The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-10-10
TIE OYsEER SURVEY.
Ensign Drake at Work on the Survey
of the Georgia Oyster Waters.

Ensign Drake at Work on the Survey
of the Georgia Oyster Waters.
The coast and ge0dstic survey schooner
Ready. which arrived at Tybse last week
for the purpose OF making surveys Of the
| Clustering waters of Georgia, completed
yesterday a survey at the mouth Of the Sa-
| vannah river While the survey WAS
very satisfactory one, it was discovered that
the liability 20 ia mage by freshets renders
It not altogether the best place TO begin the
cultivation Of oysters. EnsigD j. c. Drake
is IN command Of the Schooner.
After the c)mpieciOI Of the survey at the
mouth OF the Saw tnnah river yesterday, he
we2t to Thunderbolt to ascertain the
density OF the water at that point. The
cur eats, and also the extent OF the natural
beds, are exami ed, as well as the area open
10 cultivation by the recent law and thai
which is favorable for cultivation.
All or the oyster waters in this county
will be surveyed, which will require the sur
veying party to remain here during October
and part Of November The surveys are
made as far up the rivers as the salt water.
| OF sufilclent density to permit propagation
| OF the oyster reaches. At that point the
| survey Is discontinued. The oyster area Of
Georgia is approximate at SOC, 600 acres.
The area of North Carolina, where Ensign
| Drake has just completed a survey, is over
10000 acres The surveying party was
nearly three years completing the survey
in North Carolina.
The counties that will be included in the
Georgia survey are Chatham, Bryan, Lib
erty, Mcintosh, Glynn and Camden. This
Is the first survey that has been made, or In
fact the first notice that has ever been taken
or the oyster industry of Georgia. The
surveys that have been made, demonstrate
| the TACT that southern waters are in many
| respects superior to the waters north for
oyster propagation. In the first place the
| condition of the water, its density, ETC., is
most favorable to the mollusk. Besides
this, there is the absence in southern
waters OF the oyster enemy, the starfish.
| In the survey IN North Carolina which
Ensign Drake has completed with Lieut..
| Wlnslow, not a start1sh was found. The
startlsh Is a great drawback to Clustering at
the north. Many oystermen expend as
high as $1,000 per month in getting rid of
the fish. In consequence of this drawback
some northern oystermen have turned their
attention to the south, aud yesterday Con-
nectlcut gentleman was in Savannah nego-
tiating with an old oysterman about the
purchase OF beds. In the oysters found at
Thunderbolt the ensign discovers remark
able thTittineSs in their growth which the
surveyors say indicates good oystering
waters.
The surveys as they are followed up ap-
1
DINA, where the extended survey has Just
been II ished, the improvement of oyster
ing is phenomenal. Northern oystermen
are pouring into the state and establishing
oyster plants preparatory to doing business
on an immense scale. 1t is understood that
$4,000 will be expended in that state within
the next few weeks by oystermen who have
gone into the oyster culture. The Pam
leo Oyster Company of North Car
DINA has a capital stock of 100000,
and 1t IS developing new grounds all the
time. The company has a steamer, and
employs between thirty and forty regular
men, natives of the state, to do the work.
1t imports no labor at all, and one distinct
feature of the bill advocated by Dr. Oemler
is to restrict the labor to residents of
Georgia. Besides the Pamlco company,
gentleman in North Carolina has planted
$4,000 bushels during the last six months.
Oyster culture, Ensign Drake says, is "a
much larger industry than people of the
south have an idea it is. Formerly in Geor-
gia it has been confined to the poorer classes
whose means and appliances were far too
limited to admit of carrying on a respect
able business, and to great many it may
seem like foolisnness to be legislating and
making laws governing the industry, but
when it is known that 500 900 is oftentimes
expended in preparing single bed, before
even cent of revenue is derived from it,
|
be removed.
II. c. Rowe of New Haven, Conn.,, proba-
, bly, the greatest oyster state at present in
the United States, began the oyster business
, a few years ago with capital of sc, 900, and
he now has plant valued at $500, 600 He
, owns three steamers and carries on an i'm
meuse business in shipping to all parts of the
United States ami Canada. Ensign Drake
said that in many inst noes he has discovered
a hardness and unwillingness on the part of
some Of the ma i've oystermen and fishermen
to give all the information which they pos
sess about the beds, location, etc., Of the
waters about them, but he sees no apparent
cause for this The surveyor makes thor
ough survey of all the available waters
anyhow, and if he fails to report bed, it
is not included in the survey, and
private parties may take it. In addition
TO is, the idea that the waters are going
to be taken away from them mas got rooted
in some of the small growers minds. En-
sign Drake said that in every case where
the surveys have been made the small
oystermen have been benefited If
they are unable to carry on a bust
ness of their own that will be remunerative
they invariably receive employment from
! the larger oystermen who establish plants
By the establishment of plants the poorer
classes ara afforded means of livelihood
on a sure basis, and neither their business
nor their means of living can possibly be
affected. 1t is the desire of the surveying
party that all the oystermen and fishmen
who are familiar with the territory will
furnish them as much information as posi-
Bile concerning the location of the beds.
CITY BREVITIES.