PERILS OF THE PEARLER.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5733, 28 November 1896, Page 2

PERILS OF THE PEARLER.

ALL SORTS OF DANGER'S SURROUND HIM WHEN AT WORK. Fishing for pearls is a profitable occu- ; pation, but full of danger. Formerly the calling was monopolised by the natives of . tropic shores, whose operations were con- . fined to the shallow waters, or at best ! depths easily penetrated by divers- without | . apparatus. But when the-shallow waters ; were denuded of their prizes more venturesome men went into tlie-business, fitting themselves out witli boats and diving suits, by means of which they could search deeper waters for the ocean's only gem. A fine description of modern pearl fishing, most elaborately illustrated, appears in the Strand Magazine for October. It is from the pen of H. Phelps Whitmarsh, himself a successful pearl diver, and it is from his own experience that the facts he so entertainingly sets forth are derived. Some extracts from his article are here given. Pearls are found in most tropical waters. The market, however, is principally supplied from the gulfs of California and Mexico, the northern coast of Australia, Ceylon and the islands of the Pacific. Though pearls are found in almost all molluscs, the true pearls of fashion are only produced by the pearl oyster or mother-of-pearl shell. And here let me say that pearl-diving means not only fishing for pearls, but also the shells which contain them. Thecommercial " M.-0.-P." shell is in reality the bread and butter of the diver. In size they are. about as large as an ordinary dinner-plate, and their weight, whencleaned, averages 2lb. When sold in London market, they bring from £100 to £130 per ton. On the spot they are reckoned roughly at 2s-a>pair. From Torres Straits, good pearling grounds extend far east and west. Here (and it is representative of nearly all other fisheries) diving is -carried on-.by means bf lugger-rigged boats, ranging in size from five to twenty-tons. This stylo of craft has provedto be most suitable, asthey are easy to handle and can be shifted; quickly. They are built with a certain. regard for speed, for the reason that the better the sailing qualities of theboat, the more time the diver has for work below. The boats are fitted with air-pumps, and carry a crew of five Malays and a diver ; the latter being also the captain. There is a scattering of- Europeans among the divers — principally English and Germans; but Kanakas, Malays, East Indians, Japanese and Chinese make up the greater number. Next to a gocd diver and apparatus, a reliable "tender" is the most necessaiy adjunct to a pearling lugger's - outfit. Ho iii is wjiO nOiu3 tae life- or signal Ihie^and looks after the general- wolf are-of the diver when below. The " tender "is the second in command. He must keep his-weather-eye"lifting" for squalls, the movements of other boats, and should be a wide-awake fellow ; quick to act in an emergency, and constantly alert. ON THE PEARLING GROUNDS, with the first streaks of dawn, blue wreaths of smoke arise from every boat. The cooks are busy preparing the-everlast-ing fish and rice for the Mohammedan crews. Tlie divers have, perforce, to content themselves with a cup of coffee. and a piece of bread, as ifc is impossible -to do good work under water with a full stomach. The diving dress is a waterproof combination of coat, vest, trousers and stockings all m one. Theonly inlets or outlets are the wide collar and the wristlets. Dressed in a double set of heavy flannels (to absorb the perspiration), tho diver, with the " tender's " aid, works his way, . feet first, into the dress; liis hands are soaped, so that 'they may slip through the tightfitting rubber wristlets, and then the-boots / are buckled on. The latter are leaden-soled, and weigh 321b.' Next the corselet or shoulder-piece isuddod, and screwed tightly to the collar of the dress. Then the lifeline and-pipe are attached, the 801 b back aud chest weights suspended from tlio shoulders, the helmet screwed on, and the diver is read}- to step over the side. The descent is made by means of a rope called the plumper line, and the mode of working is as follows .