The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-01-01
CRUISE WITH THE FLAGSHIP OF
MARYLAND'S OYSTER NAVY

When Capt. T. G. B. Howard. commander
in-chief Of the Maryland oyster navy. sailed
at daylight from the little harbor OF Cam
bridge, the nose OF his flagship, the Governor
Thomas. pointed for Tangier Sound. The
start was made on an suspicious morning
with slightly rlfied blue sea beneath
the bows, cloudless sky and temperature
many degrees above that OF the region inn
mediately beneath the fortieth parallel.
In fact, late as It was in the season, the
hooking bird was still carolling ashore
and the inhabitants were yet wearing
last summers straw hats. But the mock
ing bird In southern Maryland pipes up on
mild, bright days even in midwinter and
Rraw hats in those parts are never en-
tkrely outlawed
George, who has cooked since go, and can
make corn bread, sweet potato pie and
Maryland biscuit, or concoct a rich and
delicious oyster stew along with any sea
cook or eon OF a seaoook in Chrstendom,
had breakfasted everybody 10 repleton
by $50 O'Clock. and less than an hour later
the oyster feet in Tangier Sound was
aighted. The horizon was ghostly with
crowded canvas. for there were three or
four hundred sail in sight, and with each
mile that the steamer made a new horizon
hove in sight snowy with yet other show
Of canvas.
Maryland's oyster navy, or fishery force
as It Is officially and less picturesquely
called. together with that OF Virginia,
constitutes the floating police OF the Chesa-
peake. There are in the Maryland navy
two steamers and eleven considerable sail
ing vessels, and besides the commander,
his officers and crew and those Of the other
vessels of the fleet. there is Il body OF in
spectors ahoat and ashore. The force
afloat numbers between seventy-five and
100 men and the force ashore Is OF about
equal strength.
Ii is the business OF the navy not only
10 police the oyster beds, Nut also to collect
the revenue arising from the special tax
on oyster packers and the like.
Can't Towards flagship ia a swift and
staunch tug Of large size with a one FOUNDER
iacketed in canvas in the bow, and a COM
plement of about dozen officers and men,
including the smiling George and his
equally smiling assistant. In the little
deckhouse forward men and officers dine
with the flicker of dancing light on the
ia a roomy cabin with hunks long enough
for the tallest man afoat or ashore. A
dozen or so OF repeating rifles shine mem
acingly in their racks at one extremity Of
the cabin. and Capt. Howard hands out
ball cartridges TO his sub-commanders
whenever he encounters them in his
cruises.
What Capt. Mike Hcaly was TO the Arc
tic regions about and above our Aleutians.
Capt. Howard is TO the Maryland waters OF
the Chesapeake and its tributaries. He is
an energetic Eastern Shoreman who held q
commission in the United States Navy
during the Spanish war. and who mod
estly conceals beneath his triple initials the
record OF a distinguished ancestry.
Capt Howard knows the oyster trade
from A t. 2. and is equally we'll acquainted
with the moral and intellectual alphabet of
the Chesapeake oystermen. for he was once
the commander of an oyster boat himself,
and If the whirligig OF politics should place
some one else in command OF the navy
he will hardly permit the thought Of his
initials TO prevent him from returning TO
the business. Clustering Is, indeed the
brthright OF every Marylander, and the
oyster feet bristles with famous names.
Meanwhile the commander in-chief threads
the legislative and judicial maze of the
Maryland oyster laws with admirable ease,
administering swift justice, and occa-
sionaly, it is limited, giving even the Yr-
ginians taste Of Maryland Jurisprudence.