The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-12-13

tHe 1lc OedS, While III Tic IrlSlu IT,
gion Of the Pole Cliquot frappe was
stored. $500.
RAKING eUT CLANS. u
Hew TheS are Harvested at the
Head of Cape Island Sound.
Correspondence Cape May Wave.l
We saw CLAIMS caught for the first time
few days ago. With Meszs. Joseph
Ware, eur Ex-Mayor, and his brother
Maskel we drove up to the head of Cape
Island Sound, half a mile beyond Life
Saving Station No. 80. on Poverty Beach.
We stabbed the horse in an immense hol-
low scooped out by the winds behind the
sand hills bordering the sea. Provided
with gum boots reaching the thigh and
clam-rakes, a tool with four curved
prongs On the end of an eight-foot han
die, we waded out on the soft mud Of the
fiat, left dry by the receded tide, and
drawing the rake lightly through the
mud the clans are found about anineh
below the surface, where they lie edge
wise, with hinge part down and mouth
to the surface.
They are very abundant, for every few
drags Of the rake dislodges one and he is
put in a basket alongside Of you, and
when filled you wade into the channel
flowing near and rinse and shake the
basket in the stream to wash off the soft
Shiny mud with which they are covered.
We caught nearly -four barrel full in
the three or four hours; the fiat was
bare, and seven other fishermen in sight.
Mr.. ii. Hand was raking near us, his ele-
giant little batteau, with complete sail
and outfit lying near him, in the shallow
channeL and into which he emptied his
catch after washing them. He. took 297
clans in the couple of hours he raked.
Your correspondent never saw one
taken before, although visiting Or resid-
ing here lifetime. Supposing they
were taken with fy-bait and rod and rec, +,
like pickerel or trout, from the bank, we
only put On pair Of low gum shoes over
an ordinary leather boot and on reach
ing the grounds had to stand on the mud
dy edge of the bank and watch our com
panions take them in. Mayor Ware BE-
ing an invalid soon gave out exhausted,
and we donned his gum thigh boots and
taking the rake, he put on our foot, cov-
ering. ..-....... ..-......
Refreshed by a rest and lunch he got
anxious to Join in the sport, and the first
thing we knew he was wading off through
the soft, black mud, sinking to his knees
at every step, and was beside us asking
for the rake. If you stand long in one
place you sink to the knee, and on with
drawing the foot your gum boot would
come off, SO fercely does the mire suck
you down. Consequently soon my Sun.
day boots were showed under, and our
worthy ex-official was foundering around
in his stocking feet or foot, for he did
manage to keep one boot half on but
never a bit did he care, but he fshed
away until again exhausted, when it took
both of us to get him ashore through the
treacherous mire.
His strength gave out, but not his love
for sport, for he dragged out several
CLANS as we buoyed him ashore. After
catching all we wanted we adjourned to
the wagon, and with the sharpest appe-
tites enjoyed our bourAiful lunch Of
pressed corn beef, cold toast, cheese,
mince pie, bread and butter, cakes and
demijohn of water, for, although as the
old song says, there is "water, water,
everywhere" there is mot drop to
drink" and you have to carry drinking
water on every trip to the sound. In the
reeds alongside Of the sounds, on the
bank left dry every tide, we found great
luscious Cape May salt oysters, "coon
oysters they are called, being natural
growth waited here as seed oysters when
young and not plentiful enough to be
much sought after. -; .-.
They attain large size in three or four
years, and they were most delightful eat
ing. Our inexperienced eyes did not de-
tect them, for they lie buried down be-
meath the mud, with only an inch Of the
sharp-edged shell of the mouth exposed,
and never knowing the habit of the ami
NAL, we walked over many this trip and
on other rambles, not realizing the feast
at our very feet. With jack-knives and
the wagon tire we opened and RECALLED
ourselves upon them as long as ones
hands and as fat as pork. Arriving home,
we divided our plunder, and such lus-
cious soups, clam stews, chowders and
fritters as they supplied us for many days
it is appetizing even to think about.
None need die of hunger at Cape May,
for within mile of our hotels a child
even can walk on the flats or the bank
and get her enough Of these fine clans or
oysters every day, all the year, to sus-
tain life in the largest family. 1t is
strictly the case, as friend Mark Scull
says, a man "can live the easiest and die
the poorest at Cape May than on any
other spot in the known world"
The funeral of Basil M. Yates, at
NJ III n n