The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-08-20
Special Committee Of Leglsla.
ture Goes to oyster. ~
SEE BLUEFlsH POUND
Those Who Fish for d Living Use Hook
and Line, and Waste No Time In
Removing Fish from Hooks.
Laws Consistently Violated.
.spec,a1 from 4 stan corrcspondent.o

tlsf NONFODk, VA, August III Ne spc'
otal committee OF tho Legislature engaged
In investigating The Virginia oyster beds
left hero for the Eastern Shore to-day,
where It Will be a fortnight or more,
All tho members were of the party except
Senator Bryant, who is detained at his
hcmc in Hcnrico county by his fight for
the position OF Common wealth's Attorney.
Tho committee will make headquarters
II Oyster, Northampton county, while on
the ocean side Of the Eastern Shore. and
will explore the waters carefully to tho
Maryland limo In search OF barren area.
which may be rented out. Captain J. q.
Baylor, OF tho United States Coast Sur
vcy, who laid Oft tho State oyster beds
ten years ago. creating the Baylor sur
vey. Is stu with the committee. Secre'
tnry Cortclyou having extended his leave
until Saturday Ills knowledge Of tho
Topography, As we'll as his great store
Of Information on tho subject OF oysters,
ls OF much value TO the committee.
b The committee spent yesterday on tho
blue fishing grounds in tho Horseshoe on
Back River Light Tho work In these
waters was completed. and having nosi-
fed the oystermen OF the Eastern Shore
that oyster would bo visited to-day, tho
committee did not caro- to arrive day
Efead OF time. The members are all most
earnestly dc.irous OF having both tong.
ers and planters with them when going
over the oyster grounds looking for de-
81 pleted rock.
The trip to tho fishing grounds was OF
value. as giving some insight into tho
q fishing interests Of tho State. Incidental
~ It was also valuable. as showing ser-
oral memberpo OF the party how easy u
was for old ocean TO make them sick.
The weather was very rough In the after
noon. and the return trip was about as
dsa greeable as could be conceived.
z tried to write In the cabin. but ms the
table was never level except when on Its
rapid way over tOSan angle of forty-hve
degrees. at least, the work was dlnlcult,
Y Finally the table, the chair and the writer
were heaped up In an lndIscriminat to mass
IN a corner OF the cabin. and 1t seemed a
good time to stop, SO X the Accomac had
made Old Point In time for the Richmond
mall there would have been no Times
Dispatch letter In readiness. a di9ttn-
Eushed member OF the committee. who
is recognized as leader In the movement
&c break the Baylor survey. was fearful
that his sickness would terminate ia
tally. and later was about as fearful that
II would not end 80 pleasantly When
y the Accomac tied UP at Old Point no.
\ body was surprised when he announced
that he would spend the night at tho
hanbcrlin. 4 @fta
!
The committee visited Robinson's fish
pound, which Is located but n short dis
= lance from where the accomac was an
chorcd, OH Blueflsh Rock. surrounded by
hundred small boats carrying fisher
men cannot see good reason for call
fng It a rock. since II took nearly all tho
Accomac's cable to touch bottom when
tho anchor was thrown out. a fish pound
suggests the Australian method OF catch
Ing rabbits by means OF a stockade, With
n mouth mile wide. the sides converging
until they nearly meet at the entrance
to corral. Into which the pestiferous
bunnies are driven. A long line OF stakes,
or piles. are driven. and 70 these IS at
tached the pound net. The net is nothing
more than a curtain hung on tho piles
under water. but It terminates In great
net In the pound. which Is OF 1uadrangu-
lar shape. The sides OF the pound arc
formed by piles put down at intervals OF
few feet to support tho great net
For bait tho fisherman uses largo guam
titles OF small fish ground into pulp
+ in ordinary meat choppers or sausage
mills. This is thrown overheard and Is
carried away by the tide. school Of
blue fish crosses the drift OF bait. possi-
bly, a half male away The school follow
4 It up until the net or curtain attached to
q the stakes is reached. AS the fish touch
this they defect their course towards
tho pound. and eventually become en-
tangled In the meshes OF the big net
Fishermen In smaller way. who do
not use nets. como out In small boats.
Bait Ia scattered In the Same way as at
the pound and the fish are taken with
hook and line. watched one fisherman
for an hour as he drew In the magnificent
buefish, at the rate OF one every two
nlnues. He was fisherman for a living
and not for sport As soon as he would
feel a tug on the line he would draw
q 1t in hand over hand. and when the fish
was pulled In he would drop tho line Into
the crutch-a device like bootjack, set
up on end in the thwarts. The fisherman
would take, up piece Of fresh bait, and
se by the time he was ready to put 1t on his
hook the fish no had hung up IN the
crutch had fluttered free. The fisherman
had not lost any time In taking his catch
61 from the hook. Two men go IN every
boat, one to grind and scatter bait, the
other to catch the fish. The boats arc
very small, ranging from twelve 70 esn.
teen feet In length. They are always
anchored while the men are fishing In
c,dentally, 1t may be said that those boats
arc generally making desperate effort 10
stand on the bow or rear up on the Stern
And sometimes they nearly succeed,
e YEARLY TAX.
The State imposes tax of So year
on every pound net used The total
amount of revenue to the State last year
from pound and seine nets was only
t,9o0, %. The haul from Robinson
pound, which the committee visited yes
terday. was estimated to be worth ntty
dollars. q
Tho committee, though It has nothing
10 do with questions OF taxation, IN so far
as Its duties, as fixed by the resolution
under which 1t was appointed, are con-
cerned, was, nevertheless, pretty nearly
unanimous in tho opinion that II The priv
lege OF setting pound net In Vlrglna
waters s worth anything, It is worth q
larger sum than three dollars year
Tho planter only pays a yearly rental Of
one dollar an acre Things are gone
pretty oheaply so far as Vrgnia's prop
erty in the waters are concerned
However, Dr.. John w, Bowdoin, OF Ac'
comac, chairman OF the State Board
Of Fisheries, whom ] met here to-day
told me that thus far tho receipts ol
revenue for the present year We're sloCn
In excess Of those Of last year,
Still DR.. BoWdoln was not In coco