USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Medford > History of the town of Medford, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, from its first settlement, in 1630, to the present time, 1855 > Part 36
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P. Curtis
A. T. Hall
Yarmouth .
72
404 1
Ship
Circassian Herbert
J. O. Curtis's . ·
J. O. Curtis's . .
J. O. Curtis .
Snow & Rich .
Boston .
650
405
Ship Ship Bark
Chasea . Abællino Velocity
Sprague & James's Sprague & James's
J. T. Foster
J. Atkins . .
Chatham
246
406 407 408 409
Bark
Vesta . .
Sprague & James's
J. Taylor .
John Flynn
Boston . .
233
410
Bark Robert Sprague & James's ! J. Taylor .
| Bramhall & Howe
Boston .
800
377
REGISTER OF VESSELS BUILT IN MEDFORD.
393 394 395 396 397 398 399 400 401 402 403
-
Ship Ship
R. C. Winthrop
T. Magoun's .
Hayden & Cudworth . Hayden & Cudworth H. Ewell .
J. Wellsman .
Charleston, S.C.
572
391 ₩ 392
Ship Ship Ship Ship
Georgia
J. Stetson's
J. Stetson's
J. Stetson
J. Stetson . .
Medford . 160
Boston .
616
T. Magoun's .
H. Ewell
W. W. Goddard .
Yarmouth 75
Marcellus
T. Magoun's .
Hayden & Cudworth
Bark Ship Sch.
Townsend
J. O. Curtis's . ·
J. O. Curtis .
T. L. Mayo .
J. Thacher & Co
Boston . .
619
J. & A. Tirrell
Boston .
735
J. T. Foster .
J. T. Foster
Medford . 112
Sch. Crescent City
Sprague & James's
J. T. Foster .
R. A. Cook and others W. W. Goddard . . Nathaniel Francis .
Boston . 547
Boston . 430
Sprague & James's Sprague & James's Sprague & James's Sprague & James's Sprague & James's Sprague & Jarues's J. O. Curtis's . J. O. Curtis's .
J. T. Foster . J. T. Foster . J. O. Curtis .
Hussey & Murray
J. H. Pearson J. A. MeGaw
Boston . 385
J. O. Curtis .
Parsons & Hough
Boston . 425
J. O. Curtis's
J. O. Curtis
J. A. McGaw
Boston 590
P. Curtis
George Pratt .
Boston . 712
Boston
864
P. Curtis
A. Hemenway
D. C. Bacon
Boston .
577
Wetmore & Co.
New York 621
Crusader .
T. Magoun's . . . | H. Ewell H. Ewell
150
Bramhall & Howe .
Boston 608
New York 800
Boston . 200
Independence
J. Stetson
P. Curtis's .
Cochituate
Boston . 754
J. O. Curtis.
No.
Date.
Descrip.
Name.
Yard.
Builders.
Owners.
Their Residence.
Ton- nage.
378
HISTORY OF MEDFORD.
444 .
Ship
i Shooting Star
.J. O. Curtis's . .
J. O. Curtis .
Reed & Wade
Boston .
900
411
1848
Bark
Home
Sprague & James's
J. Taylor
Minot & Hooper .
Boston .
G80
412
1849
Ship
Josiah Bradlee .
Sprague & James's J. Taylor
Bramhall & Howe .
Boston . 999
413
Ship
Clara Wheeler
Sprague & James's
J. Taylor
William Flynn .
Boston
233
414
Bark
Ella .
Sprague & James's
J. Taylor
Thomas B. Wales & Co
Boston
651
415
Ship
Squantum
Sprague & James's
J. T. Foster
J. & A. Tirrell .
Boston .
967
416
Ship
Tirrell
J. O. Curtis's
J. O. Curtis .
W. F. Weld & Co.
Boston .
385
417
Bark
Fenelon
J. O. Curtis's .
J. O. Curtis .
Snow & Rich . .
Boston .
425
418
Bark
Sarah H. Snow Anna Rich . .
