The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-04-17
THE OYSTER INDUSTRY.
ne Savannah Party's Visit to Bruu :
Wick-The Oyster Law

RE Savannah Party's Visit to Bruu g
wick-The Oyster Law
The Savaunahians who attended the meet
f-z u the state oyster commission at
brunswick, Tuesday, returned night before
LAST. Col W. W. Gordon aud F. d. Blood
worth came back by rail, and Col. ]. L.
Warren. commissioner from Chatham
county, DR.. A. Oemler, II. ?. Smart. Jacob
Rauers and Maj. BertOdy came back on the
stsamer Bessie. The party had q very
rleasant trip.
The two members OF the commission be-
,des Col Warren are r. W. Grub of
Dsriel and James POstell of Brunswick.
BESIDES the Savannah party a number of
Gentlemen from Brunswick and other
places interested in the development Of the
oyster industry attended the meeting.
Senator Lamb OF Glynn and several county
commissioners from the coast counties were
present.
Col Warren read a communication from
Col John Screven of Savannah recon-
ueDding some important changes in the
oyster law. The most important change
recommended was that advocating the re-
peal Of that portion Of the law which pre-
scribes that no person or company taking
I'D territory for cultivation in the middle of
stream, shall not take up any grounds
nearer than loo feet to the mean low
water mark, and to allow them to extend
the limits of their grounds to the shore or
within l2O feet OF the mean low water
mark.
There are some objections to the law as it
stands at present, though it is admitted to
be q great Improvement on previous laws
Deep water territory in the middle of a
stream can only be cultivated, and the oys-
ters secured by the aid Of steamers, which
makes oyster planting much more costly to
rv,fl
law grounds cannot be taken
up from the shore in more than five acre
lots extending from the shore to the middle
of a stream, or to the 900 foot mark in a
wide stream, and no person can take up
more than one lot of five acres. Parties
largely interested in oyster culture claim
that being only able to take uD lands in the
middle of Il wide stream and hemmed in all
sides by small owners and without free access
TO the shore, is a serious drawback to the
development Of the industry.
1t IS also said that the present law is an
inducement to the large companies to evade
the law by inducing other parties to take
up fve-acre tracts along the shore border
ing upon their grounds for their benefit,
thus giving control, contrary to the law, of
the beds along the shore as well as the mid
dieof the river. The design of the change
recommended is to allow the companies TO
extend their limits legally and to develop
the oyster grounds unhampered by these re-
strictions.
The second recommendation is to change
tie law with regard to the position of stakes
marking the five-acre lots from low to high
water mark, as experience has proved it to
be almost an impossibility to maintain the
stakes at low water mark on account of the
tides aud currents, and the stakes are also
an impeachment to navigation at low water
mark.
The commission was evidently favorably
impressed with the changes proposed, and
will doubtless make recommendations to the
SINE effect to the legislature at its next
session,
The commissioners, with the invited
guests and visitors, went out in carriages to
visit the factories of the two Brunswick
oyster companies. The Bush factory was
first visited, but was not in operation at the
time. The factory of the Oyster Canning
and Cultivation Company of Brunswick
was next visited, aud was in full blast The
work was seen in all its processes, and was
quite revelation to most of the visitors,
who had never seen anything of the
KIND before. The company employs 800
men and consumes about 1000 bushels of
oysters daily, Its output running up into
the thousands of cans daily.
This IS the company's first season, and
some idea of the extent to which the cult
'atloH ana canning OF the oyster can be
carried in this country may be gathered
from the business of its first season.
After viewing the factory the party
boarded the steamer Brown for trip to the
company's oyster beds. The company has
taken up about 5000 acres of territory.
The beds were in fine condition and the
steamers could be seen at work getting up
the oysters. The oysters are a small variety
known as the ''raccoon," and of natural
growth.
Two other companies have taken UP a
large amount of territory at Brunswick,
and propose to engage in the business on
large scale. Factories are also in operation
at Chester and Fernandna, Fla, the oys-
ters coming chiefly from Georgia waters
The Savannah party left for home
Wednesday. They had splendid run up
in the Bessie Friday to ST. Catharine's, maxi
ing the distance in hours and a. minutes
against the tide.
DR.. A. Oemler, who gave a MORNING
NEWS reporter an account of the trip, said
that the Oemler Oyster Company will
begin operations next season, and expects
to DO business on an equally large scale as
the brunswick COmpanV