The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-12-21
SCALLOPS.
scALLop FISHING AND FISHERMEN At rEcoNIc

should write OF, but scallops scoops is the con-
traction by which they known. bought and sold.
New Suffolk. Long Island. situated on the North
Shore and midway OF the length of Great Peconic
Bay whose waters reach from Greenport on Long
Island sound to Rvorhead. distance OF forty miles,
is the great fishing ground. From November till
March is the fishing The catch varies; for
the crop of scallops. like crops raised on land.
changes with the season. Thus this year the catch
has been light and prices at the grounds have
been as high as 81 for gallon of meats. the
fishermen say, eyes. The great CROP or bonanza
year was in 1877 it estimated that from the
ports Of Riverhead. Mattituck. New Suffolk and
Greenport. the shipment to our city ran up to the
large number of 40 900 gallons. The price. how.
ever. ran down US low as fifty cents per gallon,
barely paying expenses.
OF the ports named New Suffolk Is the chief. and
has the LARGEST number Of engaged IN the
trade Fourteen vessels. in size from the cat rugged
saboat of couple Of tons register. to the schooner
rugged vessel of twenty. hail from New Suffolk This
crews run from man and boy on the smaller 10
a half dozen able bodied men ON the larger boats.
The work of the hardest and is Of the coolest sort
No one that the constitution OF horse could
stand it. No weather is severe enough to keep
these hardy tough from making catch
whenever u "bed' is found. The wages not
high-are really low when the exposure incident 70
the trade is remembered-but the work comes IN at
time OF year when there IL little demand FOR labor.
and hence the men for the work are easily procured
Az the years ago in the whale fishery. boats
are built purchased for the special purpose The
owner owners receive such proportion for inter-
money, the captain OF the boat gets clay in the
profits instead OF wages while the men will average
81 50 day for their earnings The favorite grounds
for the fishing or rather dredging IL in line drawn
from northwest to southeast across Peconc Bay
from New Suffolk toward Southampton on the east
ern shore. Here the scallops always found.
The dredging il done in waters running from three
or four feet i'll depth to five or six fathoms. The
dredge is shaped like an old fashioned dirtroad
scoop. The lower rim or scraping iron Ii probably
three-eighths thick. To this is attached piece Of
chain netting of two feet depth. Over this is the
same length OF cord netting. running from its at.
iron. which forms the upper part OF this bag
pouch. handle OF iron. with eye ut the end,
runs from whore the upper and lower sides Of the
pouch are joined together. To the eye mentioned
Is attached the dragging rope. Thus equipped
scooping in the shell Dish they lie hudded the
bottom. The scallop is Q peculiar bivalve. Unlike
the clam the oyster. which seem incapable Of mo-
ton the scaop is When the tide is running
fast and the shoalt will rise from the bottom.
with open shells. to the top of the water. give
and between given impetus and the force OF the
tide swims yard or 80 ut every spring The motion
is q laughable one, the shells come together with
snap thut can be heard some distance and the mo-
ton is q Ziyzag ore instead OF one with definite
purpose Some seasons tue fish Is much larger and
finer than others. Thus this year they have been
small Last year they were twice the size. The
catch is from twenty to . hundred bushels
number Of men engaged As soon as a. load
IL obtained away they go for the harbor The beach
at New Suffolk is lined with their houses. No less
than eleven to be seen within quarter OF .
miles walk along the sands. TIE largest OF these
buildings is thirty feet long by twenty wide.
broad shelf along each side, projecting couple
of feet from the wallis and reaching to the waist OF
man. Holes cut in this shelf ut regular intervals
along its length, similar to the counters where
cat our raw oysters here Barrels are placed under
these holes for the refuse Tie scsops piled up
at the back Of the shelf spoken OF. The openers
stand opposite the openings Dexterity is here seen
in the aptitude acquired by long practice. Tho
openers generally women. Of all ages. well
those Of uncertain years. Apart from the damp
floors and dripping surroundings the work Is not
hard Some Of the young girls work after being
married. come regularly IN the season to gain
eted by all. We saw in one house two
young wives. with cradles behind them containing
less than year old babies, opening scallops with
their hands. singing merrily some baby song 10
quiet the young ones. and by an indescribable mo-
ton of the left foot rocking the cradles with gem
tic motion al-sufhcent to keep the nurseng- quiet.
In another mother nursing her three
weeks old babe ut interval in the work. A
slow opener. at the present rates paid for labor
twelve and half cents for gallon OF eyeswill earn
from eighty cents TO 81 day; rapid one. one.half
more. The fastest we observed was lad Of four.
teen. named Patsy Mcclure. who opened at the rate
Of thirty q minute by the watch. 1t takes two
bushels Of bivalves to make q gallon Of eyes.
In the work leather palm is used to protect the
hands, The motions OF tho expert opener are but
three after the scalop is in hand; The 5iyave !:
the scallop toward tho openers body. The kntfe-a
simple piece Of steel ground sharp and with one
serted in the opening Of the shell furthest
from the breast turn is given, cutting apart the
movement. A fiirt at the same moment throws Oh
the upper shell. The second motion cuts the lower
fastenings of the eye to the under shell and takes
the shell in barrel and the soft aud Shiny rim
in another while the eye is thrown into basin Of
yellow stone ware holding . gallon. They are then
taken from the basin. thrown into large colsnder.
thoroughly washed. placed in clean boxes aud
shipped to our city and brooklyn. The prices this
year have been high. the shipper realizing 81 80
gallon. The highest price over given was >? 90.
the lowest fifty cents which does not pay the cost
of the catch. Nothing is wasted about our scalop.
Inquiry MS to what became Of the shells-piles OF
which to the height of eight ten feet ana cover.
houses-elicited tho fact that the oyster fisher.
men come to New Suffolk every spring aud purchase
these shells by the load They arc used e deposs
they have been found to answer the purpose OF At
taching the oyster spot" rs the oysters spawn:
shells that in tho event of the rising OF another
Peter the Hermit could to decorate the breast
OF each pilgrim OF them all. BIO It millions The
contents OF the sholl mixed with the seaweed Of
the beach and make grand manure for the enrich.
ing OF the growing corn, the fertilizer being placed
the land Tho number Of those employed ct
New Sufolk-scallop headquarters-is about one
and women OF sixty all the way down to boys and
girls Of ten and twelve In the year 1877 the largest
shipment ever maze was IOrWarueu; THIS was CtOeo
to forty thousand gallons of representing
catch OF $4,000 bushels Of scallops. Last year tho
catch but half that while this season IL will not
run so heavy last The old hands say that the
scallop lives but three years; that the spawned fish
is two years reaching matury the third year IL IL
full grown and spawns, and then dies.
This multitude Of scaiIops attracts to the wsters OK
Peconic Bay thousands of water fowl BLACK
duck. geese, looms and the common non.
edible duck. such coots. old squaws and
whisters in immense numbers, while the Ruils
fairly whiten tho sand bars whom the recednR tide
leaves the sands bare Robins Island has at its
north and south ends two sand bars. which are bare
ut low water for half o mile. On these bars, there
FORE are left scallops razor ASH hvehngers and al
the minute crustacea that make up marine life.
Where food Is abundant thore will be found some.
thing to feed upon it. Hence the crowds OF birds ON
these points at low water reminds one Of tho fsbu-
ious anecdotes regarding bird life related In the sto
ries of a Jules Verne. / doubt II anything II
like IL this side OF Arctic waters. Tho largest
sells of the fleet engaged In the scaop TRADE arc ~
named below
Emma Wilson. ....... Captain Frank Acker.
Mary Beyca. Captain I. Billiard.
M tais, Ilpv Ind