Clarence Manning Falt

CLARENCE MANNING FALT was a pioneer in the fusion of poetry and photography who created two classic Gloucester literary works at the turn of the twentieth century: Points of Interest of Gloucester in Song and Wharf and Fleet: Ballads of the Fishermen of Gloucester.

Wharf and Fleet: Ballads of the Fishermen of Gloucester is a marvelously comprehensive treatment of Gloucester’s fishing industry, both at sea and in the harbor, “replete with tragedy, grim humor, heroism, thrift, and progression,” as Falt writes in his introduction. Many of the poems in this collection are spoken in the dialect and vernacular of the fishermen, a feature of some of the modern Know Fish poems by Vincent Ferrini.

Falt concludes his introduction by telling about his inspiration and intention: “Born in this seaport city, with blood of seafaring people in my veins, the grandeur and pathos of this variable life have ever enthralled me. May these ballads bring the reader into closer touch with this hazardous and heroic life!” In the three ballads from Wharf and Fleet below, “Baiting Up” describes the process of getting ready to catch fish in a threatening sea, “Splittin’ Er Trip” tells how fish are offloaded at the wharf, and “The Fish Skinner” shows how fish are processed at the fish pier.