USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Gloucester > The fisheries of Gloucester : from the first catch by the English in 1623, to the centennial year, 1876 > Part 4
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CALVIN S. CROWELL & CO.,
COMMISSION MERCHANTS - IN - CODFISH, MACKEREL, Salmon, Shad, &c. No. 124 North Wharves, PHILADELPHIA, Pa.
REFERENCES :- W. II. C. Fisher, New York, Messrs. Wise & Russell, Boston, B. A. Ba- ker, Gloucester, Messrs. Geo. Trefethern & Co., Portland, Me.
G. & J. T. DONNELL,
MANUFACTURERS OF
Demp and Manila Cordage, GANGS OF
STANDING & RUNNING RIGGING, Fishermen's Cables. BOLT-ROPE, LATHYARN and WIRE ROPE furnished at Short Notice. BATH, MAINE.
CROWELL & PATTANGALL,
Commission Merchants - IN - CODFISH, MACKEREL, SALMON, HERRING, OILS, &c.,
A. LEAVITT CROWELL, }
L. O. PATTANGALL. 3 No. 39 Water Street, NEW YORK.
MUNROE STEVENS, forney and pututsellor at
SAWYER BLOCK,
Front Street, - Gloucester, Mass.
Having trustworthy associates practising in the courts in and near Boston can satis- factorily attend to all cases pending therein entrusted to his care.
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New Brunswick herring fishery is another valuable pursuit, and at- tended with much less danger than the more distant voyages to Newfoundland. In the season of 1874-5, twenty-three schooners made Newfoundland trips, and thirty-three were engaged in the New Brunswick fishery.
Early in February, on the arrival of their supply of bait, the Georges fleet fit away for their carly trips, and the Grand and Western Bank fishery assumes more important proportions. The cost of an average Georgesman fitted for sea is about $7,868 ; this includes the cost of hull, $5,200, spars, $400, rigging, $550, sails, $575, 230 fathoms of cable, $450, 3 anchors weighing 500 lbs. each, $120, 12,000 herring for bait, $150, dory, 30 tons of ballast, plat- forms, ice-houses, gurry-pens, lines, cabin furniture, lanterns, horns, compasses, 4 tons of ice, wood, coal, water, etc. Each vessel takes a crew of eight or ten men, and ordinarily is absent from two to three weeks on a trip. The fish are caught by hand lines, and each man keeps account of his catch by cutting out the tongues of the codfish, which are carried to the skipper for record when the day's work is closed, and by marking the halibut caught, on the head or tail. At the end of the voyage each man's halibut are identified and weighed separately, and the average weight or value of the codfish taken is ascertained, and cach man credited with the number caught. The gross proceeds of the catch are subject to deductions for the cost of bait and ice, and one-fourth of one per cent. is reserved for the Widows' and Orphans' Fund, so that each man engaged in the business contributes something towards the support of the families of those whose lives are sacrificed in this hazardous occupation. The net stock, or the amount remaining after the above deductions have been made, is divided equally, one-half to the crew, to be dis- tributed according to their individual catch, subject however to a deduction of each man's share of the " crew's expenses," consisting of cook's wages, water, medicine chest and milk, which expenses are borne equally by the crew ; the other half of the net stock goes to the vessel. The business is at its height in the perilous months of February and March, and the hardy men who follow it are called upon to wrestle for their lives with many a cruel storm.
No class of vessels are better calculated for a battle with the storm-king, and no braver souls tread the deck, but the contest is an unequal one, and many a staunch craft and gallant crew go down in the conflict. In a single storm, on the night of Feb. 24, 1862, fif- teen Gloucester vessels and one hundred and twenty men were lost,
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D. A. STORY, Vessel Builder & Repairer,
Shipyard on Pearce St., GLOUCESTER, Mass.
Kelham, Fitz & Co.,
MANUFACTURERS AND DEALERS IN
Furniture,
137 & 139
Friend St.,
-AND-
44 and 46 CANAL STREET,
CORNER OF MARKET STREET,
BOSTON.
