Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1893-01-19
AN OYSTER FAMINE.


As a result OF the cold weather all the
streams in which the festive oyster is 50
plCntifully found have boon frozen over
aud an oyster famine is the result. II is
stated that fully 5000 oyster boats are ont
OF service. Each boat had il its employ
from four to d dozen men who have been
thrown adrirt since the cold weather. The
bulk of the oysters come from the Chesa-
peake and ChiuCoteague bays. The freeE-
ing OF the streams is said Ly"ld uystermen
to be Il very infrcquent occurrence. The
only dredging that can be done is accom-
plished through hole in the ice.
Scarcely Il night passes at the city hall
without the appearance Of at least dozen
wretched human beings, Who clad In
scarcely enough clothing to protect them
from the winters storm, ask for shelter.
10 the usual question Of the house SER
geant these men either come from View
York or Philadelphia and are bound for
Baltimore, or else they hail from Bulti-
moro aud arc bound for the hrs.-named
places At least that is their story II
they are strangers at the station house and
are not recognized rs old dodgers, their
story is generally credited by the police
officials and they are ushered 10 the base
ment below with very little ceremony. In
the morning they are given something To
eat and told to take their departure, taking
good care not to return under threat Of
Many of them 90 not need second ad-
monltion, and put off as snon as daylight
comes. \ few wander about the city,
however, and the inevitable result is that
they are brought in at night and end their
season of festivities at the stone pile.
or the many different types of wayfarers
who nightly put in an appearance at the
city hall, the oysterman is the most pitiful
and deserving of commiseration That
is, if the stories of these men are TO be be-
lieved To look ut some of them one
would seem to have no reason TO doubt
their story, Last night 20 dodgers turned
up at the police station, and of this num-
her fully two-thirds were returning oyster
mon. Eight of these weather. beaten
travellers entered the police station to-
gether and stated that they had ridden 100
miles OH a Hat car, with no covering but
| the clear sky over their heads and no COM
| paniUn except bitter cold wind sending a
chilly draught through their half frozen
bodies. How these men escaped without
being frozen to death was a mystery that
not even the officials of the police depart
ment could solve.
Many ut them had tales of hardships to
tell to the house sergeant and while one
| was telling bis story the other half-fro2en
and nearly famished human beings with
| chatterng teeth, rubbing their icy hands
would nod their heads in approval. Several
of the men stated that they had gone down
| to theioyster beds to work Tor certain sum
| per month, but when the work was over
they did not receive enough to buy them
| selves 4 decent meal. much less to pay
their car fare back. More than one of the
| returning Uystermen was forced TO walk
back from Baltimore, begging enough
food to keep him alive on the way.
Fit subjects for charity were the 80
oystermen who asked for shelter ut the
l.stNu la
spent upon the road with scarcely enough
| food to keep life in their bodies and with
| clothing insufficient to keep them warm.
| The number last evening exceeded that of
| the night previous The hardships they
| experienced were even greater than the
| previous ones for they had been longer on
| the road
1t was scarcely s o'clock when these
men began gathering at police head
| quarters and the tide of unfortunate
humanity flowed on until late in the
night Many of them were able bodied
and willing to work, but according to
| their stories they had been hoodwinked
into going to the Maryland oyster beds
only to be turned away after weeks of toll
without money and without food. The
majority of them came from Crislicld,
Md, which appears to be the mecca for
willing uystermen.
Many Of the men spoken to that evening
as they entered the city hall were of more
than ordinary intelligence, and despite
their hardships they took their trials
| pllilosophically, their first desire being to
warm their half frozen bodies at the near
| est stove. Having secured this much
| sought-for luxury they were willing TO
| tell any incidents or happenings on the
| journey, All told the same story of hard
| Ships, and all agreed that Il few days
| longer among the oyster beds would have
| prevented them from ever returning alive.
| There was scarcely one of the parry who
| escaped without having some portion of
| his body nipped by the winters frost.
| Some had their nose and ears frozen,
| others had foot frosted while more than
| one had not only foot frozen, but their
| hands as well. One of the number. an
| aged FISHERMAN with hair tnged with
| grey, stood with chattering teeth and told
| the story OF the oyster beds. Ills feet were
| frozen and his ears also were nipped bv
! the frost. For forty winters had he visited
| the oyster beds, but never in his memory
| had lie experienced similar hardshirs. He
! had been at work ut CriSlield for two
| months and seven days, he declared in u
| somewhat sorruWful tone, and for his SER
| vices had received the prilcely sum OF
| $50. Others told how they had been
| similarly imposed upon, while some were
| content to find the huspltable warmth of
| the station house, ana did not care to talk
| OF their trials at all. Several Of the men
| carried on their shoulders Il small bundle
| Of clothing, which they used while work.
ing in the oyster beds.
| They left the oyster beds on Friday
| morning and since that time had been
upon the road, sleeping in barns or ont
| house or IN any place OF shelter from the
storm. They had no money to pay their
| passage on the trains and no money to
| purchase food. They were thiuly clad
the most OF them, and how they with
| stood the bitter cold weather is . mystery.
| When asked as to what their iulrntI1n
was for the future the men sguiiiei thor
willingness to work and declared that they
| would seek work at cutting ice wherever
| their services were needed. They were
| thankful to receive a place of shelter Mon
day night and declared that in the morning
| they would push on to Philadelphia with
the hopes OF finding work nj cuting ice