J. O. Curtis's ·
J. O. Curtis .
W. F. Weld & Co.
Boston
700
420
Ship
Wm. Sturgis
Boston
716
421
Ship
Humboldt .
P. Curtis's . .
·
B. Bangs .
Boston .
850
422
Ship
Western Star
P. Curtis's .
P. Curtis
D. P. Parker .
Boston .
808
Ship
Samuel Appleton
P. Curtis's .
P. Curtis
Hayden & Cudworth . .
J. D. Crocker
Salem .
557
Ship
Australia .
T. Magoun's.
Hayden & Cudworth . .
Magoun & Son .
Boston .
701
427
Ship
Revere .
T. Magoun's .
S. Lapham's .
S. Lapham
William H. Boardman
Boston .
850
Ship
Argonaut
S. Lapham's .
S. Lapham
J. E. Lodge .
Boston .
700
J. Stetson's
J. Stetson
A. Hemenway
Boston . 589
.
1850
Prospero
J. Stetson's .
J. Stetson .
A. Hemenway .
Boston .
682
B. C. White
Boston .
743
Sachem
S. Lapham's
S. Lapham
J. E. Lodge.
Boston .
850
Ship
Gentoo .
S. Lapham's
S. Lapham
Mackay & Coolidge
Boston
New York
940
Ship
Hemisphere
T. Magoun's
Hayden & Cudworth
J. Parsons
Boston .
354
Isabella
T. Magoun's
Hayden & Cudworth . .
Lombard & Hall
Boston .
383
439
Bark Bark Bark Bark
Sumter . G. E. Webster. Kremlin
| P. Curtis's. . .
P. Curtis .
Craft & Co. .
Boston .
487
440 441
Ship Shirley .
| P. Curtis's . . ·
P. Curtis
George Pratt .
Boston . 948
442
Ship Mohawk .
J. O. Curtis's . .
J. O. Curtis .
J. P. Macy .
Nantucket . 420
443
Ship J. H. Jarvis .
J. O. Curtis's ..
J. O. Curtis .
Snow & Rich
Boston . 680
-
419
Ship
J. O. Curtis's
.
P. Curtis .
W. F. Weld & Co.
423 424 425 426
Ship
Manlius
T. Magoun's. .
Hayden & Cudworth . .
Hayden & Cudworth . .
Howes & Crowell
Boston .
752
Ship
Beatrice
428 429 430 431 432 433 434 435
Ship
Magellan . George Green
J. Stetson's
J. Stetson
Charles R. Green
Boston
866
J. Stetson's
J. Stetson
Ship
Union
T. Magoun's
Hayden & Cudworth . .
Reed & Wade
Boston . 354
T. Magoun's
Hayden & Cudworth . .
436 437 438
Ship Ship Ship
Fillmore .
Yarmouth
70
Sch.
T. Magoun's .
Silsbee & Stone
Boston
670
Snow & Rich .
J. O. Curtis
Sprague & James's
J. T. Foster
Nathaniel Francis
Boston .
350
850
Lombard & Hall
445 446 447 448 449 450 451 452 453
1851
Ship Stmr. Ship Ship
Napoleon .
Caroline .
Polar Star
Sprague & James's J. T. Foster
J. H. Pearson
Boston .
242
Bark
Chester . . Telegraph
J. O. Curtis's ..
J. O. Curtis.
P. Sprague & Co.
Snow & Rich . .
William Lincoln
Boston .
460
458
Stmr.
City of Boston
J. O. Curtis's
J. O. Curtis.
459
Ship
Courser .
P. Curtis's . .
P. Curtis's .
P. Curtis
A. T. Hall .
C. Darling .
W. B. Reynolds
Boston .
230
S. Lapham's
S. Lapham
N. & B. Goddard
Boston .
737
Ship
Coringa
J. Stetson's
J. Stetson .
B. F. Delano .
W. W. Goddard . W. W. Goddard .
Boston . 400
Bark
Roeket .
T. Magoun's .
B. F. Delano
Howes & Crowell
Boston . .
783
Ship
Hamlet
T. Magoun's .
Hayden & Cudworth . .
