Evening star., 1925-07-19

A good ma ny years ago. according to
old memoirs in the Library OF Con.
gress and in private collections. there
were so many fish and crabs In the
Chesapeake Bay that a boat had TO
navigate rather slowly. II those old
reports are to be believed. navigation
on the bay was like sailing through
bowl of gravy becau the water was
so thick.
Today a different situation exists,
and il seems more than likely that the
| bay is going to lose one of It's most
valuable deniZens. the succulent crab.
In the Spring of the year the crabs
begin to come up the bay from the
! wa rner Southern waters. II the reader
will refer TO the map he will see that
the southern reaches of Chesa peake
Bay are Virginia territory. Maryland
lies farther to the north. Maryla nd
has a law that fishermen. during the
early part of the season, must throw
back into the water all the female
crabs they may chance to catch on
their fishing lines This law is re-
Iigiously obeyed. Virginia has no such
law. So, early in the sea son, when
the crabs are beginning TO come mp,
the Virginia fishermen catch them in
discriminatory. At first II made no
difference. There were enough crabs
so that despite the Virginia catches
they came up the bay in great num-
bers Now IL is different. Because of
the ca pture of the females the supply
of crabs has run short. Virginia still
is catching crabs. but Maryland is get
ting only a very few. The breeding
having been interfered with in this
way. there are practically no crabs to
come northward.
Gov. Ritchie Urges Uniform Law.
Gov. Ritchie of Maryland has been
greatly concerned about the matter
and arranged a conference with Vir
einian authorities in an effort to get
Virginia to pass the same sort of
law that Maryland had. This proved
fruitless.
Nearly every one in the United
States who pays much attention to
his country has heard of the Eastern
Shore OF Maryland. 1t is a distinctly
Southern section, and one is not sup
posed to pronounce the r. Natives
always say the Eastern Sho'." There
is a good deal of fine farm land there,
but the principal industry is fishing.
In the Winter time the populace of
the Eastern Shore makes it living
from the gathering of oysters. In the
Summer time the same people derive
their support from crabs. But now
the crabs have disappeared. In addi
ton to sending live crabs to New
York. Philadelphia. Baltimore. Norfolk
and Washington, many Of them for
merly were canned in large factories
located in the picturesque towns TO be
found In that region. Now these fac
tories are closed down and the people
who once were employed by them
have had TO find other work.
Probably there has been no more
roma ntic industry in the country than
this grabbing and oystering industry
Of the old Eastern Shore. Men who
have been familiar with Chesapeake
Bay since childhood are engaged in it,
The usual system Ia for man to go
into a partnership with a canner. Be
tween them they buy or build boat,
each owning half OF 1t. The fisher
man then goes out and gets oysters in
the Winter and era bs In the Summer
When he has a cargo he returns to
the factory and unload:. then goes
out again He receives half of the
profits. The oystering Is the more
interesting end of the business. Save
that one never says oysters on the
Eastern Shore. The word is pro-
nounced "arsters."
The Chesapeake Buseye.
1t Ia against the laws of the States
OF both Maryland and Virginia to
dredge oysters In a power vessel OF
any sort. There again we must CON
form TO the dialect of the Eastern
Shore One never speaks OF "dredg-
ing" 1t is "drudging." Oysters-or
srsters-may or may not he dredged
or drudged-save by an old-fash-
ioned sailing ship. No vessel with
any steam, gasoline or other power
apparatus ia permitted on the oyster
| beds. Chiefly the work is done by a
| distinctive Chesapeake Bay craft, the
| buseye. 1t is similar to schooner.
except that the bugece carries no
| topsails. A two-masted schooner car
ries a. jib and flying jib, foresail. a
| tore.topsail, a mainsail and main
| topsaN A bugeye has just three
| sails-an enormous jib, an enormous
| foresail and an enormous mainsail.
! Instead Of stopping at the gaff, as do
| the sails of a schooner, the sails OF a
| bugeye keep right on up to the very
peak Of the mast Some of them are
! 20 feet high, and when a bugeye, with
, it's three sails, gets good strong
breeze, 1t will walk like ghost. heel
| ing over into the water, with its lee
| gunwale under the foaming spindrift
up to the middle of the deck.
Patrols on the Job.
| Maryland and Virginia maintain
patrol boats to enforce the laws
governing the oystering and grabbing.
! There are certain restricted beds.
preserved by law Piratical oyster
men like to get on these rich beds.
throw their dredges overheard and
bring In the oysters by the hundr ed :
weight. The patrol boats are always
On watch for this sort of practice.