National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1873-08-08
The Lobster Business.
How HOLSTERS are Caught ana What IL
Done WIN Them.


How Lobs'ers are Caught ana What
Done WIN Them
The lobster business il steadily grow
inc in importance. and has aided lnrp,
ly in promoting the material interests q
Chester. II is now about twelve wears
says a correspondent, since the Portlan,
Packing COMPANY commenced opero
tons here and gave an impulse TO tn
work of catching. or rather of framing
this delicious crustacea. IL has no,
several factories located Mt yarion
points. within 4 coast range of 2O
miles. same of which are employed i,
the packing of mhckerel. IL IL astonish
ing the extent to which this business
has affirmed. The United States. Cnnn
da, and Europe offer ready markets fo
the sale of Holsters preserved in tbi,
form. and as result thousands of peo
pie are employed all along this cons
IN the capture and curing of the fish
They are, as has been stated framed
the coutrivance devised for this pur
pose being semi-cylindrical structure
made of rough laths nailed together
having network covering Mt each end
In the centre Of this network are two
holes, sufficiently large TO admit the
lobster, and once Gagged il is impossible
for him to escape. as tho net il bent in.
ward. In the centre of the trap is an
upright stake on which the bait is i'm
paleI. the whole concern being. as may
be supposed, sort of walk into nv
parlor" arrangement. The bait con-
sists mostly of sea perch and sculpin.
the latter being better known perhaps
as the sea toad, a most unprepossessing
customer, with head nearly as large as
the whole body, and n mouth large
enough for fish fifty times its size.
He is i'll fact monster on small scale,
and in his Or as well rs in the pecu-
liar shape of his head, as likewise IN his
notified skin, bears pretty close re-
sen.hlance to II toad. He and the fish
ing frog must be near relations, for
they are cas- like rs two peas with
the exception that the latter ha, one or
two tentacles, or feelers, growing out
of his head, almost immediately over
the mouth, and on the end of these is
small, soft, hesh-like appendage, with
which, as with n bait, he lures, while
he lies concealed beneath pieces of
tufts or seaweed, his unsuspecting
prey into his capacious nav. This
sculpin or sea toad, if he does not fish
for himself, is used to fish for others,
and this he does with great success.
If the old adage, Handsome is as
handsome does has any force in it,
he is perfect beauty. The lobster
traps thus baited are sunk to the bot
tom, by means of stones, and taken up
between tides, when their unwilling in
mates are transferred to the rowboats,
to being placed in the fish
cars, where they are kept alive till sent
to the factory in the large sailing craft
vessels of from ten to twelve tons
In these they are piled up. sometimes
in huge heaps that would draw torrents
of tears from the eyes of the tender
hearted Bergh, and when the vessel ar
riyes at the factory they are mercilessly
pitched upon the pier in another indis-
criminate heap.
Here they twist and wriople and fan
their propellers and interlock with their
huge nippers, the whole heap present.
ing a most animated and lively mass of
crustacea. From the pier thew ore Mt
once taken to the huge kettles where
having been sufficiently boiled thev
are packed in Theoretically sealed cans
and, after still further boiling in these
the cans are labelled, boxed and sent off
to their several destinations. The sea-
son begins about the 10th of May and
closes about the middle of October. du-
ring which the Portland Packing Com
pany, in one factory alone. boil and can
nearly seven hundred thousand Holsters.
In the capture of this number n fleet of
$50 boats, each manned by two hands
is required. and these range along n
shore of thirty or thirty-tiye miles
In pursuit of the fish these men some.
times freuuent the most rugged and
widest part of the coast where the
restless waves, even in the calmest DAYS
surge and boil among the hinge rocks
dashing the foam to the height of fif,
teen or twenty feet Woe to the han
less vessel that misses its trockless wav
across the ocean and in treacherous foo
or the darkness of the night rms nnon
this bound coast. The fate of the
Atlantic and of MANY n noble shin has
told tales of disaster that have sent
thrill of horror throuob the civ;Iizad
world. The crash and roar of these
breakers can be heard at n distance Of
two or three miles. giving one wonld