THE COAST FISHERIES OF TEXAS, 375 



the last decade. The buildiiij;- ot the Mexican National Railway (nar- 

 row gauge) from Cori)iis Chiisti to Laredo, in 1880, opened up a Mex- 

 ican market for the fish and oysters taken in the vicinity of the former 

 place. Then came the construction of the San Antonio and Aransas 

 Pass Railway from San Antonio to Corims Christi, and its extension a 

 few years later to Aransas Bay, which facilitated the shipping of fish 

 from those two places to the North and West. • But the abandonment 

 of those two ports by the Morgan Steamshij) Line counteracted some- 

 what the advantages gained by the railroad connections. The shipping 

 facilities of Matagorda Bay have greatly declined since 1880. When 

 this port was abandoned by the Morgan lineof steamers the trade with 

 Galveston almost entirely ceased. 



The manufacture of ice has also greatly benefited the fisheries. On 

 the shores of Sabine Lake, Galveston Bay, Aransas Bay, and Corpus 

 Ohristi Buy there are establishments for ice manufacture, and the prod- 

 uct can now be obtained in car-load lots at from $3 to $8 per ton, at 

 any railroad station on the coast. 



THE FISHERMEN. 



The number of men engaged constantly in the fisheries of this State 

 in 1890 was 819, the number who fished for a portion of the time only 

 was 280, and 172 men, were employed in the marketing houses and 

 canneries, making a total of 1,277. In 1880 the number of professional 

 fishermen was reported to be 291; the semi-professional, 200; the men 

 on vshore, 110; a total of 001. 



Only a small portion of the Texas fishermen were born in America; 

 they are chiefiy natives of Italy, Sicily, Greece, Austria, and Mexico. 

 Of the native fishermen a large portion were of foreign parentage. A 

 much greater proportion of native Americans is engaged in taking 

 oysters than in the seine fishery. The negroes along the coast do not 

 engage in fishing, except in a small way from the wharves with cast 

 nets, lines, etc. 



The fishermen as a rule are not tsxmiliar with other occupations. 

 Many of them have inherited their vocations by direct descent for manj^ 

 generations. Prior to their coming to Texas some have fished for the 

 markets of Palermo, Naples, or Athens, or have supplied fish at such 

 Mexican towns as Vera Cruz, Tampico, or Soto la Marina. As a class 

 they are indei)endent in their manners and habits, but are nearly 

 always poor and unthrifty. Their life while on a fishing trip is very 

 rough. The hard, rounding fioor of the cabin, with a blanket over it, 

 serves as a bed. The i)rovisions, while usually plentiful, are of the 

 plainest, consisting chiefiy of salt meat, bread, hard-tack, onions and 

 garlic, ]>()tatoes, and cottee. The cabin fioor serves as a table. The 

 cooking is giMiei-ally done on a small stove or by an open fire in a pot, 

 and one of the crew attends to that work without extra pay. 



