The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-04-15
ALIVE OR DEAD.
The Lobster Is Getting to be a
Lively Question.
WHAT THE DEALERS TOLD THE
BOARD OF HEALTH.

They Think the Docks Should Be Cleaned
Out-Their HOLSTERS They Say Are All
Right and They Are Not Afraid to Eat
the Fish-The Views of Secretary
Young of the State Board.
The Board of Health gave hearing
yesterday in the Aldermen's room at the
City building on the question as to the
condition Of tie lobstersEkept in cars in
the docks. A number of lobster dealers
were present, and SO was DR.. A. 6.
Young, secretary OF the State Board OF
Health, who came here yesterday and
visited the docks, although. as DR..
Young said, his examination was neces-
sarily hasty one.
City Solicitor Chapman began proceed
ings by stating the object of the hearing
and, and during the hearing asked a
number of questions Of the gentlemen
who testified. Mr.. Chapman said that
he understood the matter the Board of
Health had under consideration an Or
dinanoe or rule affecting the keeping Of
Holsters in cars. Complaint was made
by the passage through the lobster cars
in the docks of water polluted by sewage
or refuse matter. This meeting was
called to obtain the views Of the dealers
and others interested. OF course, if 1t
was found that the health of the oommu
nifty was enda ngered by the present way
of keeping Holsters, nosreputable lobster
dealer would want to continue the
practice.
Mr.. P. S. Niokerson said he thought
that the trouble was at the heads Of the
dock where the sewage Is discharged. If
this part of the docks were cleaned out
and the cars kept in deeper water, at the
end, Mr.. Niokerson thought there would
be no trouble. He did not think 1t FEAST
BILE to keep the cars on the Cape shore
and to remove them to the islands, as
had been suggested. would put an end to
valuable and prosperous business.
Mr.. G. W. Marston said that when he
began to keep Holsters in the dock at
Custom house wharf, there was feet of
water at the head of the dock, but in
the past 10 years the dock had filed up
with &c wage and dust from Randall and
MoAllister's coal sheds. Now Mr.. Mars
toms Holsters cars are kept two-thirds
down the dock. HOLSTERS, Mr.. Marston
said, will not eat food that is not fresh.
He arg ued with Mr.. Nickerson that the
docks should be cleaned SO that there
should always be at least six or eight feet
of water in the docks. The Holsters are
ordinarily kept in.the cars from "a hours
to four or five days, but Mr.. Marston had
known of HOLSTERS to be taken from the
cars after confinement of three months
during close time, and they were then
alive and we'll. There are only few
deaths among the Holsters and those are
due mostly to injuries received while
being handled.
In answer to question by Mr.. Chap
man, Mr.. Marston said that the water
where his cars are kept is clear, and no
believes, pure. He thought the present
complaint arose from the recent freshet,
when the Holsters suffered in consequence
of the great amount of fresh water dis
charged in the harbor. This was not a
trouble peculiar to the docks. because lob
sters in a smack anchored below the
break water were similarly affected.
Mr.. CN. Trefethen argued in the main
with Mr.. Narston. He does business at
the end of Commercial wharf, and thinks
that the alter in his cars is changed at
every tide. Letters received by Mr.. Tre-
fethen stated that the Holsters in the
Portland market were in better condit-
ion than those sold in Boston. Mr..
Trefethen told the board of the extent of
the business in Portland. He also buys
from S125, COO to $3.50. 900 worth of Holsters
every year and employees a good many
men. Mr.. Trefethen said that the expert
ment of keeping Holsters on the Cape
success. The fats there became warm at
low tide and the water becoming heated
by the warmth from the fats was the
cause of many deaths among the Holsters.
In answer to questions by DR.. Merrill,
Mr.. Trefethen said that perhaps thou
were bought in Portland. In winter,
he said. the people OF Portland couldn't
pay the prices for Holsters. Uptown
markets might take 30 pounds where
New York dealer could afford to take 10
barrels Mr.. Trefehen agreed with Mr..
Marston that the freshet had caused the
trouble. He said that he thought likely
some of the Holsters didn't set right"
and the people who had eaten them had
not found the experience pleasant. MIR.
Trefethen certainly should not have cared
to eat them himself. The meat Of q
healthy lobster should be firm after boil
ing. The meat of a lobster boiled after
death can be shaken from the shell. The
experience during the freshet was some
thing the like of which had not occurred
in Mr.. Trefethep's experience in the
business.