The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1903-08-25
OYSTERMEN EXCITED.
Intense Interest In Work
OF The Commission
THE roNeMEN ARE ALARMED o
Fear The Breaking Of the Baylor Sur
vey- Planters Believe Larger Area
VIII he Omen to Them.

Fear The Breaking Of the Baylor sur
vey- Planters Believe Larger Area
VIII be Open to Them.
The visit Of the Legislative Committee
To the eastern section OF the state mas
stirred UP the oystermen. planters and
toncers, and everywhere the commission
ers 90 there il "a crowd to meet them ana
argue the case.
The oyster fight that ragged in the Leg
irlature for weeks has been transferred
TO the oyster country, Tor IL IA understood
that the General Assembly will be guided
largely by the report of this commission.
The queston il whether the Baylor sur
yev Of the natural oyster beds Is 10 be
broken and the natural beds that have
become barren be thrown open 10 the
planters. who pay the State a certain
rental The tongers are bitterly opposed
% any change whatever. Ihey regard
the Iiay lor survey rs their bulwark ano
defense and appear to think that II IL
once broken the planters willenroach on
the natural beds and gradually drive out
the Individual tongers On the other
hand some assert that the present illog.
iral system i- running the oyster beds ANA /
soon most of them will be depleted by
the careless tongmcn. while under an-
other system the oyster industry wOulh
be- constantly growing and developing
and the State would secure handsome
revenue. whereas now it does not get
enough from tongmen to pay Tor its oys
ter police service
one old man from Tangier Island, Tor
instance. told the committee We 90
not want the old State oi Virginia 10
take from us the right 10 go into the
waters with which Almighty God has
bounded our shores and take from them
the oysters with which He has blessed
us. That il what you VIII 90 you
break the Baylor survey and allow tne
States oyster beds, the property oi the
whole people. 10 be rented To planters.
Such a course would mean starvation 10
many women and children onsthe shores
Of Nan semond and the James and the
York and the RappahannOck and the
Cnesepeake bay and the Virginia 'front.'
ON the Atlantic For Gods sake, gentle
men. heed an old man and move care
fully"
Rut the advocates OF the new system
declare that the tonger's pittance u de-
rrea-ing from year to year, while the
nlgnter will give him far better wages
with practically certain return.
nAlLOR WITH THE COMMISSION
Cant. ]. T.. Baylor. Of the United States
Coast Survey. who made the Baylor sur
vey under special act of the Legislature
about 10 years ago, accompanies the
committee on it's tour. This was sur
vey of all the natural oyster beds In the
state which under the lawbave not been
available for planting. The survey en-
braces something like 10000 acres.
Since il was made all agree that con.
siderable area that was then covered
with oysters isnow uDproductive ana 10
/ be classed as barren The object OF the
Jordan bill was To reopen the survey 80
that the "barrens' may be available Tor
nlanting. and thus be restored. Capt
Beylor is himself Caroline county man
and fought with the Virginia Military
Institute cadets at New Market
The legislative commission m aking this
investigation is composed OF ". y GARD
well. chairman; Judge Asa d Watkins,
/ senator from Prince Edward; +. Z. JOr-
dan. member ofthe House from Frederick
and author of the bill TO break the Bay
lor survey: 5. Wilkins Matthews, mem
Der of the House from Accomac ana an
opponent OF the Jordan bill, and Julian
Bryant. Senator from Henrico. Mr
Rnrke. of Mathews, is the clerk. and I'm.
met Faison acts a. page TO the commls'
sion. which is making the tour in the
steamer AccOmac. Capt. Jarvis. which
belongs to the State.
The commission has visited the james
Elizabeth, Nausemond and Back rivers
and has gone to the Eastern Shore to IN
v.stigate conditions there. Ii may ~
several weeks before the committee Is aol'
to complete it's work.
WORKING AT THE OYSTER REDS.
Mr. Walter +. Harris, the Times Dis
patch correspondent, who accompanie'
\ the commission, thus describes the seem
at the oysters beds:
4 Ten or fifteen tOngers in their oyste
sloops or canoes, or skipjacks, are towe'
ont TO the beds to be investigated. AM
with members OF the committee scatter
cd among the various boats to take Vi
oysters. or to make the attempt Their
are generally several planters aboard tn
Accomac; occasionally there are some
\ the boats with the tongers. am entlr'
4 ly iu the dark as to whether any barre
area has been discovered thus lar with
4 he limits of the Baylor survey. II onl
,ongers were with us, or any planters,
wonld have no doubt. The toDger put
Il down his tongs, and they come up wit
oysters, shells and mud
".I ook at that cries the tonger I
,be committee. Amt that fine -,
4 "J,ook at that grab, Billy says NJ
Matthew'S. who il most violently OppO
ed IN the slightest encroachment up.
81 ,he snrvev. That doesn't look Ike q
pleted rock does itY !.
ga man couldn't make dollar q dt
on such ground as that, says a pan.
from the deck OF the Accomac, ana
n,,rk Of thischaracter always calls ior
rom Mr. Matthews a declaration TO
IF, ct that he would pay so year rer
al for every acre Of such ground.
"Ts il any wonder that an up-count
~ man should be in hopeless doubt as
I whether the beds are really depelte'
INC nlanters wish to rent more grOur
tbe tonger wishes to keep the area
nnblic ground upon which he can to
lust as large as possible. These two
- titudes lie at the bottom OF all dissensi
z over the oyster question.
'sYet the committee is convinced tbil
that there have already been found b'
which the State should rent. 1t see
TO be the opinion that il the oyster b D.
s.h;ch are worn out or have bec0
Sopeiessly nue depleted through Violate Violate
Of % The emil law, or the 'sw prohibit
the taking of oysters at certain seaso
are are ever TO be made productive again
must be accomplished through rent
~ them out under conditions requiring
renter to put down a certain number
III bushels Of shells q year on all the II
he rents"
-, .~,,r~s TIN, oYeTERNEN.