The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1885-07-08
DIVING AFTER THE CORAL
SWIMMING ABOUT IN STONY
GROVES FAR BELOW THE SEA.
| Queer Creatures that Make Their
Home In Branches of Coral Trees
An Exciting Adventure.


An Exciting Adventure.
"Too much7" repeated q man, as he
held up big bunch of coral in the cabin
of a schooner near Fulton market. IF
you had to sit it up you wouldn't think
so.
"You know" said the man, after the
would be purchaser had crawled up the
companionway ladder, ''somc folks git
the idea that l bring this stuff on for
fun, and give it away. l div like O.
fifty foot for that piece, and that chap
wanted to take it for twenty-five cents. ]"
$50 you dive for these specimcns?"
asked the writer.
YES, the best arc fotchcd up that
way" was the reply; "but good many
are taken with coral hooks. Me and my
brother takes a trip, off and on. One Of
us collects the stuff and the other sells,
and between the two, and as acting as
cook for the steamer, VIC make it pay.
"Ycs, VIC sec some curious sights, but
VIC git used to it. We go to what they
call the 'Markcys.' about forty miles or
so the wcst'ard of Key West. You can
git coral any time. but the summers the
best; then there is little wind a.blowin',
and you can see tho bottom in forty
foot. In the winter VIC use boat with
glass bottom. so VIC can set and DRIFT
along and look down through, and when
we see anything git over for 1t.
There's half dozen kinds OF coral
that are common, and mostly they grow
apart and in certain places. What we
call branch coral is found all over the
flats where there is sandy bottom, grow
ing kind of low like; but when it gifts
along toward the edge Of the channel,
the branches grow longer and look like
regular branches Of tree, and matted so
thick that you can't see bottom or git
your fist in between 'cm. Sometimes,
when we want to git out fine piece OF
branch, we dive down into the channel,
and tell you it's q fine sight. When
you git down thirty foot, say, it's as light
as day when there's q good sun right
overhead, and there you arc in front of
wall of these ere coral points, solid
front, all of brownish or olive color. II
you git way down to the bottom you'll
sec crawtsh whips wayin' to and fro.
They live under the coral, and on top
and in between the black spots are big
sea eggs, with spircs six inches long.
The coral is covered with fishes of all
kinds-parrots, angels, yellow tails and
grunts. The fishes have dozen or more
colors, and one kind that think beats
'em all is pure blue from head to foot.
It's only about six inches long, and l
never saw them away from the big heads.
"Aftcr practice you can stay down
three or four minutes, and by swimming
along with your eyes open you can git
look az the lot, and then try and
break off a branch with boathook of
iron. Sometimes we have to 60 down
four or five times to git piece; then, if
it's big, put rope around it and haul
it up. Most of the small coral can be
picked up with hook that looks like a
pair of oyster hooks. but it's apt to break
it, so l generally go overheard when the
coral amt too thick. There's one place
l know where for hundred acres it's so
thick that there amt place to put your
foot-one big piece of branch coral.
The big heads generally grow on the
edge of the channel, and can take you
to spot where there's coral heads that
arc ten foot across and six high. Some
of the big ones weigh over one thousand
pounds. When they git big they often
die away on the top, and finally get hol-
lowed out and look like big vases hold.
ing angel fishes, crawfish and little OF
everything. You never see the big
heads here, because vessels can't git near
'eln, and small boat wouldn't hold one.
In water about twenty to twenty-five
feet deep we git the best pieces, what
they call rose coral. l git them by
dlvin', as they're so small you can't see
them hardly. I've got punches not big
ger than your hand, and got $40 for
'cm. Pretty amt no name for EN-.
last one | got came near clcanin' me
out"
"How so2'
"Wcll," replied the coral diver" we
have fish on the reef called the
stingarce; it's as fiat as your hand, with
two side wings that move up and down
as it swims along. They are about two
or three feet wide and six or eight long.
The tail is just like the lash of whip,
and right where it joins the body there
arc three stings of bone, one right above
the other, five or six inches long, with
edges like saw. They have Il way Of
sinking down to the bottom, and with q
shuttle something like that OF a hen in
the dust, covering themselves with sand.
This day speak Of was driftin' along
in about three fathoms, layin' in the
boat lookin' through the glass, while my
mate was at the oars ready to stop her
when sung out All ut once clapped
my eyes on beauty head Of rose coral,
and over went. reckon it was about
fifteen foot Jest there, and | went down
with such n rush that | went near to the
bottom right over the little brown head.
! grabbed at what thought was bunch
of weed, TO hold on while l picked up
tho coral got it and then let my feet
down on to the bottom to give myself a
shove up, when. blim. blim. came some
thing around my legs, and I'm dogged
if didn't think they were off at the
knees, and big stingarce flew up by me,
takin' me on all Sides The
next thing l knew I was in the
dingv, out how | got there /
didn't know. Bob said he looked over
and saw blood in the water and the fish
and thought shark had me. The fish
raised such dust that for a minute he
couldn't see nothing, but he grabbed the
grains, then sccin' me on the bottom put
'em into my drawers, and hauled me
up. Id tainted. clean gone. as sure as
you're alive. looked like that old fish
market over yondcr, all streaked with
gore. There was dozen cuts across my
legs, jist like rcd-hot iron had been
put on, and if I'd been alone it would
have been a gone case"
"Do you ever have trouble with
sharks"
81 meyer worry en-, and they don't
worry ME, but they're rs thick as flies in
fly time on the reef.
"Ycs, the coral business is tol'able.
All the schools and colleges take COL
lcctions, if they can git 'em cheap
enough, and we sell heap to the sea.
side resorts. The country people think
they come out of the water right along
shore; it's all the same to them. The
kinds | deal in is brain coral, branch,
pepper, leaf and rose shaped coral.
: Floatin' coral brings big price. 1t
floats after it's bleachcd, and pepper
coral tastes like pepper after it's dead.
Then VIC fetch sea fans, sea eggs, sharks
jaws, gulls' eggs, hawkbill turtles, and q
little of everything. Corals sell by the
piece from twenty-five cents to five dol
lars.-Ne,o York SIN.
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