The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1885-07-11
DIVING AFTER CORAL.
swimming About In Stony Groves r
Below the SEA-


Below the Sea-
Too mueh?" repeated . Conch, Is
he held up big bunch of coral in the
cabin of schooner near Fulton Market.
''f you had to git it up you wouldn't
think so.
"You know said the man, after the
would-be purchaser had crawled up the
companionway ladder, ''some folks git
the idea that bring this stuff on for
fun and give it away. I dive a like o.
fifty foot for that piece, and that chap
wanted to take it for twenty-five cents.n
80 you dive for these specmens?"
asked the writer.
''Yes, the best are fotched up that
way, was the reply; but a good many
are taken with coral hooks. Me and
my brother takes trip, off and on.
One of us collects the stuff and the
other sells. and between the two, and
acting as cook for the steamer, we make
it pay.
''Yes, we see some curious sights, but
we git used to it. We go to what they
call the 'Markeys,' about forty miles or
so the west 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 the bottom
in forty foot In the winter we use
boat with a glass bottom, so we can set
and drift along and look down through,
and when we see anything git over
for it.
There 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 1t 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 'em. Some
times. when we want to git out fine
piece of branch. we dive down into the
channel, and tell you it's fine sight.
When you git down thirty foot, say, it's
as light as day when there's good
sun right overhead, and there you are
in front of wall of these ere coral
points, solid front, all of a brownish
or olive color. If you git way down to
the bottom you'll see crawfish whips
wavin' to and fro. They live under the
coral, and on top and in between the
black spots are big sea eggs, with spines
six inches long. The coral is covered
with fishes of all kinds-parrots, angels.
yellow tails, and grunts. The fishes
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.
after practice you can stay down
three or four minutes, and by swimming
along with your eyes open you can git
look at the lot, and then try and
break off a branch with a boathook of
iron. Sometimes we have to go down
four or five times to git a piece; then.
if it is big, put rope around IL and
haul it up. Most of the small coral can
be picked up with hook that looks
like pair of oyster hooks, but it's apt
to break it, so | 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 a
place to put your foot-one big field of
branch coral. The big heads generally
grow on the edge Of fat that's COW
cred with grass, right near the edge of
the channel, and can take you to a
spot where there's coral heads ten foot
acress and six high. Some of the big
ones weigh over one thousand pounds.
When they git big they often die away
on top, and finally git followed out and
look like big vases holding angel fishes,
crawtish, and little of everything. You
never see the big heads here, because
vessels can't get near 'em. 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. 1 git them by divin', as they re
so small you can't see 'em hardly. I've
got punches not bigger than your hand,
and got ten dollars for 'em. Pretty
amt no name for 'em. The last one 1
got came near cleanin' me out"
''How SOP"
"Well," replied the coral diver, "we
have fish on the reef called the stin.
garee; it's as flat as your hand, with
two side wings that move up and dow n
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
are three stings Of bone, one right above
the other five or six inches long, with
edges like saw. They have way of
sinking down to the bottom, and with
shuttle something like that of hen in
the dust, covering themselves with sand.
This day speak of was drifting 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 I sung out. All at once
l clapped my eyes on beauty head of
rose coral, and over l went. ! reckon
it was about fifteen foot jest there, and
l went down with such a rush that
went near the bottom right over tho
little brown head. 1 grappled at what
l thought was bunch of weed. to hold
on while picked up the coral. l got
it, and then let my feet down on the
bottom to give myself shove up, when,
blim! blim! came something around my
legs, and I'm logged if l didn't think
they were off at the knees, and a
big stingaree flew up by me, takin'
me on ell sides. The next l
knew l was in the dingy, but how 1 got
there l 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, and then seein' mo
on the bottom put 'em into my drawers,
and hauled me up. I'd tainted, clean
gone, as sure as you're alive. 1 looked
like that old fish market over FOUNDER,
all streaked with gore. There was a
dozen cuts across my legs, jist like a
red-hot iron had been put on, and if
I'd been alone it would have been q
gone case"
DO you ever have trouble with
sharkspn
II never worry 'em, and they don't
worry me, bnt they're as thick as flies
in fly time on the reef.
''Yes, the coral business is toll able.
All the schools and colleges take collec-
tons, if they can git 'em cheap enough,
and we sell heap to the seaside re-
sorts. 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 bleached, and pepper
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