The American Boy's Handy Book/Chapter 11
This new pastime not only insures the fisherman something to show for his day's work, but, by furnishing an incentive, it lends an additional charm to rowing or sailing, and combines the pleasures of fishing and boating, perhaps, in a greater degree than any other sport upon the list of out-door exercises. There is no good reason why the "dredge" and "tangle" should be monopolized by a few learned scientists, nor why the sport should not be indulged in by all boys, as well as men, who love the open air, the salt sea breeze, Nature and her wonders.
To put this new pastime within the reach of the boys, this chapter illustrates and describes the "regular" dredge made upon the most improved pattern, and it also shows how serviceable dredges and tangles may be made out of simple materials to be found about any house.
The dredge is an instrument made to drag along the bottom of the water and scoop up the objects, such as corals, sponges, etc., that are found there.
The common oyster dredge is a familiar object at all sea-side places, but it has two or three defects which make it objectionable to the amateur dredger. In the first place, it requires a skilled hand to keep it right side up when in use. Nothing is more discouraging to a beginner than to discover, after a long pull, that on account of the dredge being towed upside down the scraper has been unable to perform its duty. The meshes of an oyster dredge are made very large purposely, that all small objects may slip through. Among these small objects are some of the curiosities most prized by the collector.
To remedy the first defect, the collector's dredge is made with a scraper upon both sides (Fig. 65). The second defect is overcome by using a net with very fine meshes.
The net, if unprotected, would soon be cut and torn into shreds by the sharp-edged shells or rough bottom. To prevent this, it is enclosed in a leather or canvas bag open at both ends (Fig. 65). The dotted line shows the net inside.
The handles and scrapers are composed of iron.
If the machine become fast between the rocks of the bottom, the string that binds the joint marked in the diagram (Fig. 65) will part, thus allowing the machine to turn edgewise and free itself.
Many curious objects were frequently brought up clinging to the cable or the frayed edges of the canvas cover of the dredges first used, and it was noticed that the dredge itself seldom contained any of these objects. This fact gave birth to
a name given to tassels of hemp that are often attached to the bottom of the dredge itself or used separately (Figs. 66 and 67).
If the bottom to be explored be smooth a trawl can be used (Fig. 68). This consists of a net larger than the one connected with the dredge. The front of the net is attached to a rod at the top and hangs slack at the bottom, being weighted by small sinkers. The rod is fastened to runners which allow the trawl to slide. smoothly over the bot tom. Weights are sometimes fastened to the ends of the runners. It is a good idea to have pockets in the net, to prevent the fish from escaping. The end of the net should be gathered and tied with a string, so that by untying the string the contents can be dumped out in less time than it takes to tell of it.
There is a sort of flat sheet-iron pan used in the kitchen for holding bread or biscuit while baking. It is seldom that the cook cannot show you one of these pans (Fig. 62) that has served its time and been discarded. Such a one will make a first-rate frame for a dredge. The only difficulty will be found in cutting the bottom out neatly. If there be a tin shop in the neighborhood it is best to take the pan there and have the tinner cut it for you; or you may do it yourself with a can opener or some other convenient instrument. Cut as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 62, which represents the pan bottom upwards. This will leave a margin of about an inch and a half still adhering to the pan; with a strong nail and a hammer punch holes all around the marginal piece of the bottom. Make two larger holes in each end to admit the ropes forming the handles.
Bend the bottom pieces out as illustrated by Fig. 63, and it will produce a compact and handy frame for a small dredge.
An old coffee sack can be readily adapted so as to serve as a net, but if the canvas cover be used as in Fig. 65, mosquito netting of double thickness will answer for the inner pouch.
Fig. 64 shows a "bake-pan dredge" with ropes attached ready for use. Although the framework of a "regular" dredge can be made by any blacksmith at trifling cost, it is more fun to make a dredge for one's self. When once the principles upon which a machine is made are thoroughly understood, it requires but little ingenuity to produce home-made substitutes that will perhaps answer as well, if not better, than the originals.
Take any old tin bucket, knock the bottom out, and attach a piece of coffee sack for a net. Tie bunches of hemp to the rim, first punching holes for the purpose, and you will have a makeshift dredge like the one in the tail-piece that only requires a few minutes to manufacture. Even with such a crude apparatus as this, many things may be captured for the cabinet or aquarium, the hempen tangles serving not only to entangle star-fish, sea-urchins, and the like, but in a measure preventing other creatures that have been scooped up by the pail from making their escape.
