Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-10-14
AMBER FISHING.
THE PRECIOUS BLUE-EARTa VEINS OF
TIE eAMLAsD.
A View Of tho Hardy Fishermen at Their
Psrilous and Arduous
Work
Uonf,on Standard

fmber fishers Of the Baltic. Germans
call it the California OF East Prussia ;
and standing under the shadow OF the
lighthouse at Bruster-ort, where the
peninsula juts ont into the sea, one can
see with the naked eve on a moderately
fine day the entire stretch Of coast from
which for more than 1900 years the bulk
Of the amber supply Of the world has
been obtained. Twenty, thirty feet deep
and more, beneath the ssnd-dunes that
extend for miles around and form the
ocean floor here, are the veins of "blue
earth, as il is termed locally, in which
the petrifed yellow and yellow brown
masses are found imbeddied and little
way out beyond the lighthouse on the
Fox Point, where fleet Of black boats
generally rides at anchor on the gray
green water, is one Of the great amber
reefs OF the " Bernstein .kuste," yeri-
table LAYER Of amber cropping up in the
sea bed, and heaped mp by the ceaseless
action OF wind and water. The blue
earth formation runs far back inland. 90
that amber can he mined as well as fished,
ne 1t, in fact, is IN some places IN the dis
trict. But as the depositi 80 much nearer
the surface under water, where 1t Is
being continually exposed by the
gradual sinking OF the sea level, while
the ebb and flow of the tide and the fire.
Quent storms that occur along the coast
help to free the amber from the sand
and weeds in which it is hidden, it Is
found more profitable, IS well as easier
TO "fish than to "dig" it. A few
years sgo digging was largely carried
on in the Samland, and assumed almost
tho proportions Of regular industry.
Five or SIX peasants, not possessing the
right to 4" fish. would combine and OBJ
tam permission to excavate in likely
spots on the estates Of private persons
The result was profitable. but, in the
end, the digging " proved a source OF
mnmixed evil % the locality. Tho
"diggers began to cheat the proprie-
tors Of their proportion OF the yield and
invariably concealed good find. Deal
ors who crowded into the district in the
hope Of picking up bargains cheated
the "diggers. Then people COM
menced digging in parts forbidden to
them, making what were termed moon
light" expeditions opromisinR grounds.
Fights with inspectors were OF constant
occurrence when disturbed the dig
gers" h4d no hesitation IN having resort
to firearms, aud murders became quite
common, So that the Government
WIS Obliged 20 prohibit this form
Of amber getting. The night to
"fsh" belongs 10 the coast vii
lagos mi communities, and. in
paris TO the State. The latter farms ont
the grounds belonging to 1t 10 certain
konlgsberg and bemel firms. One Of
these, Messrs. Stsntein & Becker, agreed.
in 1860, 10 keep open the waterway OF
the Frisches Haf-which needs constant
dredging and pay - thslers a day be-
sides. If they we're allowed TO dredge there
for amber. That the contract proved
not Improbable to them may be inferred
from the TACT that, when the six years
for which they rendered expired, they
offered 200 thalers per working day, in
stead of the original -. The take Of
amber at schwarzort, where the dredg-
ing IS carried on, wss estimated at 20, 900
pounds Tor the working year OF about
thirty weeks
Amber fishing is no child's play, and
tho fisheries Of the Samlsud are an ex-
ceptionally vigorous and hardy lot Of
men. oe they need to be, seeing that they
work either shoulder deep in the water,
when the salt spruy dashing over them
falls in chilling Iciclcs upon their faces,
or are obliged 10 spend hours in con-
strained position on tho sea bottom, IN
heavy diving arnor, when the air tom
peraiure Is often a good deal below
freezing point. They are not Germans,
but Saassites, of the kurish race, who
have given o good account OF themselves
III many frontier fight With Cossack
srd Bues Stormy weather IA the time
10 see the village tlshers at work, for then
Wild and wave do what mans hands
cannot accomplish. TIE sea. dashed into
fury. loosen, the lovldeI that press
upon the amber masses underneath, dis
entsng.es them from the weeds and
" seA-tanQ 81 IT, which they are attached
to the bottom, and sets them rolling IN
shore. scents are always on the look
out for approaching bad weather. and
when o fierce nortbeaster comes roaring
down the Baltic, sending the surf surglng
over The ssnd-dunes and streWing the
strand with wreck. the fisher villagers
are warned that their harvest IL a-upen-
ing Coon al arc gathered near the
wster's edge ready for work. Tho
fishermen, armed with long hooked
forks nud hani-nets, wsde sboulder-
deep into the sea, careless OF the waves
that buffet them 10 and fro. ana seem
almost IL tako them of their feet az
times. With their forks come poke at
the masses OF seaweed and tang
crven toward them w tie crested surf
snd catch as much as they can and drag
10 landward while others try to gather
IN their nets any stray pieces OF amber
tossed atou. by tho surging waves. As
fast a. toe masses OF weed or single pieces
can be got ashore they gro passed on 10
women who stpud as near As they can to
the water, and who quickly loosen from
them the fragments Of amber, large or
small, that may DO attached. These
are then pat into bags, sorted, and sold
to the dealers, who not infrequently &C
companv the fishermen on such occa-
sious. ID The hope Of picking up Il fno
specimen before sry rivals have the
chance Of seeing IT, Al 1t happens,
though. II is the smaller pieces Of amber
that are cast ashore by the sea. The
larger and finer blocks are rolled about
ON the sea Hoor and remain behind. tho
ceascless play of wind and wave helping
TO cover as well ~ 10 uncover them. To
get 1T these the amber-seekers wait a
day or two until the wind goes down
and the storm abates. Then when tue
sea Is smooth enough TO see the
bottom they row out into the
shadows, where there are not more
than five to fifteen feet of water,
and look for any amber blocks the
waves may have uncovered or rolled in
during the gale. When such are found
they are raised by means OF lOng-prong-
ga forks and nets held out as before. On
a fine morning. after a stiff hurricane
has been blowing IN the Baltic, scores OF
little boats may be seen of the shores
OF the Samlsnd Peninsula, the occupants
bending over the ndes and eagerly peer
ing into the sea in search of any amber
treasures left by the departed storm.
d.. A. Ill, tsborfoIf cnIv cot tina