Implements and Their Uses 131 



they are sometimes secured one at a time by light tongs 

 having very narrow heads. These are called " nippers," 

 and can only be used where the water is clear and very 

 quiet. 



A modification of the principle of the tongs is em- 

 ployed for use in deep water. There are many deep beds 

 in the Chesapeake and its larger tributaries that are in- 

 accessible even to dredges. Such beds may easily be 

 reached by the so-called patent tongs, invented by a 

 Maryland oysterman in 1887. Every one is familiar 

 with the mechanical principle involved in a pair of 

 ice-tongs. The iceman lifts on the handles to secure a 

 grip on the load to be lifted, and the heavier the piece 

 of ice, the tighter this grip becomes. Imagine that rake- 

 heads, with teeth pointed inward, are fastened to the 

 ends of such a pair of tongs where the calks or spurs are 

 placed, and one has all but a few details of the patent 

 oyster tongs. A rope is tied to each handle, and these 

 are fastened to a single rope a few feet above. Before 

 being lowered into the water, the tongs 'are locked open 

 by a simple device. This lock is disengaged when the 

 weight of the tongs rests on the bottom, and a pull on the 

 rope causes the rakes to come together. The heavier 

 the load, the tighter it is grasped. In order to scrape 

 the bottom with force, weights are attached, or the tongs 

 themselves are made of heavy material. This necessi- 

 tates the employment of a windlass. The area of the 

 bottom scraped, or the extent of the " grab " of the tongs 

 now manufactured is one square yard, and the imple- 

 ment has proved to be very useful where oysters are 

 numerous. 



The dredge is much the most important implement 

 used in American oyster culture. It does its work so 



