Smyrna times., 1891-02-25
Dredgers and Tongers and Con.
fusion of Tongues.

The Dover correspondent of Eyer,
Evening says if the readers had dropp.
ed into the State-house parlor between
two and three o'clock Wednesday.
they would have seen three dozen ovs-
termen swarming over the revised
statutes committee for all the world
like big bumbls-bees over a rotten
apple, all gesticulating and all trying
to talk at once.
AT times the tOngers seemed to have
the best of it; next the dredgers would
get the advantage and then things
would get so mixed that nobody could
tell "tother from which," Incidental.
ly it came out that some oystermen
are dredgers for three month and ton
gers for the rest of the year that there
are about % Delaware dredging YES
sells, about half of them over ten tons
burthen; that dredgers pay $25 annual
license and So State tax per ton for
| oysters taken from the natural rocks
and 81 per ton when taken from pri-
vate beds, while tongers pay an annual
license OF So; that the dredgers paid
about 1,747 and the tOngers about
$500 into the State treasury last wear.
that oysters must have fresh water to
breed in that oysters breed in salt
water; that oysters spawn in June and
July; that oysters spawn in May; that
1t ls not known when oysters spawn
that the rocks off the mouth of Leipsic
and SimOn's creeks are bare of bivaIves.
that there are plenty of oysters ON the
aforesaid rocks, and many other things
about oysters, equally as contradicto-
ry.
AS before stated, space in the bay
running six miles up from the mouth
OF Leipsic creek and averaging two
miles wide, was set apart for the ex-
elusive use of the tongers. The ovs.
ters on this reservation are tough and
unit for food, but when transplanted
to the rocks below the preserve. thew
fatten and become edible. Copse. |
quently the oysters tongued on this
preserve are mainly sold by the
tongers to the dredgers for planting
purposes. The dredgers would like to !
go on this preserve and get their own
planting oysters, and the tongers are
willing to permit this if the dredgers
will surrender a space south of the
mouth OF Leipsic creek for the tongers
exclusive use. This. desired sDot is
part OF the natural rocks" section of
the bay which extends down the coast
from Leipsic creek to Mahon's Ditch
only bona fide citizens of Delaware
this is reminder of the late reDresen-
tatlve Norny allowed to take Ovs.
ters on these natural rocks. The
dredgers can take them here for three
months of the year, the tongers all the
year around. Below Mahon's Ditch
are the private grounds, where anv
One can rent specified space from the
state and plant his own oyster bed
thereon. Here the dredgers can work
'or seven months in the year, each ON
his rented section, and here are
sections rented by Philadelphians
who have some 20 vessels
engaged in the trade on their own in.
iividual preserves only. So much for
What is most readily comprehensive
'bout the oyster muddle.
Out of the chaos in the committee
'Oom was finally evolved a proposition
hat the tongers and the dredgers
mould each select three men, who :
hould get together and, with or with ,
'ut the aid OF one lawyer for each
'arty, try to get together on some cys- ;
er bill that should be acceptable to all. :
possible.