THE OYSTER. 151 



hand while the boat is under way. If they become 

 foul while they are being hauled in, all the weight 

 of the boat is thrown on to the windlass, and the 

 laborers, benumbed by the icy waters and unable to 

 move quickly, are often struck by the crank. Fatal 

 accidents from this cause are not uncommon. Of late 

 years the business has not been profitable. The boats 

 do not pay expenses, and the owners cannot offer 

 tempting wages. Maryland men, who know all the 

 hardships of a dredger's life, are not anxious to ship 

 as hands on a dredging boat, so the captains are forced 

 to recruit their crews among men who are not so well 

 posted." 



"Can nothing be done to improve the dredger's 

 life? Why do they not dredge in the summer and 

 keep the oysters in planting grounds until there is a 

 market for them ? " 



" The law does not permit dredging in the summer." 



" Why do they not use larger vessels, and haul the 

 dredge by steam ? " 



"As the amount of the license fee depends on the 

 size of the boat, it is for the owner's interest to use a 

 small vessel and pack it as full of oysters as possible. 

 The use of steamboats is not allowed, and the law re- 

 quires that the dredge shall be hauled by hand." 



"How does it happen that with all your natural 

 advantages the work is so unprofitable ? " 



" Our people have always been taught that our 

 natural beds are inexhaustible, so nothing has ever 

 been done to determine just how many oysters they 



