The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-05-24
DIVING FOR PEARLS
NAKED MALAYS DESCEND SIXTY
FEET SEARCHING FOR JEWELS.
Divers in Armcr Can Cover Forty
In a Day-sharks Not Feared.

frofn COmlOTt.
Pearl divingeis at all times a very pre-
carious occupation, and its only attraction
lies in the fact that It makes a man good
living. The dangers are many and various.
particularly so in Australia. because the
people that form the crews of the boats en-
gagged in pearl diving are mostly Malays,
and are very treacherous and Enthusiastically.
Hardly a day goes by but that they have
quarrels among themselves, where knives
are freely used. and IL a man has anything
In his possession that they desire they will
stop at nothing to obtain 1t.
Diving for pearls is done mostly by white
men, Englishmen, Americans, French; in
fact, by nearly every nationality of civilized
men, and occasionally Is found a native or a
Malay diver who will don a suit and go
down in the water; but most of the native
divers who adopt this occupation dive with
out a suit, which, of course, Is not sue
cessful, they being able to stay only short
time in the water. and the depth to which
naked diver will go IS seldom over sixty
feet A professional diver will go from
so to $50 feet in depth, and stay from
thirty minutes to two hours under water
The native divers have various Ways Of
diving or going to the bottom. Some plunge
In head foremost and swim to the bottom:
others take large stone and secure 1t to
their feet in way that 1t can be released
quickly, and drop over the side Of the boat
feet first and go to the bottom so, as the
stone takes them down more quickly than
they could swim; the stone is then released,
and, after they have stayed the length Of
time possible, they swim to the top.
The outfit of the regular diver consists of
a small boat or lugger of from three to five
tons burden, crew to manage her, usually
about six people, including cook, and the
apparatus The apparatus consists of air
pumps. diving suits. shell bags. ropes. life
lines rubber pipe, etc. The diving suit is
made of heavy rubber all In one piece, with
three holes in it, one at the top or neck.
by means of which you get into the suit,
and one at the end Of each arm, or at the
wrist.
After diver is in the suit, helmet made
OF copper, with rourS glass windows set in,
in all weighing sixty pounds. is screwed on
to the collar; then lead weights are attached
to his feet, weighing each eighteen pounds,
and lastly a chest and back weight are put
on. weighing about thirty pounds
EQUIPPED FOR THE BOTTOM.
When the diver is all equipped for the
bottom of the ocean he has besides his own
weight about 160 pounds to carry. but this
weight is easily overcome by the air that
to rise to the surface by closing the escape
valve, and filling the inside of the suit like
a balloon; and this valve also regulates a
mans walking so that he can bounce along
| the bottom of the ocean like a rubber ball,
| or be so heavy as to drag one foot after the
other.
When diver has donned his suit and all
IS ready to go down he is Helped to the side
| Of the boat where he oets to a short lad
der extending about six feet into the water,
| and when he is about half way down or
just over the side Of the boat the pumps
| begin to work. supplying. him with abr
| through the rubber tube that connects with
| the helmet, and the last part Of his apparel
| through which he looks for his pearl oysters
He has small rope tied round his waist
| which, after he leaves the ladder, is to let
is called the ..iifs line" and is usually car
RED in the right hand by the diver. and Is
used by him to signal to the boat: The
| the pipe line" and it Is the tenders duty
| to see that these lines do not get crossed or
The tender is a man who sits on the side
of the boat, holding line in each hand
| that he pays out or pulls in as the diver
| he keeps these lines almost but not quite
| taut, just so that he can feel the diver on
the other end in every movement ne makes:
and he Is the man who has the diver COM
plete.y at his mercy and can do with him
| as he sees fit, so that a diver as general
| rule procures white man for tender when
| he can, in preference TO the Malay. as he
| feels safer in his hands and can do his work
better.
A diver will cover in a days work from
| twenty-five to forty miles of country, or bot
| tom OF the ocean, according TO the current
| In the water or the amount of wind on the
The boats are allowed to drift as slowly
| as possible; the anchor Is doubled over. so to
| the anchor instead of at the head, and in
| that position 1t Is allowed to drag along
the bottom. If they. want to drift little
faster they pull the fukes up little so that
| only the end touches and drags, but II they
are going too fast, they let the anchor drag
along on Its side more or even let out more ,e
dragging. In that way they can regulate
| the speed of the drifting.
THE PEARL OYSTER.
Pearl oysters do not grow in beds like the
oysters used for eating, but they are scat
| tered over the bottom of the ocean, and a
diver may walk sometimes half mile or
more before finding any. and then he may
find a dozen within few feet OF each
other The size Of the pearl oyster is larger
| than the oyster used for eating, and varies
in size from saucer TO dinner plate.
The shells of the pearl oyster are really
| the bread and butter Of the divers. because
every pearl oyster does not contain a pearl
| by any means, but every pair of shells is
worth to the diver so cents for. the mother
| of pearl on the inside of the shell.
Pearls are supposed to be composed OF
some foreign substance that in some way
gets into the pearl oyster, and the oyster
| covers this substance with a coating that
| accumulates and forms the pearl. Some SCI
entists say it is a little parasite. with long.
unpronouncable Latin name, that bores
| through the shell Of the oyster and dies when
| Ii gets inside. ard is coated and formed into
| a pearl The size OF the pearl depends en-
tirely on the length or time 1t mas oeen In
| the shell.
The first descent of a diver in suit Is al
ways serious undertaking. and Is accom-
head and gets frightened he is liable to shut
off his air supply In some way and be sufro-
Gated. Then If he has any organic trouble,
like heart trouble, he Is liable 10 be pulled
M dead because Of the great pressure or
both air and water on his heart and lungs
THE first descent is always accompanied
by furious pains in the head: This Is caused
nv the great pressure on the sensitive or
gans of the ear and usually before he reach
es bottom the first time there Is some little
organ in the ear that breaks. and forrcs a
connection between the ear and the mouth.
so that a diver could take a mouthful or
smoke and force IL out through the ears.
Usually dangers OF diving are not partcu-
larry from the denizens Of the deep. as most
by a diver in suit, but danger comes from
other sources. gale Is liable 10 blow up
while he Is below. for In these waters they
spring ND very quickly, and blow his boat
away from him. or his pipe line may burst
and he be suffocated before he can be pulled
60 = Itw,- 20 h1rt