The morning call., 1892-07-11
CAMP IN FULL BLAST AT HUNTERS POINT.

is not sight you can see every day. 1t is
worth your while to put on billed shirt
and take a sketch book and go among them
Just TO see the fun.
The precipitate flight of the Celestial pir-
ates told palmer than so many words that
they had been working an Illegal haul
When the catch is'clean and no young fish
are in sight John Chinaman assumes a
bland, innocent smile and receives you with
great ceremony.
This time he feared the fine and possible
bic imprisonment, and lit ont in short order.
Descending 10 the waters edge through
the deserted camp. THE CALL men found
several plies Of young fish in front of the
boilers. There must have been five tons of
the illegal catch In these piles.
In each of the boilers, too, were seen
thousands Of young fish being scalded by
the bnshel. With the fish were many
shrimps. The catch had not been sorted
over yet, but careful examination showed
that fully twO-thrds of the entire catch
was composed Of young fish.
Among the fish were some whitehall
which the Fish Commissioners claim may
be lawfully caught, but young founder and
sole composed by far the largest portion of
the catch.
The junks evidently had just been I'M
loaded, and only a small part of the cargOes
had reached the boiling tanks. The rest
was In baskets and piles on the shore.
In the mill, where the dried product is
sieyed and sorted into different grades and
put into bags for shipment, several barrels
Of dried young fish were seen and many
suspicious-lo0ki bags.
When The CALL men hal examined
things thoroughly and satisfied themselves
why the Chinese had been in such a hurry
to reach tie top of the surrounding hills, the
artist preceded to make his sketches
All this took good deal OF time, perhaps
the best part of an hour. Meanwhile the
Chinese were peeping out over the rocks on
the hiIltops.
Seeing that the intruders appeared to be
peacefully inclined one OF the boldest Of the
timid MOngoIs advanced slowly toward the
camp.
He advanced slowly and cautiously, and
finally realizing that no arrests were in
tended he came boldly toward the intruder
and peeTed over the artists shoulder. What
he saw on the latter's sketehing-pad seemed
10 re-assure him entirely. and he held up
his two arms and signalled TO his brother
Celestials.
Then he went back to hi. boillng-tank
and resumed work. Questioned by the re-
porter, he could not Ut would not reply in
English.
'Allee lghtee," he kept repeating and
this was all he would say.
One by one some Of the other mOngols
returned TO their work. and soon there WAS
sufficient force on hand 70 tend all the
bOiling-Ianks, TO feed them with the fresh
boiled fish and shrimps TO the drying
grounds.
Rock salt is put in the tanks with the fish
and shrimEs and also great deal of mud
and dirt.
fyou could see how the little yellow fish
pirates cook the shrimps, you would not
relish them so much with your oysters in
the restaurant.
The mud, dirt. slime and seaweed is
boiled with the shTimps as though it were
all an Integral part of the product.
No attempt Is made TO separate the filth
from the food either at the boiling-tanks or
in tie sorting-sheds. Necessarily much of
the dry dirt is lost from the dried or shelled
product as II is sorted and passed over the
sieve. But you do not eat the shelled
shrimls, and no precautions at all are taken
with the others.
An attempt was made to speak with some
OF the Chinese at work, but they all dis
claimed knowledge Of English and were
as mute As clans. The more skittish Of the
pirates did not return to the camp till the
new spapeT men were we'll ont of the way,
and some OF the latter, it is SAID did not
stop running till they reached the Chinese
quarter in San Francisco
The License Collectors report shows that
Il men pay s. 80 a year each for the priv
eye OF catching shrlmps at Hunters Point.
They are divided into two crews, one under
Hung Hop and one led by Quong Lee.
How long will tie Commissioners permit
their Illegal work to continue?
Not much longer, for soon the bay In tn at
vicinity will be entirely depleted OF its
shrlmps and edible fish.