The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-06-15
MOST OF THEOYSTERSDIED
Deep Water Oyster Culture a Failure
in Chatham County.

Directors to Liqufdate-Over 500.
600 Invested in the Oyster Business
on Wilmington Island and River.
Six Hundred Acres of Deep-W ater
Territory Rendered Useless Through
Destruction of the Oysters From
Some Unknown Oause-What Oyster
Culturists Say.
A meeting of the stockholders of the
Oemler Oyster Company was held yester-
day and the directors were authorized to
wind up the company's affairs which have
been in an unprosperous condition for
several months.
The company was organized three
years ago through the efforts of DR..
A. Oemler, who has large invest
ments on Wilmington Island, and who
had given much attention to oyster cult
ure. 1t was capitalized at S67, 900 and
had bonded debt of S37, 800, all of which
was invested in the oyster planting and
canning business on Wilmington Island.
Two years ago the company built a large
factory, and a complete plant for handling
its business, including two steamers, the
Camusi and Bessie, at q cost of some
where between 100000 and 1000 The
company had in the neighborhood of 600
acres OF oyster lands in Wilmington
river.
THE CAUSES OF THE FAILURE.
The chief failure to make the business
a success was the destruction of the oys-
tiers planted in Wilmington river In all,
something over Ill 900 bushels of oysters
had been planted. With a reasonable
rate of increase this amount, under favor
able circumstances, twas expected, would
supply the company with about 240, 900
bushels forcanning during the two sea-
sons of 1892-93 and 1So3-94. Several
months ago it was discovered that very
large portion of the oysters were dead,
the cause not having been ascertained up
to this time. The company also encoun-
tered other difficulties, among them being.
inefficient labor the first season and an in
adequate supply Of stock for canning dur
ing the summer, while the factory was
being operated.
While the result has been disastrous 10
the present stockholders it is of impDr-
lance to the public. It shows that the.
deep water territory must be eliminated
from grounds heretofore held fit for oyster
culture, and that the small shallow areas,
leasable under the present law, will have
to supply the people after the present
natural beds have been exterminated.
The company has about 10000 bushels,
from oysters and shells planted, in the
shallower waters of Oyster creek, which
are in promising condition
1t is probable, DIR. Oemler said yester-
day, that the factory will be operated as
vegetable canning factory, utilizing the
truck that is grown on the island and
nearby places this summer. What will
ultimately be done with the plant will
be determined by the directors later on.
The steamer Camusi is now being run as
an excursion steamer between Savannah,
Thunderbolt and Warsaw Island.
DYING OF THE OYSTERS
The cause of the destruction of the oys-
tiers in the deep water territory is mys-
terry which has not yet been solved.
Heretofore any submerged territory
free of the enemies of the oyster was con-
sidered suitable for its cultivation, if the
degree of density or saltiness of the water
were fit and the bottom was of q proper
character and not shifting Before any
application had been made to the county
commissioners for the 647 acres in the
river Mr. H j. Lewis, an experienced
oyster culturist of Connecticut and presi-
dent of the Brunswick Oyster Canning
and Cultivating Company, had carefully
examined and dredged over the whole
area, and had not only pronounced
1t the best suited and most valu-
able river on the coast in the presence of
Mai. Tilton, but had authorized and re-
once for its acquisition. Several gentle
men promptly agreed to cooperate with
him, but 1t was found they were too late.
THE VALUE OF OYSTER LANDS.
Three years before Connecticut had
sold rs, 1857 acres of oyster ground, but as
New York was at that time the most
southern state where oyster culture had
been carried ON extensively and success
fully, the fish commissioner Of New York
was consulted in regard to the value
Of oyster ground, and, subsequently,
IN reference to the safety of plant
ing oysters in water forty
feet deep, which is the extreme depth
In Wilmington river, the commissioner
replied as follows THE highest bid for
bare and unoccupied ground owned by the
state is $50 an acre. But know of cases
where as much as $500 has been paid for
single acre which was called cleared
ground. l do not think more than $500 is
paid for an acre of the finest land, which
is absolutely bare. The last two cases to
which | refer are private transactions.
The grounds in question had been Guilt
waited with great success. Our unoccu-
pied land is generally sold by the state at
any figure over 81 per acre. So far the
ohshore ground has gone for about 81 %,
and the prices in the bays at from So to
So per acre"
DEEP WATER PLANTING ELSEWHERE.
The second Ietteris as follows Sin reply
to your letter of Jan. 30 relativ to depth
of water for oyster planting, l would say
that the forty feet of which you speak is
by no means uncommon in Long Island
sound. In fact eight fathoms IS very
good depth there, for in such a depth the
enormous forces of the waves in some of
the severe winter gales, where there is a
long sweep over the water is
almost nulliied, while in much
shallower water the waves may
cause the bottom to shift For trans
planting 1 would prefer shallower water
in a bay or cove protected from long
forming waves. One of the finest beds in
the state of New York has fourteen
fathoms (84 feet) of water over it. My
examination of it leads me to believe this
depth retards rapid growth The spawn
ing certainly takes place later in the
season and ends sooner 1 see no objec-
ton to your six fathoms of water. have
been amongst your sea islands good
deal, but Ensign Drake, United States
navy, commanding schooner Ready-in
Georgia waters now-last heard from at
Brunswick-can tell you much more re-
liably what you had better do with south
ern oysters than ] can"
Ensign Drake had already finished his
If hut