Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-07-21
ABALONE STORIES.
Where They Found "A Little Shoe-The
Ghost of a Chinaman, Etc.

San Francisco Correspondence New York Trbune
There is a saloon on kearney street, San
Francisco, which keeps in a showcase an aba
lone shell. 1t is large, about the size Of q
mans two outspread hands, and in the center q
mass OF pearly accretiOns takes the shape Of a
baby's shoe. The story is that years ago q
little child in Marin county wandered down TO
the beach, slipped IN between the rocks, and
was caught by the cruel molusk. which closed
against the tiny shoe and gripped il close 10
the rock. Years alter, wh,n every one but the
mother had forgotten the story, and she sat by
the hroside with grown-up daughters about
her, some abalone fisher found the curious
she'll snd put II on exhibition in the window of
his cabin. There the mother saw it, and
hastening 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 present uttered a cry Of surprise. 80 start
ling was the Resemblance. Afterward q chemist
cut deftly into the bright nacre of the mass
and found traces of leather wrapped in its
shining folds. There the lost baby's little shoe
lies hidden and changed to pearl
DROWNED CHIsAMAS.
The Chinese and Italian fishermen who live
on the sand aoored bays of the mighty cliffs OF
the coast from Cape Mendocino southwark TO
Point Conception know the abslone thoroughly,
and they never despise the muscular grip OF q
large one. They carry pointed bars of iron
with which to pry them off the rocks at low
tide; they cut the m out of the half-sheIl, for
the abalone is ''uniyalve mollurk" to use
the phrase of the professor of natural history,
and they broil them tor dinner or dry them for
market. But they seldom venture to stoop in
a cramped position down the rock creyices to
pluck giant abalone from his hold without
having the iron handy. Three or four times
the body of a drowned fisherman, who tried
that once too often, has been swept ashore q
day or two later, when the mollusk released its
hold Once. down at Point sur, q Chinaman
was drowned in this way. aud the rest OF the
hshers in the village of black huts under the
yellow cliff deserted the place within q week
They said that the ghost Of the dead China
man had turned into an abalone and would
seek another and another victim until the last
OF his comrades were dead / rode BIZ that day
with friend and saw them pile the dead
Chinaman's clothes and belongings on the
beach and burn them. Then they put sign
have heard, no Chinaman has ever since yen-
tured to fish in that cove.
POLISHED ABALoSE SHELLS
and ornaments made from the buttons M
pear" which every large shell contains, are
very common in California, but one sees little
in these DAYS of the old native Californian use
of them saddles and brides. II q vaquero
were too poor to sport pounds OF silver ON
bride 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
ar soap dishes, and candle holders Up and
down the coast. in willow copses or set in seas
of tule, are the ancient Kitchen Middens"
where, mingled with clam and oyster shells,
broken aDalone shells often form the greater
part OF the Vast mound of debris. Inland, too.
in the valleys where Indians once lived sbelone
shells art found. carried there ages ago. The
abalone must have been one Of the principal
food resources Of The California sea coast In
dams, aud was probably exchanged by them
for the acorns and pine nuts gathered by the
Indians Of the interior.
FAST DIsAPPEARINa.
The abalone is fast disappearing. The China
man has conquered. The profits Of the modest
nollusk, when dried and shipped TO China for
the soup of the rich merchants aud high official
oIgnitaries of the empire. are 90 great that he
is pursued summer aud winter and thousands
OF tons of him have been dried, sacked and
shipped away There are but few large aba
ZONES left One can find waye-worn shells on
the beach or in the deep limestone caves tina.
are larger than any now obtained You viii
suli find thousands OF about the size and shape
Of a gentlemans watch crystal, but the shells
that eight inches across only turn up as
rare intervals and are much sought for by coli
ectors and jewelers., who know their beauty
when polished There are two sorts Of abalonee
On the California coast, one black on the out
hide, tie other red When this outer shell IN
ground partly through the effect 10 either black
DR. red, Ms the case may lie, on pearly ground
The abalone pins and sleeve buttons that con-
lain green or blue shades come from the pearl
buttons in the biack-backed abalone vhils
hose that contain silvery and gray tints coma