Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-12-16
THE OYSTER DREDGERS
Those Who Apply for Assistance in This
City.
Something About the Treatment Of
the Men In Maryland Navy
Hard Work and Brutality.

There has been a scarcity of the much
abused oyster dredgers this season, and
only few of them have applied to SAM
tarY Ohlcer Frank for transportation to
other points. The few who have appeared
since the season opened have not presented
the horrible aspects of some of those who
came In other years, nor have they even
claimed that they had been badly treated
Most of them complained that their en-
ployers had defrauded them and had not
given them proper food. But the season
is not yet far enough advanced, nor has
there been any severe weather such as
would increase the sufferings of poorly
clad men who work on the water
FROM some of the men are heard stories
of enforced suffering which would have
fitted commanders of the boats on which
they had worked for duty under General
Weyler in Cuba. During the severe wealth
er in past winters scores of these men have
called upon Sanitary Officer Frank and
asked for assistance. Many of them show
ed wounds and scars in support of their
complaints, and were able without any
trouble, to convince Capt" Frank. as
most of them call the sanitary officer, of
the truth of their statements. In many in
stances the hands of the men showed the
imprints of oyster Shells their hands hay-
ing been frightfully lacerated culling the
oysters. Besides the rough treatment it
was common thing for the men to tell of
having been Shanghaied In this connec-
ton it appeared that the shipping agent in
Baltimore found it difficult matter to
ind men enough for the dredgers at all
tunes Hundreds of men who had been
there once We're not willing to make a sec
ond trip, and those who had never been
down the bay before had to be convinced
that an easy time and good wages were
awaiting them. According to the state
mentS of dozens of the victims they were
invited into some of the drinking pIaces in
baltimore and were put on a boat when
they had been made intoxicated The
dawn of day and the opening of their eyes
caused them to realize where thew were
and then they had but one thing to do.
Certainly they could not get away. for
there was no way for them to reach shore
ana the result was that they We're dumped
aboard the dredgorS and compelled to work
day and night. Oyster dredgers according
to the stories told, are no respecters of per
sons. for both young and old We're treated
alike
They were compelled to work in rain and
shine, sunlight and darkness. from early
IN the morning until late at night The
TACT tf AT the boats and traps We're covered
with Ice made no difference, and if the
mon had to sleep in their wet clothes that
was their lookout. In several instances
dredgers told stories of brutal murders
committed by oyster boat captains and
expressed Willingness to go before the
proper authorities in Baltimore and make
complaint Frequently the badly battered
dredgerS had frost-bitten toes or hands
and even in this sad condition they were
compelled to tramp all the way here from
the lower Potomac. 1t appears that the
men who enlist in the service are REQUIRED
10 purchase their oils and feathers from
the men in whose service they enlist, and
the almost universal complaint is that they
are greatly overcfarged for them While
scores OF these men really deserve assist
ance. there is occasionally an impostor who
appears and asks for assistance Sanitary
Officer Frank has been in the business too
long to be imposed upon III this way, and
such wou1d-be deceivers are ordered to
move on. 1t is likely that some of the
dredgers of this class will be calling for
assistance soon, as they will want to go to
their homes for the HOLIDAYS