Saw off from an old broom handle a piece of stick about two and one-half feet long; hunt up three or four pieces of chain about the size used for large dog-chains; with small iron staples fasten these chains at intervals along the broomstick. Tie bunches of hemp securely along the chains. If you have no hemp, unravel pieces of old rope ends and tie them to the chains as in the illustration (Fig. 66). The broomstick, being light, will possibly float in spite of the chains. This can only be prevented by attaching weights to the stick.
If a couple of iron wheels can be procured and put upon the ends of the broomstick they will not only counteract the buoyancy of the stick, but will also, in a measure, prevent the tangle from fouling stones or other objects on the bottom.
In the place of the iron wheels, simple weights of lead or other material may be used, and instead of the chains, weighted strings can be tied to the stick and the hempen knots fastened to them. Still another tangle can be made of a piece of old chain.
as may be seen by the illustration (Fig. 67), is simply a piece of iron chain decorated with hempen tassels and occasional cross-sticks. A rope is attached to one end, and by its means the tangle is hauled over the bottom to gather up its load of curiosities.
If dredging from a sail-boat, divide the crew into two parties, one to manage and sail the boat, the other to attend to the casting and hauling of the dredge. It is as necessary that the boat be carefully managed as it is that at least one person's undivided attention be given to handling the dredge. The dredging rope should be about twice as long as the water is deep. A wooden reel or windlass attached to one side of the boat near the stern will be of very great assistance, especially when the net comes up filled with mud or heavy stones, as it frequently does; in which case, if there be but one boy to attend to it he will find it no light task to pull in the line hand over hand.
A piece of old oilcloth or tarpaulin will answer to dump the contents of the dredge upon, although a large wooden tray, or "picking-over board," as it is called, is much better. A small board of the kind intended for a row-boat is shown in the illustration at the head of this chapter.
Common glass preserve jars, or wide-mouthed bottles, make excellent receptacles for living specimens. A convenient rack for carrying these easily and safely may be made from any wooden box, by nailing laths or slats across the top from end to end and side to side, making the squares thus formed just large enough to hold the jars or bottles in an upright position.
The sail boat is best for long excursions, but for a short trip a row-boat is preferable, it being more readily handled and independent of the wind.
Although a dredge without tangles will bring up many curious and interesting objects, the specimens are apt to be confined to the mollusca or shell-fish, mixed, of course, with all manner of rubbish.
If properly managed, the pouch, when it reaches the surface, will be about half full. After it has been emptied upon the "picking-over" board, the mud and sand may be washed away by pouring water over the mass. Although not absolutely necessary, a large sieve is a desirable addition to the dredger's outfit, and furnishes valuable assistance when the mud or sand is to be searched for minute objects. Some dredgers use a "nest of sieves," so arranged that the strainers, four in number, fit freely within one another.
Fig. 68.The Trawl.
The top sieve is of course smaller than the others, but the meshes are larger The second sieve is a little larger, with finer meshes. The third is still larger, with a much finer mesh, and the fourth, the largest sieve of the lot, has a mesh so close as only to allow the finest sand or mud to pass through. The contents of a dredge when filtered through a "nest of sieves" is divided up into a graduated series, the largest objects at the top and the smallest at the bottom. Mr. Emerton, in his "Life on the Seashore," describes a sieve for hanging over the side of a boat "in the shape of a half cylinder," the bottom being made of strong wire; but, as before remarked, sieves are not absolutely necessary, and may be dispensed with when the object is only a day's fun with the curiosities of the sea.
Partially buried in the mud of the bottom are to be found many pretty corals, queer and curious sponges, and those funny animals called sea-cucumbers. The dredge may skip these, but the hempen tangles, when they sweep the bottom, catch all such rough or irregular objects and bring them to the surface, along with a miscellaneous assortment of star-fish, sea-urchins, crabs, shrimps, and hundreds of other creatures.
Wyville Thomson, in his interesting account of the dredging cruise of the Porcupine and Lightning, mentions one haul when the tangles contained not fewer than 20,000 sea-urchins, which "were warped through and through the hempen fibres and actually filled the tangles; and," adds Mr. Thomson, "they hung for days round the bulwarks like nets of pickling onions in a green-grocer's shop." At times the tangle, when it comes to the surface, is completely covered with curious little shrimplike creatures called Caprellas. Indeed, so many surprises await the dredger and tend to keep up the excitement, that this new sport cannot fail to interest and delight all who participate in it; and when the young dredgers return home they need not do so empty-handed, but may, if they choose, bring curiosities from the bottom of the sea that will not only astonish their parents, but most likely puzzle their teachers and professors.
Under the head of Taxidermy, among the autumn sports, will be found some hints which will aid the reader in preserving marine specimens for the cabinet or for future study.
