Page:History of the Fylde of Lancashire (IA historyoffyldeof00portiala).pdf/278

 London and North Western Railway Companies, at that time owners of the larger share, and now practically sole proprietors. Up to the date of this transaction the vendor had been intimately and personally associated with the traffic as managing-owner from its first institution, in addition to which he was the chief promoter of the Ardrossan and Isle of Man routes.

With the solitary exception of the service whose progress has just been briefly traced out, there is perhaps no single branch of industry which has assisted so ably in maintaining and stimulating such prosperity as the town of Fleetwood has enjoyed, throughout its chequered career, as the fishing traffic. In the earliest years of the seaport, shortly before the Belfast steamer communication was established, a second pilot boat, named the "Pursuit," arrived in the river from Cowes, but finding little occupation the crew provided themselves with a trawl-net and turned their long periods of vigil to profitable account by its use. This sensible plan of launching out into another field of labour when opportunities of prosecuting their more legitimate avocation failed them was not of long duration, probably no more than a few months, for on the Irish line of steamships commencing to ply the pilots secured berths as second officers, and their boat was laid up. The "Pursuit" soon became a tender to a government ship engaged in surveying; and about ten or twelve months later was purchased by some gentlemen, denominated the Fleetwood Fishing Company, and, together with four more boats, hired from North Meols, Southport, sent out on fishing excursions. At the end of one year the hired sloops were discharged, and five similar craft bought by the company, thus making a fleet of six smacks belonging to the place, connected with the trawling trade. In the course of three or four years the whole of the boats were sold, as the traffic had not proved so remunerative a venture as at first anticipated; and one only remained in the harbour, being purchased by Mr. Robert Roskell, of this place. Shortly afterwards a Scotch smack arrived from Kirkcudbright, and in about twelve months the two boats were joined by three or four from North Meols, owned for the most part by a family named Leadbetter, which settled here. Almost simultaneously another batch of fishing craft made its appearance from the east coast and took up a permanent station at Fleetwood. The success which