The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1885-06-25
DIVING AFTER CORAL.
Swimming About in stony Groves Fal
Below the Sea.


IF 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 l bring this stuff on for
fun and give it away. dive a like o
fifty foot for that piece, and that chap
wanted to take it for twenty-five cents.
so YOU dive for these specimens"
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
nv orothet takes a 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 ct uscl to it. We 90 to what they
call the Markets. about forty miles or
so the west ard of Key West. You can
ct coral anv time, but the summers 5
the best; then there is little wind
a-blowin'. and YOU can see the bottom
in forty foot In the winter we use a
boat with 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 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 CIT your fist in between 'em. Some
times. when we want to git ont a 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 frolt of wall of these ere coral
points, Il solid front, all of 4 brownish
or olive color. If You git way down to
the bottom you'll see crawlish whips
wayin' to and fro. They live under the
ccral. 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 kinis-parrotS. angels.
yellow tails, and grunts. The fishes
have Il 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 | never saw them
away from the big heads.
After practice YOU can stay down
three or four minutes. and by swimming
along with vOur eyes open you can CIT
a look at the lot, and then try and
break OF branch with bOathOok of
iron. Sometimes we have to 90 down
four or five times to Git piece; then.
if it is Big, put a rope around it and
haul it up. Most of the small coral can
be picked up with hook that looks
Ike pair of oyster hooks, but it's apt
to break it. so generally 90 overheard
when the coral ant too thick. There's
one place know where for hundred
acres it's so thick that there amt
place to put Your foot one big field of
branch coral. The big heads generally
grow on the edge of fiat that's COW
cred with grass, right near the edge of
spot where there's coral heads ten foot
acress and six high. Some of the big
ones weigh over one thousand pounds.
When they gt big they often die away
on top, and finally git followed out and
look like big vases holding angel fishes,
crawiiSh and 4 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. / git them by divin, as they're
so small YOU can't see 'em hardly. I've
got lunches not bigger than your hand. !
and got ten dollars for 'em. Pretty
amt no name for 'em. The last one l
got came near cleanin' me out"
How SOP
"Well." replied the coral diver, ''we /
have a fish on the reef called the stin-
@aree: 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 Ike the lash of Il 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 a way of /
sinking down to the bottom. and with 1
shuttle something like that of n hen in |
the dust, covering themselves with sand. |
This day speak of was drifting along
in about three fathOms. lawn in the |
boat lookin' through the glass, while
my mate was at the oars ready to
stop her when | sung ont. All at once
| capped my eyes on beauty head of |
rose coral, and over 1 west. / reckon
it was about fifteen foot jest there, and
went down with such rush that l !
went near the bottom right over the
little brown head. I grappled at what
| thought was bunch of weed. to hold
on while picked up khe coral. | got
it, and then let nv feet down on the
bottom to give myself a shove up. when.
bim. blim! came something around nv
legs. and I'm dogged if | didn't think
they were off at the knees, and a
big stingaree flew up by me. takin'
me on all sides The next L
knew / was in the dingy, but how l gou
over and saw blood in the water and /
the fish, and thought Il shark had me-.
The fisa raised such dust that for 4
minute he couldn's see nothing. but he
grabbed the grains. and then seem me
on the bottom put >em into my drawers,
and hauled me up I'd tainted. clean
gone. as sure as you're alive. l loeszed
Ike that old fish market over FOUNDER.
MI streaked with gore. There was u
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 a
gone case"