Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1903-01-18
YORK COUNT News ||.||.'| ! 5
GREAT ACTIVITY IS now NOTICE. 7
ABLE AMONG THE FISHERMEN.
THE OYSTER INDUSTRY AGAIN. I!
More About the Hard kife of Those
Engaged in This BnsIness-Diffi-
cutie. They Hare to a1eet-el Ian
IS Hunting. S

[
Hunting.
YORKTOWN, Y A.. January 1a-{spe.
! cial)-A canvass Of the fishermen q
this section reveals an unusual amour.
Of activity among them for this season
| Of the year The principal work now pc
ing prosecuted is that Of obtaining the
pound poles, which grow scarcsr ana
scarcer each recurring year me pine
| thickets which have furnished these poies
| for years are now found to contain very
few long enough to answer the purpose.
These poles range IN length from sixteen
! to eighteen feet up as high as thirty TO
forty feet. They are cut IN their native
| ,hickets, skinned Of all the bark, hauled
| to the waters edge, loaded into the ca
noes, carried to their various stands,
| and driven, an operation much easier
| described than mplished
! This work is about completed and the
fishermen now rest on their oars and
await the melting Of the ice which locks
! the creeks and rivers To put the nets
| down under such risky conditions - con
ssidered very foolhardy indeed. for
heavy freeze and accompanying high
winds lifts the pounds and all the work
of the poor fishermen is lost in the bay,
thus entailing heavy loss and sometimes
putting them In position from which
they find 1t hard to recover. Quite a
number Of firms will engage in fishing
this season; the number Of nets, as well
as the number Of men engaged having
been largely accentuated.
a VERY HARD LIFE.
Mtdw1nter, the season at which the oys-
ter from an epicurean standpoint, is sup
posed to be at its highest standard, " Is
quite trying to those engaged in the oys-
ter business. At present, with the creeks
and coyes. where the bivalve develops to
its best stat. Of perfection, covered in
ice, the work Of lifting me shellfish from
their native beds, cplling them closely
by hand. and packing them carefully in
barrels for shipment to the high-priced
cafes and restaurants, is an opera ton
few might wish for. attended as it is
by Furnishing cold, much fatigue, and
extreme bodily discomfort The career
Of the oyster from the time it leaves Its
native heath on the great natural beds
of seed in James river, to the steaming
hot dish of stew or delicious plate OF fry
In some bon-ton city saloon is far cry,
and a road travelled with much fear
and trembling. The one who thinks the
oyster business like unto a. United States
mint needs only trial to convince him OF
the instability of the Industry and the
for shipments are safely banked and the
results found to adorn the right side of
the ledger. The miraculous wealth and
easy road to opulence attributed to the
principal product Of Tidewater Virginia
IS an exploded myth and exists only In
the minds o. misguided individuals.
A BOUQUET FOR Us.
OF all the products of the printers art
within or without tbs confines of this old
1a11U h 5is r,at "a mo rrra1.
come visitor to the thousands of homes
In this section of Virginia than the Rich
mond Dispatch. The old family standby,
In CIV rai,nent, and under new manage
ment, is more welcome than ever. Each
and every line of thought, depicted In its
columns Is considered a criterion, and its
political tenets assume the dignity Of an
oracle, reckoned from the glorious heights
of southern statecraft. It matters not IN
what walk of life vexed question may
arise-politlcs or religion, astronomy or
hygiene, cookery or consuna ption-the
Query column fills the vacuum perfect
aly. Able editorials. the beloved idle Re
porter" and liberal subscription prize
continue to characterize this ideal news
paper. and give it a new lease OF Life.
Verify it Is Virginia production for
Virginia. people.
CLAM HUNTING.
"
make very low and when aided by the
hard northerly and westerly winds, which
drive the water out the bay, the sand
bars and shallow places make bare, far
out In the river, and reveal the rivers
bottom not. often visible to the eye And
then comes the fun young and old, black
and white. OF all senders and kinds. flock
to the beach to engage in digging mau-
nos or hunting the inoffensive clam
These maunos butterf1sh, or soft-shell
clam, whatever appellation you deem 1T
to apply to them-are crustaceans OF
decidedly peculiar habits. They make
their abiding place on the sand bars and
secrete themselves from foot to eight
cen inches below the surface, their pres
ence being indicated by a small oriflce
Just the shape Of a key-hcre. The only
instrument used in gett'ns these deli
cious morsels Of sea-toos is a common
spade, manned by a pair Of willing hands
and q strong back. After several inef-
fectual attempts to unearth the mollusk
without breaking the fragile she'll, tho
art may be acquired. Two or three dozen
lifted from their sandy beds form suf-
hcent amount for meal. Whether eaten
as fr1tters, fried plain, or made into
a delicate stew. the flavor Of these she'll /
fish is one which they alone possess
and which is alike pleasing to the cpl
cure or iabortng man. These fish are en-
t1rely unknown to the average run Of city
folks, but when once partaken of the
oyster IN al his glory pales into insg-
nif1cance, goes way back !. id sits down.
A NICE LITTLE CHECK.
AZ the Banntster, an aged, but very
worthy colored woman living a mile or
two below here. recently had very Plea !
SAINT and kind remembrance in the slape
Of q United States check for 5000 OF
$, GOO b,,unties paid by the Pension Bureau
cot three brothers killed during the civil
war while IN the United States service.
She had persistently fought the case for
eighteen or twenty years.
MIS-. John S. Denenfville and children
are visiting tho fory,ar,s ,a.......3FEfrl |