Thomas County cat., 1886-11-04
DIVING FOR PEARLS.

fol Invention to Make 1t More Safe.
You know pearls are found in shell
fish, at the very bottom Of the sea, and
the little fish sticks to the rocks. We
do not know certainly what those pearls
are, nor from what they are formed.
There are several opinions on the sub
ject, and you must read all about it in
your natural history. | want to tell
you something about the dangers OF
looking for these precious pearls, and
thea yCu will never see one that you
viii not think about the risk of human
life which has led to its Being found.
1t is between the island OF Cevlon and
Cape Comorin that pearl oysters are
mostly found. The strait in which the
gerous from rocks and whirlpools. The
men who learn this busines, begin in
early youth, for it requires great prac-
tice and much courage. They have to
exercise Il great deal in diving. and see
how long they can remain under
water. The season commences in
April, and weeks before, the di-
vers begin to diet and rub them
selves with oil. At sunrise they
20 IN boats to the bank of pear Oys-
ters. about five leagues from the CONT
nent Then the diver takes off his
clothing, and under one arm fas.ens a
sponge which he uses for breathing,
and ties plant before his mouth.
which will not absorb the water He
puts cord around his waist. the end
Nf ,x,h;nl, =, e..
puts a thirty-pound weight to his feet.
in order to sink the faster. He takes
a knife and net, and piunges into the
sea He picks up the oysters rs fast
as possible. If he wants breath. he
pulls the cord, and his companions
draw HIM up. The oysters are laid
upon the sand, exposed to sun and air
until the shells open. There are gen
orally found in them dozen pearls.
which are cleaned and prepared for
sale. They brings a large sum, and
the oyster shells are sold for mother
of-pearl. Before the divers go into the
water they take oil into their mouths.
which they discharge on reaching the
bottom, and it makes the water clear
er Many accidents occur TO these poor
N1ohiS ttAS w lhC
ants of the deep. and. sometimes re-
manning too long in the water. they ar.
strangled. Some divers have killed 9TH
ers at the bottom of the sea, because
one would pick up the oyster which the
other wanted. The best diver can re-
main under the water only about eight
minutes generally. but some Indians
have remained fifteen minutes This
employment is SO hard that divers usu-
ally die young. They seldom can fol-
low it more than ten years, and some
much less time.
During the last century. an invention
was made for the help of divers; for the
pearl fisheries. 1t resembled bell.
and the diver places himself in it. This
bell is tiled with air, and therefore
prevents water from filling the inside
of the machine as it falls into the Sea.
You will understand this if YOU will
plunge the mouth of II Iit:ic glass into
4 tub of water, when you will see that
the water comes up only to Il certain
height in the glass. i he hell is COW
cred with lead, to make it sink; 1t the
bottom is 4 floor. and seat. so the
diver can WORK, sitting CT standing,
and, in good weather, he can read or
write in his bell. at the bottom of the
sea. a glass window at the top gives
him light, and a cock let's cut the air
which he has breathed. He can re-
ceive air without the water coming
into the bell, By means of leather
pipes. which reach up to the vessel
from which the bell Is suspended. The
air in one of these pipes being ex-
hausted, another is let down. A leaden
mask was also invented, which
covers the head, ard enables him to
leave the bell and go some distance in
the sea. This mask contains enough
air 20 last some minutes. and has an air
pipe communicating with the bell. and
guides him back to it. tina: he may not
miss his way. which would of course
be death TO him. BY this machine. they
go for pearls 10 the very bottom of the
deep, and remain more than an hour.
When the diver finds that he must
ascend. he gives signal to the vessel
by pulling his rope, that goes up from
the bell. When he first comes up.
however, he must be cautious how he
breatheS. as n sick man recovering has
to be cautious about the quantity of
food he eatS.-PdnSy