While we know from the earliest Pilgrim chronicles that their mechanics’ implements embraced axes, saws, hammers, “adzs,” augers, hatchets, an “iron jack-scrue,” “staples and locks,” etc., we know there must have been many other tools not mentioned by them, brought over with the settlers.  The “great iron-scrue,” as Bradford calls it in his original Ms., played, as all know, a most important part on the voyage, in forcing the “cracked and bowed” deck-beam of the ship into place.  Governor Bradford tells us that “it was brought on board by one of the Leyden passengers,” and one may hazard the guess that it was by either Moses Fletcher, the smith, or Francis Eaton, the “carpenter.”  “Staples” and “locks” found their place and mention, as well as the “chains,” “manacles,” and “leg-irons” named in the list of accoutrements for offence or defence, when it became necessary to chain up the Indian spy of the Neponsets (as narrated by Winslow in his “Good Newes from New England”) and other evil-doers.  The planters seem to have made stiff “mortar,” which premises the use of lime and indicates a supply.

Among the fishing and fowling implements of the may Flower colonists are recorded, nets, “seynes,” twine, fish hooks, muskets (for large game), “fowling pieces,” powder, “goose-shot,” “hail-shot,” etc.

Such early mention is found of the nets, “seynes,” etc., of their fishing equipment, as to leave no room for doubt that store of them was brought in the ship.  They seem to have been unfortunate in the size of their fish-hooks, which are spoken of as “too large” even for cod.  They must, as Goodwin remarks, “have been very large.”  Window also says, “We wanted fit and strong seines and other netting.”

They seem to have relied upon their muskets to some extent for wild fowl (as witness Winslow’s long and successful shot at a duck, on his visit to Massasoit), as they undoubtedly did for deer, etc.  They were apparently fairly well supplied with them, of either the “matchlock” or “snaphance” (flintlock) pattern, though the planters complained to the Merchant Adventurers (in their letter of August 3, from Southampton), that they were “wanting many muskets,” etc.  That they had some “fowling-pieces” is shown by the fact that young Billington seems (according to Bradford) to have “shot one off in his father’s cabin” aboard ship in Cape Cod harbor, and there are several other coeval mentions of them.

The arms and accoutrements (besides ordnance) of the may-Flower Pilgrims, known on the authority of Bradford and Winslow to have been brought by them, included muskets ("matchlocks"), “snaphances” (flintlocks), armor ("corslets,” “cuirasses,” “helmets,” “bandoliers,” etc.), swords, “curtlaxes” (cutlasses), “daggers,” powder, “mould-shot,” “match” (slow-match for guns), “flints,” belts, “knapsacks,” “drum,” “trumpet,” “manacles,” “leg-irons,” etc.,