The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-09-24
OYSTER LAWS CAUSE TROUBLE
HITTER FIGHT on OVER RIGHTS TO
OYSTER CREEK.


Trying to Keep on TresPnssers.
The oyster Caterers Declare IL
to BE n Natural bed and Proposed
to Make Free Use of 1.-THE Com
pnny Threatened With the De-
struction of Its Principal source
of SuppIy-Capt. Oemler and Mr..
G.. ". Beckett Stnte the Opposing
sides of the Question.
The Oemler oyster Company at Whining
ton is having peck of trouble with the
independent oystermen who are taking ad-
vantage OF the change made in the oyster
law at the last session of the legislature
10 gather oysters as freely from the bsds
OF the company as from the open waters.
There is almost a state of war between
the company and the colored oystermen
who gather supplies wherever they can
md them.
The owners OF the oyster factory. hav-
ing spent considerable money in cuitiyaing
and developing their beds in oyster creek
and elsewhere, feel That they are entitled
TO the exclusive use Of these beds, 10 which !
they claim a legal title, and eudeayor-
Ing 10 keep the trespassers away from
their beds, The negro oystermen, backed
by legal advice. have descended upon the
beds of the company. claiming that they
are natural oyster beds and as such open
10 all citizens who choose to gather oysters
from them. The white Waterman of the
company has been placed under a peace
bond by negro FISHERMAN, whom he drove
from the beds. and injunction has been
prepared to file against the company IN the
..ssn
the oyster gatherers. In addition two Of |
the negro oystermen. who were arrested
and their boatloads of oysters taken from
them and thrown into the river, have en-
tered suit TO recover the value of the oys-
tiers of which they were deprived.
A Result OF Law Changing.
All the trouble seems to have grown out
of the legislation Of recent years on the
Gubject. Along ~ 1853 or 1880 movement
was begun to develop oyster culture along
the Georgia coast and a bill was passed
through the legislature looking 10 this end
and providing for a survey Of the oyster
territory for the purpose of establishing
the natural oyster beds, the intention being
10 allow of all other available territory
than the natural oyster beds to be taken
up by those desiring to engage in oyster
culture. At the request of the legislature
the United States government ordered En-
sign Drake of the navy to make a survey
Of the Georgia coast for the purpose Of es-
tablshing the natural oyster beds The
survey was made in 1880 1891, and a
chart published showing the results. Dill
was then passed through the legislature
establishing brakes chart as conclusive
evidence of the existence of all natural
oyster beds, ali grounds not indicated as
natural beds being by this act subject 10
lease.
The law caused much dissatisfaction, Il
being claimed that many natural oyster
beds had been left unmarked enabling pri-
waite parties TO get possession of them. The
passage Of the act was opposed by Mr.. M,
J. Desvergers Of Thunderbolt and Others
who held that il operated injuriously To
those who depended largely for their living
upon the gathering of oysters The Gem
Ter Oyster Company went TO work under
the act, leased considerable ground, ami
went extensively into the business of oys-
ter planting. The results were not equal
10 expectations and much of the ground
planted failed TO yield any return.
Oyster Greek the War Ground.
Among the leases secured by the com
pany was that Of Oyster creek. only
small part Of which was marked as nat
ural oyster beds. There was much CON-
plant this account as many of the oys
lermen claimed thai Oyster creek was
natural oyster bed, and should have been
marked as such. Under the law which es-
tabiished brakes chart as conclusive evil
dence the directors were powerless. There
were also other grounds of which similar
complaints We're made. The diSSatisfactlon
with the law continued until the last SEES
sion of the legislature when Hon. w. p.
LaRoehe introduced and had passed a bill
amending the act establishing brakes
chart as conclusive evidence, by knocking
out the word conclusive" and simply
leaving the chart legal, but not conclu-
Give evidence as to the existence of natur-
al beds.
Having obtained legal advice to the ef-
feet that any oyster bed which can with
any show of reason be claimed to be
natural oyster bed is open to whoever
cares to take the oysters, the negro oys-
termen have been invading the grounds
heretofore controlled by the Oemler Com
pany. Capt. Gus Oemler, manager and
chief proprietor of the company, was in
the city yesterday and discussed the stu
alton with a Morning News reporter.
Must Protect Private Beds.
UNLESS the owners of private grounds
can be protected in their rights" said capt
Oemler, 'the oyster business will soon be
thing of the past in Chatham county.
There are no oysters left now except those
10 be found in the beds of private own
ers. The so-called natural oyster beds,
which were left open to the public by
brakes chart have been totally exhausted
by the wasteful methods of the negroes
who gather oysters for the market. I'm
der the law intended to encourage the
development of oyster culture in Georgia
We took up considerable land for this pur-
pose. We have paid special attention TO
she development of Oyster creek and have
been very successful there. Large sums
of money have been spent In preparing
the ground and in planting oysters there,
and good results have been obtained. Ow-
ing to the exhaustion of the natural beds
Oyster creek Is our chief dependence for
this years canning operations. Unless we
can md some means of protecting our
selves We viii have to quit the husint IS and
pull up stakes. A number OF other private
owners are having the same experience.
Among the number are some negroes who
took up grounds under the oyster law, and
cultivated and cared for them. The rowing
oystermen are now descending upon the
grounds of white and co.ored alike"
Capt. Oemler said that the oyster fac