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leaving seventy widows and one hundred and forty fatherless chil- dren to mourn for the loved ones who would return no more. Last year two hundred vessels were engaged in the Georges fishery at some time during the year; a large fleet followed the business the greater part of the year, and a total of 1348 fares were landed at Gloucester.
ON GEORGES IN A STORM.
The Grand and Western Bank Fishery is pursued to a greater or less extent during every month in the year. Last year this business employed 175 vessels, and 499 fares were landed. The business may be classed in two departments, a portion of the fleet making short trips and bringing in their fares fresh, to supply the fresh fish trade, and the rest of the fleet making longer trips and dressing and curing their fish as they are caught. This business employs the best class of fishing vessels known to the waters of the coast. A modern " banker," of average tonnage, costs about $8,800. Such a vessel, manned by a crew of twelve men and making nine trips to the Banks, being at sea 302 days, will require an expense of $1023 for trawl gear, $1824 for vessel's expense, $1426 for provisioning, and $1135 for general charges, such as ice, bait, salt, etc. The man who ventures on a trip in a " trawler " finds little of the "pleasing content " described by the carly voyager. For him at least there is little of romance in " the apostles' own calling." Life on the banks he finds a constant round of drudgery, so long as he is able to make his daily rounds. He must rise early and work late in order to visit
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DAVID M. HILTON, Teaming & Boarding Stable.
Ste edore.
All kinds of Heavy and Light Trucking and Teaming PROMPTLY ATTENDED TO.
Orders for Hauling Fish or Ballast entrusted to me will meet with prompt personal attention.
VESSELS DISCHARGED AND SATISFACTION GUARANTEED,
OFFICES :
Rear 157 Front Street, and Spring, cor, of Pearce Street, S Gloucester, Mass.
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his trawls, remove his fish, rebait and reset the lines, and take care of the day's catch. Tossed on the waves in his frail dory, at great- er or less distance from his vessel, he is subject to perils unknown to the fisherman of the olden time. His frail boat rides like a shell upon the surface of the sea, but in experienced hands no description of small sea craft is safer. Yet a moment of carelessness or inat- tention, or a slight miscalculation, may cost him his life. And a greater foe than carelessness lies in wait for its prey. The stealthy fog enwraps him in its folds, blinds his vision, cuts off all marks to guide his course, and leaves him afloat on a measureless void. In- stances are on record of many a wearisome trip, of days and nights without food or water, spent in weary labor at the oars, at last to find succor from some chance vessel or by reaching a distant port ; and imagination revolts from the contemplation of the hardships ex- perienced, the hopes awakened and dispelled, and the torturing fate of the many " lost in the fog," of whose trying experiences nothing is ever known. The product of this fishery is divided on the same plan as that of the Georges fishery.
As the Georges fishery wanes in the closing Spring months, the sportive mackerel puts in an appearance at the far South, and works northward as the season advances. A large portion of the fleet en- gage at once in the pursuit of this delectable fish, and follow his de- vious wanderings until he disappears to an unknown haunt as win- ter approaches. The fleet fit away in April, going as far South as Virginia, but gradually working towards the waters of Rhode Island, and marketing their catch for the most part at New York. During the Summer months there are two divisions of the mackerel fleet, one fishing off the shores of Massachusetts and Maine, and the other making voyages to the Bay St. Lawrence. The Southern and Shore fleets have practically abandoned the old style hook and line fishing, and are fitted with expensive seines and boats for the capture of
MODEL OF A SEINE BOAT.
mackerel on a wholesale scale. The success of this department is greatly dependent on the dexterity with which a school of fish can be surrounded and captured, and the employment is an exciting one. The business is an uncertain one, as the mackerel is a ca- pricious fish, and but little calculation can be made of their move-
.
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ARTISTIC SERIES.
Stereoscopic Views OF
CAPE ANN SCENERY,
COMPRISING
All the OBJECTS OF INTEREST which abound in this Charming Retreat!
