Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-11-27

p RP the harbor they come, an acre
Of crumblng foam leaving
either side of the bow as they
~ stagger into port unde. the
press OF canvas. Before the
wharf at the foot Of 18th street south
west heaves in sight sails are lowered.
and the deeply laden oyster runner
headway carries her to a berth beside an
other vessel. to which a line is thrown
and "snubbed' by some bystander.
How long was you in gittin' up hyar.
'Cap'n Jim'?'' and How many bushels
have you got aboard of her?" are the
questions hurled at the skipper as he
leaves the wheel and starts for the wharf
over the decks OF ten or twelve interven-
ing boats. The crew. generally consisting
Of one negro. has been left aboard to open
The matches and wait upon any customer
that might want to eat q few dozen Sc
let's on the half she'll On every hand
rou hear the rasp of knives. the smack
OF satisfied lips and the clatter of emuty
shells as the luscious bivalves disappear
into the mouths of the multitude. Bug
eyes. schooners. big. bluff bowed sloops.
bateaus and tny canoes from the far
eastern shore Of the Chesapeake are ar
irving with the food of every tide and
taking berths vacated by the vessels
which have disposed of their cargoes and
are leaving for the lower river.
Ah
There is where the hard side OF the
oystermans life Is laid bare. with every
blow that sweeps the water into a maeI
strona and sends the dredgers scurryinp
for harbor. which they fail to reach every
now and then. But it pays well. getting
~ every morning at I or 5 o'clock, sail
ing back and forth over the Jumps witt
he dredges scraping up many an empty
'culling" Separating good from bad) a
necessity before the catch can be dis
posed Of to the runboats.
The runners are the vessels that
make business OF buying up a cargo
from boats operating on the grounds. pay
ing from % cents to 35 cents a bushe
and selling, when the city is reached, al
profit never less than 30 or 10 cents
which include all of the Chesapeake ban
apd the lower half of the Potomac. a
bushel basket is hoisted in the main rig.
S'ng. meaning that cargo is wanted
Then from all quarters a horde Of small
boats. mostly canoes and dories. bear
flown on the anchored ships like so man,
Jioodthirsty pirates. All Of them CROWD
N sail until the complaining masts
be first alongside. These are the
,ngers. With craft too light to tow the
aavy scraps. they anchor on a bar OF
mp. as the natural bed Is termed. and
srmed with tongs which resemble two
axes pivoted in the middle. SO that the
business ends will close on the unsuspect
ing shell food when the handles are
brought together. transfer the catch from
habitat to 4 culling board, where a DO.
separates them.
The larger boats look upon the tongeri
very much as a western cattleman view
a sheep herder. They cruise over ffteel
IT twenty miles Of water each day. blow
high or blow low. fair weather or foul
and the crew At the windlass steamin,
ike horses as they wind up, bringing I
gripping mass Of mud. seaweed and oys
tiers over the low bulwark when tn
scrape's contents are dumped. Not all o
dredgers sell on the grounds. Some pre-
fer to save the middleman's profit an,
market their own cargoes. Especial.
those equipped with auxiliary gasoline
engines-and quite a number are-for the.
AN mako quick trips up river and down
The most recent serious disaster on tn
over river oyster grounds happene'
about two winters ago, and but for tn
skin and courage of those connected witt
the steamer Northumberland all hand