, 1885-09-01
\ soMgMaAr uNlouE lNpusraY.
Thp Princess Of Catching and Canning The
Harl-sheIl Grab

Hard-sheil Graz
.~staunt1n wal Spectator
On the south bank OF Hampton river
nearly opposite Gen Armstrong;
school, Mr.. McMcnamin put in piles to
support his factory, over $50 feet long,
forty TO seventy wide, and lust
high enough to escape inconvenience
from high tide. Hampton, at tho be-
ginning Of tho war, deserted by the
whites, was at once crowded with the
c%ontraband. 1t is their aradise now.
II Is ust the kind OF labor he desired,
always abundant, reliable and cheap.
Providing q small tug and do Gus Of
tho canoes or pugs, holding, say, 100
bushels OF crabs or less, the ordinary
small cord, smaller than a bed -co-d,
with short lines Of a foot, at close in
t%eryals, looped 10 it, 600 or 200 feet
long, anchored at both ends, M marked
with a buoy and ha ted at intervals with
tripe, he was ready for the catch. The
tug starts out about > in the morning
with his squadron of pugs, and they
drop of al the lines. reaching. say, for
miles around through the mouth OF the
river, the Point and contiguous waters.
Each pug, with our persons, one to
row, the others taking up the first end
Of the line, dexterously slips under the
crabs rs they near the surface n small
hand.net, holding on most tenaeiously,
as they do until out Of tho water, drop
into it, and are speedily shoyeled into
the boat. As it is relieved Of its tooth
some treasure 1t falls back, and is
ready for repeating this process next
morning, some rebaiting with tripe be-
ing attended TO. When tho lines arc
gone over the tugs return, gathering in
his conveys at every step. Moored
around the factory, with their sluirm-
ing loads, the earliest return possible to
the factory is desired, so that the great
steam chest at the end of the factory in
the water may at once receive, say / 900
bushels at once shoyeled in.
Here, thoroughly ooo-ed, they are
distributed to the phalanx OF colored
biddies, in their white turbans and
white sleeves, each with n yellow porce-
lain BIO holding, ray two gallons.
Round tables in rows, with a hole of n
foot in the center, under which half
barrels are placed into which the refuse
is swept, arc provided. Eight stand
around, armed with a small knife OF
fork. As soon as the steamed mass is
cooled, by the pipe carrying cool water
which is run over it, work begins. The
process is one requiring skill and dex-
terity. Near the center Of the room,
inside Of u railing. n stern and conse-
quential copper olored dame, who in
countenanee and would have
charmed q { aligula or Nero, presides at
n pair Of scales. The meat Is conveyed
into a separate apartment, where the
one and two-pound cans are filled. The
day before our visit 1000 two-pound
cans were filed.
The sealing the little circular top,
with a grating soldering iron, in the
hands Of the expert, was very interest
ing. Yet il was more so to see n crane,
like hosting a block of stone of tons in
weight, lifting tons of cans into the
steam-chost for tho second cooking.
Then to see them lifted out and put in a
big hOgshead, and cold water from the
spout rapidly poured over them to cool,
as by a few moments too long exposure
thoy would scorch. Tho putting on the
handsome labels, packing, etc, is next,
and here is IN interesting mention; all
who have eaten this food know
il is always served in the pretty shells
this popular c%rustacoan always carries,
until he gets too big for his breaches,
puts on airs, and wants to grow, then
he manages by the tallest sort of wrig-
Cling to creep out, and is longer or
shorter en- dishabille. and is then the
soft crab. But, We were going on to
say, the shell is very carefully cleaned,
dried and boxed, and so many boxes Of
shells 60 with so many boxes of cans,
and tn grocer sends with his sales as
many as his customer wants gratuit-
ously.