The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1886-02-27

material They must be broken apart, one
by one, Tho fisherman squats upon deck
AMI doo' Ia by harl. IL ~ a back break
Ing process, and often freezing rain and
snow fall upon the worker hour after hour.
A boats crew consists OF captain and
eight men. Tho men nre paid SIS TO $50 o
month AMI their grub Like all men en-
gagged in severe labor, tina, is attended with
unusual hardship' and eNtr mes Of weather.
they arc very improvident They work
during trip in order to get money
to spent during an idle spell They
spend what they earn-every cent The
captains of tho crews sometimes save
money and become part owners OF small
boats on their own account But the
common mems money eoes-just where oil
seafaring mems doe5-tO rum shops and
boarding houses, SO called. They lie over
and rest every other trip The hardships
and hard work which they must endure in
order to provide Us with our choicest food
delicacy are almost enough to make one feel
uncomfortable Eighteen hours work, with
the Aeet falling upon their fingers and the
freezing salt spray ca hing over them and
into their faces. is not n Job that tho most
indu s:rious man out OF work would DO apt
to regarl with longing.
Tho vessel COOS with tho wind in oyster
dreIgin and pulls the dredge along after
tt As 1t sails on thu captain poke' long,
slim rod down into the water from time to
time TO ascertain whether they are over an
oyster bed. II they are no shouts 'heave'
to mis- men. They catch IN the dreiges and
throw them OVERHEARD. When the ca tain
think, the bag il flied he calls, wind up
A.. l.. 49, Of nnI
debris dumped upon dock, while the dredge
is hesyed overheard again.
An oyster has not much sense In truth,
1t Is an unConscionab'e idiot, and begins TO
grow In a small limey secretion, about the
size and shaps OF fish scale This little de-
posit fastens itself to any solid subs ance
within reach upon the OCEAN bei-another
oyster old hats old boots, bottles, pieces OF
iron the timbers OF piers and any sort OF
unutterabis rub .ish. As funny sight as
Iever saw was bunch OF oyster, grown
firmly to huge old boot.
The boat sails on with the wind until the
captain with hi, polo finds he is getting out
of range OF the oyster bed, Then he little
ship is put back again, 70 commence work
ing up anew.
Nearly !, 500 schoouers nre engaged in the
oyster bu ines Off the coas. of Maryl land
alona. The largest part Of tho b!valve'
IN 'aat for cooking go 10 the unfortun tie
western PEOPLE, int hundreds of barrels Of
she'll oysters are also shirpad weekly TO Chi
600, st. Louis and Cincinnati. There nre
hon ci in tho.c cities that order seventy to
eighty barrels week each
The toats dredge in company, like fishing
boats. along tho coasts sometimes there
are hundred OF them in one fleet, If
they nrn in forbidden waters they
a.waYs Lecp u Lookout for tbs approach
Of the po,,rs loop When it comes to them
It find, every boat lying idly mt anchor, not
windlaSs working. or course, unless the
men are caught a5 work they cannot In
arrested The boats are owned Oy business
men on shore and in the towns usually.
The captain takes for hs pay a share Of the
proceeds wh,u the cargo il sold. The
owners Of the vessels are often boarding
hou,, Keepers and tho crows lolgo with
them on shore. So they make a good thing
Of il all arcunL
The FISHERMAN sel'om cats oysters
suppose no has to work so hard for and stay
NJ nights with them till Re gets disgustcd
with til, shol3 SUBJECT And small blame
To him \. j, oTHWELL
BALTIMORE, Feb II