The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1879-01-02

From the s.nF.ness, Bure.in


Of the thousands in this city who pre-
face their meals in the market-places by
consuming dish Of appetizing shrimps,
how few realize the vast amount Of patient
labor expended in securing the inexpen-
sive shell-Ssh so temptingly placed before
them. and ofthose who awkwardly attempt
to twist and pull off the indigestible COW
ering. how many imagine the existence Of
a process whereby the shells may be remov-
ed from tons Of sLrimps almost as quickly
as the Impractical hand can strip q plate
full: Yet it is fact that such a process
has been perfected, and. as usual. where
large profits can be made only by the pay
ment of minimum wages 10 laborers. the
Chinese have secured monor oily Of the bus
mess On the shores of the Bay of San
Francisco over FIVE hundred Cinnamon are
at the present time engaged IN catching
and curing shrimps. The southern por-
ton of the bay seems to be the choice loca-
ton. and b tween South San Francisco
and the Eight-Mi,e House the shrimp
catchers have located in large numbers.
There are six camps on the Protrero side,
near the bone factory, composed of twelve
Der of occupants. skirt the shore between
Butchertown ard Hunters Point. Just
ieyond Hunters Point are two camps Of
thirty Cinnamon each, and at the Eight
Mile House there Is one camp containing
forty Cinnamon. Each camp is little
community of itself. and is governed by a
contractor or boss who conslgns the
cured shrimps to Chinese commission mer-
chants on shares. The contractor. who is
generally the representative Of some firm
in the city, furnishes food and clothing 10
his employees. and the sum PAID as wages
Is consequently very small.
1t would at first thought. in view Of the
stringent fishery laws in force in Calitor-
mia. seem impossible to snare shrimps
without catching a considerable quantity
of small fish. This difficulty is obviated by
selecting point where there is from twelve
to twenty fathoms of water. and sinking
the nets to a level beneath that usually
traversed by fish. II is, OF course, impos-
sible TO avoid entrapping some Of the small.
Ter fish in raising the nets. The nets used
are funnel shaped, and about thirty-six feet
in length. The diameter at the mouth is
eighteen feet, but decreases by gradatioas
to one foot at the lower extremity. The
mesh is usually half-inch on the square
for a distance Of thirty feet from the orr
fee. but is less than a quarter Of an inch
in width from that point to the smaller end.
The time chosen for setting the nets Is
when the tide is coming In, and they are
allowed to remain in the water until after
the ebb. They are then lifted, aud the con-
tents conveyed to land. The camps de-
scribed possess thirty-six boats, and hive
men I s -. CO., o. ~ go .on
"a L I'm as sLr;,,s ., snoi. oat.b i
o',n ..a y. This. 800 Ill hnlj
~. a., go bundrad and tf,v nor,ds each
u.s. s. III IarI;no A. sbr;r,nI o.. nlaceJ
~. 20 ho;I;n,, ~ - ,,;,h So. rnier.
- - IL La;ipd C. ,hort Lals a, hon.
ho'nn sraa,en,l, Snr;nkle5 With coaIss
al. tn, ara ,hnn snr,.ad ON. q, barJ
20. al iaf, 20 r.. al hla.eb c.
,,,!'oi s So a,s he;no, f,.aans,,Iv turned
A. ~, .S,.;r.t;or Of tb;s 80 Tho SHELLS
go .. .ne ~ H.. ~ o;.hs- Jatacbed or IN
sr 49, L." e.. IL "r,oi-aJ non.I;,;o,, as 10 h..
500 on = ra,;,o " a sorce ot Cb;na,ren i
tSan ,,,, ~ ,yorl- tramn;ng tbe beds az
IL. ,',;,h ,La;I. bs,yy wooia,
- ~. ~, go IL nrsr IL. r,ass
si;5;nc, 49, e., ss L. a negro danrer
- - h,,,a;,'s, 49, a.. 80. me
t,a,,,,,;,,, o-ncass Concluded the pisc.l.
t,,a,i.,1, !, mt ;nto :, ,r,nno,y;re,.
- -, az shaIis ara se,,ara,sJ
80, H. r'aat "a ,o-scc,ly a. cha Is fro,,
. ,o, 'N TO- ~, .bres s,,o,,,s N The sen.
- ,hro,,,h ons. of ,lh;ch the wboi,
sbr;,nns arc eIot into a basket. The other
- 30 rSaJ rasnac,;ralv for the
str;,.r cr,sbeJ b, tho tr,mn;n, and The
dsta1b..J hull Tbus dr;ad and skinned
H. sLr;nns no mt !, a bay and cent N
he g.. , fe,, y, ,bar are sb,nne1 IN
Sbina I'm, nw:re, IN The b;g;, ra.e q; tr,ns-
nrt Ton yb;cb makes the art,ele morn
&c a Inxnrv than a commoditv in that
country The expert trade has not proved
nr,Gt,hie. The frat prica ofdried shrimns
n San FRANCHISE il from FIVE 10 eight
cenis ner pound A sack containing 80
nounds Of the undried article will produce
.rom eigh, 10 Ten pounds after the driving
process BEFORE curing. the spot price Of
sIrmps is from two 20 three and half
cents per Mound Delivered 10 restaurants
the price i five cents per pound. The
PRINCIPAL camps of Cinnamon are in the
interior towns. where the shrimps com
mand a high figure. and when made into
soup are esteemed dainty dish.
The broken sbrimps. whose segregation
has been alluded 10 are ground into a
course aonr. which rataiIs al three TO four
cents per ponnd. A use has also been dis
covered for the shells. and they are ship
ped exclusively 10 China. There tLey are
valuable as manure. and as a poison to
the worm which works such destruction TO