Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1894-04-07
HOW CLANS ARE DUG.
"cHucciNGv FOR THE succuLENT
HivALvE IN PARkgRTowN.

u Given 20 the rnsnariag OF the ni-
vsisaiar Arissscrss frrm His maddy
Hems al the Bossom sf tAs River.
Parkertown cannot be found on the man.
DO matter how much you look, vet, 20 uss
the expressive words Of an old ciammer.
.there are $50 votes and 800 fights" In that
little village nestled under the red clay
Dliffs Of ths New Jersey highlands on the
banks of the Shrewsbury river Way
back In the first half Of this century, when
the outlet of the Shrewsbury river, instead
Of being into Sandy Hook hay. Was through
stretch of low ground or beach that sep-
arated the river from the Atlantic ocean,
there was a bar running out from the
mainland TO the beach. The remains of
this bar have served sz foundation ON
which the hardy cIammers have buils
their cottages. There II quite n little vii
lsge, and as ciamming pays pretty hand
some profits, most of the cottages are sup
piled with the comforts Of civilization.
Whole families are engaged In catching.
''shucking,. stringing or packing CLANS
down In this amphibious village. The
sons follow In the footsteps Of their fa-
theirs. marry settle down, rear children
and live over again the simple, fighting
lives Of their ancestors. The oldest inhab-
liant does not remember when the Parkcrs
did not catch clans and fight out their
quarrels with natures weapons. Yet they
are simple folk, pleased to extend hos
pitality toward a stranger, and, for people
who get their living from the water, hard
working and saving.
The season for clans begins In March
and ends the last Of June, and as clans
are plentiful the clammers are happy and
contented. A man has to be extrnoriinn-
rily lazy or slow not to make from e. to
$3.50 a day. and the labor rule Of eight
hours is a long one with him.
Out In the little harbor or pulled up ON
the beach In front Of the village are the
row and sail boats. Right after breakfast
and the folks In Pnrkertown eat break
fast ut time when ths city workingman
Is thinking about getting up--the clammtr
starts for his boat. He takes down his
oars, rakes, hoes and nets, with "a smack
10 satisfy his cravings II he gets hungry
out on the water before o'clock dinner.
The rakea are queer looking tools TO a
landsman. There are two kinds On tie
stern OF every boat is crosspiece, ON
which the long rakes, with a thirty foot
pole. rest. They are something like .
garden rake, only the teeth are longer and
curved sharply, 80 that they will bite into
the mud at the bottom Of the river. They
work like a pair Of scissors. The short
rakes are only about fourteen feet long
and, with the hoes, are used In shallow
water. The rake itself In about three feet
long. II made Of iron or steel and In very
strong One OF the peculiar features Il
these rakes IL the backing just above the
teeth. against which the CLAIMS are pushed
ing up.
George Parker. Jim Rider. Joe Brown.
John and Jim Taylor are the bose clam.
mers Of Parkertown, and II was In Riders
boat that | saw the rakes at work We
had showed of from the shore and Rider
soon had the oars In the locks ready for
work. Did you ever see 9 elammer row.
] have seen the blue and the crimson on
the Thames and seen how Bob Cook had
put in his fine work, but the clammer's
stroke was revelation. Rider had 1t to
perfection. and As he proudly told me: Its
born In Ter man. He can row an that's
ALL II Ii almost impossible to describe
1t except as a quick, jerky motion. SEEM
ingly all up and down. The oars are
never feathered. and IL does not seem to re-
quire any exertion ON the part Of the clam
mer. He just sits there and jabs his oar.
into the water, never seems to really pull
on them and yet the boat goes along. He
can keep his stroke up all day, and clam
mer was never known 10 say he was tired
from rowing.
But we are right over the clam beds and
In very deep water, 80 deep that Rider IL
compelled to hold the rakes by the very
ends Of the handles He carefully bal.
ances himself by the side of the boat, and