The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1874-11-17
HUNTING FOR pr Urls.

The New London Conn Telegram OF
Saturday Oct 81. cnntairs the following :
The achoones florence Baiy. Wesley
Clark Of Essex, owurr and master lied
from this port to-day for the Society is.
lands. where She will rogage 10 the pearl
fishery. Capt. Clark was the FIRST person
who ever successfully prosecuted the bust.
oe.- Of pearl Ii-hing hy submarine diving
in armor lie mai, his Iir.t experiment
ahoui twelve year, -lnce on the coast Of
South America, and NJ venture proving
sncrr--inl ha, follow, / the business ever
since either in South American waters or
b 10 the Gulf Of Caliorm, When he first
went cut 10 South Amrrica he found on
the coast several submarine ar,nurs which
armors had been abandoned the parties
owning them having come to the couclu.
sion that they could not lac employed to
any advantage in the pearl fishery. He
estimates that one submarine armor ha-
u capacity equal to twenty-five men. and
he bases the estimate upon his actual cx-
pcrence during the past twelve years.
lie has heretofore found the richest pearl
on the coast Of Ecuador. During one
season, working four submarine srmors, he
took out seven pound. of pearls in -four
months Many Of them were very choice
and found ready market at large prices.
Oo the coast Of California last year, Capt,
Clark, in company with other parties
worked eleven armora and met with fair
success, realizing from the sale Of she'll
(which is extensively used in the manu-.
taciure Of knife hau'iic, paper. .cuttcss
etc. and always ini> ready market,
$50, 600, and TO? thr -, of pearls s35,
900. The weight OF the pearls taken out
by him .st year vas over seven pounds,
but in quality they were not generally
equal to those which he has found in
Son,h American wsters. The last sea.
sons snrk pretty ,'AectuaIy exhausted
the supply OF pearl oysters iu the gulf Ct
California. and he has therefore detor.
mined upos striking out iD an entirely $
new direction. and undertaking something
in the pearl fishing line that has never tc
his knowledge, been attempted before
Knowing that there are pearl oysters in
the waters about the Society islands he
feel. very sure that he can get his ..lare
Of them lie goes first to the Falkland
islands thence through the Straits of Ma.
gellan, aud then 10 the Society islands
calling iirst at the port Of TAHITI. liz
iakes with him provision for twelve
months His brother, who accompanies
him. and the first mate Of the Florence
Bailey. Laban Clark. art both eypert
submarine divers. Six men are required
to operate each armor, and the Who'll,
number Of persons attached TO the expe
ition is eighteen. The cost Of fitting
out the expedition, including the price
paid for the schooner, will not fall much
short of s25 900. The fishery is carried
on from small boats. which are anchored
in what Is deemed to he promising 10
cality. and fron which the diver descends
lie takes with him basket which will
hold about three pecks Of oysters. anG
when this is filled makes a signal on tht
lifeline, which is attached to his body
Upon this signal the full basket is hoistet
in the boat and an empty basket sen
down. Tho diver ordinarily remains un
der wator from four to Eve hours, bu
Capt Clark infor MS US that in shoal wa
tor he has worked ten hours er day fol
eight days in succession, In shoal water
Of course, the pressure on the diner il
comparatively small aud he experience
little fatigue compared with that which
feels when working at . greater depth
The small boat with which the life lin
communicates, shifts position as often a
may be necessary, upon signal from tn
, diver. rbe pearl oysters are found a
various depths from one to twenty faith
oms, but Capt Clark's experience ba
been that they are most abundant 10 wa
ter from ten to twelve hthoms deep
Uhau m ,anarailv fncnl m .onIu kn(