweet herbs
and lay them on the pork. Bone
and cut a fresh cod into thin slices,
and place them on the pork; then
put a layer of pork, on that a layer
of biscuit; then alternately the other
materials until the pan is nearly full,
season with pepper and salt, put in
about a pint and a half of water,
lay a paste over the whole, cover
the stewpan very close, and let it
stand, with fire above as well as
below, for hours.
"Then skim it well, and put it in
a dish, pour a glass of Madeira
made hot over it, also some Ja
maica pepper, stewed mushrooms,
truffles and oysters; brown the
paste slightly and lay it over the
whole."
Statue of Liberty
A Frenchman, Frederic Bartholdi.
designed the Statue of Liberty for
the Franco-American union in 1874
It was built by popular subscription
in France to commemorate the hun
dredth anniversary of American in
dependence, and look five years to
complete. It was mounted in Paris
In October, 1881. The American
pedestal for the statue, built by pop
ular subscription here, was built be
tween 1883 and 1886, and the statue
was erected on an iron framework
bolted firmly to the stone pedestal
It was dedicated October 23, 18!!6
The statue is of copper sheets 2',i
mm. in thickness. Its total weight
is 225 tons, including 100 tons of
copper. From the water level to
the top of pedestal is 149 feet 10
inches; from the statue base to top
of torch 151 feet 5 inches. From
the heel to top of head is 111 feet
8 inches. Forty persons can stand
comfortably in the head, and the
torch will hold 12 people.
German Speed Camera
Capable of taking 80,000 pictures
a second, an all-electric slow-motion
camera has been developed in
Germany. Motion pictures produced
were shown before invited guests in
Berlin, not long before the outbreak
of the war. Among the pictures
shown was the movement of warm
air circulating in a heated room,
the discharge of electric sparks over
insulators and flying bullets hitting
suspended steel wires. Known tech
nically as a stroboscope, the cam
era is designed primarily for tech
niesl snft j-cicniific research.
Diphtheria Law Is
Being Violated By
Parents In State
Raleigh, January 2. The law
designed to prevent diphtheria by
requiring that children be immu
nized, which was passed by the last
General Assembly and ratified
March 17, 1939, is not being en
forced, it was asserted here Friday
night by Dr. Carl V. Reynold?,
State Health Officer.
In substantiation of this asser
tion, Dr. Reynolds pointed out the
fact that, according to the report
of the State Board of Health's Di
vision of Epidemiology, there were
470 eases of diphtheria through
out the State in November, 211 of
which occurred in children under
5 years of age and 17fi in children
from 5 to 9.
"It requires only uhout sixty
days for a child to become immun
ized," Reynolds said, "and if this
law had been observed to the let
ter, diphtheria could have been
wiped out by midsummer of this
GENERAL AUTO REPAIRING
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Chrysler, Plymouth & Federal Trucks
13th and Arendell St. Morehead City
Carteret County V
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SAVINGS FROM
10 to 50
FREE:
For a limited time only we will give
1940 License Plates with each car sell
ing for over $150.00.
'WE GUARANTEE TO
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1 J ALL O
Beaufort
j,
Notice To
Car!e?et onnfy
A Penalty of 10 Will Be Charged All
Taxpayer? Who Fail to List Their
Property During the Month of
JANUARY 1940
All Taxpayers in Carteret County are hereby
notified that pursuant to the Requirements of the
Statute, they are required to return to the List
Takers and Assessors in their Townships all Real
and Personal Property which each Taxpayer
owned on the First Day of January, 1940, and
said Returns shall be made to the List Takers
during the Month of January, 1940.
List Your Property During
JANUARY
The Books will be open in all Townships during
the month of January. It is to your interest to
cooperate with the List Takers and
REMEMBER ! You will be subject to Indict
ment by Grand Jury and also a 10 Penalty if
you fail to List Taxes.
F. R. SEELEY
Tax Supervisor of Carteret County
NKiM
year. Instead, we see where 47!J
cases occurred last month, and in
some communities the disease wa ,
prevalent to a marked degree. Iu
fact, in thirteen counties from 10
to 27 cases occurred.
' if people of this State could on
ly witness these helpless children
and sec the scores of them in hos.
pituls with tubes in their throats,
some of which had to be inserte t
by making incisions in their neck.-;,
our people would wake up to juf-r.
what this means.
"The State Board ;f Health re
quests all parents to see that the:
children are immunized again:-;
this highly infectious diseas?,
thereby saving us the embarrass
rr.ent of having to take drasti :
steps," Dr. Reynolds added signif
icantly. "The results of diphtheria ar
not only dangerous to the chil i,
but through the neglect of not ha- -ing
children immunized the livr
of all susceptible within the ranj;.
of its contact are endangered.
"I call upon the parents o"
North Carolina to act now, before
it is too late !"
.t.
r.
t
M SALS
SAVE YOU MONEY"
SERVICE
North Carolina
WW"1!.'-'- - r Fit 1
Taxpayers
of