The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1889-02-02

OF the coral Deds was thus OD'afneu,
particularly when there was breeze
enough to ruffle the surface.
"Early the next morning We three set
off from the sloop, in this glass bottomed
boat, to examine the coral flats. Hither-
to, like so MANY other sailors, l had been
but an indifferent swimmer. but | now
found that, to do anything at collecting
corals, l must not only swim well, but
must be able to dive like pearl-hunter.
"Submarine divers suits had not been
made use Of in this business, as indeed
they are ut present. The entire outfit
for getting up the coral consisted of iron
bars, boat hooks and tongs with lines
attached, for hauling up the heavier
heavy grapnel. called a coral hook for
dragging on the bottom and tearing up
the coral, but this was not found to
work well.
"Both the Bannost brothers and
Cuban, named Martini, who had &C
companied them on this voyage, were
good divers, and they at once initiated
me in the art. made my first attempt
in about fifteen feet of water, with line
looped under my arms, and after a few
hours practice, found that / could 60
down nearly as we'll as the others did.
"But in deeper water l experienced
much difficulty, and, in fact, l never
have learned to dive well in thirty or
thirty five feet of water, unless with
weight to help me down, and q line to
give me confidence.
"The beds encircle the reefs, extend
out into from ten to forty feet of water,
with channels of deeper water between
them. There are here half dozen diff
ferent kinds of coral, generally apart and
separate one from another, at different
depths of water. The most abundant is
the branch coral wide beds Of which
are found on tine shallow fats, fifty,
seventy-f and hundred acres in ex
i tent, a true submarine grove, through
the branches of which play great schools
! of parrot fish, angel-fish, 'yellow-.aiis'
and grunts.
"These groves of branch coral afeOf
rich olive brown tint, and amidst them
you are sure to see the waving whips OF
numerous crawfsh, and discover nests Of
spiny sea eggs
Then there is the 'brin coral, more
massive, and generally found in smaller
beds. Also the pepper coral, and va
riety which, when dead, is so light that
it floats on the surface Of the water,
although it seems to be composed of the
same substance as the other kinds.
1--WE speak of coral as dead when the
living creature mere little jelly-like
dot-which produces it has persisted,
leaving a tiny hole, like pore in the
coral stone, where it lived.
"Bat the most valuable Of ali varie-
ties, and hence the most eagerly sought
for, Is the red coral, or rose coral, and
naturally, as with all other precious
things, this is the scarcest and most diff
ficult to obtain. The depth at which it
is found at the Markeys varies from
twenty to thirty-fve feet, and it is rare
to find q specimen there much larger
than this one of yours-about the size OF
a mans two hands placed togeter.
"Ah, it's pretty sight to look down
through the clear water, and see fine
, head of coralium rubrum directly be
: meath your boat, When the sun is vel
up in the sky, you can see the bottom
quite plainly in thirty feet OF water over
the side Of the boat.
"On the second day We were there,
dropped down in thirty feet and had nc
' trouble, though the pressure affected m!
head little. But an adventure which
t, befell me q few days later, spoiled m!
courage, and nearly cost me my life
a 81 had gone down in about thirty fee
t of water over a bend Of branch coral
e with an iron bar in my hand, intendin!
d to break and pry out . few branches
e then rise for breath and afterward to G
j. down and fetch them up, one at time
or if they were too heavy, haul them u
J. with . grapnel line.
= Attached to ring in the end Of on
! bars and boat hooks were small line
hitched to rings in the boat above,
y that we could cast OF these tools at viii