THE COAST FISHERIES OF TEXAS. — 375 
the last decade. The building of the Mexican National Railway (nar- 
row gauge) from Corpus Christi to Laredo, in 1880, opened up a Mex- 
ican market for the fish and oysters taken in the vicinity of the former 
place. Then came the construction of the San Antonio and Aransas 
Pass Railway from San Antonio to Corpus Christi, and its extension a 
few years later to Aransas Bay, which facilitated the shipping of fish 
from those two places to the North and West. But the abandonment 
of those two ports by the Morgan Steamship Line counteracted some- 
what the advantages gained by the railroad connections. The shipping 
facilities of Matagorda Bay have greatly declined since 1880. When 
this port was abandoned by the Morgan line of steamers the trade with 
Galveston almost entirely ceased. 
The manufacture of ice has also greatly benefited the fisheries. On 
the shores of Sabine Lake, Galveston Bay, Aransas Bay, and Corpus 
Christi Bay there are establishments for ice manufacture, and the prod- 
uct can now be obtained in car-load lots at from $3 to $8 per ton, at 
any railroad station on the coast. 
THE FISHERMEN. 
The number of men engaged constantly in the fisheries of this State 
in 1890 was 819, the number who fished for a portion of the time only 
was 286, and 172 men were employed in the marketing houses and 
canneries, making a total of 1,277. In 1880 the number of professional 
fishermen was reported to be 291; the semi-professional, 200; the men 
on shore, 110; a total of 601. 
Only a small portion of the Texas fishermen were born in America; 
they are chiefly natives of Italy, Sicily, Greece, Austria, and Mexico. 
Of the native fishermen a large portion were of foreign parentage. A 
much greater proportion of native Americans is engaged in taking 
oysters than in the seine fishery. The negroes along the coast do not 
engage in fishing, except in a small way from the wharves with cast 
nets, lines, etc. 
The fishermen as a rule are not familiar with other occupations: 
Many of them have inherited their vocations by direct descent for many 
generations. Prior to their coming to Texas some have fished for the 
markets of Palermo, Naples, or Athens, or have supplied fish at such 
Mexican towns as Vera Cruz, Tampico, or Soto la Marina. As a class 
they_are independent in their manners and habits, but are nearly 
always poor and unthrifty. Their life while on a fishing trip is very 
rough. The hard, rounding floor of the cabin, with a blanket over it, 
serves as a bed. The provisions, while usually plentiful, are of the 
plainest, consisting chiefly of salt meat, bread, hard-tack, onions and 
garlic, potatoes, and coffee. The cabin floor serves as a table. The 
cooking is generally done on a small stove or by an open fire in a pot, 
and one of the crew attends to that work without extra pay. 