OLD OCEAN, with her white-winged fleet sailing across its pathless track ;
The BEACHES, The RUGGED COAST, The QUARRIES, PUBLIC BUILDINGS, LIGHT-HOUSES, and CHASMS,
FORMING A SERIES WHICH DELIGHT ALL WHO HAVE SEEN THEM.
PROCTER BROTHERS,
Publishers, GLOUCESTER, (CAPE ANN,) MASS. SEND $2.50, And let them forward you a Specimen Dozen.
The Fishermen's Memorial & Record Book
Gives you interesting facts relative to the fisheries. How fish are caught, and where they are caught, olden time and modern time fishing, OFF HAND SKETCHES, BIG TRIPS, STA- TISTICS OF THE FISHERIES, TALES OF NARROW ESCAPES, FEARFUL GALES, MARA- TIME POETRY, and other matters of interest concerning this important industry. Very handsomeły illustrated with original engravings. Price $1.00 in Paper Covers; $1.50 finely bound in Cloth. Sent anywhere on receipt of price. Agents wanted to whom ex- clusive territory will be given. Liberal commissions. Write for particulars.
PROCTER BROS., Publishers,
Cape Ann Advertiser Office, - GLOUCESTER, MASS,
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ments. Weeks may elapse without the discovery of the fish school- ing on the surface with the proper conditions for their capture. Im- mense hauls, however, are sometimes made, more than can be prop- erly dressed by the crew of the " seiner," and if no other vessel is in the vicinity to accept of a portion of the catch, large quantities are frequently thrown away through sheer inability to handle them. The seining of mackerel occasions a great destruction of immature fish, unfit for use, but such is the prolific character of the mackerel that it has never been clearly demonstrated that this method of fish- ing has a tendency seriously to diminish the supply. The cost of a
MODEL OF MACKEREL CATCHER OF 1876.
mackerel vessel, fitted for sea, is in the neighborhood of $7700; a 200 fathom seine, of a depth of 30 fathoms, will cost $900 additional, and a seine boat and dories $300 more ; salt, bait, lines, etc., and the necessary provisions for a five weeks' trip make the total cost, when ready for a fishing voyage, $9325. The Bay St. Lawrence mackerel. fishery, once of considerable proportions, has declined largely of late years. The seining of mackerel is found impracticable in this fishery, owing to the rocky bottom in the waters where it is followed, and the consequent destruction of seines. The number of Gloucester vessels finding employment in the mackerel fishery in 1875 was 180. Of these, 93 made Southern trips, 117 fished off shore, and 58 visited the Bay St. Lawrence. 618 fares were re- ceived, 133 from the South, 425 from off shore, and 60 from the Bay.
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In the mackerel fishery each man packs his own catch in barrels provided for the purpose, putting a private mark upon the head of the barrel. On the arrival of the vessel the catch of each of the crew is culled and weighed separately, and packed according to grade, as Nos. 1, 2, 3 or 4. The whole trip is sold together and each man is credited with one-half the value of his individual catch after deductions have been made for his share of the bait, preparing fuel, filling water, milk, and cook's share of the catch. The vessel pays for one-half of the bait, and the crew's expenses are shared equally.
MODEL OF MARKET-BOAT.
The only other branch of the fisheries requiring mention is the off-shore fishery for codfish, hake and pollock, although considerable is done in the menhaden fishery, lobster trapping, the clam fishery, and other incidental branches of the business. The off-shore fishery is pursued by numerous dories and a small fleet of market boats,. from 20 to 50 tons burthen, using trawls and dories. The business is of considerable importance at some seasons of the year, and its total product in 1875 was $284,000. In this fishery one-fourth of the product goes to the vessel, and the remaining three-quarters. goes to the crew, in equal parts, after deducting expenses of towage and wharfage. The crew furnish their own fishing gear and provis- ions.
From the gross stock of all fishing trips from Gloucester, is de -- ducted one-quarter of one per cent., which sums, with donations. from the charitable at home and abroad, form a fund to relieve the. distress of widows and orphans, which is constantly arising in con - sequence of the perils of the fisheries.
CHAPTER 5.