Lombard & Hall
Boston .
350
Bark
Edisto
Yarmouth
S5
Seh.
Olive Branch
T. Magoun's .
Hayden & Cudworth . . Hayden & Cudworth . .
E. Bangs & Son
Boston .
627
Ship
Ocean Eagle
T. Magoun's .
Hayden & Cudworth . .
William Lincoln .
Baxter & Brothers
William Lincoln .
Boston .
1109
Ship
Champion .
J. Stetson's
J. Stetson .
William Perkins J. E. Lodge
William Perkins
Boston .
682
476
Ship
Beverly
P. Curtis's .
J. O. Curtis's .
J. O. Curtis .
Clark, Jones, & Co.
Boston .
700
477
Ship
Onward
J. O. Curtis's . ·
J. O. Curtis .
Reed & Wade .
Boston .
872
478 479
Ship Star of the Union
J. O. Curtis's . .
J. O. Curtis .
Reed & Wade
Boston . 1079
480
Ship Whirlwind . ..
J. O. Curtis's . .
J. O. Curtis .
W. & F. H. Whittemore & Co. W. F. Weld & Co ...
Boston .
850
379
481
Ship | Competitor . .
J. O. Curtis's . . J. O. Curtis.
Train & Wing .
Nantucket .. 350 380
Bark Ship Ship
Beerings . Trimountain
J. T. Foster Sprague & James's |J. T. Foster . Sprague & James's Sprague & James's| J. Taylor . Sprague & James's J. Taylor
W. H. Boardman John H. Pearson . Bramhall & Howe
Boston . .
Boston . 1020
Boston . 1020
President.
Syren John Taylor
J. Taylor .
Nathaniel Francis
Boston . 230
Thomas Lamb
Boston . 670
Charleston, S.C. 740
J. Wellsman .
J. H. Pearson
Boston .
690
454 455 456 457
Ship
Susan Hinks .
J. O. Curtis's ..
J. O. Curtis .
Ship
Ship
Antelope . .
J. O. Curtis's .
J. O. Curtis .
P. Sprague & Co.
Boston . .
600
P. Curtis
A. Richardson . ·
Boston .
1080
Ship Stmr. Bark
Samuel Lawrence Rajah Walla .
S. Lapham's
S. Lapham
460 461 462 463 464 465 466 467 468 469 470 471 472 473 474 475
1852
Ship Ship Ship
Alexander Golden Eagle
T. Magoun's. T. Magoun's . T. Magoun's .
Hayden & Cudworth . .
Boston .
1061
Boston .
1300
Ship
Phantom .
S. Lapham's .
S. Lapham
P. Curtis
Reed & Wade .
Boston . 678
Ship
John Wade
T. Magoun's.
Hayden & Cudworth . .
Yarmouth . 601
Hayden & Cudworth . .
Boston . 730
Gem of the Ocean
T. Magoun's .
Hayden & Cudworth . .
J. P. Crocker . .
Boston .
800
Ship
Dauntless
T. Magoun's .
Sprague & James's Sprague & James's J. T. Foster Sprague & James's J. T. Foster .
Silsbee & Pickman
Salem . 1050
Ship
Sprague & James's J. T. Foster
Boston . 1040
Boston . 700
Boston . 1000
Batavia, E.I. 700
Georgiana
REGISTER OF VESSELS BUILT IN MEDFORD.
Bark | Paragon .
J. O. Curtis's . J. O. Curtis.
Stmr. Sir John Harvey .
990
Boston . .
380
No.
Date.
Descrip.
Name.
Yard.
Builders.
Owners.
Their Residence.
Ton- nage.
482
1852
Ship
Ellen Foster .
J. T. Foster's . .
J. T. Foster .
J. T. Foster .
J. & A. Tirrell .
Boston . 1080
484
1853
Ship
Edward Everett
J. T. Foster's . .
J. T. Foster .
John H. Pearson & Co.
Boston . 245
485
Bark
Morning Star
J. T. Foster's . ·
J. T. Foster .
T. B. Wales & Co. .
Boston .
