The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1889-12-14
TURTLE CATO HING.
AN INDUSTRY FOLLOWED ~
PEOPLE On TIT: GULF COAST.
The Different Methods OF Capturing
the Big Shell Ei-h-SDm' sec
the SCin" and Others
.hc Harpunn.

scores of boats and vessels and hundreds
of men are engaged in it along the shore,
of the Gulf of Mexico. and earning ;hou-
sands OF dollars annually.
Turtle catching /, known in the
vcrnacu!ar as 'turtliH@. and those en-
gagged in It rs ''turtlcrs.' The craft en-
gagged in turtling have various capacities,
ranging from two to seven or more tons,
according to the number OF the crew. II
requires two men 10 set the nets. onc
scuiling the boa, whilst the other pays
out the mcshc, gradually from the bow
and sees that they do not become bag"ed
or entanglcd while going down.
Thcsc scincs are loaded at the bottom
and kept in position by two anchors.
while the upper part is heavily corllcd
and attached 10 Two huoyS, one at each
end. They are planted wherever turtles
are known 20 .'harbor" usually late in the
evening. aud the crews watch them until
the tide changes. when they return aboard
the vessel.
When the water is muddy through
heavy rains and other causes the scincs
are often driftcd with the currents day
and night. as thc chelonia can not see
them until they become involved in the
trcacnerous mcshe,.
As turtles feed with the tides the Scincs
are set in such manner that they are
always in the path of the grazing herds.
so that il !, a difficult matter for such fat
witted creatures rs the chelonia to avoid
them.
The crews OF snail boats often fasten
their nets between stakes set in Swallows
and watch them in their dinkeyS durin"
the long hours OF the night, sculling 4"
them whenever ihcy notice any agitation
in the water or hear the snort of a turtle
that has come - the surface to elbow.
They usually carry lantern. which Is
kept concealed in the dinkcy until IT is
required for examining the nets, and
when it is placed overheard it reveals one
of the most uncanny sights imaginable.
Hundreds of fishes become alarmed on
seeing it and flashed through the phOS
phorcscent sea like so many living kalci-
descopes. while the slow and ponderous
turtles merely glance at it and sink lower.
II one ia found in the seine it is carefully
lifted into the dinkey and its fOrctiippers
tied to prevent it upsctting the boat or
crawling overheard In large vessels
each crew make - trip to the galley
J whenever three chclonia are caught ana
pass them to the cook, who is always
ready 10 receive them. His first move
ment on finding the - marine
geese" aboard is to make two holes in the
fore fiippcrs of each with 4 red hot mar
lin spike, which is always kept in the
galley fire for that special purpose, and
tying the flippcrs together with strings.
While he is doing this the crew refresh
themselves with hot coffee and no matter
how many times they may visit the vessel
during the night the cup Of coffee is par
taken of whether il is needed OF not.
In pegging turtles, the ''peggers, as
they are called, Use a pole from twelve
to fourteen feet long, one end of which
enters a socket to which steel point is
welded. This point is square about two
and a half inches in length, and quite
sharp. so that it may readily enter the
shell. 1t has f1ange on the upper end
to prevent it from going in too far and
killing the turtle. Another kind. called
the flying reg differs mainly from this in
having no socket and being inserted in
the pole.
Turtles caught with pegs are not con
sidercd 50 valuable rs those caught in
nc,s or account Of their liability 10 bleed
to death from wounds, or have their flesh
: rendered unPaiatabie by the spreading of
/ the injuries received. To conceal these
wOuuds. the men stuff a chew of tabacco
a piece of oakum, sponge, or an old RAG
into the hole and perhaps rub some mud
over them. Pegged turtles do well
enough for the local market or where
! there flesh is to be dried. but are consid-
cred rather uncertain shippers to distant