610 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES. 



Dennis, South Yarmouth, South Harwich, East Harwich, North Dennis, Brewster, and Nantucket. 

 These dories employed about two hundred and fifty men, half of whom belonged in Dennisport. 



The history of this fishery is this : About 1870 Mr. Joshua Pierce discovered the sea clams in 

 the neighborhood of a wreck, outside the port. That winter Mr. Pierce, accompanied by another 

 man went again to the spot and brought in a large number of the clams. The next year there 

 were eight boats engaged. Thus the business has continued to grow until the winter of 1876-'77, 

 when the zenith seems to have been reached with a product of 3,000 barrels. Since then there 

 has been a decrease, due, it is said (no doubt properly) to overfishing, and not throwing back the 

 very small ones ; and no exact report of the present diminished yield is available. 



Out of the whole number of men employed, some fifty hire dory and gear, paying an eighth 

 of the amount made. Of the rest, many buy dories and gear, paying a dollar or two on them 

 from week to week until all has been paid. The rakes in use are made of iron, with wooden 

 handles from 20 to 27 feet long; they have seventeen to twenty-five teeth, and cost $5 to $8. 

 Most of the raking is done in water 8 feet deep at ebb tide, but sometimes the men go into very 

 deep water, trying once, and often twice each day. Dealers on shore pay from 25 to 28 cents a 

 bushel for the catch. 



The clams are sold almost wholly as bait for the bank fisheries, and therefore must be opened 

 and packed in barrels for shipment to Cape Cod ports, Boston, Swaiopscott, Rockport, Gloucester, 

 Portsmouth, Newport, New York and New London ; for the last two years three-fourths of the 

 whole have been sent to Boston. In 1877-'78, thirty men were employed in opening the clams, 

 but in 1878-'79 only twenty found work, and were paid at the rate of 10 cents a bushel. Barrels 

 are made chiefly by two men, one in Dennisport and the other in West Dennis, and cost from 50 

 to 75 cents each. In the fall it takes 16 bushels of clams to fill a barrel with " meats," in the 

 spring only about 12 bushels, showing considerable rapidity of growth in the mollusks during the 

 winter. Cartage and transportation add 60 cents, so that in Boston the actual cost of a barrel 

 of sea-clams, calculated as above, will be about $5.75; the price last year was actually $6. The 

 year 1873 saw it at the highest, $9. In addition to this, the shells are sold at 5 cents a wagon- 

 load for road- ma king. 



At West Dennis, also, is a small business employing, according to Mr. True, twenty-five men, 

 and yielding about 400 barrels. 



Mr. True estimates the capital invested in this fishery on Cape Cod in the following manner, but 

 apparently refers to the year 1877, in the item " 3,000 barrels," since not so many are used now 

 perhaps not more than 2,000 : 



240 dories, at $8 $1,920 



250 rakes, at $7 1,750 



Gear (anchors, &c.), at $3 to a dory 720 



34 shanties, at $50 1,700 



3,000 barrels, at 60 cents 1,800 



Fuel, repairs, &c., at least 110 



$8, 000 



To the above may be added perhaps $2,000 as representing the capital in use in the " South 

 Village," making $10,000 for the whole. 



At this point, for want of a better place, I may insert the following bit of information as to 

 the law of Massachusetts (1867) " concerning clam-bait :" 



" CHAP. 347, SEC. 1. When clam-bait is sold by the barrel it shall be construed to mean a 

 fish-barrel of not more than 29 nor less than 28 gallons, and shall contain 26 gallons of clams and 

 not over 3 gallons of pickle. If a disagreement arises between the purchaser and seller respect- 



