Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-11-08
AFTER THE PRINCE OF THE DEEP
ANNUAL CRUSADE oS TIE MEEK
AND LowLY OYSTER.
Three cInsscs Of oyster Men En-
ans.i In the Industry iiuiy Days
for the stnte Navy Mon who Go
Down the Hay.

Down the Hay.
The oyster IS one OF the lowest forms
OF animal lie. and. considered solely
from biological standpoint, is very
insignificant and worthless part OF the
animal Kingdom. His organism is or
the simplest kind; he has no power OF
iocomotion, and he sees. hears and
feels most imperfectly. ~ at all. In
short. he can hardly be said 10 live.
but simply exists IN q sluggish sort OF
way at the bottom Of the water, But
the oyster has one characteristic that
makes him vastly more important than
other aninal8 Of far higher instincts
and more respectable sphere OF lie,
namely, the power 10 tickle the palhte
OF mankind. and In q most pleasant
fnahion 10 appensc their hunger But
Tor that. the oyster would be unknown,
unhonored and unsung. but with 1t
the stupid oyster has been the theme
OF many an cpicurcau'H enthusiasts
sulof.um.
Not only 20. but the oyster as far
back as In the days OF the roman
umpire, was an important article OF
commerce. ana enriched the dweler5
found. lie was nm article OF luxury
nj 10 be eaten by ihc famous Roman
s;durmu;s. who dned uNo on nightln-
gales tongues. and has been a dclieaey
in all the countries since.
Maryland has always been famous
for her oystorg and the numhFiieaa
rivera and inlets along these shores
form the natural homo Of the bivnlvc.
Nowhere are tho climate. depth OF
water. character " bottom, ETC. better
suited to the oyster, and nowhere have
they hoew found IN such numherA'
The oyster. with an its imperfections,
has great virtue as well. For ln-
Stance, when Lord Baltimore settled
Maryland he found plenty OF game
but the demand Tor came was $50
much Breator than the supply TINT the
game soon disappeared and hecnfqc
worthless $50 far un Feeding the pnpn-
latinu was concerned, The rabbit Is
noted for its procreatvc qualities Hnt
1he oyster 10 Teutrat OF 0ll useiul anl-
nAln IN this respect h'hf Female lhyA
thousaudH--yca, mlllions-of. eggs Ia
q ycnr from which young ovsierl are
hntched--aud Matched too, without the
ceremony OF being "aet" upon. Tho
young oyster never has a mothers
care, hut takes care ot itself from the
time the egg Is laid until the dredBer
gets HIM
Ih0 CBE, upon neilE iniN' l"NN'
about until NJ rests upon u rock or
other hard Hubstnuce, whom II catch
IS" on begins to grow aud take on
shell with amazing lnpidity rms
wonderful productive power nus
been the only cause Of the non-eN-
tincton Of the oyster Though MIL
Hons Of bushels have been taken from
tho Maryland oyster bcda. the con
slant taking goluE On ycnr after year
for great many years the oynlef
SIN exists IA such Immense quunu-
lies TINT without any care or work
expended ON them. they are plentiful
enough 60 pay hundreds Of vessels
every winter 10 engage in oyster
dredging The laws OF Maryland, "
course prohibit tho wuuton destruc-
ton OF oysters ana ruin % the oyHtcr
BEDS. aud prcncribe the time when the
oyster dredging Heaao-i shall bcgn-
October % OF each year.
For several woelta past the wharvcs
along Boston htiect f'clls Point aud
those where most Of the oyster honta
oongroWate have been scenes of busy
activity a forest OF masts Ia about
the plcrH, and mon are hurrying
backward aud forward With supplies.
dredgaa anlla and ropes. cooking
utensils bundles Of clothes and blank
cts, getting everything va readiness
for the wintor'a work on the oyster
hcha The boats are all newly painted.
the decks clean, the sails white md
now, the drcdgern walking about In
new working clothes and everything
hetokous the carly approach Of the
tlmo when the nect Of hundreds nf
vessels VIII set sail TO make war upon
thr unsuHpecung and inuifcuslVc BIZ
Vnlvc.
In a fow weeks what changed M
pearnncc VIII Do seen about the oyster
whnrycs' Instead OF cloan, the whnryos
VIII be covered with block mud and
Htsallu a.sNYf a..
nnd hegrimed. They VIII be unloading
and eteNed0res will be RUNNING bncl,
and forth with haeketa full of Tho
muddy, dripping shells which contain
the dainty morsola which nre 20 Tickle
many q hungry palate, and tho com.
nihAlou merchants aud packing houses
VIII be busy. But October 10. the day
when the first dredgc ~ allowed Il
plunge hendiong 60 the rocky bottom
IN its blind Hoarch for the poor oyster
~ NOT auto here yet aud all lasl
week the warvca We're sim clcnn nnf
tull Of busy people getting ready foi
inc comlng Invasion, An along Ia,
helghborlnE Htrcota,. IN tho hlnci,
smiths shops aud ON the piers wor,
tho drcdgea, aome new, some old nnt
,,usty, some newly repqircd with rus,
IRON work hut now white cordnre ID M
h'ncksmiths and shin chambers wer,
doing a rushing huglncsn. ghme a
OF fhH oyster boats LEFT as Tong aa bon
nplh nNo. 20 ms 60 "avoil tho rush
and he on the ground. or rather n,
,he water when the time for worl
Other hoats have heon iegylpr e,.,r.
day since, and by the 18th the nier
VIII be deserted but for a few beinte
ones From every town on tho yyntc,
on Goth the shores OF MARYLAND. "a WI
MS baltimore, hundreds m hoats m
iciMing and win soon be dragving-nd
Eoid-bnt lts equivalent. from the rocl.
OF the bottom OF the bay.
There are three WAYS or fahIup ia
oNrtcrs~dredglng, srraplng md topp
Ing, The dredgers have tho lorve
hoata' and their ina,rumcnt IL h n
iron SCOOP, which in thrown oycrboar,
drafaed some distance and then ha,,ie
w hv means Of ropes over a pullv. nj
"dredge' ls Ave or six feet broad. IA
under part being an IRON har In whic
apikes are set ana this Hsrapea ninn
fhr bottom Whom the iron bar alrl,e
an oyster Il scrfpes urder IL. and m
Oyster falls back over the bar into
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