164 



THE FISHERIES OF THE UNITED STATES. 



well posted in the business, I am led to believe tbat the number is comparatively small. Mr. Benjamin F. Lankford, 

 clerk of the circuit court of Somerset county, makes the following statement in regard to scraping-boats, which is 

 equally applicable to tongers : ' The oyster-business has been gradually declining in this county since 1873 ; 

 during that year the number of dredge [scraping] licenses issued was 327, and the money received therefor was 

 $3,270, which sum was paid into the public school treasury. I do not think, however, that the great difference 

 exhibited between the years 1874 and 1879 shows the actual amount of the decline in the business. The present 

 oyster-law is inefficient or is inefficiently executed.' By referring to the table showing the number of tonging- 

 licenses issued during the past ten years, it will be seen that in Mr. Lankford's county— Somerset — there were 

 329 in 1874-'7o, while in 1879-'80 there was not a single license issued to tong. The size of the tonging-canoe ranges 

 from 15 or 16 feet to 30 feet or more, the larger ones being called ' bugeyes.' Owing to this diversity in size, it is 

 very difficult to estimate the value of these boats, but a fair average is about $100, which would cover the entire 

 outfit — making $182,500 the amount invested in touging boats. 



Caerying trade: "Eunners". — "Closely connected with tonging, and each mutually dependent upon the 

 other, is another branch of the trade conducted by vessels, generally known as runners, of which there are owned 

 in this state 200, carrying about 800 men. The oj^sters caught by tongers are either sold to these vessels, and by 

 them carried to some market in the state, or they are bought by boats owned in other states and carried to northern 

 cities. The runner will anchor near some tonging-grouud, and an empty basket or a small flag will be hoisted to 

 the masthead as a signal that she is ready to receive oysters. In one or two days she will be loaded, and is at once 

 off for a market. On some occasions half a dozen or more runners may be seen in the same locality, surrounded 

 by forty or fifty canoes. As soon as a tonger has caught as many as his small boat will carry, he sells out to the 

 runner and returns to work. 



Crews of runnners and their profits — " The men employed on runners will average about $18 a month, 

 including their board, which, with the pay of the captains (which is about $50 a month), will amount to $166,400 for 

 a season of eight months, that being the length of time that these vessels are engaged in carrying oysters. 

 Eeckoniug the average value of the runners at $1,500, will give a total of $300,000 in this branch of the trade. 

 About $30,000 is annually spent in repairing the 200 runners. 



Extent of the Maryland oyster-fleet. — " Summarizing the foregoing statistics as to the number of 

 vessels, their value, etc., it is seen that there are : 



Boats. 



Number. 



Crews. 



Annual 



wasrea. 



Dredging .. 

 Scraping ... 



Canoes 



Bunncrs... 



Total 



700 



550 



1,825 



200 



3, 275 



5,600 



2,200 



5,148 



800 



13, 748 



$916,300 



207, 000 



1, 15g, 300 



166, 400 



2, 53(i, 000 



Wages and profits. — " The totals of this table furnish an average of $184 60 for each man. It is utterly 

 impossible to obtain the number of people supported by this $2,538,000. Perhaps not one-half of the dredgers 

 support anj' family ; but with tongers and scrapers it is different. Five is usually reckoned as the average number 

 of a family; but as veiy many of these men are single, it would be too high in the present case. It can scarcely, 

 however, be too much to reckon that for every oysterman 'there is an average of four individuals dependent upon 

 him. This would give 54,992 as the number of people supported by the catching of oysters in this state. In 

 addition to this, there are hundreds dependent indirectly, as shopkeepers and in other ways, upon the oystermeu. 



Maryland capital invested in oyster-fishing. — " Invested in oyster-boats, the summary is: 



700 dredgers, at $1,500 |1, 050, 000 



Outtit of same 70,000 



550 scrapers, at ijlSOO 440,000 



200 rimuers, at , $1,500 300,000 



1,825 canoes, at $100 l&ijm 



Total.. 3, 275 2,042,500 



" The amount annually expended for repairs for these vessels is, as near as I can calculate, from reports 

 received from shipbuilders, $102,500, of which probably $75,000 is received by carpenters, sailmakers, and other 

 workmen." 



Mr. Maltby's estimate of the yield of Chesapeake bay, in 1805. — Before following Mr. Edmonds into 

 a new branch of the business — that of shipments in shell— it may be well to give briefly some memoranda by Mr. 