THE FISHERMEN OF TO-DAY-FISHING INCIDENTS-STATISTICS OF CATCH-BIG TRIPS.
The extent and character of the fisheries of Gloucester attract thither the fishermen of all countries, anxious to secure the advan- tages in the prosecution of their industry which they cannot else- where obtain. In most parts of the world fishermen are regarded as belonging to the lowest strata of society, and the meagre returns from their labors prevent their rising to a higher plane. Even in as enlightened a country as Canada it has been possible for a pow- erful firm to secure the control of a large coast territory, restricting the ownership of land to small parcels, inadequate to furnish prof- itable agricultural returns, compelling the inhabitants to resort to the fisheries for support. Obliged to purchase their provisions of such firms at exorbitant rates, and to dispose of their fish to the same parties at whatever price they choose to fix, whole communi- ties are " reduced to an undisguised stage of vassalage, the want of resources and education affording them no means of resisting this oppression," says the official report. The Gloucester fisherman, if industrious and of good habits, may support his family in comfort, secure a home of his own, and the means of engaging in business in
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a small way for himself, or of smoothing the footsteps of declining years. His children enjoy the privileges of good schools, and his family are surrounded by all the elements of civilization and refine- ment. As the oppressed operatives of the old world find their op- portunity in the manufacturing centres of New England ; as the ten- ants of the European landholder seek an asylum on the fertile acres of the West ; so the oppressed fisherman of other lands turns his eye to Gloucester as his one hope of escape from the bondage in
which he is held. The native born citizen makes but a small ele- ment in the catalogue of the fisheries. The men who sailed the fleet a quarter of a century ago are largely included in the ranks of the fitters and buyers of to-day. Their early experience proves their best capital in conducting the business, and gives them success where others might fail.
To supply the fleet with practical fishermen large drafts are made upon the provinces of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, and every spring sees hundreds of young men on the way from various ports
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in those maritime countries to the United States to engage in the Gloucester fisheries. The present season three-score such were lost by embarking in an unseaworthy vessel. The Nova Scotian is num- bered among the best class of our fishermen. Bred to the business from early youth, discontented with the inferior craft and methods of his native land, ambitious for greater advantages than are afford- ed him at home, he prosecutes his calling with a zeal that assures success. If his habits are good and he makes a proper use of his opportunities, there is nothing to prevent his rising to the part own- ership and command of the vessel in which he sails, and many of the smartest skippers of the fleet are of Nova Scotian birth. A consid- erable percentage of the fishermen of to-day are from the Western Islands, and as a general rule they are thrifty and provident, and seldom fail to become landholders after a brief residence in this country. There are also many Swedes, Norwegians and Danes on the fishing force, men of character and intelligence, and often of no inconsiderable culture, proving a valuable element in the community.
Such are the occupations, and such the men, of the Gloucester fishing fleet. The industry is an important one, furnishing a food supply which the nation could not well do without. The field of op- erations is an extensive and fruitful one, and it is tilled at great cost of vitality and sacrifice of life. The men who engage in it do not fail to find a certain pleasure in the pursuit, and it is doubtful if any considerable number of them could be induced under any circum- stances to exchange it for other occupations affording more certain and profitable results. Yet to paint a life upon the ocean wave with roseate hues would be a false delineation. The fisherman's lot is one of laborious toil and exceeding hardship, taken at its best. A lot crowded with incidents, sometimes of a novel description, but too often, alas ! of a sad and heart-rending character. A few such inci- cents must suffice for these pages :
Dec. 16, 1874, while the schooner Sultana was lying at anchor on Grand Bank, a sudden motion was felt by those on board, and it became evident that the craft was being carried through the water by some unseen and unknown power. Looking forward, it was ob- served that the cable was drawn taut, and that some " monster of the deep " was attached thereto, and drawing the vessel along at the rate of twelve knots an hour. Soon they obtained positive evidence, as a mammoth whale came to the surface to blow, having the anchor of the vessel hooked either into his jaw or blow-hole. There was also another whale which swam near, evidently greatly astonished at
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TOWED BY A WHALE.
the predicament of his companion. The men on board one of the dories, which had just returned from visiting their trawls, had barely time to make fast their painter ere the vessel started. Another do- ry, with two men, was at some distance, also visiting their trawls. The captain stood ready with axe in hand, in case of emergency, and allowed the whale to tow them some distance ; but not wishing to lose sight of the men in the dory, was obliged to cut the cable- otherwise he might have succeeded in capturing the whale. The above spirited picture gives a good idea of the Sultana in tow. It was drawn by Rory McDonald, steward of the vessel.
