Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1899-07-30

ton at each OF the camps. with five men
in each crew. the boats containing fifteen
nets each. Twenty baskets of shrimps at
a single catch is fair average, and each
basket will hold about $50 pounds.
As soon as possible after landing, the
shrimps are placed in watts Of boiling sea
water, with a fire beneath them. and boil
ed for half an hour Next they are spread
out on dry hard ground that was prepared
for the purpose and has been used for
many years. There they are left to bleach
and dry for three or four days care being
taken to turn them frequently, so that the
sun may have a uniform effect upon the
entire mass When completely dried. the
shells. spawn and dirt either are detached
or are in such a dry and cracked condition
as easily removed. A large force Of China
men is then put to work tramplng the beds
of dry shrimps with their heavy wooden
shoes. With a shuffling motion they go
over and over the mass sliding and shut
fling their feet like a negro dancer At the
conclusion of this tramping process the
miscellaneous mass is put into a winnow-
ing machine. where the shells are sepa-
rated from the meat as perfectly as is
chaff from grain. To this separator there
are three spouts, through one of which the
whole meat is shot into a basket The
other spouts are used respectively for the
shrimps crushed by the tramping and the
detached hulls. Thus dried and skinned
the shrimps are put into bags and sent to
San Francisco. From five to eight cents
pound is the first price or dried shrimps.
A sack containing $50 pounds of the un-
dried article will produce from eight to
ten pounds after the drying process. Be-
fore curing the price is from two 10 three
and one-haif cents a pound. delivered to
restaurants the price is five cents pound.
The broken shrimps are ground into a
coarse flour which retails at from three to
four cents a pound In this particular
matter Of sorting shrimps the Chinaman Of
San Francisco is absolutely conscientious
FOR the buyer never finds any but whole
shrimps among those that are represented
10 be such
valuable use was discovered long ago
for the shrimp shell. and there Is nearly as
much profit from the sale OF the she'll as
there is for the meat. They are shipped ex-
clusively to China. where they serve IS fer
tilizer and a sure poison to the worm that
works such destruction to the tea plant Of
that country.
AS # was only In the dry season al first
that the shrinps could be dried a great
disadvantage was experienced. There is
much wet weather In California, and 1t al
ways means idleness for the fishermen.
This obstacle was overcome By the building
Of large ovens. and thus. by means Of arti-
fetal heat, the drying was effected. al
though the sun drying is far preferable
The Chinaman bolls his shrimps in pure
ocean water This Is not particularly be-
cause IL Is most plentiful and most handy.
might be supposed. but because It en-
riches the favor and preserves the FISH, as
well as enables it to carry all u it in It's
natural taste. Boiling in fresh water would
rob them OF their saline flavor All sea
food. when boiled. should be boiled in its
natural element, sea water.