74 SHELL-FISH COMMISSIONERS’ REPORT. [Jan., 
. 
not been changed by the act of 1881, further than in deter- 
mining the southern limit of town jurisdiction. 
The law forbids the working of a dredge on the public 
beds, weighing more than thirty pounds without the bag. 
Until within a few years dredges were drawn only by sail 
vessels. About fifteen years ago, Mr. Peter Decker of 
Norwalk first introduced steam for this work, and his suc- 
cess was so great that others followed his example, and 
now a dozen or more steamers are engaged in the business ; 
and the number is increasing. The superiority of steam- 
ers over sail vessels in all departments of the oyster bus- 
iness clearly asserts itself, as in all other industries. For 
deep-water cultivation steamers are indispensable. They 
save time and labor, and enable the growers to work at 
times and in places and ways that no sail vessels would 
attempt; and they are destined to become an essential fac- 
tor in the future development und extension of the oyster 
trade of the State. Most, if not all, of the work on private 
beds in the Sound is done by the aid of the steamers. A 
medium-sized sail vessel with three men will dredge up 
about twenty-five bushels of oysters in a day; while a 
medium-sized steamer with only one man more will take 
twenty times as many. It has been estimated that twenty- 
eight steamers with eighty-four men could do all the 
dredging now done by two hundred and twenty-four sail 
vessels with six hundred and seventy-two men. The 
rapid increase inthe number of steamers naturally alarmed 
the sail men, and a controversy arose between them and the 
advocates of steam about dredging on public beds, which 
was carried into the legislature last year. A hearing was 
had before the Committee on Fisheries, and two reports 
were made; a majority report, in favor of the steamers, and 
a minority report in favor of the sail vessels. The latter 
report was adopted by the Assembly, and a law was passed 
excluding steamers from all natural beds, but permitting 
them on all other grounds. Previous to the passage of 
this act a Compromise law, so called, was in force, which 
allowed all classes of vessels to dredge upon the Bridge- 
port bed and all natural beds to the eastward, but excluded 
steamers from all natural beds to the westward. 
