﻿26 
  MENHADEN 
  INDUSTRY 
  OF 
  THE 
  ATLANTIC 
  COAST. 
  

  

  FISHERMEN, 
  

  

  The 
  crews 
  of 
  the 
  northern 
  steamers 
  are 
  made 
  up 
  chiefly 
  of 
  New- 
  

   foundlandei-s 
  and 
  Nova 
  Scotians. 
  Those 
  on 
  the 
  southern 
  vessels 
  

   are 
  mostly 
  natives, 
  and, 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  the 
  captains, 
  mates, 
  

   engineers, 
  firemen, 
  and 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  strikers, 
  are 
  colored. 
  Many 
  of 
  

   the 
  steamei-s 
  also 
  carry 
  white 
  pilots, 
  because 
  the 
  cai)tains 
  are 
  

   too 
  busy 
  directmg 
  the 
  fishing 
  operations 
  to 
  tend 
  the 
  wheel. 
  The 
  

   men, 
  especially 
  in 
  the 
  south, 
  .usually 
  live 
  adjacent 
  to 
  the 
  factory 
  for 
  

   which 
  they 
  are 
  fishing 
  and 
  go 
  home 
  as 
  frequently 
  as 
  their 
  work 
  will 
  

   permit. 
  The 
  captain, 
  who 
  must 
  be 
  a 
  practical 
  fisherman, 
  in 
  addition 
  

   to 
  having 
  a 
  knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  coast, 
  receives 
  no 
  sti])ulatetl 
  salary 
  but 
  

   is 
  paid 
  a 
  bonus 
  of 
  12.^ 
  to 
  18| 
  cents 
  for 
  each 
  1,000 
  fish 
  caught. 
  The 
  

   monthly 
  pay 
  received 
  by 
  the 
  other 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  crew 
  is 
  as 
  follows: 
  

   Mate, 
  $100, 
  or 
  $50 
  and 
  a 
  bonus 
  of 
  4 
  cents 
  per 
  1,000 
  fish, 
  or 
  $25 
  and 
  a 
  

   bonus 
  of 
  5 
  cents 
  per 
  1,000 
  fish; 
  pilot, 
  $85 
  to 
  $90; 
  engineer, 
  $90 
  to 
  

   $125; 
  assistant 
  engineer, 
  $60 
  to 
  $80; 
  firemen, 
  $35 
  to 
  $45; 
  striker, 
  

  

  ), 
  or 
  $35 
  to 
  $40 
  and 
  a 
  bonus 
  of 
  1 
  or 
  1\ 
  cents 
  per 
  1,000 
  fish; 
  cook, 
  

   to 
  $75; 
  and 
  $35 
  to 
  $45 
  for 
  the 
  fishermen. 
  In 
  addition 
  to 
  this 
  the 
  

   employers 
  furnish 
  subsistence 
  for 
  the 
  entire 
  crew. 
  The 
  custom 
  in 
  

   the 
  fisheries 
  of 
  North 
  Carolina 
  differs 
  somewhat 
  from 
  the 
  above 
  wage 
  

   scale, 
  in 
  that 
  the 
  entire 
  crew 
  works 
  on 
  shares 
  and 
  they 
  also 
  find 
  their 
  

   own 
  food; 
  seventy-five 
  to 
  eighty-five 
  cents 
  is 
  allowed 
  the 
  crew 
  for 
  

   each 
  1,000 
  fish 
  taken. 
  Of 
  this, 
  the 
  captain 
  gets 
  15 
  cents, 
  and 
  the 
  others 
  

   5 
  cents 
  each, 
  but 
  the 
  captain 
  usually 
  gives 
  the 
  mate 
  an 
  additional 
  2J 
  

   cents, 
  the 
  cook 
  1 
  cent, 
  and 
  the 
  engineer 
  1 
  to 
  2 
  cents 
  per 
  1,000. 
  

  

  FACTORY 
  EMPLOYEES. 
  

  

  The 
  men 
  employed 
  in 
  the 
  fish 
  factories 
  of 
  the 
  Chesapeake 
  Bay 
  

   region 
  are 
  secured 
  chiefly 
  from 
  brokers 
  in 
  Baltimore; 
  they 
  are 
  of 
  

   various 
  nationalities, 
  including 
  German, 
  Irish, 
  Pohsh, 
  and 
  Nor- 
  

   wegian; 
  the 
  writer 
  saw 
  a 
  man 
  at 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  Reedville 
  plants 
  said 
  to 
  

   be 
  an 
  Indian 
  and 
  a 
  very 
  good 
  workman. 
  Those 
  on 
  the 
  Delaware 
  and 
  

   New 
  Jei-sey 
  plants 
  are 
  practically 
  the 
  same 
  class 
  as 
  in 
  Virginia 
  and 
  

   are 
  brought 
  from 
  Baltimore 
  and 
  Philadelphia. 
  Many 
  of 
  the 
  men 
  at 
  

   the 
  New 
  York 
  factories 
  are 
  Portuguese. 
  

  

  In 
  addition 
  to 
  subsistence 
  furnished 
  them, 
  the 
  montlily 
  pay 
  of 
  the 
  

   men 
  at 
  the 
  various 
  factories 
  is 
  as 
  follows: 
  Foremen, 
  $50 
  to 
  $125; 
  

   assistant 
  foremen, 
  $40 
  to 
  $80; 
  engineer, 
  $35 
  to 
  $100; 
  assistant 
  engi- 
  

   neer, 
  $25 
  to 
  $60; 
  firemen, 
  $30 
  to 
  $40; 
  oil 
  tendere, 
  $30 
  to 
  $100; 
  

   machinist, 
  $50 
  to 
  $100; 
  seuie 
  menders, 
  $35 
  to 
  $100; 
  cook, 
  $60 
  to 
  

   $90. 
  There 
  are 
  also 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  others 
  doing 
  general 
  work 
  about 
  

   the 
  factory 
  at 
  wages 
  ranging 
  from 
  $15 
  to 
  $40. 
  It 
  is 
  quite 
  difficult 
  to 
  

   hold 
  the 
  latter 
  class 
  of 
  men 
  any 
  length 
  of 
  time, 
  and 
  as 
  an 
  induce- 
  

   ment 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  operators 
  offer 
  a 
  bonus 
  of 
  $5 
  per 
  month 
  if 
  they 
  re- 
  

   main 
  throughout 
  the 
  season. 
  This 
  custom, 
  however, 
  prevails 
  in 
  

   only 
  a 
  few 
  plants 
  in 
  Virginia. 
  

  

  