Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1894-06-19
FISH HOUSE NUISANCE.
What the Opponents of the
Yankee Enterprise Say.
FLIES MAY GARRY CHOLERA GERMS

or Brighten Them From Their Usual
Haunts-P Persons with Weak stomachs
Are Made Deathly Sick by the Odors
of Decaying Fish.
STAFF Correspondence Evening Journal.
LEwEs, June 10-The question Of
fish houses or no fish houses still
agitates the people of this little town,
which is haven Of refuge for so many
storm tossed vessels
The opponents Of the Yankee enter
prise on the beach near the government
pier, are disheartened by Judge Wales's
refusal to grant an injunction, but they
are not hopeless. They think that there
is some legal channel which will lead
them to redress of their grievances, and
are now looking for it.
The fish houses are not run By local
men They are simply odorous branches
OF the fish oil works of Luce Brothers
and s. s. Brown & Company, of Con-
necticut The men they employ on
shore here are mostly negroes, the work
being Of such character that but few
white men will do It, it Is so filthy
These negroes are under the charge Of
a white superintendent. The men who
man the boats and steamers are
white men, their work being
removed from the flthiness which
attends the work on shore The
plants, including steamers, represent
an investment Of from $500, 600 to $3.50,
600, and the payroll and purchases of
supplies made here probably amount to
from $40 0O0 to $l5 600, and probably
more one Lewes carter says that he
made $500 from the Ysnkees for carting
alone. Most Of the men employed on
the steamers are Eastern men
Practically the only supplies purchased
here are fresh meat and vegetables, the
butchers and farmers reaping the benefit
The local merchants do not, as a rule,
profit largely by the enterprise, but
boat crew often comes ashore at night
and spends from $25 to $50 for necesss-
ries aud luxuries Most Of the negroes
employed spend their money here
1t is useless for the friends Of the fish
houses to deny that in certain parts Of
the town, particularly the lower end. the
stencil of the decaying fish or the acid,
is very disagreeable and nauseating. In
the main part of tho town the trouble is
only occasional, it being when the wind
is east or east-northeast. When scrap
is hauled the stencil is terrible.
A large majority Of the fishermen be-
lieve that the fsh-houses are taking
their bread and butter from them.
"The menhaden fishermen use purse
nets" said conservative but highly
respected citizen. Last year we never
got croaker. Down at Rehoboth the
local fishermen were catching large
trout by the boat load. The menhaden
boats came down to work and the
second day after that the trout disap
peared and fishing by local people
stopped. These things 60 to argue that
they are an injury to our fisheries here,
but they are not entirely destroyed.
DR.. Lyons Is a Sufferer.
Dr. Joseph B. Lyons. retired physi-
clan, is opposed to the ish-houses re
naming here. because they are objection
able to himself and his family, the odor'
sickening them, and because he thinks
their abolishment would better the sani
tary conditions Of the town Your cor
respondent called on him at his com
Portable home at the end of the tow
nearest the ish-houses, and asked hin
for his opinion regarding them.
productive of great danger to the tow
under certain circumstances Those cir
cumstances are great quantities of de
caying fish scrap and warm, mugg,
weather; and in case of an epidemic o
cholera. or ~ typhus fever or othe
diseases which might come to tn
hospital down there, where thl
flies from the fsh-houses con
| roFa Ia, hare aud M ul
over the country, They might be thl
town and farther up the country"
you think, as medical man, tina
the flies would carry the contagion"
"There is nothing which would NOR
certainly do It. They go into everything
as soon as they come out of filth an'
dirt at these FISH houses, and they e
into your mouth II they want TO- Thel
can 20 ever the entire country il the
choose, l don't know how far the,
travel, but It is a great many miles.
have seen them right here in my hous
in great swarms.
"What kind Of flies are they7"
"Great big blue or green flies w
never had them here before the fish
houses came here, except in small
| 4 uhNc hA0Wn nuLAASAo y
them in my house at a time
How far are you from the fish
houses"
II think am not farther than a mil
from them, and the quarantine is abou
half a mile farther oown from the fish
houses
Now, doctor, do you think that th
odors in themselves have any pref udicii
, | effect?"
, "Why certainly they have. l hav
I been sick enough to vomit on severa
2 occasions from smelling these odors, an
a.. members Of my family have too. Las
r summer was year Mr.. Richardson. WI
lives down the street here, was sick 70
some time, nauseated by the odor
When the wind is fairly east you can
sit on the front porch of my houi
! without being seriously affected. Man
: time we have TO 60 In the house az
D close all the windows There are som
? people In town with stomachs so stron
I that these odors don't affect them, but
o am not one Of those persons. | was sic
e all one night. so sick could not sleel
( and hs6 to take medicine to relieve my
self, and / think the same thing o