1103
487
Ship
Hortensia .
J. T. Foster's . .
J. T. Foster .
Perritt & Co. . .
New Orleans
700
488
Ship
Wild Ranger
J. O. Curtis's . .
J. O. Curtis .
Theo. Chase . .
Boston .
1200
489
Ship
Eagle Wing .
J. O. Curtis's . .
J. O. Curtis .
W. F. Weld & Co.
Boston .
1400
490
Ship
George Peabody .
S. Lapham's
S. Lapham
J. E. Lodge.
Boston . 1500
491
Ship Ship
Sea Flower .
J. Stetson's
Hayden & Cudworth . .
Howes & Crowell
Boston . 1060
493
Ship
Climax . .
T. Magoun's . .
T. Magoun's . · .
Hayden & Cudworth . . Hayden & Cudworth . .
William Lincoln
Boston . 1200
495
Ship
Boston 1150
496
Ship
King Fisher . ·
T. Magoun's . .
Hayden & Cudworth . . Hayden & Cudworth .
Crowell, Brooks, & Co.
Boston . 500
497
Ship
Edith Rose.
·
Hayden & Cudworth . .
Crowell, Brooks, & Co.
Boston .
850
498
Ship
Fleet Wing
T. Magoun's . T. Magoun's . T. Magoun's . T. Magoun's .
Hayden & Cudworth . Hayden & Cudworth . .
Howes & Crowell
Boston .
1150
500 501
Ship Bark
Lamplighter .
T. Magoun's .
Hayden & Cudworth . .
Lombard & Co.
Boston .
360
502
Ship
Osborn Howes
T. Magoun's .
Hayden & Cudworth . .
Crowell, Brooks, & Co
Boston .
1050
503
Ship
Rambler . .
T. Magoun's . ·
Hayden & Cudworth . .
Baxter & Brothers
Yarmouth .
1080
504
Bark
Elmwood
J. Stetson's
T. Turner .
E. Bartlett
Boston .
387
505
Plt-bt William H. Starkey .
J. O. Curtis's .
B. F. Delano
M. Hunt .
Boston .
78
506
Ship
Ocean Telegraph
J. O. Curtis's .
J. O. Curtis.
Reed & Wade
Boston .
1500
507
Ship
Ocean Express .
J. O. Curtis's . .
J. O. Curtis .
Reed & Wade
Boston .
2000
508
Stmr. Enoch Train .
J. O. Curtis's . ·
J. O. Curtis .
Tow-boat Co.
Boston .
350
509
Ship
Good Hope
J. O. Curtis's .
·
510
Ship
Nor'wester
S. Lapham's · .
S. Lapham
J. S. Coolidge & Co
Boston .
1300
511
Ship
Emma .
J. T. Foster's . ·
J. T. Foster
J. Wellsman
Charleston, S.C.
875
512
Ship
Asterion
J. T. Foster's .
J. T. Foster .
David Snow
Boston .
1170
513
Ship
·
J. T. Foster's .
J. T. Foster .
Fisher & Co.
Boston .
1060
483
Ship
West Wind
J. T. Foster's . .
$
Correet Grand Total, at $45 per ton : 232,206 tons, $10,449,270.
HISTORY OF MEDFORD.
Boston . 1050
494
Ship
Ringleader . White Swallow ·
T. Magoun's .
William Lincoln .
Magoun & Son . .
Boston .
1250
499
Ship
Herald of the Morning Robin Hood .
J. Stetson .
B. C. White .
Boston . 1061
492
Don Quixote.
J. O. Curtis's
J. O. Curtis.
Thatcher & Sears .
Boston .
1000
486
Ship
National Eagle
J. T. Foster's . .
J. T. Foster ,
(Not sold)
1300
F. Burritt & Co.
1200
J. O. Curtis.
Howes & Crowell
1854
J. & A. Tirrell
Boston . 1042
OCEAN EXPRESS, 1854.
381
FISHERIES.
FISHERIES.
