Bridgeton pioneer., 1889-02-21
and would gladly go in cahoots for the
Doodle. And said they:

And so capital-captain No. / starts
in the Spring with the snappers all on
a wage. They work hard, late and
early, good weather and bad; they
stake up lots of grounds and plant
Chesapeake by the cargo. Of course
many of the grounds, from iniudicious
planting, mud and die, but with all
these losses the short division act
shows a handsome gain to capital on
the investment. and the captain is
three or four hundred dollars head
of any previous year when long division
was in vogue. The next Spring brings
out capital-captain No. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and
so on, with crews all on wages; no
more long division, no more crews on
a share. More law is now the order of
the day, more supplements, more pro-
lection, more capital. more
law. The piratical Philadelphians and
everybody else are stealing oysters.
Even the "Citizens'' have been known
to come from away up shore among
the farmers and catch as high as a
bushel at time, and not on the dry
beds,o either. They clamor for more
special protection and get it. Here is
speciman:
The 2nd section Of the law, approved
March 81, 1876, creates the office of
Special Officer"
The 3rd section gives him unlimited
powers, in that he may seize upon for
his aid in the performance of his duty,
any number of men, any steamboat,
tug boat, or sailboat, as may seem
most expedient to him.
The 4th section defines the duty of
such citizens when thus seized upon,
and fixes penalty for its non perfor4
nance of the same.
Section 9th informs us that those
persons occupying Il lot OF ground,
and directly engaged in planting and
growing oysters in Maurice River Cove
are'' the privileged few authorized to
elect this autocrat endowed with these
extraordinary powers.
The 18th section provides very gen
erously for the Citizens whatever
significance that word may have in
the oyster law, the citizens shall have
Stree access to he.dry beds" In view
of the very few in number of these
| dry BEDS and the quantity and quail
| itv of ovcforc to ho nrot off of than in
| comparison with hundreds of acres of
other natural beds in the Bay and
Cove, this stipulation is worthy of con-
sideration by the citizens; especially as
it is manifestly one of the high peroga-
tives OF the Special Officer" to see to
it that he gets none anywhere else.
A further supplement approved
March s, 1882, more definitely places
the control of the oyster business in
the hands of the captains of vessels.
While there are about 400 Captains,
great and small, having entire control
of all the oyster beds in Delaware Bay
and Maurice River Cove, except the
dry beds, y there are 1900 other per-
sons equally dependent upon these
oysters for a living. They are those
men who once worked on a share, and
assisted in building up the grounds,
many of which are now being planted
upon by others. How did it happen !
This way; AS capitalized captains be-
gan to be placed in charge of larger
boats and more grounds, so laws were
petitioned and enacted by the Legisla
ture, which not only hedged in the
| rights of the citizens" but placed
those who had small boats and not
sufficient capital to plant, in the very
awkward position of no place to work.
The 18th section of the supplement
| above referred to, prohibits all persons
from catching or taking oysters from
any of the natural beds, north of line
running direct from Egg Island light
house to Cross Ledge lighthouse, from
the 10th day Of June, to the 1st day of
April in the succeeding year. That
act completely shuts out all work for
market on any of the natural beds,
either in the Bay or Cove, except in
the two months and a half from April
1sr to June 10th, SO the former oyster
man, by virtue of having no capital to
be lawfully engaged in planting and
growing oysters in Maurice River Cove
and Delaware Bay is forced to the
dire alternative of becoming citizen,
and go by the month with privilege
to pick up oysters for family use off
the ''dry beds" He could of course
work for two months and half on the
natural beds above the line, but what
would be the use, his ''dinkeyn would
be run down as q turkey cock runs
down gaasshopper. The day the
season opens to go to work on these
natural bed, ''above the line," from
800 to 400 large schooners with i'm
mense dredges, and carrying from four
to six men. start in body for these