The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1892-01-15
pEoooTTv BEACH MossERs.

Vs0o~
A New England Industry That Provides
the Housewife with Blanc Mango.
Fair old 6cituate boasts an industry
In which, If in no other, It is the lead
Ing town In the country. 1t has, as
none of its more wealthy sister towns
have. it, 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
princely, but is still large enough to
compensate the town for the lack OF
noisy, smoky factories and strong
smelling wharves.
When the moss gathering industry
began in S~cituate 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. It was used principally by
the people of the south of Ireland, near
the seacoast. 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. Everybody is ex-
pected to do his share of the labor.
While the father is out in his boat rob-
bling 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
zeal 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-
er" is on the beach at sunrise. There
ia much to do before the tide Twill
answer" and he must watch the tides.
With garden rake he levels off a patch
on the graveled beach, always being
careful not to leave a footprint. Then
he carries the moss that his wife and
daughters have washed out the night
before and spreads it on the smooth
spots. It is of many colors, from the
maroon, purple black to a delicate yell
low, according to the washings and
h1ooohipoo r. hoe rooo;vo1
A low tide in the morning and a
westerly breeze-not a winds what
the men pray for. Out by the rocks of
Third Cliff the double spirits and dories
were already stationed, and men were
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 moss2" was asked of a man whom
the guide called Gather"
"Oh, I can see it," was the answer.
The uninitiated could not distinguish
one rock from another at the bottom,
but the experience of years (for some Of
these people have been here as many al
thirty years. makes their sight wonder
fully keen.
The rake used in scraping the rock
has a handle fifteen feet long fitted int
a heavy iron head. The teeth are Sc
very close together and are SHARP
pointed. Over the back part of thi'
head there is a guard that keeps thu
load from falling back into the water
As much as two pounds of moss can b.
torn off the rocks at one shove of tn
rake. A good days work for one ma,
is 125 pounds of moss. The cargo Sc
dom falls below seventy pound!
Should the mosser lose run of a roc
which offers a good yield, and tn
ruf1ed waters interfere with his findin
it, a bottle of oil is brought into requ
sition!a and a little of it is thrown on tn
water to quiet the ripples.
The moss gatherers are met on tn
beach by the young folks, and 'creels
holding a barrel each of the weed al
filed to the brim at the boats, and it
then spread to dry on the beach. I
bleach the moss to the desired COLI
eight washings must be made; it
housed, when perfectly dry, in tt
shanties. Cor. Boston Globe.