The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-08-11


shells seldom contain pearls, though they
are sometimes brought up for the value OF
the shells On rising to the surface, each
empties his basket or bag into the nearest
surf boat, which little craft, under careful
guard, deliver their loads to the waiting
schooners, which discharges its accumu-
lated cargo on shore when the days fishing
is concluded. Of course
VERY STRICT POLICE SYSTEM
is maintained to prevent thieving, Yet in
spite of all precautions, stealing is con-
stantly going on. No sooner has the
schooner deposited its cargo-a sinking
mass that out scents far famed Cologne
than it is Immediately surrounded by we'll
armed soldiers, while the shells are opened
and searched for pearls When the little
gray treasures have been carefully col
lected, their value is estimated, and
settlement made at once with the divers.
Usually their wages amount to % per cent.
of the total find, whatever it may be, and
are paid by an allotment of the pearls or
shells taken during the day. This makes
a rather uncertain income, but is better
both for masters and men, as it ENCOURAGES
a naturally indolent people to greater dill
gence.
Though the fishing season continues less
than half year, the profit of the divers
comfort during the months of enforced idle
ness and allow wide margin for the gamb-
ling and other eXtravagances to which they
are universally addicted. 1t frequently
happens, however, that q diver, having
drank and gambled himself into abject
poverty before the working season rolls
around again, goes about offering genuine
treasure for a shilling or bottle of Mex
lean tanglefoot; but if the European agents
l, 4 Ofi II Oft
price.
The Indian divers are wonderful swim
mers, apparently as much at home In the
deep sea as are the finny tribes themselves.
They brave all manner of sea monsters
without the slightest fear and show won
derful skill in their work. They Can swim
equally well with one hand and one foot, or
with both feet and hands, while they rapid
ly knock off the shells from the reefs ana
rock to which they so tenaciously cling,
and cram them into the sack of woven
maguey fibre suspended by rope around
the neck A knife, or short, stout stick,
serves both for weapon and implement; and
while tearing up the shells, he continually
runs from side to side in order to elude the
vigilance of his marine foes by stirring up
the sand and rendering the water turbld.
If a shark insists on making meal OF him,
the willy Indian plays around him until the
huge fish fops over on his side so as to
bring his lance-like teeth into better action
and then, just as the
TERRIBLE JAWS ARE ABOUT TO CLOSE
upon him. he forces his knife or stick,
grasped firmly in the middle, upright into
the sharks mouth, thus "spikingn him as
effectually as General Scott did the MeXi
can cannon at Chepultepec. Sometimes,
alas the operation is not successfully per-
formed, and the brave fellow rises no more
from the under world-only momentary
reddening of the water telling his horrible
fate.
The fatigue from diving without appa
ratus is very great, and the fishers fire.
quently discharge quantities of water and
blood from the ears and nostrils on being
drawn into the boat. But this does
not hinder them from making forty
or fifty plunges in the course of a
day. Each diver generally remains
under water about ten minutes
at time; but few are able to endure 1t
three or four minutes without any modern
breathing apparatus, and we are assured
that native Indian frCm Aniauga will &C
tually remain submerged six minutes
One of the most successful fishers on the
California coast is the owner OF some pearl
oyster beds near Molege, who employs only
naked Indian divers. Every day during
the fishing season he sends out twenty surf
boats. each manned by twenty-one men,
Ten of these are divers, and they go down
five at time, thus keeping the
work constantly going on while half the
divers are recovering from the consequent
fatigue. The other twelve are the captain,
chief boatmen, roWers, and divers assist
ants, all kept busy as bees. Each boat IS
furnished with five large perforated stones,
pyramidal shaped, and rounded at the top
and bottom. Each of these is fixed to
rope. and the diver, when about to plunge,
seizes one of the ropes with the toes OF his
right foot, while with the other he sustalns
his network bag. Then he grasps another
rope with his right hand, while with his
left he keep the water out of his nostrils.
FIGHTS HIS DEEP SEA ENEMIES,
and fills his bag with shells. On no &C
count must he let go of the rope in his
right hand, for by it only can he signal
those above to pull him up when he can no
longer endure the unnatural element. We
read that similar process is made use of
in Ceylon, where the divers become so dex-
trous in the use of their feet that they en-
ploy them as readily as their hands fol-. the
most common purposes, threading needles
with their toes, and picking up straws,
glass beads and the smallest articles!
The native divers having been almost
born in the water seem to have acquired
an amphibious nature, akin to most of the
South-sea islanders, and if travellers wish
to amuse themselves by tossing overheard
handfulls of coin, these Californians will
instantly "duck'' for it, and come up
laughingly with the smallest piece. They
depend great deal upon certain signs,
charms and lamentations, and call vigor-
ously upon Santa Guadalupe and all the
other saints and saintesses, both for pro-
lection and miraculous direction.
Most of the Gulf bottom Is soft and
sandy, especially suited to this branch of
the oyster family. The complete inditfer
ence of the divers to that source of terror
to novices, the sharks that infest the shin
ing waters, is scarcely less astonishing than
their skill in destroying the monsters. Of
the hundreds who daily go down into the
deep, scarcely diver is ever injured; but
it is not uncommon for careless schooner
boys to be snapped overheard and swal-
lowed in a twinkling or left to sink down
among the oyster beds, short of a leg or
arm. Whether the Divers skill has become
a matter of tradition among the shark
family I cannot say; bat certain it is that
every one of these huge monsters avoid
him as a natural enemy and never ventures
into close quarters with him unless urged
to battle by excessive hunger. But they
seem to be eternally on the lookout for
land lubbers,' and can distinguish one
with the eye of a connoiseur.
FANNIE B. WARD.
CoUGHs and colds kept off by taking Sim
mons Liver Regulator to regulate the sys-