MAINE: SACO, KENNEBUNK, AND YORK DISTRICTS. 97 



and an average of twenty-three persons, the greater part of whom are children, are employed in 

 the work of gathering them. Besides those used by the canneries, large numbers of clams are 

 sold during the summer to the numerous seaside hotels, and many are shipped at all seasons of 

 the year to the Boston and Portland markets ; some are also carried to the interior by peddlers. 



Fifty men are employed on the various sand-flats of the town. The average annual production 

 is about 36,000 bushels of clams in shell, valued at upwards of $12,000. One bushel in the shell 

 will yield a gallon and a half when shucked; but, owing to the extra labor required in shelling 

 them, a gallon of meats is considered equal in value to a bushel in the shell. The usual price is 

 about 35 cents per bushel. 



Mr. Reuben Snow, who has given us valuable information respecting the clamming interests, 

 informs us that there are fourteen men, owning ten dories and two small sail-boats, engaged in the 

 shore fisheries between Wood Island and Cape Elizabeth for six months of the year. The catch 

 consists for the most part of ground fish, mackerel, herring, and lobsters. In the fall and winter 

 fishing is discontinued, and the men turn their attention to clamming. 



SACO BAY. Saco Bay lies 15 miles south of Portland, in latitude 43, longitude 70. It 

 extends from Front's Neck on the north to Fletcher's Neck on the south, a distance of 5 miles. 

 On the point of the last-named peninsula is Biddeford Pool, a place of some interest historically, 

 which, though extensively engaged in the fisheries, is more generally known for its attractions as 

 a summer resort. 



The towns of Biddeford, Saco, and Scarborough border on the bay, but the largest cities of the 

 first two, each named after the town in which it is located, are 8 miles inland, on opposite banks of 

 the Saco River. From the mouth of this stream, which enters the bay at Biddeford Pool, to that of 

 the Dunstan River, 6 miles to the east, the shore is one continuous sand bank. The northern part 

 of this stretch of sand lying within the town of Scarborough is known as Pine Point, and the 

 central portion is called Old Orchard. 



There are several islands in the bay, the largest of which is Wood Island, the great resort for 

 the shore herring fleet during the months of September and October. It lies just off the entrance 

 to Saco River, forming a natural breakwater for the protection of Biddeford Pool. On the east- 

 ern end of the island, which is about 800 yards long, is the Wood Island Light-house, which, being 

 provided with a red flash-light and a fog-bell, is of considerable importance to the fishermen. 

 About 250 yards west of Wood Island is Negro Island, and 800 yards further on is an island 400 

 yards long, known as Stage Island, on the northeastern end of which is Stage Island Monument, 

 the daylight guide to the harbor of the Pool. At the mouth of the Saco River is a granite break- 

 water which extends about 1,100 yards from the shore. The channel leading to the river is be- 

 tween the monument and this breakwater, and a constantly changing sand-bar makes its naviga- 

 tion, without the aid of a pilot, both difficult and dangerous. 



This bay has been the home of fishermen since the earliest settlements upon its banks, over 

 two hundred and fifty years ago, and to this day the locality is noted for its abundance of herring, 

 ground fish, lobsters, and clams; while the river was once scarcely less famed for its salmon and 

 other fresh- water species. 



48. MR. WILCOX'S ACCOUNT OF BIDDEFORD POOL AND ITS FISHERIES. 



BIDDEFORD POOL. Biddeford Pool, a settlement of several hundred inhabitants, is situated 



about 15 miles south of Portland, at the southern extremity of Saco Bay. The "Pool," from 



which the village has derived its name, is a well-sheltered haven about a mile square, connected by 



a narrow passage with a larger and more exposed outer harbor. It is wholly inaccessible at low 



7 G R F 



