This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.
Transcription: [00:12:09]
{SPEAKER name="William Bourne"}
I'd say around, 70, 75.
[00:12:14]
{SPEAKER name="Shelia Montague Parker"}
Okay. And now, how many is it?
[00:12:18]
{SPEAKER name="William Bourne"}
They look tall, probably eight of them that are black.
[00:12:23]
{SPEAKER name="Shelia Montague Parker"}
Eight?
{SPEAKER name="William Bourne"}
Mm-hmm. [positive]
{SPEAKER name="Shelia Montague Parker"}
And how many Mexicans is it?
[00:12:26]
{SPEAKER name="William Bourne"}
Fifteen.
{SPEAKER name="Shelia Montague Parker"}
Fifteen?
{SPEAKER name="William Bourne"}
Mm-hmm. [positive]
[00:12:31]
{SPEAKER name="Shelia Montague Parker"}
What's the, the atmosphere, the morale like? Is it like a family-type atmosphere, or do you just come in and do your job and go home? Is that- or,
[00:12:41]
{SPEAKER name="William Bourne"}
Well, you come, we shuck about a gallon or a pound.
Or rather, still a gallon-- it used to be shucking by the pound. And you'd come, grab a bucket and you'd go to work.
{SPEAKER name="Shelia Montague Parker"}
Mm-hmm.
{SPEAKER name="William Bourne"}
And uh, 12 o'clock gonna be ???
{SPEAKER name="Shelia Montague Parker"}
Mm-hmm.
[00:13:02]
{SPEAKER name="Shelia Montague Parker"}
Why do you shuck by pounds now, and not the gallons?
{SPEAKER name="William Bourne"}
Ah, why, because we work that way. [Chuckles]
{SPEAKER name="Shelia Montague Parker"}
[[Chuckles]]. Okay.
[00:13:10]
{SPEAKER name="Shelia Montague Parker"}
Ah, what's the conversation? Do you guys talk, sing, what? [[William Bourne clears his throat.]] Or there's no conversation?
[00:13:17]
{SPEAKER name="William Bourne"}
Mostly talk, but it's all. When we used to shuck, how
To then be, went and, left town, left ties, and shuck less.
[00:13:35]
{SPEAKER name="Shelia Montague Parker"}
Is the oysters plentiful now?
{SPEAKER name="William Bourne"}
No.
{SPEAKER name="Shelia Montague Parker"}
They're not as plentiful now?
{SPEAKER name="William Bourne"}
[interrupting] No [with emphasis]
{SPEAKER name="Shelia Montague Parker"}
As they was?
[00:13:39]
{SPEAKER name="Shelia Montague Parker"}
Why was that?
{SPEAKER name="William Bourne"}
Well, I don't know. They died out.
{SPEAKER name="Shelia Montague Parker"}
Mm-hmm.
{SPEAKER name="William Bourne"}
I don't know the reason, but they died out.
[00:13:48]
{SPEAKER name="Shelia Montague Parker"}
Do you think that's because you shuck year-round now?
{SPEAKER name="William Bourne"}
No, uh.
[00:13:53]
{SPEAKER name="William Bourne"}
No, I don't think that.I think it's just um, I think it's got something to do with the fertilizer stuff we use on the farm. They want to wash that into the water.
[00:14:07]
{SPEAKER name="Shelia Montague Parker"}
Oh [listening]
{SPEAKER name="William Bourne"}
I think it has something to do with the oysters and plants bleaching. [?]
[00:14:14]
{SPEAKER name="Shelia Montague Parker"}
Mm-hmm. Who taught you how to shuck oysters?
[00:14:17]
{SPEAKER name="William Bourne"}
Myself. [Laughs.]
{SPEAKER name="Shelia Montague Parker"}
You taught yourself?
{SPEAKER name="William Bourne"}
At least look out for other people. There got to be old people.
[00:14:24]
My father, he still oystered. And he'd bring them home, and he would shuck them and we'd watch him, then we'd take him like a class and start it up.
[00:14:33]
{SPEAKER name="Shelia Montague Parker"}
How long did it take you to catch on?
{SPEAKER name="William Bourne"}
Well, just about a half a day.
[00:14:38]
{SPEAKER name="Shelia Montague Parker"}
Yeah, okay. Who's the fastest shucker at the Oyster House? Clam or oyster shucker.
[00:14:44]
{SPEAKER name="William Bourne"}
Hadley.
{SPEAKER name="Shelia Montague Parker"}
Harry?
{SPEAKER name="William Bourne"}
Yeah.
[00:14:50]
{SPEAKER name="Shelia Montague Parker"}
His wife Christine is also there. How fast is she?
{SPEAKER name="William Bourne"}
She, she's faster than I'm fast.
{SPEAKER name="Shelia Montague Parker"}
Okay. [[Laughs]]
{SPEAKER name="William Bourne"}
Yeah.
{SPEAKER name="Shelia Montague Parker"}
Which-
{SPEAKER name="William Bourne"}
Also brought his mixed daughter up.
{SPEAKER name="Shelia Montague Parker"}
Her daughter?
{SPEAKER name="William Bourne"}
Yeah, she learns fast.
[00:15:02]
{SPEAKER name="Shelia Montague Parker"}
Okay. Uh, how fast are you?
[00:15:05]
{SPEAKER name="William Bourne"}
Well, I used to be fast.
{SPEAKER name="Shelia Montague Parker"}
Okay.
{SPEAKER name="William Bourne"}
With my age, but now I'm slow. The older you get, slower you shuck.
[00:15:15]
{SPEAKER name="Shelia Montague Parker"}
Okay. How about, say, dampness of the Oyster House affected you health-wise? Or... Does that pose a problem for you?
{SPEAKER name="William Bourne"}
Well, yes.
[00:15:24]
{SPEAKER name="William Bourne"}
Off right, I'll be alright then.
[00:15:29]
{SPEAKER name="Shelia Montague Parker"}
Who were some of your, um. Who were some of the other shuckers there, besides yourself? Black shuckers.
[00:15:35]
{SPEAKER name="William Bourne"}
Hadley, Bill Gate, Theresa Wolf. Uh, Jodette.
[00:15:47]
{SPEAKER name="William Bourne"}
[[Pause.]] That's about all there is of the black ones.
[00:15:53]
{SPEAKER name="Shelia Montague Parker"}
Okay. Uh, women. Uh, okay, that's the oyster shuckers.
{SPEAKER name="William Bourne"}
Yeah.
[00:15:57]
{SPEAKER name="Shelia Montague Parker"}
Okay. Is it the same pay for men as it is for women?
{SPEAKER name="William Bourne"}
Yeah.
{SPEAKER name="Shelia Montague Parker"}
Mm-kay.
[00:16:04]
{SPEAKER name="Shelia Montague Parker"}
Who'd usually keep count of your, of the amount- of the amount of oysters you shuck?
[00:16:11]
{SPEAKER name="Shelia Montague Parker"}
Is it you or it is a time-keeper, or
{SPEAKER name="William Bourne"}
No, a timekeeper keeps it.
[00:16:15]
{SPEAKER name="Shelia Montague Parker"}
Okay. Is the timekeeper black, or white, or Mexican?
{SPEAKER name="William Bourne"}
Mexican.
{SPEAKER name="Shelia Montague Parker"}
Mm-hmm. Okay.
[00:16:23]
{SPEAKER name="Shelia Montague Parker"}
Um, are there many young people there?
[00:16:28]
{SPEAKER name="William Bourne"}
Well, no. I don't know how old the next one is, 'cause they haven't been there often
[00:16:36]