The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1856-08-09

tac curious in Cc,S as eyuoSe. E.v -. ;r
the Fulton market, might follow ID norton
OF these esteemed fish. 10 Mygi-rlr- i;,y o,
the south side Of Long Island There. sixty
m..es from New ! Ork, and sixty rods from
the Atlantic II N a,m1st fresh water I,,
about fifteen mi.cs long and from half au,ir
TO three miles wide, these wi--,g t.,.g..r..os
~ thousands into the traps set for ,3.-,
The eel pot IS . rl.u3 u Ect - inches
long, with hinged iii at the too and q hoIa
IN tac bottom. hi, bottom runs UPWARDS
aS 90 the bottoms Of ch4mpairae and Other
WINE bottles, frauau.cuNy presenting, size
and space, but sadly diminishing capacitv.
This cone-shaped base, however, is a part Of
the trap. In the spring Of the year small
Ilsli' taken near the Fire Island inlet, Ghc
Quiet ol MoTlches Bay make bait for GELS
In hot '7cather, the - nOrsc-shorS" are o,h.,
l..e coarse appetZcrS man offers them.
4Ae>e; without apology or perccptible hcsi-
IaN.o.'' are chopped with axes into four parts.
y pile OF these quartcrld dead bein hcancj
up IN Inc bow, the boat Is pushed out for
the pots. Hlgh stakes set unriuht in a line
my iGe- apart sustain the pots, which hang
from them under water by ropes. The fish
erman pulls up the pot onto the gapwale Of
hIs boat, iiirts open the lid. and if Old a.
Methusalch in his business i; sure :, ill
70 curiosity, am peak in before he crlDtjr,
1t. Out come ecis and little fish. and the
shelly or uhconsumcd part of the bait. The
Ao'e al the top OF the cOaical bottom lcts the
ec.S IN. The sides at the bottom and the
bottom real bottom, Insolution worse in
yolyed) prevent their getting out. Fresh
bait Is then thrown into tho pot, the lid i
quickly fastened, and the trap is drorped
overheard. The ecls rEcau.-hij, Glide aud
crawl about the bottom of the boat in =
fashion so snake-like that a lands,uan inyo.
.!y lifts his boots from their approacb
From stake to stake rapidly goes the fisher
man, and cmptIeS and resets the traps
This he does twice a day. Forty traps will
keep an active man busy during the season
Upon the statement OF a grand child Of Nep.
tune, to Us made On Wednesday last his
hands then atlirmatiyciy placed on an eel
trap twenty-five dozen ees a day are the
customary catch for fisherman. These are
placed in tank till large wagon load is
collected. Then they 90 to an agent" the
first OF the iniddle-iI.en who stand between
the consumer and the producer of these fish
This man has them skinned. Piled round
the operator the ecIs are stirred into the
sand, partly to i.lat;c them gritty To the
grasp, but chiefly we suppose to spoil the
proyerL of slippery as an eel" The throat
with one quici; ga>h, is cut through to .he
skin on the back Of the neck, the belly is
then Slit and with nice use of the thumb
nails, and an artistic jerk with both hands
that eors skin is Off 1t is marvelouslv
fast process. Smart SINNERS will take
the epidermis Off thirty dozen in an hour.
\ cent dozen is the price paid for this
queer labor. The peeled fish are packed
while yet wriggling. in ice, and taken hy
rail to New York. There they 90 into the
hands of commission merchant" attached
to some market He SELLS and pockets ten
per cent Of the gross receipts, aud ret.its the
balance to the agent" This one deductS
freight, charges for ice, and cost of skiuning,
then scales of six per cent. from the balance
as his commssionG, AID divides the residue
among the fishermen. These net for their
labor, according to the quality of their catch.
and thc season of the year, but from six
cents to eighteen cents dozen G2r the GELS.
Three hundred dozen cells. minus the;,
SKINS are the ordinary daily shipment from
Centre Morches to New York, by the Long
Island road. How many besides are daily
sent from all ether points in the circle Of the
north and south shores of the island. the
curious in fish statistics may cipher out
When they have finished, if the atmosphere
before them does not unduatc and wiggle
with skinned eels, as the air waves and Vi
brates in summer against heated wall-in
deed if all Long Island is not undulatng
with a spakc-likc movement towards New
York and the FGlton Market those statistI-
clans have only figures Of arithmetic IN them
that's all-Ere Journal.