The schooner Sarah C. Pyle, Capt. Richard Warren, was struck by a cross sea and capsized Jan. 30, 1870. The crew found safety by clinging to the sides of the vessel, until one of their number was able to cut away the main shrouds with a pocket-knife, when the vessel righted, nearly full of water. The foremast was cut away and a jury mast rigged with the foreboom, and such progress as was possible was made in a westerly direction. For eight days the men were obliged to cook their food in sea water, their water casks having been lost, and to melt ice to furnish drink. At the end of that time they encountered a vessel and were furnished with water and other necessaries. Five of the crew were transferred to the vessel, but the skipper and four men remained on the wreck, determined to get it into port. In this condition they encountered a terrific gale, of three days' duration, and were blown off seawards a distance of two hundred and forty-five miles. Even then they remained undaunted
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by danger and firm in their intention of rescuing the property under their charge, and declined an offer to be taken off. The wreck was towed into a New Jersey port Feb. 13th, two weeks after the disas- ter,-a fortnight crowded with great hardship and danger to the men so faithful to duty.
John Maynard, of New London, and William Corthell, of Lyme, Conn., of schooner Gilson Carman, left that vessel on Georges, on Wednesday, Mar. 17, 1869, in a dory, to haul their trawls, and while doing so, a very heavy thunder squall sprang up, driving them from the banks. They had at the time several halibut and from sixty to seventy codfish, which they had to throw overboard, with the excep- tion of one, which they retained to eat. After eating a little it made them sick, and they were obliged to throw it away. On Thursday night they saw a vessel, but were unable to attract her attention ; were drifted about all day Friday and Friday night, without anything to eat. On Saturday morning a duck lit in the vicinity of the boat, which they managed to kill, and ate it raw. On Saturday night, when they had nearly given up the idea of being saved, they made a light a few miles ahead. They immediately pulled for it, when it proved to be the schooner Henry Clay. During the time they were in the boat they had a steady storm of rain and snow, and were fre- quently capsized, but with the aid of a bucket they managed to keep the boat clear of water. Corthell had his feet badly frozen. May- nard's arm was badly chafed and swollen, and both suffered greatly.
Sch. Neptune's Bride was wrecked at Malcomb's Ledge, Me., Sept. 22, 1860. Twelve of her fourteen men found a watery grave by the swamping of the boat in which they sought to reach the shore. One other, Henry Johnson, was enabled to regain the boat. She was full of water, but fortunately there was a bucket in her, and a coil of rope. With the former he commenced bailing, and by dint of hard labor managed to free her, although she was continually taking in water. A hogshead tub from the vessel had drifted across the boat amid- ships. This he secured with his rope, and that made the boat ride more easily. When he got tired of bailing the boat he would crawl into the tub, and when that got full of water he would commence bailing the boat again. He knew not whither he was drifting, and became so utterly exhausted that, long ere daylight dawned, he fell asleep. At noon-time a Belfast schooner sighted the craft, bore down to her, and her single passenger was received on board and kindly cared for. One other of the crew, named Marsh, secured a resting place at the foremast-head, where for eighteen hours he en-
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dured greater agonies than death could inflict. The surging waters reached to his waist, while the pitiless rain beat upon his unprotect- ed head, and the pangs of thirst and hunger clamored that he should cease the unequal strife and seek oblivion in the seething flood. But the instinct of self-preservation was strong, and he maintained his position until his feet were chafed and raw, and delirium set in. His critical position was at last discovered by two fishermen on Seal Isl- and, and he was taken off and tenderly cared for until reason re- sumed its throne and he was able to take passage for home.
