The sun., 1882-08-27
THE HOME OF THE LOBSTER.


nre Cnnned-A New England Industry.
YORK, Me-, Aug. 10" Lobsters ain't what
they used to be-" said jovial lobsterman. sole
inhabitant Of little cove to the north OF Cape
Neddlck. "Ye see. there's q big demand for
en- and they got to ketchen' em. big and
little don't give 'cm time to grow. and In time
1t wouldn't take me by surprise to find EN- all
gone. 1t used to be big business on this
coast but naow the factories. them that cans. Is
confined mostly to Oceanvlle Burnt Cove.
Deer Island. and Harpersville-a right smart
factory thet's daown Casco Bay way. Then
there's one at Castine, and ianother at South
west Harbor. Mount Desert. and you'll find
EN- besides more or less. all the way daown to
Fundy Bay.
Here" continued the old man In reply to o
question Of the reporter. we hev two ways OF
ketchin' OF EN- one by gan and one by pot-its
pot-luck. too. this year. The gaffin's done for
home use. and consists OF takin' gaia stick
with hook on it-and maxim fast couple OF
hake heads and wadin' aout among the kelp
at low tide. The Holsters smell the fish. and
when they take the bait you jerk the gan under
'em and hook 'em up; OF course that spoils 'em
to keep. l calculate u lobster pots worth
1850 first-class one I've got hundred
and II the wind haus sudden-like to the
castard. I'm likely to lose the hull lot. We
can't do anythin' In winter, as they all take to
deep water stayin' until early spring. and naow
accordn' to law they can't can HOLSTERS except
durin' March and August. Accordin' to some.
they're pisen I'm September but 1t never took
hold o me nor my woman; she sets heft by
fall obsters."
The pots looked more like huge bird cages
than anything else and were piled up on the
pebbly beach in great stacks. They were about
four feet long, two wide and two high. and
semicrcular in shape. the Stats OF the cage
being far enough apart to tantalize the victim
sterman to see within. The ends are covered
with tarred rope netting containing circu,
Rooks % bated is With the heads o Of their defuncs
namesakes. and thus arranged and ballasted
with rocks the pot is lowered to the bottom By
Il long line attached to IA float. The lobster en-
but why he does not pass out at the same ORR
Stable Holsters continued our lobsterman.
yanking out scupi N that had been caught in
the pot ought to be s6Oqt lto one ,sI and Ia half to
pounds up; but, Lord bless you! when was q
young man in 40. I've caught Holsters that
pounds. II you ever get down Rockand way
drop into old man Rollins s at South st. George.
three pounds. Bitef Why, I should say SO:
bad as a shark. Twas nearly. laid, up by a lob
steT r here some years " mghs ia aeaTd San
fifty pots or shore. and the wind looked kind
o as If it WAS a-haulin' to the BASTARD. SO sot
u
! got in part of EN-. and was jest takin' In g
heavy one when it fouled some how. / hauled
o% to se
rope. and alore knew it a lobster he'd me by
the wrist. Wall, might Jest Is well hey been beef
but the crtter hung on. and only stuck its
claws in Tuss % and w%uss: % and there ! was: was ne ds
| teen feet, and II 1t hadn't been for one OF the
Neddiek boys that came by Id a been in bad bad
ha a tST hy En a5s Ss as aRs the
marks hore naow as bad as shark.
~ hese ere companies send aout their own
| small emacks. but they buy OF any one. Them
that is near the factories keep big cars; kind o
ster, as fast as they get 'em then the fac
| tory smacks come araound and collect 'em
ry I MR weTsed es
season. four smacks, and has hired help men
and E amGRnn bs e hundred aRa sRs
dock. handy like to the snacks. and the lob
steis are brought in in stretchers or barrows
ksp @d asRs1 ,hs ssRi hui the RsS
go in black and blue. but come out red, which
ely Elk folks a9nt c"; seem to understHnd said the
ddaown here last summer. and wanted to see
liyip, red lobstersa You couldn't tell him
said the critter fust goes into the hands Of the
buster. who breaks en- up in Il long trench and
You uease' ' lT The Claw Claws u is W Knocked OF NIB BY
teiler called the cracker. and then they go into
M the gals hands. who pick aopt all the meat.
takes hold of it. One gal draps 1t into the cans
kind o rough like shoves i along; and the
aout, Just as, 1t happens. to get the right
WEIGHT; acc2rdin' y the can: Another gal puts
meat in, and another sets on tin cover and
gives it u rap and when dozen or SO Is cover
ed they 60 to ne soldersr who soldiers II all up
they call a bath and are billed for some time.
until all the air gets aout the holes. Then they
Itl,.l IL Il ulaI, ttFht
fhucked into. the b!ler again and billed two
hour hour when en-. It's concluded they're lone; When
Kind Of HS"metimes painted to n' prevent
rust. The paster sticks on the label, generally
a picture Of II fierce red lobster: the packer
gross. and they'r ready to 60 to Europe, Africy,
OF lnjy, I've heard tell thet two-thlrds oi all
they canned do 90 to furrin parts. Pay? Wall,
il varies. Soderers. il they're right smart and
handy. can make slJ n week Feers That sit
araound Sind o II q sog like sleep only make s,
| from 81 TO tlO: Gals get from 800 10 n. but
a likely lot Of 'em teaches school in winter. 80
it amt 80 bad. When the ,lobsterin season lets
kinds of business and some Of 'em combines
porgy and bony hshin, with it, BHt as | was was
h"A rain here for, oyer six weeks. and thet'll
finish the corn. Lobstcrs is scarce. and things
Its curious how a lobster If he's top Of the
water or in shallow, will get SO. scared durin' a
thunder storm thet he'll chuck his big claws
OF. seen it done many time. But he amt
such fool after alias they grow on again ge,
a new pair any time. Sort o convenient uint
/ il; People always wonder how Holsters casts
their skin, which they do once year. and how
they get their big claws aOut through the smal
part :Ur they don't split Its curious. but AT
this time the critt"r gets soft and watery. and
they, pull their claws through hole that you d
think impossible. Another curious thing Il
that the crltter loses its stomach. teeth. eyes
and everything, when il mouts; it's jest like a
spit->EelIed CRAB then, keeps low IN among the
rocks. and the way they do grow Is something
THAI heats all natur You take the shell they
throw and compare II with the lobster three
weeks after hos chuck"I il. .nnd therell be
morr than third difference. This is the only
time they grow | reckon.
We ketch all sorts o things in these pots u
continued the old man opening one OF the
doors tq eeNtrcatc big starilsh. These five
ilng"rS Is the wust. As soon as a pot strikes
the bottom they make for IT, and sometimes
cover II all up Then there's the sea eggs
lrhp"Sl all covered with spiHe-: they walks
IN SLOW; then sculpp and several crabs. hall
n dozen cunners. and no end OF welks find
their way through. and when the pots are
hauled III" hull crowd comes up. and not wuth
Il cent. one II the curiestcst things that gets
atonl o r9t lines Is a long string Of }elly-likt
stun jest lit" a Jelly FISH. only 'taint, I've seen
masses Of it 80 big that it would I'LL the hull
NUptul,.l saNnrnl huItr url rncE,n 4. thou.