Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1891-09-08
cATcnMa mo oaAhA
Unique Industry ou tho Delaware
River That Lasts rhfee Months.

\
River That Lasts rhfee Months
Down along the shores og delaware
bay, on both tho Now Jersey and Del
aware sides, there Is thriving industry
which IL seldom heard Of aud still moro
seldom seen in operation. Or. II ID Is
teen, few persons stop to inquire into IL. /
The industry IN question is tho king /
crab fishery, and ono year i,O5i.0iO of /
tho hard sholled. 1rus,acoofs fellows |
were taken from their native element. /
while Ia some years the yield has reached |
as high - 100000 The season only I
lasts three month. and sometimes les. /
Tho story IL told by Hugh ". Smith OF. ]
tn, United jiaies hsh commission.
The fishery for king crabs. whilo rot
primarily intended to provide q fool
product, indirectly contributes 10 that
result, furnishing one Of tho best fciiil.
izors known. THIS variety OF crab. al.
though having no value "a an article of
food, furnishes tho basis for an industry
Of no htile consequence 20 tho com.
innniiy, for, while farmers IN most OF tho
ssaboard states utilize small numbers %
the crabs FOR purposes OF fertilization, ig
T. only ~ Delaware bay that Il can 10
sl.1 TO be- well defined industry. and it
/. only here that fnlrial forms Of appa.
ratus have been employed In capturing
the festive king.
a trip down tho bay aud an inspection
Of the fisheries proves Tho industry 10 10
IN 70 h1urishing condition. The fishing
Frcms 20 cCntcr on tho Jersey side,
between Cape May Point and llci Dos.
ullc, twenty miles above. About sovcn-
cights Of the entire catch "a made be-.
tween Dcnnisyillc and Fishing Creek
Atthointorycniug -oiilomontsof Goshen,
Dias Crock and Greou Creek the catch ia
round numbers has been 3l' 900. 10000
and ill, 900 crabs respectively.
Two forms Of apparatus Hrc In com.
mon uso along the Jersey shore. ono
resembles q typo Of pouui'uct, but tho
| other IS ouiiuIy unlike anything 81 D
/ used Ia tho waters OF tho United States.
aud IS Designed cor aud especially
adapted 20 this fishery.
Tho stakes which form thc framework
for tho pounds aro fcct TO 10 feet long
aud inches TO o inches IA diameter
They arc located Fee 20 @ feet apirt
10 tho bottom OF hogilkcs, constituting
tho 'holgr," boards ono inch thick AFRO
nailed 20 tho height OF foot OF m0r.
the bottom ~ thn bowl and tho il.l tp
the height uf foot 90 81 feet arc formed
IN tho samc way. Tho door 10 tho first
bowl 81 from rs inches to 81, inches widl
ou each side OF tho leader; tho funnel.
like entrance TO the second bowl is usr.
rover. and only af'w crabs pass through
H. Tho netting consists os either wire
or iwiuc.
The weir or "slllo net. b" ~ % s. hero
called. De- very different from tho pound
net. although both have almc parts u
common. u consists Of poles or stakes
driven into thomuily or andy bottoms
20 as 10 form header og "hclgp wing
and bowl or 'pouui' The poles CON
stitudi tho bowl arc y feet 10 10 feet
long and inches 90 iuchos ga diameter
at their hreor ends and inch 10
inches in diameter Ht their smaller cX
trcmiiiol. For the wings and leader
poles from iclt 90 d foot long arc en-
p,oycd. Tho poles arc placed from
inches TO . inches apart 10 permit the a..
10 wash through.
Tho bowl Is somewhat somicircular q
} shape, tho cstrauiiies Of the bru,hworl
joining the wings about midway thci
! length. It, capacity 3. oncroashcd upoi
by tho leader aud tho door or entrance
20 tine pound, which Is ia, most import
ant feature Of theapp1rutus. II consist
OF "a wedge shaped platform of board
, fitting into tho space between tho wing
, as they approach mo leader. Tho plat
. form IS inclined 90 q gentle angle, and 8
. about five feet long, projecting abou
ono foot over q support IL Is importau
% that tho pitch ~ the platform shah no
D DO too great und that th, floor shan no
, DO too smooth, otherwise tho crabs can
: not or will NOT walk upon It. Tho Zoo
OF the bowl Is made Of cheap b0lrlI 6
prevent the crabs scratching holes In On
r mud and looseuing tho po!a.-ph'ladoI
a phil Record,