To Medford belongs the honor of establishing the first fisheries in " London's Plantation of Massachusetts Bay." Careful and costly preparations for this business were made in England, in 1629, by Mr. Cradock, who believed it the most promising investment then offered from the New World. In the company's " first general letter," under date of April 17, 1629, is indicated a course of trade which was to be pursued by the Medford fishermen. It is thus : -
" We have sent five weigh of salt in the ' Whelpe,' and ten weigh in the 'Talbot.' If there be shallops to be had to fish withal, and the season of the year fit, pray let the fishermen (of which we send six from Dorchester), together with some of the ship's company, endeavor to take fish ; and let it be well saved with the said salt, and packed up in hogsheads; and send it home by the 'Talbot' or ' Lion's Whelpe.'"
At the same time they send " a seine, being a net to fish with." May 28, 1629, they say, -
" We send salt, lines, hooks, knives, boots, &c., for the fishermen, desiring our men may be employed in harbor, or upon the Bank. If you send ships to fish on the Bank, and expect them not to return again to the plantation, &c."
By this it appears that those vessels which had caught a cargo of fish " on the Bank " were expected to take them thence to London. Sept. 3, 1635, the General Court chose a committee of six " for setting forward and managing a fish- ing trade." That fishing was profitable, we have the follow- ing early record : "Thirty-five ships sailed this year (1622) from the west of England, and two from London, to fish on the New England coasts ; and made profitable voyages." Through the instrumentality of our fishing interest, the Gene- ral Court passed the following order. May 22, 1639: "For further encouragement of men to set upon fishing, it is or- dered, that such ships and vessels and other stock as shall be properly employed and adventured in taking, making, and transporting of fish according to the course of fishing voy- ages, and the fish itself, shall be exempt, for seven years from henceforth, from all country charges." To show how minute was the fostering care of our fathers on this point, we have the following order of June 2, 1641 : " It is ordered
382
HISTORY OF MEDFORD.
that fishermen shall have their fish for bait at the same rate that others have at the wears, and be first served." "The property of Governor Cradock, invested at Medford for fish- ing and other purposes," was large. Mr. Savage says, " He maintained a small plantation for fishing at Mistick, in the present bounds of Malden, opposite to Winthrop's farm, at Ten Hills." Complaint was made by our fishermen of a law, passed by Plymouth Colony, which laid a tax of five shillings on " every share of fish " caught by strangers " at the Cape." From all that we can gather, we conclude that Mr. Cradoek had invested as much as fifteen thousand dollars, which in various trade here must have made Medford a thriving and populous plantation for an infant settlement. The fishing business continued for fifteen or twenty years, but with less and less profit to Mr. Cradock. It was finally abandoned as a failure ; and afterwards the river-fishing alone claimed attention.
May, 1639 : The price of alewives in Medford, at this time, was five shillings per thousand. This made food incredibly cheap.
That Mystic River, as a resort for fish, was early known and greatly valued, appears from many testimonies. In Josselyn's account of his two voyages to New England (1638) we have the following record: "The river Mistick runs through the right side of the town (Charlestown), and, by its near approach to Charles River in one place, makes a very narrow neck, where stands most part of the town. The mar- ket-place, not far from the water-side, is surrounded with houses." In Mystic River were "bass, shad, alewives, frost-fish, and smelts." Josselyn says, " We will return to Charlestown again, where the river Mistick runs on the north side of the town (that is, the right side, as before said), where, on the north-west side, is the town of Mistick, three miles from Charlestown, a league and a half by water, - a scattered village. At the head of this river are great and spacious ponds, full of alewives in the spring-time ; the notedest place for this sort of fish." This quotation from Josselyn, while it goes to prove that bass, shad, and alewives were no strangers in our rivers, shows likewise that the population of our town was then settled chiefly between the two brick houses now standing, and that the place was called Mistick. The " Wear " or Fishing Dam in Medford was at the outlet of the Pond ; and, as our river was " the notedest place " for fish in
383
FISHERIES.
the early days of our plantation, we presume that the " seine, being a net sent to fish with," was the first seine ever drawn in its waters, and the first drawn on this continent. This was probably in 1631 ; and the first draught was doubtless an event of liveliest interest, of raw wonder, and exceeding joy. If any web or filament of that pioneer "seine" had come down to us, it would be fitting for the town, in the year 1881, to parade it as the banner, and under it to unite in celebrating the fifth fishermen's jubilee on the river. June 6, 1639 : " It is ordered that all wears shall be set open from the last day of the week, at noon, till the second day in the morning."
