Cheyenne transporter. [volume] (Darlington, Indian Terr.) 1879-1886, 1885-06-30
DIVING AFTER CORAL.
Swimming About In Stony Groves Far Below
the Sea-The Queer Creatures That Make
Their Homes In the Branches Of


ket. eff 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, s'some
folks git the idee that l bring this
stuff on for fun, and give it away. I
div like o. fifty foot for that piece,
and that chap wanted to fake it for %
cents"
$50 you dive for these specimens?"
asked the writer.
"Yes, the best are fotched up that
way" was the reply; ''but 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"
Eyes, 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 glass bottom, so
we can set and drift along and look
down through, and when we see any
thing git over for it.
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 all over
the flats, where there is sandy bottom,
growing 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 the bottom or git your fist IN
between 'em. Sometimes, 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 crawfsh-whips
wavln' 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-par-
rots, angels, yellow tails, and grunts.
The fishes have a dozen or more col
Ors, 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 swim
ming along with your eyes open you
can pit q look at the lot and then try
and break off branch with a boat
hook of iron. Sometimes we have to
go 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 a
hook that looks like pair of oyster
hooks, but it's apt to break it, so /
generally 90 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 field of branch
coral. The big heads generally grow
on flat that's covered with grass,
right near the edge of the channel,
and can take you to a spot where
there's coral heads that are ten foot
across and six high. Some of the big
ones weigh over one thousand pounds
When they get big they often die
away on top, an finally glt followed
out and look like big vases holding
angel fishes, crawfish, 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
4 IL