—A patch of shell having been discovered, the boats beat up to the windward edge and drift over it with a fouled anchor. This means that the anchor is turned upside down, a eloso hitch taken round the crown with the chain, so that when dropped it does not catch on the bottom, but drags over it. By this means a boat can be regulated to drift at any rate of speed the diver may desire. If much chain is paid out the' boat drifts slowly. As it is hauled in, the friction is lessened and the speed increased. When the diver finds that he is off the " patch," he comes ud ; the boat tacks to windward again, and drifts across it as before. In this way, it will be seen that A DIVER TRAVELS OVER A GOOD DEAL OP GROUND during the course of the day, often covering' twenty miles or more before four o'clock, which is " knock off " time. The reason for this is that the pearl oyster, unlike others of its kind, does not grow in clusters or in beds, but is found singly, each ono being attached to the bottom by a small cable of its own. Sometimes a diver may be fortuuato enough to find a bagful within the radius cf his life-line ; at otlier times tho shells will bo half* a mile apart. As a rule, the diver ascends each time his bag is full, and while the bag is being emptied, gets a breath of fresh air ; but if shells are plentiful and the water shallow, he sends it up by the life-Hoe. Pearl diving is-carried on at a depth of 60ft to lOSf t. ' At the latter depth a diver cannot remain under more than ten minutes, on account of the pressure. In 40ft or uOft of water it is possible to remain below two hours without suffering much inconvenience. As to tho distance one can see when below, it is governed entirely by the state of the water. If clear, objects can bo distinctly seen 40ft or 50ft; but if dirty, that is, stirred up by strong tides or rough weather, it is necessary to go on all-fours to find bottom. A good day's work is anything over 200 pairs of shells, altbough I have known as many y___

can never be reckoned on as certainties. Finding them is altogether a matter of luck. One diver may open ton after ton of sheik without securing anything but a j few seed pearls, whilo another may take J A FOETUNE OUT O? A DAY'S GATHERING. Diving, and particularly pearl diving, is ah exceedingly dangerous occupation, and accidents on the pearling grounds are of common occurrence. A diver runs the risk of losing his life by ripping or tearing his dress upon sharp rocks or corals, through which he must often pick his way. Then, again, an accident may happen to the airpump, in which case he is suffocated ; or the air-pipe may become uncoupled or burst, with the same fatal result. But perhaps the greatest danger which besets a diver when below is that of fouling on the bottom, and to explain how easily this may happen, I will relate an experience of my own. I had been ■rc-orl.-ng* all day, and about " knock off " time, having a full bag of shells, I screwed up the escape valve in order to fill the dress with air and mako myself lighter, and gave the customary signal to ascend. The life-line tautened, and I was soon lifted from my feet and being drawn towards tho lighter water above. The angry frame of mind that usually attends the diver at work gradually passed away as I was raised to the surface, and I was just getting good- j tempered at the thought of a mouthful- of | fresh air, when I felt a sudden jerk under my left arm, and at the same instant my progress was stopped. Before I realised 1 what was the matter, THE AIE-PIPE WAS TORN FROM THE CHECK that held it nnder my arm, slipped over it, and pulled ray head downward ; while the hauling of the " tender " above on the lifeline round my waist raised the lower part , of my body, ancl left me suspended heels j P- _ In the first few moments of my surprise and terror I did not stop to consider what had happened. My presence of mind deserted me, and I struggled and screamed like a madman. After a littlo while, having kicked myself into a state of exhaustion and common sense, Ij.*easoned out the cause of my dilemma. As the strain of tho air-pipe was downward, and thafc of the life-line upward, I concluded that the pipe must ■ be fast below, and that the only li thing to be done was to go down and .-; clear it. First, I regulated the air in ll the dress, letting out as much as I could spare, for in my present position all the air went into my legs and kept them floating straight upwards, and then I tried to make tho "boys" understand that I wanted them to lower me. ' All my shakes and jerks on the life-line, however, were without avail. By that timo all hands, except those pumping, had tailed on, and wero doing then* level best to pull toe in halves. Fortunately, all my gear was in good shape, or they might have accomplished it. Finally, after hanging betwixt the top and the bottom about half an hour, my "tender" had sense enough to signal for another diver, and I was at last released and hauled up, more dead than alive. The causs of this accident wns simply that the careless holder of the pipe, instead of keeping it taut, had allowed