Johnson, in his " Wonder-working Providence," says, " The Lord is pleased to provide for them great store of fish in the spring-time, and especially alewives, about the bigness of a herring. Many thousands of these they use to put under their Indian corn."
Had Mr. Cradock's letters to his agents in Medford been preserved, we should certainly have in them a complete his- tory of the fishing establishment he maintained here, and probably a comparative estimate of sea and river fishing. The introduction of the drag-net, in 1631, when Mystic River was full of fish, was an example that would be followed more and more, as proper seines could be knit and easy mar- kets secured. The narrowness of the river, the steepness of its banks, its freedom from rocks, and its many convenient land- ing-places, rendered net-fishing easy and cheap. It settled down into a regular business, and any one had a right to pursue it. We have no account of the intermittent run of. certain fish, as witnesssd in our time; but presume it may not have been so remarkable then, when dams and water- wheels had not impeded or frightened the finny adventurers, or when filth and poisons had not made their highways dan- gerous. We think it will be found that several species of fish will have periodic returns to places which they have left for many years.
Acts of legislation have not been wanting by our town or State; but the fish care nothing about votes. The first men- tion of specific action by the town, as such, is dated Jan. 18, 1768, when it was voted " to petition the General Court concerning the fishery in this town."
March 3, 1768 : Mr. Benjamin Hall and others petition the General Court "for liberty to draw with seines, at two
384
,
HISTORY OF MEDFORD.
different places in Mistick River, three days in a week." This petition was not acted upon for some years.
The next act of the General Court, touching this prolific trade in Medford, was in Feb. 16, 1789, and was as fol- lows : -
" An act to prevent the destruction of fish called shad and ale- wives in Mystic River, so called, within the towns of Cambridge, Charlestown, and Medford, and for repealing all laws heretofore made for that purpose.
" Whereas the fishery in Mystic River, in the county of Middle- sex, if properly regulated, will be of great public utility, as it serves to promote the cod-fishery, and is also of advantage to the particu- lar towns through which the river runs, affording, in some measure, subsistence and support to the inhabitants thereof, and is therefore necessary to be preserved," &c.
The act provides that each of the three towns is empowered to choose a committee for the preservation of fish, whose duty it shall be to keep out of the river all obstructions to the free ingress of the fish. The act grants to Cambridge the right to fish, within the limits of that town, on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday ; and to Charlestown and Medford the right of fishing, within the limits of those towns, on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, - from the first of March to the last day of June. Penalty for each violation of the law, three pounds. In this act, the right of each inhabitant to fish is recognized and secured. If persons from other towns should either stop or catch fish in this river, they shall each be fined three pounds for every such offence ; and the committee shall have power to arrest them, and sell their seines, drag- nets, marsh-nets, baskets, or any other implements used by them. "This act to be in use five years, and no longer."
Immediately on the passage of this act, the town pro- ceeded, April 2, 1798, to a new step, indicated in the follow- ing vote : " Voted that the town will let out their fishing- grounds to the highest bidder the present year." While this vote was based upon the original right of the town to the fisheries within its borders, some minor questions arose, which led the inhabitants, at the same meeting, to choose a committee to inquire into the rights of the town to the fish- ing-grounds. The result was, that, Jan. 21, 1803, the town " voted that a petition be presented to the General Court, at their present session, to enable the town to let out the right of taking fish in Mystic River, within the limits of the town."
385
FISHERIES.
