New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-11-10

large returns with the accompanying risks attending
operations In the socaed speculative stocks Inc
first shock Of the financial crash was not.
therefore. as disastrous to Baltimore interests
az it was TO those OF some other cities, ana
her business to-day is suffering moro because her
merchants cannot get at tho money
they deposit in the banks here and because the
banks in turn dependent upon NewforR than IRON
any inherent weakness The scarcity OF currency In
circulation caused by its being locked up In bank vaults
and individual safes Is what has pnohed and contracted
business here 1t has In most other commercial and
manufacturing centers. have found very few who
are inclined to be respondent. Confidence. though
severely shaken, especially IN the business houses OF
other cities, has not been lost In tho leading firms at
home and with very few exceptions. merchants and
manufacturers, by obtaining extensions and renewals
able to wait for better times.
Baltimore account OF its favorable position be-
tween the West and the South Atlantic States Is the
great distributing point through which much OF the
grain provisions OF the former rech the latter rs
well the market In which considerable portion OF
the South obtains It's foreign and manufactured goods
Think the merchants and manufacturers generally have
temporarily adopted the cash system OF sales ana THIS
with the disposition Of purchasers to carry as Hight loads
possible has done much TO reduce the Southern trade
have been repeatedly told that there is no money COM
ing into the city from the South, and comparatively
little from any other direction
No single interest Baltimore gives employment
directly and indirectly, to 80 many people as that OF
oyster fruit and vegetable packing. In the preserving
shipping Of oysters this city has rival in the
United States. During the Summer and Autumn months
the entire force OF than hundred Baltimore
packing is employed canning fruits and vege-
tables pickles preserves About the Goth Of October
the packing Of oysters begins and fully eight hundred
punges small schoOners and at least three thousand
smaller boats the bays and inlets Of the Chesa-
peake gathering the oysters to supply the great demands
Of the The oysters separated from
| the beds by dredging Dy the pungies, and are
gathered with tongs and rakes into the smaller boats
There are two branches OF tho business the packing OF
raw and Of cooked oysters. Those that put up raw
are generally larger and OF finer quality than those that
arc cooked, and warm weather Is likely 10 inJue
them the bulk OF this division OF the business Is done IN
midwinter The oysters are opened bY men, washed
placed in and hermetiealy sealed Cooked oysters
are mostly handled by and tho Fan season for
packing these extends only from about Oct 20 to Dee
90 After that the demands OF the "raw business are
great price OF the oysters advances and very
few cooked oysters are put up for several weeks In tno
spring there Is another OF about two months
Tic hard times began Just at that seasonsot the
year when the oysermen and packers were preparing
for business. few loads brought into the city
and sold nut the absence OF demand In the Northern
| and Western markets. coupled with the difficulty OF
obtaining currency either TO pay for the oysters or the
wages Of employees prevented q very general resump-
| a Va SOvHOes
! oysters Oh hand and who have received some small
orders have canned a few, and OF those In the
raw business taking small loads, BIT it Is thc
opinion Of the best judges that about 90 cent Of those
who are usually engaged in gathering and packing
oysters ana the other branches OF business connected
With them are now employment Some single houses
Lich generally keep Us co hands at work at
| tbs season Of the year are doing almost nothing
| Depending on the packing business, and therefore
suffering with IT, is that OF the can-maker Some houses
import their own TIN and make their caus and the
number of persons they employ in this branch Of
the business often greater than that of those who fill
and Bat the majority OF the packers fad
it more convenient purchase the OF establish
| ments engaged exclusively in their manufacture. The
number Of cans annually made for this market Is be-
tween 20OOOOOO and 3O0OO0JO and the manufacture OF
them OF course requires considerable army Of and
| boys. This business now very much depressed,
| though probably not to an equal extent with that
| Of packing The hme-burning business is another
| Of the resultant industries dependent on Oys-
ter packing. Many Of the larger packing have
their klns, with capacity of from LOCO TO LOO
bushels each One firm last year burned 10000 bushels
OF shells into Lime in four days, and has made III
single 100000 bushels OF white lime. When oysters
not packed OF course no lime Is burned Each OF
the frut oyster cans contains fancy label, hthO-
eraphed in bright COlOrs. Considerable rivalry exists
between different establishments In obtaining designs
for these labels. and toe printing OF Aein employs
several houses. THIS business Is also affected by
the depression OF the packing business
careful estimate OF the number OF persons employed
directly and indirectly in Oysterpacking and in supply
ing the manufacturers with oysters, cans, labels &c.
puts high 10000 These mostly of the poorest
class, and Will be likely suffer greatly II the depres-
sion should continue much longer go as TO cause an al
entire suspension OF business for the packing
As yet have been unable ID hear OF much distress
and many of the packers arc Of the opinion that che
business will pick up as the season advances