St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-03-19
AMONG OYSTER sHUCKERs.
A Sunday Sketch at the Wharf,
What the Shuckers Earn.

Sunday morning at the oyster wharf
1T is late before the PUNCHES are opene d
for business. The men on the boats,
after putting in hard weeks work, are
glad when Sunday morning comes.
Then they can sleep late, and some of
them can sleep all day, for there are
captains who will not open their boats
on Sunday, says the Washington Star.
1t is late in the morning when the smoke
is first seen curling up from a small
StOve-pipe through the cabin door and
the cook appears and begins to prepare
the breakfast. The cooking is soon done,
for there is no great variety of food. nor
are there any fancy dishes to prepare.
breakfast over, the hatchwayis opened.
Then the cOlOred and white schuckerS
begin to appear, to pick up an sodd job.
Soon persons can be seen struggling to-
ward the wharf from all directions with
tin buckets. Then some of them begin
to drink, and before the second hour has
passed several Of them will show the
effects of liquor.
Sunday morning there were great
many oysters at the wharf, and custom
erS enough to keep the shuckerS busy
for time. When the rush was over
crowd of shuckerS were sitting on a
pile of shells enjoying the sun. Each
told his yarn, and the question was
asked, ''What is the best thing in the
world?"
whisky" answered the first.
"NO, indeed,' said another; 'money
is the best thing, because if you have the
money you can get the whisky"
you are both wrong" said another,
"a good wife is the best"
'NO, Sir" said the one who asked the
question; 81 know something that can
beat good wife. What is it?"
Then the ShuckerS began gueSSing(
aginable was mentioned, but the mo-
was given each time.
"Well, what is that can beat good
wife?'
ga drunken husband" answered a
negro they called Bill
"You take the cake, Bill" SAID one of
the crowd, who was willing to pay for
the drinks.
's5You talk about your good wife," said
short, thick-set man; II amt never
goin' ter get married"
"Why?o
because one day, when me and the
girl made up our minds to get married,
l gave her dollar to get ther license
with, and instead of buying the license
she stopped i'll the Police Cote and got
a warrant for me and kept the dollar.
"How much do shuckers make a day?"
asked Star reporter of one Of the
shuckers.
THAT depends entirely upon the
Shucker," he answered. 'If the Shucker
is good one he can make from 81 to s.
if business is good. When we shuck
for dealers we are paid by the gallon.
Sometimes we receive as high as 20 cents
for shucking gallon, and then, again,
we are not paid so much. When we
Shuck for persons on the wharf, who
only purchase a bushel for family use,
we usually charge 25 cents, but then we
often have to wait between jobs, and in
that way we do not make as much as
when we shuck for dealers. Some
times, of course, we catch a customer
who will not pay more than 20 cents, and
if business is dull some shuckers will
take job at even less than that. Sun
days are usually our best days, for then
we catch gentlemen who buy bushel
or so of oysters and want to eat them on
the haIf-shell. We pay the oysterman
for the oysters and then charge what we
please for them. Ii there are four or
five men to eat them we will charge
them, say % cents each. They are used
to eating oysters in restaurants, and, of
course, paying good prices for them.
They think that our price is cheap and
in that way we manage to make double
our regular pay, and the oysters they
leave we shuck for ourselves. In the
course of the day we manage to pick up
a few leftover oysters, and when we
are ready to 90 home we have good
mess of oysters to carry with u.s.