The Legislature granted the petition ; and Medford then divided the fishing districts thus : "First, from Charlestown and Malden line to Medford Bridge; second, from the bridge to the beach opposite James Tufts's barn ; third, from the above-named beach to the Charlestown line west- erly."
Among the earliest fishermen were John Cutter, Jonathan Tufts, and Benjamin Teel. In 1803, Cutter paid sixty-five dollars, Tufts thirteen dollars, and Teel thirteen dollars, for the right of fishing.
John Cutter fished near the " Dike," or "Labor in Vain ; " Isaac Tufts fished from the Bridge to Rock Hill ; and Captain Samuel Teel and his nephew, from Rock Hill to the Pond. The names of the fishermen are seldom given in the records. Charles, Simon, and Seth Tufts are there. In 1812, the fishermen paid one hundred dollars for the right. The ave- rage, for twenty years, has been two hundred and fifty dollars.
In accordance with the decision of the Legislature, the town voted, March 14, 1803, to sell their right of fishing in Mystic River. It was sold for ninety-one dollars, at public . auction. The next year it was sold, in the same manner, for one hundred and six dollars : and this equitable mode of disposing of it became established ; and the premium offered continued for several years to increase.
The vote of the town was generally thus, as in March 1, 1824: " Voted that the selectmen be appointed a committee to dispose of the privilege of taking shad and alewives within the limits of said town the ensuing season." In 1855, Joseph L. Wheeler bought the " upper reach," from Marble Brook to the Pond, for $27.50 per annum ; and James Rogers bought the " lower reach," from Marble Brook to the eastern border of the town, for $122.50 per annum. The annual sales have lately been less than $200.
The shad and alewives were abundant till 1815 or 1820, when they began gradually to withhold their visits. A writer says, that, about the year 1800, it was common to take fifteen hundred shad annually at " Little River " (near Fresh Pond) ; but that, in 1852, there was not one taken ; and that, proportionally, a similar statement might be made concerning alewives.
Nothing can frighten alewives ; but the shad is an exceed- ingly shy and timid fish. Its disappearance from our river
49
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386
HISTORY OF MEDFORD.
is therefore attributed to the terrific noises made by railroad cars, as they cross the Mystic at Charlestown. The largest number of alewives taken by one draught from Mystic River was in 1844; and they counted some few more than fifty- eight thousand ! We once saw taken, by one draught from this river, shad sufficient to fill six horse-carts. In Mystic River the bass have wholly disappeared ; though there are those living who remember to have seen them plenty, and some of them weighing more than thirty pounds.
In 1776, a negro, named Prince, was at work on the bank of the river, opposite the shallow where the ford was, a few rods above the bridge, when he saw an enormous bass swim- ming very slowly up the river. The tide was inconveniently low for the bass, but conveniently low for the negro. Plunge went Prince for the fish, and caught him! No sooner was he out of water than a desperate spring, such as fishes can give, released him from his captor ; and back he falls into his native element. Quick as a steel-trap, Prince springs upon him again, and again clutches him and lifts him up. The fish struggles ; and Prince and fish fall together. Again Prince rises, with his prize in his arms, and then brings him ashore. It weighed sixty-five pounds. Prince thought that such a wonderful fish should be presented to the commander of the American forces then stationed on Winter Hill. His master thought so too. Accordingly, Prince dressed himself in his best clothes, and, taking the fish in a cart, presented it to the commander, and told the history of its capture ; and the commander gave him six cents !
The shad, of late years, have not been abundant ; only forty or fifty taken during a season. The number of alewives has also greatly diminished ; and the town receives about one hundred and fifty dollars by selling its right of fishing through the year. Smelts continue to make their annual spring visit in undiminished numbers ; and when, for noblest ends, they stealthily enter our creeks and little streams, they are watched by the hungry boys, who, for sport or profit, drive them into their scoop-nets by dozens. In this town, they do not let enough escape to keep the race alive ; and if, in all other towns, they were so destroyed, this beautiful and delicious fish would become extinct among us. The greatest draught - by a certain nameless boy, fifty years ago - numbered sixty-three. They were taken from Marble, or Meeting- house, Brook.
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