Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1889-05-17
ACTS ABOUT AMBER.
tho substance Is Gathered BY tho
Tiahermaa of the Baltic.

Fishermea of the Baltic.
In the window OF one OF the largest
tobacco stores in Brooklyn there Is
displayed remarkably-fine collection
of amber. Some OF it, as translucent
as honey, fairly glows with color, as
though 1t had caught the sunshine oil
q thousand summers. This has been
polished, and differs as greatly from
the rough, dirty-looking Jumps beside
II as does q cut from an uncut diamond,
and yet the latter is just as full OF
color, only it is imprisoned.
"Where Is amber obtainedp" asked |
a reporter, who had been attracted by
the display. OF the proprietor OF the
store.
''The bulk OF the amber supply OF
the world" was the reply, "comes now
from the region known as Samland,
on the east Prusslan coast OF the Baltic.
l happen TO know something about II,
because l came from that part OF the
world myself, although not from that
precise vicinity. From the Brusterot
lighthouse on the Baltic coast ono can
see with tho naked eye the entire
stretch OF shore on which this precious
petrifaction is and has been found for
the past three thousand years. The
stratum OF blue earth on which the de-
tached fragments OF amber are found
lies from twenty TO thirty feet below
the surface of the beach. To some
extent the amber may be and Is OBJ
tained by mining, but frequently the
vein is exposed by the action OF tho
water, so that fishing for amber is
much easier than digging, and most OF
1t is obtained in that way.
amber fishermen are q vigorous
and hardy people, and they need to be
TO carry on their businesss- They
work in stormy weather, when tho
huge waves have detached masses OF
amber from the ocean bed and are roll
ing 1t, mixed up with punches OF sea-
weed, in the surf. The fishermen, half
naked, wade into the sea, shoulder deep,
armed with long hook forks and hand
nets. The women stand along the
shore as near as they can TO the
mnnos Tbo mon nol,o nm tho masses
~ soovood With their forks and
drag them in toward the shore
as far as possible. With their
=, ,hov ondaoyor to secpro the
nioooo ~ omhor that NAV he floating
e. ,ho ,a,or As faa, ne the sea-
- g. rot ,o ,ho sboro tho women
,oLoit and niclr ont the hits Of amber
A., - 80, ho ol,ro,no to n and nIaco
a., a., h,os roo5v for tho daalor
Sono doo,nrs stav on tho beach while
,ho sshir, 20 oo;ng on tbus bonino IN
.oorro nar,icrIorIv frs specimens
al, ma, h, prettv Interesting
.,nh, -
..No, o,,u ,n,oros,,ro brt excit;ng
T,a whole scono "a Wild in tho eS-
trano Tha ,hrrdering roar Of the
snrf tho shouts NJ the men and the
sbr,,, scraams M tho women mincle
| vo;ra,, with tho soughino of the wind.
Tho mo-. n,of,ohle mart Of the harvest.
bowover "a gathered after the
eto,.n, Ia ovpr The amber which
cor ho gotherad while Il ia in
nrorcoss ;s mostly In small pieces.
brt large masses of IL too heavy to be
moved within reach of tho fishermen
bv the waves have been uncovered.
When Tho soa ia smooth enough for the
bottom 10 be seen through from 1--WE to
flfteep feet of water, the fishermen row
out and look for these blocks, recover
inc them with their hooks and nets.
| A more svstematic way of obtaining
the amber Ia TO ret Il from the reefs
which lie some three-ouarters of mile
off shore Here. when the different
currents have mot, 1t is heaped up with
immense quantities of seaweed and
rubbish. For fully ten months In the
year n little feet Of black boats is
anchored over these reefs. the largest
md most valuable of which is
600 feet long and 400 feet wide.
Each boat has a diver who is sent dow n
| ,1 ,,,,lro ovar tho eaa.yaad discnyer the