The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1890-10-25
AsALons STORIES.
where They Found Little shoe = The
Grip OF the Univaive.

San Francisco. says letter from that
city to the N. Y Tribune. which keeps
in showcase an abalone shell. II Is
large. about the size OF a mans two
outsprcad hands. aud In the center
mass of pearly accretions take the
shape Of baby's shoe. The story Is
that years ago little child In Marion
county wandered down to the beach.
slipped In between the rocks. and was
caught by the cruel mollusk. which
closed against the tiny shoe and
gripped IL close 10 the rock. Years
after. when every one but the mother
had forgotten the story. and she sat
BY the Preside with grown-up daugh-
tiers about her. some abalone fisher
found the curious shell and put IL on
exhibition in the window Of his cabin.
There the mother saw IL. and. hasten
ing forward. brought the other little
shoe. which she had found cast up by
the tide on that dreadful day when she
sought up and down the beach in vain
for her child. They placed II beside the
wrinkled shell. and every one uttered
cry of surprise. SO startling was the
resemblance. Afterward chemist
cut deity into the bright nacre Of the
mass and found traces of leather
wrapped In It's shining folds. There
the lost baby's little shoe lies hidden
and changed to pearl.
The Chinese aud Italian fishermen
who live on sand-doored bays Of the
mighty cliffs OF the coast from Cape
Mendocino southwark TO Point Con-
ception know the abalone thoroughly,
aud they never despise the muscular
grip of "A large one. They carry point
cd bars OF iron with which TO pry them
off the rocks at low tide; they cut them
out of the half-shell. for the abalone Is
"A 'univalve mollusk." TO use the
phase of the professor Of natural histo-
~. and they broi them for dinner or
dry them for market. But they seldom
venture TO stoop in cramped position
down the rockcrevices 10 pluck giant
abalone from his hold without having
he iron handy. Three or four times
the body of drowned fisherman. who
tried that once too often. has been
swept ashore day or two later when
the mollusk released its hold. Once,
down nj Point Sur. Chinaman was
drowned in this way, aud the rest oil
the fishers In the village of black huts
under the yellow cliff deserted the
place within week. They said that
the ghost OF the dead Chinaman had
turned into m abalone and would seek
another and another victim until the
last OF his comrades were dead. i
rode by that day with friend and saw
them pile the dead Chinaman's clothes
aud belongings on the beach and burn
them. Then they put sign in Chinese
on the top of the cliff. and. as / have
heard. no Chinaman has ever since
ventured to fish in that cove.
Polished abalone shells and orna-
ments made from the buttons OF
pearl" which every large shell con-
tains are very common In California,
but one sees little In these days Of the
old native Californian use Of them on
saddles and brides. IL a vaqucro
were too poor to sport pounds of silver
on bridle-rein and saddle leather he
could at least wear abalone buttons.
polished by hand. The shells, too,
were carried far inland, and used on
hundreds OF ranches for such homely
purposes as soap-dishes and candle
holders. Up and down the coast. in
willow copses. or set In seas OF tule.
are the ancient Kitchen Middensm
where. mingled with clam and oyster
shells, broken abalone shells often
form the greater part Of the vast
mound of debris. Inland. too. in the
valleys where Indians once lived,
abalone shells are found. carried there
ages ago. The abalone must have been
one of the principal food-resources of
the California seacoast Indians. and
was probably exchanged by them for
the acorns and pinenuts gathered by
the Indians OF the interior.
The abalone is fast disappearing.
The Chinaman has conquered. The
profits Of the modest mollusk. when
dried and shipped to China for the soup
OF the rich merchants and high official
dignitaries of the empire. are so great
that he is pursued summer and winter.
and thousands of tons OF him have
been dried. sacked. and shipped away.
There are but few large abalones left.
One can find wave-worn shells on the
beach or In the deep limestone caves
that are larger than any now obtained.
You will still find thousands OF about
the size and shape OF gentleman's
watch crystal, but the shells that arc
eight inches across only turn up ut
rare intervals and are much sought
for by collectors and jewellers who
know their beauty when polished.
Their are two sorts of abalones on tho
California coast, one black on the out
side, the other red. When this outer
she'll Is ground partly through the Of
feet Is either black or red, as tho case
may be. on pearly ground. The
abalone pins and sleeye-buttons that