The Vinita weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1905, 1903-12-31
THE SCIENCE OF GRABBING.
Attained bs Men Who Take the Tooth-
some soft-sheiIs In Chess
apeake hay.


Soft shell crabs are becoming more
plentiful in local markets. though they
are stlll small and the price high. Part
II the supply comes from Jersey waters,
but the whole couR.ry east OF the Mis-
slsslppi gets more OF It's soft she'll crabs
rom the lower part OF the Chesapeake,
relates the Philadelphia Ledger. The
warm and shallow sounds and inlets
of the bay fairly swarm with crabs from
he middle OF May to the middle OF Sep
tember. and from 200 to / 500 boats and
from $500 to 5000 men are engaged In
catching crabs for market Fully 500
grabbing boats hail from the little am
phlblous port Of crisaeld. Md, and there
ere other shipping points allupand down
the bay In both Maryland and Virginia
waters
Grabbing has been reduced to a sell
ence in the Chesapeake, and II Is one of
the most profitable forms of fishing.
The fishermen usually own their own
boats and outfits. and even those who
work for wages are paid in proportion
TO the catch. The shadows OF the bay
are whltencd all day long by the slow
~ cruising crabbers. Some fishermen
use lines, but the drag is most common
ly used. II Is light iron cage or scoop,
which Is cast overheard as the boat
cruises in water from two to four feet
deep. Dragging over the grassy bot
tom the scoop takes up crabs, mud and
grass. From time TO time II is drawn up
and unloaded. When the season opens,
about the first week Of May, boat does
well TO catch 200 crabs a day. Al the
height Of the season. in July and Au-
gust, however. a catch OF 1000 crabs a
day Is not unusual.
The sight Of the grabbing feet going
out at sunrise and returning about sun
set Is one Of the most picturesque OF the
Chesapeake The boats are usually the
"bug-eye," long. narrow and stanch,
some with small cabins. others without,
and all with centerboards. Each has at
least two men aboard. The crabbers
earn fully the wages Of skilled mechan-
les in their own region. and no indus
trious and sober orabber need long be
anyone's hired man, for the waters are
free to him and he can easily savo
enough ont Of his earnings TO buy boat
and the necessary outfit
The Chesapeake crab packer may
have an office ashore. but always has a
little house and yard out In the shadows
n the bay. The house ls TO receive the
newly-caught crabs. The yard is a
lightly piled inclosnre where hard shell
crabs brought in BY The fishermen are
placed In order that they may shed their
shells and thls make themselves ready
for market The crabs thus Gagged are
placed IN nat Slated frames. whence
they cannot escape. and Immersed IN
the waters Of the piled ineIosure. From
day to day the Slated frames are e.
amined In order that the packer may
know what crabs have shed their shells.
Those which have are taken out for pack
Ing and shipment and the others are re-
turned to the water. II may be any
where from a month to a day before a
captive crab sheds HIS shell.
The soft shell crabs are graded accord
ing 10 size. packed in the familiar shall
low crates with plenty Of damp seaweed
and shipped north by the thousands and
tens of thousands Shallow draft steam
boats which come down into these wa
lers from Baltimore call at the little
rrab-paeking stations and carry away
the laden crates Others are sent In sail
Ing craft TO the mainland for shipment
by rail The Chesapeake soft she'll crabs
are known In the markets Of hundred
cities as far west as Denver and az far
north as Buffalo
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