essel. (2) The
priming-out pieces are much higher up on sides of vessel, giving
more room for boring hull, which affords much better circulation
of water in well, which is a great advantage in keeping lobsters
alive while on long trips. (3) Every lobster can be easily bailed
out of the well without grounding the vessel, which is necessary
with all vessels having the old-style well. (4) In all steam
and well smacks the after part of the ship is always steadiest,
consequently the well being located aft, as in my smacks, the
lobsters contained in them are not subjected to the hard pounding
while running in seaway that they are in the old-style wells,
where there is no chance to relieve themselves other than to be
forced against the well decks by the upward force of the water
when the vessel settles into the sea, and which results in killing
many of them.

Both of my steamers have box wells aft, and from my experience,
compared with all other steam and well smacks afloat, I am
convinced that this well, for all practical purposes, is the best
that has yet been adapted to steam smacks. So far as the _Grace
Morgan_ is concerned, she has been a perfect success in carrying
her lobsters in all kinds of weather since I put her into
commission October 27, 1892, during which time she has had a
wonderful career, as well as carrying millions of lobsters.
Probably no boat of her size has ever had such an experience,
as she has run steadily the year around in all kinds of weather
during the past eight years. . . . Previous to buying the _Grace
Morgan_ I had run steamers in the lobster business, but they had
no well, and being so hot in their holds, particularly in the
summer months, the lobsters died so fast that the business in dry
steamers could not be made profitable. This is what prompted me to
construct a well in mine, as I have done.

The _Grace Morgan_ has a length of 49 feet, a breadth of 13.9 feet,
and a depth of 5.7 feet, a gross tonnage of 21 tons, and a net
tonnage of 10 tons.

The steam smacks now used average about 14 tons. They are usually
built low in the water, and have a small pilot-house forward, with an
open space between it and the engine-house, and living quarters aft.
The boat has also one or two short masts. Some of them also have the
pilot-house and engine-house joined together. In those with a space
between the pilo