Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1893-06-30
are supposed to he unfit to cat during
the months named. The old couplet
reads


the months named The old cOuplet
reads:
' In months with an r
oysters good are
Sometimes the water is so deep or
the demand SO urgent, that it is
necessary to drcdgc for oysters with
"tongs' which resemble large
double rake Tins il, however,
laborlous and unsatisfactory process.
The real drudgcry OF oyster farming
is borne by Indians and Cinnamon.
White men shrink from thus excrting
themselves, and especially 80, when
they can hire heather and descendants
Of the noble red man To do the work
for II nominal price. A common way
OF gathering oysters is simply to wait
till the tide GOES out and then pick
them up in sacks. and as the tide is
" ont twice day, there is not much
danger of starvation, If the beds may
be the sole dependence of the gatherer.
The importance Of the oyster trade
To Olympia is not realized by those
who have given it little consideration.
IL Is not only the pipe-factory and
saw mills that bring money from out
side sources.
Tons OF oysters, clans and smelt
are shipped out of Olympia every
week, and sometimes the shipments
amount to several tons day. Esti.
mated III round numbers, the oyster
business brings $1,000 into Olympia
! each week for nine months of the
year. This does not include the i'm
mense quantity of oysters shipped
to points down the Sound directly
from Oyster Bay. without passing
through the hands Of Olympia dealers.
Oyster Bay is the great oyster bed
OF the northwest. From it oysters are
supplied for points north, south and
east. Oyster beds extend along the
shore for miles. plainly indicated 10y
the iloat houses in which the "oyster
farmers" live, move and have their
being. The number Of persons en-.
gagged IN this industry is variously est.
mated at from 100 to 2OO. Independent
oystermen are scattered oil along the
Sound in the vicinity OF the beds.
They carry on II small business and
thrive 10y selling their oysters to dealers
in the same ncighborhood. who in turn
dispose OF them To larger buyers in
Olympia. IL isa profitable occupa-
ton for all connected with it. The
oyster farmers are paid 1925 IA sack,
and the dealer sells them TO the con-
sumers or Wholesale men for 1915
sack. In this way the midllemen
makes % cents profit after paying
transportation on 1925 in weeks
time. As he is constantly turning his
money over his yearly profits are con-
siderably more than doubled the actu.
al capital invested. Oysters are so
nearly indigenous TO the soil that the
oystermen has nothing TO do but
scatter them out so they will propa-
gate. In short time he can gather
two sacks day, and I've as independent
~ king. because there is such n
demand for the products OF his toll
hat he docs not have To take them TO
market. The market comes TO him
ia the form Of steamboat In most
instances. transactions are strictly
cash, 50 that the man who gathers up
the dclicacies realizes Ut once upon his
work.
J. &. Horr, who represented Thurs
ton county in the Senate OF the last
legislature. il tho most extensive
oyster dealer in Olympia. lie is ship
ping about ITO sacks q week to Port
I '"h' ~ H''H'h't hNhohku huiiHH tht
winter months the shipments are
much larger. Ho buys all his oysters
from the Oyster Bay farmers" The
three prominent shippers at Oyster
bay are Harry weatherall. Samuel X.
Taylor. Joseph Gale. David Helser,
ssxy Smith and several Indians.
They handle great many sacks that
pass through Olympia. either out over
the railroad or by way OF the steamers.
A lew days ago the steamer Doctor
came ia from kamilchie laden with
1875 sacks ol oysters which were trans.
icrred 90 the Multnomah The out
put Of Oyster Bay IL about 400 sacks
per week for 81 weeks in tho year and
/ $50 sack, for III weeks. The acreage
devoted to tho business is: Oyster
Hay $50. Big SkoOkum Bay 100;
North bay. 80; Mud Bay. 81. and
scattering. 10, The weekly product Of
these farms 10 about 500 sacks, which
represents about $1,000. All the bus
inesa 81 these farms should be tributary
10 Olympia, but much Of that of
Oyster Hay 10 absorbed by a rowing
steamer, the Otter. appropriately
dubhcd the Tacoma Tramp" This
boat carries - fall stock Of provisions,
groceries. aud. In fact n little Of every.
thing. which they give in exchange
Tor oysters. thus making profits two
ways--on the provisions aud ON the
oysters The otter IL owned by Ia
coma men Who. by the process desig-
mated are able 10 put oysters ON the
market at lower price than the
Olympia dealers. but. fortunately they
have not been able 10 do permanent
injury 10 the business. IL has been
sell suggested that Olympia mer.
chants should arouse themselves and
head ~ this invasion Of home terri.
tory by foreigners and provide some
means oi supplying the oystermen
With provisions IN exchange for oys'
,er 4 floating provision store could
BE- an Immense business along the
shores 81 the Sound. II proper atten'
t,nn Was gwen to this matter oi con-
trolling the trend II trade the i'm.
l-oftanrs ~ the oyster business tC