The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1896-02-11
PEARL FISHING.
a PICTURESQUE INDUSTRY IN
LOWER CALIFORNIA.
Mexfc an Poems In Diving Armor
Rake the Bottom of the Sea
for Pearl-YieIding Oysters
- Valuable Finds.
A PAZ, Lower California, is

i les, says the San Francisco
Examiner. Ever since the
days of Cortez the Gulf of California
and surrounding waters have been
noted for their pearls, and La Paz has
always been the headquarters of the
fishers.
These searchers for Jewels of the
deep are race by themselves, and if
one could imagine such thing as the
arlstocracy of passage, he might find
1t here among these pearl divers, who
can trace their lineage back to the
Spanish conquerors. They have al
ways been divers, and generally held
IN a state of vassalage to their employ
els. Although their occupation has
been a most hazardous one, and thew
have gained untold riches for others
by the daily risking OF their lives, not
few divers have ever accumulated the
semblance of a competence.
Within few years the element of
personal danger which attached to the
pursuit OF the calling has largely dis
appeared, and the naked pearl diver
goes to the bottom of the sea no more.
Encased in rubber suit with n glass
front helmet and his boots weiphted
with lead the diver steps over the side
OF his boat, descends to tho bottom
and, walking around with a wire
basket at his side, picks up pearl oys-
tiers with as much unconcern as a
farmer gathers potatoes. He now
laughs to scorn the jaws of the
CHASTITY grinning shark, and il the
air machine works all right and the
rubber tube does not break, he con-
tinues to be supplied with the breath
OF life from above and strolls about
the Sea Kings halls entirely at his
case.
But there is yet one creature that is
more of terror to the armored diver
than the shark used to be to the IN.
protected one. That is the mantel
1lsE, the largest member of the raw
family, which frequents the waters OF
the gulf and frequently attains a
length OF twenty feet aud breadth
OF twelve feet. 1t has been known to
envelope diver in its folds as with n
blanket and crush out his life beneath
the eyes of his companions in the boat
above.
There is feet consisting of several
schooners and score OF small boats
halling from La Paz which are en-
gagged in the pearl fishery. During
the hshing season the force of divers
Is divided and located in camps at con.
venlent distances along the coast.
Each OF these camps is provided with
an air machine and one or more suits
OF armory. The boat in which the air
machine is kept is rowed out from the
camp every morning, generally start
ing as early as o'clock, until the
flshlng ground is reached. Then the
DIVER descends, fills his basket and
rises 10 the surface. The divers do
not work more than four hours day.
Formerly the naked divers seldom de.
scended to greater depth than ten
iathoms, and their longest stay under
water was two minutes, generally
about half that time. Now the
armored diver goes down from fifteen
to twenty fathomS, and there is no
special limit to the length of time he
remains beneath the surface. So still
and clear are the waters OF the ruIf
during the fishing season that the
DIVER can be distinctly seen while at
work from the boat, though he IS 100
feet below.
The shells gathered each day are
taken ashore to the camp, where thew
are kept until one of the schooners
come along, when they are placed on
board. These vessels are kent con.
stantly on the move to supply the
camps with provisions and TRANSPORT
the shells TO La Paz. On arriving
there the shells are taken to the beach.
"here they are opened and the oysters
carefully examined for pearls.
1T IS only the pearls found in the
oyster ltsel' that are of value. If thew
adhere to the shell they are simply
classed as mother .of-pearl and no
effort is made to detach them. The
shells nre packed into sacks and
slowed away ready TO be shipped to
Europe for manufacture into buttons.
knlie-handles and the innumerable
ornaments for which mother.
IS used. OF the 1O,O 900 tons OF pearl
smells which are annually supplied by
the different fisheries of the world
nearly one-half come from tho Gulf of
California.
The pearl, when it is released from
ITS imprisonment, the cradle within
which 1t has been metamorphosed from
lowly grain OF sand into n pale
quivering jewel, which may adorn n
royal diadom, is carefully polished
and locked up in the company's safe.
lie pearls are separated into various
grades according to their grade and
proportions. The smaller sizes and
irreRularly shaped pearls are greatly
In the majority. 1t is on the large
dramatically shaped Jewels that the
value OF the seasons product depends.
The value Of the yearly product OF
the, La Paz fisheries varies greatly.
Perhaps it would be safe to estimate
the average ut $500, 900 for the pearls
ond 300, 600 for the shells. The result
at the present seasons catch will fall
below these figures somewhat.
five years ago the annual value of
the product of the fisheries was esti
mated at $3.50, 600 Tor pearls and
$4,000 for the mother pearl in
the shells. The best year OF recent
times was 1881. Then there were
many gems of large size and great
value taken. One black pearl was