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SAILORS SOUTHERN PACIFIC FISHING Member of the Crow of tho- Warship Orbita Writes of His Experiences. Alfred II. W. Brazier, a literary sailor and sportsman, who was a member of the crew of the British warship Orbita, stationed during the great war on the western coast of South America, writes of his fishing experience in Pacific waters to the Anglers News of London in a most entertaining way, and as follows: "During our voyage fresh fish was a treat to us; you may bo sure that all spare timo always found me patiently waiting for a bite. "The first fime the tackle was used was almost immediately it came to hand. We were in a large bay in Peru, and the sport was fast and furious. The principal fish was a specie of hake, which run in weight from half a pound to four pounds. On one occasion I was doing duty on a collier and caught ninety-six fisli in the morning, and we set to work to salt the fish. My duty was to catch and empty, the mate to wash and clean and the captain to salt and pack in a barrel, and as the colliers cook hailed from Barbados he could just cook those fish lovely. Of course, the waters of Chile and Peru abound with all kinds of fish, but it was our one aim to capture this specie of hake and smelts. The smelts were really worth catching and often ran to nine inches in length. "Our chief spots were Valparaiso, Coquimbo, Mcjillones and Iquique Chile, and in Peru at Payta, Sechura Bay, Callao and San Juan. "Good sport was often had with the sharks, and one caught at Puerto San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, weighed quite one and one-half tons a proper man-eater, with eight rows of teeth. One of the sharks captured was found to contain six young ones the smallest weighed nine pounds and when they were placed in the swimming tank they were quite lively. "The most curious fish we captured was a kind of rainbow fish, which were numerous in the waters of Nicaguara. They are about four Indies long and much like a bream in shape. Along the back the color is a bright scarlet, eyes a pretty purple and various colors on the body. The first fisli I caught I took along to show my messmates, and then discovered that my hand had a scarlet mark on it where the fish had laid. Maybe, some of your readers know the fish, and I should be pleased, if possible, to have its name. "I was unable to get out after the tuna in California at San Diego and San Francisco although when at sea we often saw them, but I hope to able to record my first tuna in the near future. "Small halibut often fell to our lot at Prince Rupert, British Columbia. We frequently tried for salmon there, but could not tempt them. Tho fishing industry at Prince Rupert :s carried on with profit to the fishermen. They bring their catch in, consisting of anything from 5,000 pounds to 20,000 pounds, and take it direct to the refrigerator store, where it is purchased at various prices, I according to market. I "The waters around Victoria, British Columbia, abound with salmon, halibut, skate and black bas3, but we did not devote much time there for angling, as the scenery was so beautiful and tho air so delightful that the shore call could not be refused. "I anticipated being home over a year ago, and handed my tackle to another chum on the Otranto, who was expecting to remain on the coast, but the unexpected happened. They went home and I was left, but I could not have had many opportunities of fishing afterward, as after a period of patrol work I had a journey from Canada to Japan and China, and thus homo from the Far East."
