Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1886-05-20
CLUSTERING.
Rough Experience of an Amateur Fisher
man on Chesapeake Bay.

II never see an oyster but what
think OF the poor devils down the Ches-
apeake bay"
The reporter who was thus addressed
looked up from his stew and eyed the
speaker curiously. He was cookbook
ing, athletic young fellow. His voice
indicated that he was an Englishhman.
He was sitting on the other side Of the
table, and was waiting for his order,
and was evidently inclined to be soci-
able.
did you ever go oysteringP"
II should say / did. / had five
months of it. Down the Chesapeake
bay looks well in print. doesn't itf and
sort O. poetical-like. But it's hell--or
if that amt hell, then there's no hell. /
shall never forget my five months of
oystering. Look herer' And the stran-
ger pulled up the right sleeve of his blue
flannel shirt and pointed to two circular
scars.
what are they?" the reporter asked.
They're the marks of boils caused
by eating so much salt meat, and gen.
orally living on food not fit for human
consumption. My mate had a hole
eaten clear through his arm from the
same cause.
This is his story:
and my partner Dick struck Balti-
more broke, just about a year ago. 1t
was bitterly cold, and we applied to
police station for shelter for the night
We were ashamed to do it, but we could
not help ourselves. In the morning we
were turned out, and were strolling
along a street near the waters edge,
not knowing where to 60 nor what to
do, when two men hailed us and said:
Johnny (everybody's Johnny among
oystermen) dye want berth?" That
was just what we did want, although we
didn't know what it was, and we shout
ed back 'Yesr Come along them
they said. We followed them, and
learned that they were on the lookout
for hands for an oyster schooner living
in midstream. Glad of any kind of
work, and almost Indifferent as to our
fate, Dick and l signed articles of
agreement. On our part we agreed to
do our duty to our captain and the COM
pany employing us. and they in turn
pledged themselves to pay us our salary,
to feed, and treat us we'll. Some color
ed men joined the crew. / guess Dick
and were the only two who could
read. The boss got mad at me because
insisted on reading the articles of
agreement before signing them. The
common way was to sign cross. 1t
was nothing but form. We got into
yawl and were rowed out to the oyster
schooner. When half way over the
captain asked each of us for So for
shipping money denounced the de-
mand as a robbery, and said wouldn't
pay it. Well, couldn't, for l didn't
have cent. But you bet it was locked
out of my salary all the same. Once on
board the schooner it didn't take us
long to heave anchor and hoist sails.
Being of curious turn of mind, and
all the surroundings being new to me,
naturally turned my attention to the
conveniences mentioned in the shipping
articles and sworn to under bond, red
tape. and sealing-wax. First came the
captains and the mates quarters in the
cabin, then the hold of the vessels for
oysters, then our 'boudoir' You laugh.
That's all right. / can laugh now my
self; but if you'd been with me then and
seen our 'boudoir' your stomach would
have been very sick. In knocking about
the world had learned that it was bad
ever to appear green, so | set about to
find the sleeping apartments of the
crew. But after searching all over the
ship had to give it up. Finally l went
to the most intelligent fellow among the
crew, and who looked an old hand at
the business, and preached the subject
to him. He fairly roared with laugh
ter, and pointed to hole in the fore
part of the deck. / approached, and
getting down on my knees, looked be-
low. Oh, heavens. what den! have
often heard of dead languages, but the
effluvia which met my nostrils con-
veyed more intelligence than all the liv-
ing languages on earth. After reviving
myself with fresh air, l tackled it and
went below to study the mysteries Of the
bed chamber A compartment of
about eight feet in its greatest measure
ment. with few rough boards nailed
to the side, and very small stove in
the center, comprised sleeping apart
ments for crew of eight Being over
powered by the stencil and my emotion,
i gained deck again, and fell into
revcrie. from which was awakened by
the dinner-bell. Now this is joyful
sound to hungry mans ears, and be-
ing in that state my hopes were revived,
especially when admonished mot to be
afraid to eat No wonder the captain
laughed in his sleeves at such huge
joke, for verify believe that not more
than two of the crew touched the horri-
bic offal, the vilest fat bacon, that look
ed as if it had done good service wears
before, and bread as hard and indigest-
ible as bullets, and, to wind up, such
coffee! (dish-water), made more nau-
seous by pouring in lot of molasses,
bad imitation of tar, which composed
the meal. However, we had to take
that or nothing, 50 after several attempts
we managed to eat it. The first place
of stopping was Annapolis, which was
reached on the Goth of October, where
the license is procured, and as oystering
is not lawful until the LIST of November,
we had ample time to reach the grounds
Old heads who had been there before
told the new hands that our firm was
considered one of the best in the bust
ness. If that was SO, God help the
worst. In due time we were told off
to our respective boats, and on the
morning of the 1st of November were
called on deck between and 5 to heave
anchor and get her under way. At
sunrise we were on the rock (oyster-
bed), and commenced operations. The
oysters are caught by means of chain
bag, with large teeth on the bottom
(called dredge,) which is attached to
Il rope about ninety feet long The yes
sci in sailing over the bed drags the
dredge on the bottom; when full it is
wound up by means of crank, similar
to a windlaSs. The contents of the
dredge are emptied on the deck and the
oysters culled or sorted from the refuse,
which is thrown overheard. This is
kept up until shutdown, weather permit
ting, when all the boats 90 into harbor
and load one of their respective firm
boats, which, when loaded, is taken to
Baltimore, or some other market. 1t
was very seldom VIC got through work
until 8 p. IN. So we were glad enough
to crawl into our den, like SO many ami
mails, and sleep as best we could Be-
sides the fearfully mean diet (Which
decent man would not offer a dog), we
were often without water to drink, much
less to wash in, and never saw piece
of soap the whole five months. Then
to make matters worse, some of these
human brutes of captains would, with
out any provocation, knock the men
down with shovels, blacken their eyes.
and ornament their faces in a wav