it to drag on the bottom until it fouled around tho base of a coral cup. Had the tide not been slack at the time, the weight of the boat, which was practically anchored by the air-pipe, would have torn the helmet from my shoulders, and the residt would have been different. OCTOPI, are seldom met with in Australian watei*s, though there is always the possibility of such a thing, and occasionally one hears of an encounter. The deaths of many j native divers who go down and never appear again, are atfribnted to the tridacria,'a gigantic mollusc of the clam order ; which closes with a vice-like grip upon anything that passes its lips. Another fish that is unpleasant to meet is that known as the stone-fish. It is small, being only a few inches in length, but its bite is poisonous. Apparently, it makes its home under the pearl shell for it is only when picking up a shell that a diver is bitten. After a bite from this spiteful little member of the finny tribe, it is wise to remain under waster as long as possible. The pressure, causing much bleeding at the bitten part, expels the poison. Black and yellow sea-snakes are constant companions of tho diver, though quite j harmless ; also stingarees, blow-fish, mullet, j and a hundred other varieties known among divers by names descriptive of some peculiarity- the fish possesses, but i which to the reader mean nothing. A few of them are known to science by names that mean less. As the surface of the earth changes uuder different climatic conditions, so tho i bed of the ocean varies according to the latitude and depth of water. Tho extreme depths of tho sea, from all we can learn, i are almost destitute of vegetable life, ' but j THE MEDIUM AND SHALLOW PARTS | ABOUND IN FLOBA. - j Tropical waters, like tropical lands, are j the homo of luxuriant vegetation, most rich in colouring ; and we find not only the birds and flowers remarkable because of their brilliant colours, but also the fish. On our northern shores divers find little of interest or beauty. Stretches of mud or sand, with an occasional bunch of seagrass bending in the direction of the tide, as the long grass in the fields will bend and show the direction of the wind, are the usual sight. In the warmer waters of northern Australia, however, the bottom presents a very different view. From the scorching rays of the southern sun above, tho diver drops through a few fathoms of crystal water, into a vast cool conservatory of tropical sea-plants. Shelling ground is usually of coral structure and over-grown with coral cups and growths from minute size to four and five feet in diameter. Sponges (uncommercial -arieties), as high as a man's head, sponge . js, graceful coral-lines, anemones and f .i- flowers of new and beautiful forms, ■ :.7. tinted with all tho hues of tho rain-'-o.v, wave igently to and fro ; while, like '-..r.fterfiies, flitting and chasing one another ■•_ ,nd out among them all, are hundreds i my fifhes, so gay with colours that the ' 'rical coat of Joseph would have paled ide them. Hero flowers and ferns, sea-fans and ells, sponges and corals of curious struc- ■ ■■■■-■Q and brightest hues lay undisturbed /■ •■ surface storms, and make A PEBFECT FAIRTLAJJD. >w it is a field of waving flowers, tall ; -_d graceful, and many-coloured; now a cavern, its rocky entrance screened with ooar.et creepers; now a clump of orchidshaped plants with blood-red veins, sheltering a shoal of rainbow-fish beneath their opalescent leaves. At times the diver crosses a natch of whitest sand spangleu with blue star-fish; again he passes through a grove of swaying corallines or mermaid fans, pink and ?P? c - He sees the lustrous orange cowrie hiding withm the bowl of a grass-o-reen sponge cup-a living vase-ant notes tho vivid growths, the purple lichens, tho blushing anemone. Truly a wild, exciting life i 3 this of tho pearl nsiier, who, tot the sako of a handful of pearls must herd with a lawless crew from all that makes life worth livin oLucrative it is, no doubt, if tho fates are propitious, but the dangers aro manifold For whether it be cooped in a cockle-shell or a craft, braving the treacherous ocean's surface upon a stark and pitiless coast, oiincased in submarine armour, probing ttie Eficret3 of the under-world, in either caso he tempts fate. A Hall of Honour ha 3 been established in the Val de Grace Hospital in Paris, whero the names of French medical • men who have died in the performance of their duty aro inscribed on marble tablets. A list of 143 doctors and forty-Gva apothecaries has jusfc be-on placed on its wall--ill of whoin'perished in the yellow fever epidemic in.San Domingo and Guadalupe •