Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1895-08-21
OYSTER TRADE.
BALTIMORE THE BIGGEST MAR
KET IN THE WORLD.
How the Luscious BivaIves Are
Shucked and Steam-Canned-
Work Done by WOmen-Uses
Found for Oyster Shells.

{ capital than the fishery itself
and give work to one-half as many per
sons. Baltimore is the biggest oyster
market in the world, but the business
of selling and shipping is conducted
on n large scale in several other towns
of the State, Crisfield coming second.
The marketing trade is divided into
three branches-the raw shocking
trade, the steaming trade and the trade
IN oysters unshucked and au naturel.
The raw shocking is most important.
Next in point of magnitude is the
steaming trade, which Is located at
Baltimore, where are prepared over
nine-tenths Of the worlds product of
s-team-canned oysters. In Baltimore,
at present, there are ffty-eight firms
engaged in shocking oysters for the
raw trade. The shocking Is performed
by a small army OF $1,000 persons,
mostly men, but in some establish
ments large numbers of women are
employed. The work is ~fatiguing, re
quiring strength as well as skill. Ac'
cordingly the men can make more
money at it, earning as much as 81. %
In a day Of twelve hours. They get
twenty cents per cup of nine pints
wine measure.
Twenty firms in Baltimore are now
engaged in steaming oysters. Small
cars filed with the bivalves in the shell
are u directly from the wharf into
the factory. The tracks pass into steam
chests, which are oak boxes twenty
feet long, lined with sheet iron. When
a car has been run into the box the
doors of the latter are closed, steam IS
admitted and the oysters are left for
fifteen minutes. Then the chest Is
opened and the car is run ver another
track into the shocking room, its place
being immediately occupied by an
other car. In the shocking room the
cars are surrounded by the shuckers,
each having a knife and a can, which
hooks upon the side of the car. The
steaming having opened the shells, no
trouble is found in getting at the
meats, and the car is soon emptied.
The oysters are then washed with ice
water and transferred to a table, where
other operators fill car with them.
The cans, after being packed in iron
baskets, are again subjected to the ac-
ton of steam. Then they are cooled.
capped and finally packed in boxes for
shipment. The whole process is COM
pleted within an hour after the oysters
are delivered from the vessel at the
wharf.
The shuckers work in gangs of six
OF eight, comprising sometimes whole
families of men, women and children.
Four thousand Of them are employed
in Baltimore, mostly women and chill
dren, the work being light. They are
mainly Germans and Austrians. The
rate of pay is six cents per cup Of
nine gallons. An active woman can
earn about sixty-fve cents a day. Few
scenes are more interesting than that
which may be observed on a visit to
the shocking 10 of one of the can
ming houses. At one end the cars of
steaming hot oysters are received, and,
as they are arranged in long rows, the
shuckers, to the number of 600 or
more perhaps, dressed in more or less
picturesque costumes, surround them,
and with rapidly working knives has
tily remove the yet steaming meats.
The air is full of the hubbub of for
eign tongues, as each shucker dis
cusses with her n~eighbor the petty
ambitions and ~jealousies entertained,
or relates the latest bit of domestic
gossip. Nothing, however, Is allowed
to interrupt even for a moment the
swift movements OF the knives.
A thousand bushels of oysters
shucked leave about 100 bushels Of
shells. The latter accumulated great
heaps about the shocking houses. The
quantity of oyster shells landed on
the shores of Maryland during the
last ninety years has been reckoned at
10 600. 900 tons-twice sufficient to
overload and sink every sailing vessel,
steam vessel, barge and canal boat IL
America. The weight represented Is
greater than the combined tonnage of
all the steam vessels in the world.
Until recently the shocking firms have
had much trouble to get rid of the
shells. Such of them as they could
not give away they were obliged to
pay for the removal of. In lSS9-90
the Baltimore market men paid $780,
D0O q, cot vii of shells
Recently, however, the oyster shells
have become a source of profit, new
demands for them having arisen. In
1928 they fetched from one-half a
cent to Il cents a bushel, the tradere-
ceiving So, 900 from this source.
They r shipped in enormous quaint
ties 10 other States, where they are
utilized for roads, for lime, employed
in making coal gas, in the manufac-
,ure of special grades of iron and for
railway beds. For the last purpose
.hev serve almost as well as stone.
Thev are also used in the cultivation
of oysters, afording suitable surfaces
for the young oyster ''spat' to attach
ITSELF upon, and to some extent as
chicken food. It Is an interesting
sh1ng to consider that the material OF
the shells of the hens eggs which come
10 market Is furnished 10 no small ex-
tent by oyster shells.