Daily Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1882-1893, 1891-12-09
PEocorTY BEACH MossERs.
New England Industry That PrOvides
the Housewife with Blanc Mango.

q New England Industry That PrOvideS
the Housewife with Blanc Mango.
Fair old Scituate boasts an industry
In which, if in no other. it is the lead
(big town in the country 1t has. as
none Of its more wealthy sister towns
have. its moss From the rocks that
carpet its harbor and make its shores
feared by the sailor is gathered an in
come every year that may not be
yriucely, but is still large enough 10
compensate the town for the lack of
noisy. smoky factories and strong
smelling wharves.
When the moss gathering industry
began in Scituate no one knows. Prob
ably the value Of the moss was first
discovered by accident by some fisher
mans wife The gathering and curing
of moss for food began in Ireland many
years ago. IL was used principally by
the people Of the south of Ireland, near
the seacGast Many people have made
the claim that they introduced the in
dustry in this country, but even the
oldest inhabitants of Scituate are in
doubt as TO who was the first
The particular locality where the
business is carried on is called Peg
gotty Beach" Little Peggotty village
is punched here, and here the mossers
and their families ply their trade
| There is no loafing. Everybodyis is ex-
pected to do his share of the labor.
While the father is out in his boat rob
bing the sea TO put bread in his family's
mouth and blanc mango and jelly into
the mouths Of mankind, the wives and
daughters are wading along the rocks
near the shore filing their aprons with
the smaller pieces of the moss
The boys are at the same time raking
| and turning the patches of moss that
are laid out in regular lots in front OF
each creel house. The veteran moss
err is on the beach at sunrise. There
is much to do before the tide will
answer" and he must watch the tides
With garden rake he levels off patch
on the graveled beach, always being
careful not 10 leave footprint. Then
he carries the moss that his wife and
daughters have washed out the night
before and spreads it on the smooth
spots 1t is Of many colors, from the
maroon purple black to a delicate yell
pv a-aording TO the washings and
bleacn.i-- has received.
\ low tide in the morning and a
westerly bree7e-not a wind--is what
the men pray for Out Icy tie rocks Ot
Third Cliff the double spirits and dories
were already stationed and men we're
standing up in the boat poking around
in the water with long poles. In order
to get a nearer view the reporter hired
a typical small boy to take him out in
his dory
How do you know when you are
over moss z was asked Of a man whom
the guide called father
"Oh. / can see il. ' was the answer
The uninitiated could not distinguish
one rock from another al the bottom,
but the experience of years tfor some of
these people have been here as many as
thirty years makes their sight wonder
I fully keen
The rake used in scraping the rocks
has a handle fifteen feet long fitted into
a heavy iron head. The teeth are set
! very ClOee together anu are cudtp
pointed. Over the back part of this
head there is a guard that keeps the
load from falling back into the water.
As much as two pounds of moss can be
torn off the rocks at one shove of the
rake. A good days work for one man
is 125 pounds of moss The cargo sell
dom falls below seventy pounds
Should the mosser lose run of a rock
which offers a good yield, and the
rufled waters interfere with his finding
il, a bottle of oil is brought into requi-
sitionsand little of it is thrown on the
water to quiet the ripples.
The moss gatherers are met on the
beach by the young folks, and ''ereelsr
holding barrel each of the weed are
filed TO the brim at the boats, and it is
then spread to dry on the beach To
bleach the moss to the desired color
, eight washings must be made; it i
! housed, when perfectly dry, in the
shanties Cor. Boston Globe.