THE OYSTER INDUSTRY OF MARYLAND. 
269 
“steam box,” to the shucking shed. As soon as a car is filled with oysters (in the shell) it is run into 
the steam chest, a rectangular oak box, 15 to 20 feet long, lined with sheet iron, and fitted with appli- 
ances for turning on steam ; the doors, which work vertically and shut closely, are let down, the steam 
admitted, and the oysters left for ten or fifteen minutes. The chest is then opened and the car run 
into the shucking room, its place in the chest being immediately occupied by another car. In the 
shucking sheds the cars are surrounded by the shuckers, each provided with a knife and a can arranged 
so as to hook to the upper bar of the iron frame- work of the car. The steaming having caused the 
oyster shells to open more or less widely, there is no difficulty in getting out the meats, and the cars 
are very rapidly emptied. The oysters are then washed in ice water and transferred to the “fillers’ 
table.” The cans are filled, packed in a cylindrical iron crate or basket, and lowered into a large cylin- 
drical kettle, called the “process kettle,” or “tub,” where they are again steamed ; after this they are 
placed, crate and all, in the “cooling tub,” and when sufficiently cool to be handled the cans are taken 
to the soldering table and there “capped” — that is, hermetically closed. From the “cappers” they are 
transported to another department, labeled, and packed in boxes for shipment. The whole steaming 
process will not occupy more than an hour from the time the oysters leave the vessel until they are 
ready for shipment. 
Tlie shuckers usually work in gangs of 6 or 8 persons, comprising sometimes 
whole families of men, women, and children. They number about 4,000, ranging in 
ages from 12 to 60 years, and are mostly women and children, the work being light 
and peculiarly adapted to them. They are mainly of foreign parentage, Germans and 
Austrians predominating. Few scenes are more interesting than those observed on 
a visit to the shucking room of any one of the large canning-houses. At one end the 
cars of steaming-hot oysters are received ; and as these are arranged in long rows 
covering the length of the room the shuckers, to the number of 600 or more in some 
houses, dressed in their peculiar ways, surround the cars and with rapidly working 
knives and skill born of long experience they hastily remove the yet-steaming oysters. 
While the air is full of the hubbub of foreign tongues as each shucker discusses with 
her neighbor the petty ambitions or jealousies entertained, or relates the latest bit of 
domestic gossip, nothing is allowed even for a moment to stop the rapid working of 
their knives. Sometimes during the busy season, even before daylight, these employes 
may be seen surrounding the doors of the canning-houses, waiting for the day’s work 
to commence. They are extremely industrious, and hundreds of small dwelling-houses 
have been purchased in Baltimore with money obtained by the women and children 
at work in the oyster-houses. 
The shucking is done into a tin cup, known legally as the “ oyster gallon cup,” 
which holds 9 pints wine measure. The shuckers are paid at the rate of 6 cents per 
“cup,” averaging about 65 cents per day, the total wages paid them amounting to 
about $80,000 annually. 
About 600 other persons are employed about the canning-houses, of whom about 
three-flfths are men. These employes are paid from $5 to $25 per week, the total 
wages amounting to about $90,000 annually. The largest item of expense in the 
canning-houses outside of the cost of the oysters is the purchase of tin, labels, etc., 
this amounting to about $315,000 annually. The incidental expenses amount to about 
$25,000 annually. These items make the total cost of handling a bushel of oysters in 
the canning-houses about 29 cents, which is about 4 cents per bushel more than the 
expense of handling them in the raw-shucking establishments. 
The cost of the oysters for the canning trade has averaged during each of the 
last four seasons 43, 55, 48, and 54 cents, respectively. Each bushel produces about 
50 ounces of “solid meats.” These are packed in 1-pound and 2-pound cans and 
cans of miscellaneous sizes, most of the latter being a trifle larger than the 1-pound 
