New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-08-27
HUDSON RIvEROYSTER BEDS.
MR.. BLACKBOARD DREDGING AMONG THEM.
TRIP OF THE STEAMER LooKoUT-wnAr WAS FOUND
-FEW "sETs" DISCOVERED,


TRIP OF THE STEAMER LooKoUr-wnAr WAS FOUND
Few "sErs" DISCOVERED,
A strong breeze whistled through the cordage
OF the United States steamer Lookout as she lay o. ne
Fulton Market pier yesterday morning and made ner
awnings tug viciously ct their fasteninga she was
waiting for Eugene q. Blsckford, State Fsh Commits
sioner in charge of the oyster investigation TO come ON
board for the last trip Of the season and chase the eo
oyster to its lair In the meantime the crew poshed up
the handle the main cabin door and the several otner
acres of brass work that made the Lookout respendent
The vessel b right little, tight little" steam yach'
belonging to the United States Fish Commission.
She is about eighty feet long and was puii'
for the Lorillards, from whom she was
purchased by the Maryland Fish Commission Wnen
the head OF the Maryland Commission became Assistant
United States Fish Commissioner he had become 30 az
ached to the Lookout that he couldn't bear to part WIN
her. and the Government purchased her. Then she was
built up foot two higher and her deck cabin en-
larged. Her equipment consists Of dredges and ali
other necessary appliances including number OF hatch-
ing jars, in each OF which 100000 embryo nan can DO
made crack the SHE'LL and then BIO dumped overheard
to shift for themselves Tho Lookout is principally en-
gagged In distributing these youthful fish in those
nnny localities most needing repopuatioD but once
year she Is lent Commissioners Blackford for couple
of weeks to cruise about the oyster BEDS
At 10 O'Clock Mr. Blackboard appeared Win
his assistant ProfessorH j. Roe. and Captain Garrett
f. Ivan Pelt, who has tonged" over the oyster BEDS
about NewYork for the ast twenty-five years SO ire
quenty that he stake every Of them out with his
eyes shut aud tell you Just how many inches OF water
there's each. The Lookouts skipper Captain smith,
stecred tho little yacht through the OF craft about
South Ferry and after rounding the Battery herbow
were pointed up tho river in the teeth OF young gale
that made all OF her passengers who were constitu-
tionay predsposed to seaskness glad that they we're
going up the river and not down the bay.
"An the oyster beds In tho Hudson River are OF
natural origin" said Mr.. Backford to the reporter
Nothing has ever been done to Increase their
protect except the enforcement Of county regla-
lions forbddng the uso OF the dredSe and allowing the
oys:ermen to use the tongs only ABOVE
Mount st. Vincent the wostchester County law
forbds their being worked in July and August. The
beds have worked for hundreds OF years Before
hendrick Hudson sailed his clumsy old crait over
them In utter Ignorance Of the wealth beneath his Keel
the Indians took their oysters the half SHELF but as
far back the memory Of the present generation goes
They are small and dscoorsd by the impurities of the
Tyer water In tho last twenty years they have been
buryng them. scwages from the cities Of the valleys,
oGal from New York and slndge acids from the oil
works tho Jersey shore are brought up with every
noodtidc to Kill the young biynlyes"
little way above IrvnR,on tho yacht was rounded
tain Van Pelt said that the lrylnst9n bed
vas. Tho dredge 10 "a c9,non natl o,
bag Tho Lookout drftod down stream before the wind
dragging dredge along with H. When three or four
staneh ars had hauled 20 the surface again aud
dumped tho contents deck there was dripping pile
OF oysters and empty shells disagreed: - ,,, 81, a..
That's HprCluicu to cNhDlt the grown OF the
shell said Professor Rice. holding oyster with
rim OF thin translucent she'll around the thicker portion
There popular belief that an oyster Is all stomach
which ia sadly Incorrect Tho stomach OF an oyster
forms a ANAL portion OF It's internal economy IL has
gtils inouth stomach, intrstlnes and heart There"
pointing TO q little white bladder taat slowly s"eHed
glls are the rnnled portion that half surrounds the
smooth body 4hey draw In n, aud e ,!,ol
two two elements which are extracted by the gills
food for the inner OYSTER which Is passed ON TO the
oyster when this rim OF newly formed she'll gets thick
enough hi. oystorshp begins TO swell OUT ana occupy
the space thus gained The food IL ight hll dlslhts
grated vegetable matter known rs dotached VcgeaDle
forms which appear ia the shalower waters aons the
shores OF the ocean. II II Ia conf animated by NTH anu
factory acids a. II up the bay the oysters are
turned green like this one, and are unht or eating un
they have been purified By term OF hie IN o'earer
Running down to the Round Rock beds which are said
brought up bricks stones, shells old shingles crabs ana
afcw oysters. with some little hsn which MI blaeSsa
sad were American soies Inc uSual yo ,s
about lost souls. etc, reused small mutlny
which required all the Commissioners eatno,taS 70
quelL Under tho watchiul guidance o. SaPsan III
Pe who seemed 20 know every stone oothe BANKS SAG
on The river bottom samples were taken from me beds
AZ Dobbs' Ferry Hastlngs Yonkers Mount 81 vincent
ana Ryerda.c. aud also from the L@ym@h ana WIN"
81 ron Sing Sing down 20 NewYork there Is Just one
string OF oy .icr beds along the east shore sad the
thrre are t good beds and thco used to he rstrste
one right OF Twenty thirdst They vary from one 70
two hundred feet In breadth but average about hity
on tho west shore Haversraw there are four miles
OF beds extending from Long Dock to Rockland LAKE
hui that 4. AL. Along tho east shore there VIII Do
scarcely an eighth OF mile between
tho beds i9 many places; ,,ou SV 81 re.r The
Weld il nothing to what used 10 DO twenty years
ago was o TINT took LOT o seed oysters on
Tie Tarrytown Nose bedthc largest one In the river
which when transpanied 10 Princes Bay brought Two
yea later tho snug little sum OF tflJVOO An Oyse.
man could make from 81 TO $50 day then. NOW mes
doing we'll II he gets So" ,., -
Tho sticks and stones brought MP were closely eh.
anlued for sets" the young oysters are Called pu
though there were plenty OF "jlnges' barnlc.es ana
we're right on the piers Mr. Blackford says he once
found n bed OF clans directly undor Fulton MARKET
Nv but weren't they strong CLANS, said he as inc
recollection OF his odorforous discovery swept over MN
Authorizations OF tue oyster seekers came 10 an emu