NEW YORK: EASTERN END OF LONG ISLAND. 357 



decreasing-. There arc $1,500 invested iu nets, exclusive of those used in the menhaden fishery, 

 and 63,000 worth of fishing boats and tools are used. Most shipments of fishery products go by 

 boat to New York or to Connecticut. Last year 18,000 pounds (2,000 gallons) of scallops, 1,200 

 pounds of eels, and 600,000 pounds of other fish were caught. 



SOUTHOLD. Mr. W. H. H. Glover has oil works at this place, and Mr. W. Y. Fithian, owner 

 of works at Napeague, resides here. Mr. Fithian says that now (October 1) the menhaden yields 

 an average of 3 gallons of oil per thousand fish, but that the average for the season, up to Sep- 

 tember 10, was only 2 gallons. He owns a steamer worth 13,000, and two sail craft; his factory 

 is worth $18,000. Some menhaden seining is done at Peconic iu the spring, the fish being sold for 

 manure. Perhaps $2,000 worth were so taken last spring. 



Outside of the menhaden business there are six men engaged in the fisheries; three are mar- 

 ried and twenty persons are dependent upon them. Two men, W. Maynard and John Dunkle, take 

 scallops ; three women and ten children find employment in opening them. One boat is used in 

 the fishery and 40,000 pounds of scallops were obtained last year, 13,025 pounds of which were 

 shipped by rail ; 200 bushels of soft clams, 400 bushels of hard clams, and 50 barrels of hard crabs 

 were taken. The other products were 30,000 pounds of dressed eels, of which quantity 9,290 

 pounds were shipped to New York by rail ; 800,000 pounds of fresh fish, four-fifths of them being 

 consumed locally; 200 bushels of oysters and 50 barrels of lobsters. Oyster culture is being 

 attempted here by Mr. John P. Terry, who has 50 acres planted. 



124. GREENPORT AND ITS FISHERIES. 



GKEENPOKT. This place, with its deep, spacious harbor, was formerly a great whaling 

 center, but on the abandonment of that industry the capital was mostly transferred to the men- 

 haden business. Many owners of factories live here. Mr. David G. Floyd, now seventy-nine 

 years old, went into the whaling business in 1847, but, to use his own language, has now "got down 

 to menhaden." He says that he remembers the first bluefish he ever saw; fifty years ago they 

 were called " horse mackerel." In 1838, when the first Spanish mackerel were caught here, the 

 people were afraid to eat them ; they were taken in " Narrow Bay," between Moriches Bay and 

 Great South Bay. Between 1850 and I860 menhaden were usually plenty, with the exception of 

 one year, when they failed. His father told him that the eastern end of the island did not raise 

 grain enough to feed the inhabitants until they began using fish for manure; this practice began 

 about fifty years ago. Rye was the main dependence for bread up to that time, but after applying 

 fish they could raise wheat as easily as rye. He now has one factory and two steamers in the men- 

 haden business. He first engaged in the business in 1865, when he bought a sail vessel, and, after 

 putting oil works on board of it, went down to Chesapeake Bay. The business was a new one, and, 

 having had no experience, he did but little. The next season he went to Maine, but the people 

 objected to his fishing inside of the 3-mile limit, and thinking the point hardly worth contesting he 

 gave it up temporarily and returned home. 



This year the fish have been poor and have made but littlb oil, probably not over 2J or 3 

 gallons per thousand, an average yield for other years being about 4J gallons. Mr. Floyd says that 

 the fish were plenty in May, but that they were very poor, and taking the season through it lias 

 been an unprofitable one so far; but as October and November are the best months, the fish then 

 being fatter, it may help to bring up the average. Capt. B. F. Couklin, of Jamesport, says: " Six or 

 seven years ago, in July, the fish iu Gardiner's and Peconic Bays were very fat and made from 12 to 

 15 gallons of oil per thousand." Mr. Henry E. Wells, of D. D. Wells & Sous, says that he began 