Subject to perils like these, and hardships greater than pen can describe or imagination conceive, the fisherman plys his busy trade. Through his labors mainly Gloucester has grown from a population of 6350 and a valuation of one million dollars in 1840 to a present population of 16,754 and a valuation exceeding nine millions, show- ing in the brief period of thirty-five years an increase of 264 per cent. in population, 853 per cent. in valuation, 358 1-2 per cent. in dwellings, 442 per cent. in wharves, and 213 per cent. in vessels. Through his skilled operations, and the advantages taken of his la- bors, the fishing business of Gloucester has grown from an enter- prise of secondary importance to rank among the valuable producing interests of the country. Less than thirty years ago, in 1847, the total value of the fishery products of Gloucester amounted to $589,- 354. Last year the production of the Gloucester fleet was as follows :
Bank Codfish,
177,473 qtls., $998,628
PICKLED FISH.
Georges Codfish,
185,758 "
1,021,669
31,750 Herring,
$13,494
Bank 66 7,248,423 “
507,389
163 bbls. Codfish, 40 1-4 bbls. Swordfish, 1,097
Hake,
4,257 qtls., 12,774
Cusk,
2,349 «
7,047
410 5-8 bbls. Trout, 75 3.4 bbls. Fins and Napes, 4,042
Pollock,
9,417 " 32,964
Herring,
38,292 bbls., 153,168
21 7-8 bbls. Salmon, 205 bbls. Tongues and Sounds, 2,282
Shore Fisheries, the work of
Cured
185,697 8,945
All other Fish, 8,000
dory fishermen,
Oil,
Oil, other than above, 100,000
Mackerel, 18,172 5-8 bbls. No. 1,
327,112
7,065 1-8 « " .2, 184,780
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21,763
66 3, 174,104
4,039 3-8 66
4, 24,205
Fresh Fish, 89,738
Shell Fish, (Clams, etc.) 10,000
Total, $3,909,500
Halibut, 2,462,364 lbs.,
172,365
The business is not uniformly successful. More largely than any other occupation, probably, it is subject to circumstances over which. the men engaged in it can have but little control. The best results are most likely to be secured by the skipper who understands fully the habits and probable movements of the fish, and who displays the
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best judgment in conducting the voyage, but not unfrequently the wisest calculations fail to achieve success, and it often happens that one vessel will come in with a full load while another, with apparent- ly equal chances for securing a fare, will be obliged to return with a meagre catch.
The largest fare of fresh halibut ever landed at Gloucester was brought in by schooner Centennial, March 30, 1876, after an absence in the Grand Bank fishery of only three weeks. Her catch weighed off 129,557 pounds. The largest halibut fare from Georges Bank ever landed was 65,000 lbs., by sch. Pioneer, after a three weeks' trip, the cook receiving $167 and the "high line" (or man making the best catch) $181 as the result of the trip. The largest codfish fare from Georges was that of the sch. Samuel R. Lane, in 1875, weigh- ing 123,115 lbs. The largest stock ever made on a Georges trip was $2824.55, by the sch. Everett Steele, in 1865. The largest codfish fare from the Banks was 240,000 lbs., by the sch. Grand Master, in 1875. The largest stock in this fishery was made by sch. Reunion, in twelve weeks in 1868, her catch being 153,044 lbs. halibut and 23,- 875 lbs. codfish, netting $8354. Sch. Gertie E. Foster landed last year 668,517 lbs. halibut, and 19,220 lbs. codfish, stocking $26,071- .56 in eleven months ; her master, Capt. Edward Morris, stocked $64,769.78 in the years 1873-4-5. Sch. Alfred Walen made four trips in eighty-six days last year, taking 300,000 lbs. halibut and stocking $10,900 in that period. The highest price ever brought by . a halibut trip was 21 cts. per lb. for white and 14 cts. per lb. for gray for 9000 lbs. brought in by sch. T. L. Mayo.
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