The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-07-15
Ian LIFE on SOUTHERN RIVERS
How the Natives Make a Living and Have an
Easy Time in summer.
From he Chicago Record

NASHVILLE, Tenn July O.--P-rhnps the
dreamiest, LATEST existence In Imerica j. the
life on the southern rivers in summer. 1t
i n this season Of the year thnt thousands
Of people men, women and children are 10
b. seen catching turtles. hunting pearls. col
lecting mus-el shells, fishing on the sand bars.
capturing water snakes OF dragging submerged
walnut logs from the water. Hundreds of
shanty boats. taklng fish and bartering all
sorts of goods with the natives. ply from one
landing to another. The river people aTe salts
fled with no other mode Of existence and rarely
ever nbandon its seductive charm.
The Tennessee River il the greatest fresh
water turtle stream in the world. and the Cum
berland is famous for it, prolific turtle fields
The Tennessee has itS "ource in the mountains
and cuts It's way through a rocky country, rem
dering II perfectly clear AZ normal depth. The
turtles OF the Glear, streams. though smaller.
are more valuable in the markets than the
huge monsters taken from the muddy Mis-
sissippi. There are huge turtle pens along
the Tennessee River, where hundreds OF them
are kept securely after belngcapt nred. Some
turtles have been taken from the Tennessao
and Mississippi rivers which the natives swear
would weigh from +0O To go pounds. These
msde Sy s. Ia'SIe tse are mailer 6aTe cn sad 'H %. IGnsy is
and New York furnish tho host markets, and
many "a diamond backed Chesapeake terra
pin" OF the famous caterers really came from
Tennessee.
Turtle meat is rs great 4 f~avorite dish with
the Southerner as the 'possum. The Southern
negro has Il proverb that the turtle feeds ON
fish, chicken, Eggs, crosses and the choicest
country delicacies. until his own flesh par
takes " all their various favors. They posi-
lively assert they can distinguish all these ilsvors,
The, small turtles are captured for food and
the larger ones for their shells, OF which many
domestic articles are made. The heaviest
hauls are taken in huge frame traps set in the
49, hnan ID n LaN#a.. ~ 49,. l.
Gates a turtle sitting in shallow water and wades
in after him with n forked stick. They tense
the turtle until he becomes mad and pckes
out his head to hiss. then the rorked stick goes
over his head and the turtle Is hauled out Of
tho water, The large ones are killed out
right and boiled In giant pots until the shell
comes OF. The shells are then scraped and
The pearl hunters throng the river every
summer. .ThouSandS Of them are wading and
dredging, for the mh,sel or freeh-water clam.
The shells OF several varieties are gathered
by the ton and shipped up the Mississippi River
TO the pearl-button, factories. There are a
the nlggerhead and the sand ,hell-are yalua-
bic to the factories. Along the river are shacks
IN scores, H. which the families engaged in the
hunt find shelter, Outside are long troughs
filed with water. Huge caldrons are mounted
on brick foundations. and the shells are boiled
In these. Punts. raft~. Fat boats and skins
plumbers pipe Is placed over eSci, boat 10
the pipe are strung lines set M ~iN.lnch inter
ysls, which run fore and aft. Four pronged
hooks made OF old wire are fastened TO tho
lines. The boat is pushed ont from the bank
for work.
The f%resIl-wa,er clam point. his nos, up
stream and invariably keeps hia mouth open.
thing to come along. when he will greedily
seize II and never let 60. The trap with the
dozens Of hooks i tilted over the side OF tho
punt lying upstream and the clans At once
lay violent hold upon IL. ms many AZ can get a
grip N q. prong. The ilshsrpap ,hgYls them