Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1907-11-15
UNJUST TO POTOMAC OYsTERMAN.
ives moreland Inquirer.l


Occasionally there appears in some
city daily, beneath fashy head lines, an
article giving highly colored account
of some fshcied i'll treatment certain
crews of oyster boats have received at
the hands Of the captains. While it is
admitted that there are a few inhuman
captains, this is not the case with
nearly all of them who make livelihood
catching oysters in the Potomac. In
deed, the impression is so widespread
that captains of oyster boats are looked
upon as brutal tyrants, that it is diff
cult 10 set crews to man the vessels;
consequently valuable boat property is
either lying idle or only half worked.
There is always two sides to every
question, but unfortunately people are
prone TO jump at conclusions without
going into the merits of the case. At
the beginning of the season the captain
invariably goes to the city to ship his
crew. 1t happens that experienced
men are not to be had, and he is COM
PEELED to take any and all classes of
men available. The result is that they
are generally the scum of the large
cities, who are seeking shelter from the
winters blasts, and to get enough to
eat until spring comes around and they
can again loaf it in the city parks and
sleep in some dark hall at night. I'M
used to buffeting the hardships of an
oysterman's life, as soon as he gets on
the rock and begirs to work, his first
impulse is that he is i'll treated; he be-
gins to find fault; he thinks he should
be fed equal to a firstclass hotel. His
impaired stomach-made so by the ex-
eesses of his summers carousal-is not
used to the course, but some food
of the average dred hen night
comes he lies down actually tired-per-
haps Tor the first time in his life. The
next morning he is called out early.
The captains trying moments are now
at hand; his men refuse to leave their
quarters; they are impudent and quar-
relsome, and it often happens that the
following day is blank one for the
vessel, which entails a great loss to
the captain. Imagine five or six men
to feed, and the vessel lying in harbor.
What Is the captain to do under circum-
stances like this? Is there any man in
in business who would tolerate it? No.
Yet the captains hands are tied. He
must submit to the sweet will of his re-
bellious crew.
The captains trials have just begun.
After advancing from $50 to S75 for his
crew, IN payment ofthe shipping Offices
fees, the mems shore expenses while
waiting for berth and almost always
the furnishing of comfortable clothing.
he finds out that his crew is worthless
for his business. These men are not
willing to do the best they can to pay
back the captain fortheir outlay, but de
sert the ship the first opportunity, make
their way back to the city and enter
complaint against the captain for i'll
treatment. This subjects the captain
to fine and often Imprisonment. All
this on account of the worthless tramp
who is ever seeking some way to make
living without work.
This is no reflection upon the honest,
hard-working dredgers, for they are
usually whole-souled and generous to a
fault. The generosity of the captains
is often displayed right here at Colonial
Beach, when any of their crew becomes
disabled to work on account of accident
or otherwise.
Dredging captains have a number of
things to contend with, and taking it
through and through, it is an injustice
to brand them as inhuman brutes. I'm
fortunately good people have to suffer
for the wrongs of the bad.