The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1915-07-11

Uncle Sam Makes You Money.
Wy Finding scallop Beds
Rv Frederic J. Haskin.

valves takes it on its zig gag course
to the surface or to new feeding
grounds.
{ There are two or three old Usher
men on the Maine coast who claim
to have witnessed mtgrations OF whole
banks of scallops. They state that
when millions of these muscular
giants start their wierd courses
through the water there Is such
churning and cIashing as the silent
depths know on no other occasion.
But normally the scallop rests quiet
ly on the eel grass of the bottom.
When it is a tiny creature day old
1t swims freely about the surface.
Soon 1t develops an appendage that
sticks out between its valves and this
is used for purposes OF navigation and
as a means of attaching itself to the
bottom Its edges are much huted
and along these appear many round,
black, beady eyes. Altogether 1t is
quite superior sort of bivalve.
Beds Are Mapped.
When the oceanographic work ct
the bureau Of fisheries developed the
presence of the scallops in large num-
bers at many places, the good ship.
Grampus was detailed to make a
thorough investigation and may the
beds. These surveys developed, In
the first place. that the beds lie be-
yond the depth of twenty fathoms
which. It should be remembered, is
100 feet. The twenty fathom line
skirts the Atlantic coast at a distance
of about thirty miles. The Grampus
was not provided with apparatus that
would allow it to operate at depths
of more than forty fathoms. so the
4 - kInSak arsk NJ
ocean that lies between a depth OF
twenty and forty fathoms. There is
a belt about thirty miles wide OF this
depth.
The Grampus had dredge forty
feet wide that would lie fiat on the
bottom. 1t would let this down and
drag 1t for mile. Then it would pull
it up and "shuck" its catch. Where
the catch was five gallons of meat,
representing value of five dollars,
the possibilities of profitable fishing
were considered good. Yet there were
many points where as much as fifteen
gallons of meat were secured, and
the profit of one mile drag would
be SIS.
The whole of the coast from the
mouth of the Chesapeake to Maine
was examined in this way. Beds
miles OF Sandy Hook that yielded
prolifcaI1y. These are regarded as
of particular Importance because they
are straight out from the mouth OF
New York harbor, which Is the great
est OF possible markets. OF the
mouth of Delaware bay at another
point where location is particularly
favorable. other beds Of great extent
were found.
Inexhaustible Supply.
The tested grounds to a depth OF
240 feet show that the sandy bottom
still offers an abundance Of the big
CLANS. 1t is as yet unknown how
far out the beds extend. 1t is no great
accomplishment to drag to greater
depths. and with longer lines this
may be easily done. But the banks
already found offer practically in
exhaustible supply of scallops.
The bureau OF fisheries, in making
its announcements of the find, states
unequfvocably that here is unques-
industry. It emphasizes the proximity
to market and states that the oppor-
|tunity lies with small fishing steam
ers, particularly at such times as
other fisheries may fail to be remu..-
Ferative. This work could be carried
on at any time of year and is espec-
tally recommended at periods when
fishing Is not allowed within the jur-
isdictiona1 limits of the United Sattes.
So, it is claimed, may the scallop
come to tickle the palate of the epi-
cure. as has the oyster Sc may the
propensity for calisthenics on the
part of a dwe1ler on the ocean bot
tom develop a supply Of muscle that
may 40 fran 70 n0on