Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1890-10-18
Pearl Fishing in Torres Strait.
From the Jewelers. Weekly.

From the Jewelers. Weekly.
There is, perhaps, no more danger
GUS waterway on earth than Torres
Strait, between Australia and New
Is shallow as we'll, and crowded with
reefs of Jagged coral. Studded with
dangers though it be, Torres Strait is
dotted with varied sorts Of vessels i'll
every month, except when the mon
soon RACES.
Thlther flock schooners and ketches
from the Australian ports, clumsy gal
lots from the Dutch ports of Java as far
as Batavia, slender prahus of the Ma
lays from the islands of the archipela-
go, and junks, with staring eyes,
equipped by the Cinnamon of the dis
tant Philippines. Guarding against
danger, they cruise about the strait and
come to anchor side by side, all moved
by common hunger for gain, for
down among the dangers of the reefs lie
pearls.
The vessels fish in company, and load
their vessels with oysters, and then
each parts with the others to seek a
lonely island spot where its divers may
spread the oysters out to dry and yield
their treasures The Australian fleet
makes use of chain of sandy islands ~
ing close to the shore of Cape York; the
most considerable of them bear the
names of days of the week, and the
largest of them all is known as Thurs
day Island on which may be found the
headquarters Of the trade.
Away from the sea that lies in sight of
Thursday Island there is 10 law save
the one of might, and the pirate makes
the junks his prey with none to hinder.
Sometimes Malay crew, grown over
confident by it's successes on the Ma
nilla fleets, attacks vessel Of the Dutch
or English. AS the news spreads along
the strait, the vessels leave the fishery
and hunt the rascal down, and failing to
find the one who did the deed they fall
upon some other prahu and leave no
man to be tried for piracy, since
justice is rough and ready in the fish
cry.
Torres Strait is filled with extern
slve submarine sand and coral rocks,
with depth of water from three to ten
fathoms. It is on those flats that the
pearl oysters grow thickest, and here
the divers find their harvest. The oys-
ter has little resemblance to the oyster
used as food. It is often a foot in
length and half as much in width the
the shell is smooth and far thinner, and
usually of dark red color. The oys-
ters lie upon the sand and are partly
hidden beneath it, in close array, and
the shells usually open against the pre-
vailing current.
Luckier than the beds of the edible
oyster, these pearl oysters seem little
troubled by destructive enemies. The
startish does not touch them, and moth
ing else attacks them except a small ma
rine worm, which bores through their
shells, and even this is not disadvant-
age, for the most experienced divers
say that worm-eaten shells generally
yield the largest and finest pearls.
The usual crew of vessel engaged in
fishing comprises ten divers, who serve
as sailors as well, a cook and two Off
GERS. Six light boats are carried, which
single man can easily manage. AS
soon in the morning as there is light
enough to see the course, the vessel
leaves it's 'rotting ground" and makes
its way to the patch on which it is in
tended to fish. The anchor is dropped,
and the divers in pairs take boats and
row little distance from the vessel, us
ually cables length in each direction
and the custom of the fishery pre-
scribes that no diver shall fish between
the diver of another vessel and his
ship. One dives, the other hauls up
the oysters and the diving stone
When the diver is exhausted he
takes the place in the boat, and his
companion takes his turn in the water
Thus they work all day long, without
intermission, for the diver may not VEN
ture to eat until his days work is done,
for fear of cramp in the water. A
davis work is often twelve hours.