The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-06-14

his blind progress he seizeS on anything In
his way, and at once tightly closes his shell.
1t is the aim Of the clam fisher to drop his
lines along the little shelving Irregularities
formed by the action of the water, so that
the clam in feeding comes in contact with
the hooks and seizes them. When they are
biting we'll the fisher makes what he calls
"a drag" in ten fifteen minutes. That is,
he drops his lines, and I'm that length OF
time draws them in and places them on the
standards with clam dangling from near
ly every hook. This means a catch of 800
or more. When he has taken the clans
fro mthe hooks he must remove each one
separately, as they hold on II not for dear
life, to the end of life, he again drops the
bar.
OF VARIABLE VALUE.
A big catch may not be very valuable.
since, as has been said, certain kinds OF
shells command a good price, others bring
a small price. and some not salable.
though these last often yield something
of value in the pearl line. Each of the
many different kinds of clans has been
given, no one seems to know when or by
whom, odd. characteristic name. by
which 1t is known to clam fishers, shell
buyers, and button manufacturers.
The niggerhead, a big, thick shell with
black outer surface, while IL does not
Command the highest price, is one OF the
most profitable shells, and is used in maxi
ing thick shank buttons. as well as the
more expensive kinds 1t is not difficult TO
get together a ton of these and others of
similar value. and the button manufac-
turers are always ready to buy them.
A shell that always brings high price
and rough on the outer surface. as is the
horn from which IL takes its name. 1t is
not unusual to cut two dozen buttons of the
finest quality from a single buckhorn shell,
and the fishers sell them readily for twen-
ty dollars a ton. The butterfly, marked
with family colored dotted stripes of vary
ing length. is also one of the most valu-
able shells, and he who selects handsome
pearl buttons that do not lose their luster
may be sure that they were made from
these finer shells.
and several others rank with the niger
head and are sold with them; while the
deers foot, which on the hinge side is in
the exact form of a deers hoof, the pock-
etbook elephants ear and razorback are
much less valuable The yellow sand shell,
used by Mr.. Beopple when he began the
manufacture of buttons from Mississippi
river clam shells, is now rejected at the
factories as, while Ii Is beautiful in color
and texture it is thin and brittle and re-
qnires careful handling, which. with the
of manufacture too high for profit.
A clam fishers outfit, in addition TO the
boat already described, is a pan for cook
ing the clans, bin-shed and a portable
dwelling of some kind. AS the nature OF
his calling makes him an itinerant, every
thing he possesses is movable whether IL
Is poor ana cheap, OF, acCOTulnS 10 his
standards expensive and handsome Glass
distinctions exist among clenmers, as in
other communities A clam fisher of the
middle or lower class lives I'm a tent. or in
a shack constructed Of driftwood and
building paper These are large or small,
good or poor, according to his state. IL
he be an aristocrat among clammers, he
has a houseboat. which is his permanent.
though movable home, and he holds him
self a little apof from the other clam
be. When he finds a pearl. he does not
call his fellow-fishers TO examine and pass
judgment upon il. neither is he called to
share the excitement OF n valuable find /;