New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-03-25
Il FISH OIL KING.
Eighty Years old, He Engineers a
Big Operation.


The New Jersey Senate has passed law
legalizing the menhaden or oil fish industries
within the thrce-mie limit. Each steamer is to
be licensed according to its tonnage and al
lowed to not sufficient edible fish to feed its
crews. provided such food fish not con-
verted into oil fertilizer nor exposed for sale
within the state.
Early in February the Legislature passed an
act authorizing the Governor TO appoint a spe
ciaI commission to investigate the menha6"-
HnG other fisheries and report measure -
their protection. In the course of the hearings
lurther interest was attached to the questions
Involved by the purchase Of the control OF the
menhaden industries Of the Atlantic Coast by
Joseph Wharton, of Philadelphia, his
eghHeth birthday. Mr. Wharton's purchase in
cluded forty-one Of the largest Of the eighty-fve
steamers employed and eight of the largest
factories where oil and fertilizer are made
from fish
The charges filed with the commission against
the menhaden steamers We're. in brief, that they
caught edible as well as oil fish, which they
either made oil OF or sold in competition with
net fishermen; and that they not only depleted
the supply of edible fish. but robbed them of
their favorte food, the menhaden- Neverthe-
less the commission reported in favor of the
menhaden industry, with certain restrictions
embodied in the bill.
The United States Fish Commission some time
Rgo found among 10000, 600 oil fish s4795 fsh
Of other Species of which only $500 were the
food fish of commerce. not sufficient to feed the
crews Of the vessels engaged in the fishing. The
only fish of other types that went into the oil
Cats 400 sharks and $40 stingrays. The
average annual catch of the menhaden steamers
IS 75OOO0,OOO oil fish. which are only an in
6nitesimal part of the number passing along
winter
The method Of catching these fish is inter
esting. At this time Of year the steamers are of
Florida where they await the menhaden schools
emerging from the Gulf of Mexico When the
man ut the masthead calls out that a school is
visible, two boats are lowered. In the stern Of
the boats big net is carried, which is dropped
1verboard and passed around the school. Ahead
: small drive boat Shoes the fish into the net
e9hen the net is fun the two ends are Joined to
. lead tom" weighing five hundred pounds
which is anchored The two ends of the rope
which passes around the bottom of the net are
pulled up through the eye of the tom" At the
same time the slack Of the net is hauled
board until the fish netted in a solid mass.
The steamer approaches and scoops aboard the
hsh with steam soaps at the rate Of thou
Band to Il scoop and five scoops a minute. When
loaded the steamer must proceed to her factory,
and it is these trips back and forth, and conse-
quent loss of time, that account for no more
oil fish being taken. The steamer is unloaded
by endless chain elevators, which convey the
fish to steam cookers the oil going to barrels or
tanks and the refuse through cylinders until it
becomes scrap, thence through hoppers into
bags for the market in form of fertilizer
Mr. Wharton's purchase includes several com
panies now merged in the Fisheries Company.
The largest factory is at Promised Land. at the
east end Of Long Island with a capacity OF go
100000 fish yearly. handled by entirely new and
modern equipment At Crab Island N j. his
factory works eight steamers and $50 men on
land and sea, making eight thousand barrels OF