The Russellville Democrat., 1892-06-02
FISHING FOR PRECIOUS STONES
The Yield Is Rich One, But the Searcher
 Gets Many Scares.

Gets Many Scares.
 During three years spent on the coast, 1 never knew an instance where an aborigine had been broken in to work in diving dress, their objection to it arising from some superstition. The greatest depth at which pearlshells were found in pay able quantities in 1888 was eighteen fathoms, and most of the diving is now done by white men and Mon golians. Dress diving is the most approved method, as the diver can remain under water an hour or two if he chooses, can dive deeper than the natives, and is able to work the year round. The style of boat used for this work is the lugger, which Is good sea boat and easy to handle. It ranges from ten to twenty tons, is filled with air pumps, and carries a crew of six men and a diver. The crews are Malays, brought from Singapore by the Australind, which runs up and down the coast and supplies the pearlers with provisions. etc, and by which shells are shipped for the London market. Pearl fish, ing means not only fishing for pearls, but for the shells in which they are found, the latter being the "bread and butter" of the diver, and worth from $500 to $750 per ton. In a ton of shells there is always quan- tity of seed-pearls, hundred or more; but good pearls are not to be reckoned as certainties, as one man may open ten tons and not find 3 stone worth $l0, while another mar may take a fortune out of a days gathering. The average weight of : pair of shells is two pounds.
 The diver gets many scares wher below. A 15-foot shark, magnifec by the water, and making a bee-lins for one, is sufficient to make ths stoutest heart quake, though sharks never attack a man in dress. Nol is the sight of large turtle yer, comforting when one does not know exactly what it is, and the coiling oi sea-snake around one's legs though it has only one's hands k bite at, is unpleasant. A little fisE called the stone fish is one of thu enemies of the diver. It seems t make it's habitation under the pear shell, as it is only when picking then up that any one has been bitten The first time l was bitten by thii spiteful member of the fnny tribe, dropped my bag of shells, ant hastened to the surface, but in thi short space of time my hand an, arm had so swollen that 1t was witt difficulty l could get the dress of being unable to work for three day and suffering intense pain the while Afterward I learred that stayin, down couple of hours after a bit will stop any further discomfort the pressure of water causing bleed ing at the bitten part, thus expell ing the poison. One of the effect that diving has on those who prac tice it is the invariable bad tempe felt while working at the bottom and as the irritability passes ava, as soon as the surface is reaches again it is reasonable to suppos that it is caused by the unusha pressure of air inside tn dress, affecting the lung and through them tn brain. My experience has beel that while below one may fly int violent passion at the merest trihe for instance, the lifeline held toc tight or too slack, too much air O too little, or some imaginary wrong doing on the part of the tender O boys above, will cause the temper {. rise. Ihaye sometimes become 8 angry in similar way that l hay' given the signal to pull up, with tn express intention of knocking th beads of the entire crew; but a the surface was neared, and tn weight of air decreased, my feeling have undergone a change for tn better, until by the time I reaches the ladder, and had the face-glasl unscrewed, 1 had forgotten for wha l came up.--M Minerals.
 
 IT fglax U4nes. f,ssxs f.anffuuad