The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-07-19
LAZY LIFE ON SOUTHERN RIVERS
How the Natives Make Il Living anu
HAVE ~, Easy Time in Summer.

NASHVILLE, TENN, July s.-Perhaps
rha dreaniest, LATEST existence IN Ali'ei
ca is the life on the Southern rivers ~
summer Il is at this season OF the yea
that thousands OF people-men, women anu
chldren-are to ba seen catching turtles,
hunting pearls collecting mussel shells.
fishing on the sand bars. capturing water
snakes or dragging submerged walnut logs
fror, rho water. Hundreds of shanty
boats. taking fish and parterinS all sorts
o. goods with the natives, ply from one
Harding 10 another. The river people are
satisfied with no other mooe ol eAssteiiue
and rarely ever abandon its SEDUCTIVE
charm.
The Tennessee River is the greatest
fresh water turtls stream IN the world,
and tha Cumberland is famous for its pro-
life turtle fields. The Tennessee has It's
source in the mountains and outs It's way
through a rocky country. rendering 1t per-
factv clear at normal Depth. Th5 turtles
O, tla clear streams. though smaller. are
more valuable in the markets than the
hugo monsters taken from the muddy
Mississippi There are huge turtle pens
along the Tennessee River, Where huhateoS
OF them are kept securely after peinS cap
tureu Some turtles have peen taken from
tho Tennessee and Mississippi! Rivers which
rha natives swear would weigh from 4VJ TO
COO pounds. These enormous catches are
rare and the money is made by selling the
smaller ones Washington and New YORK
furnish the best markets, and many
diamond-backed Chesapeake terrapln Oh
the famous caterers really came from I'm
nesSee.
Turtle meat is as great a favor!te dish
with the Southerner as the 'poSSuN- ne
Southern negro has pr"verb that ''e
turtle feeds on fish. chicken. eggs, crosses
and the choicest country delicacies, until
his own flesh partakes OF all their various
havors They positively assert tney can
distinguish all these riavors The sInait
turtles are captured for food ana 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 swtftest channel OF bayou Inc
negro locates & turtle sitting in swallow
water and vades in after him with a forked
stick They tease the turtle until he De-
comes mad and pokes out his head TO Mss,
then the forked stick goes over his mead
and the turtle is hauled out OF the water.
The large ones are killed outright and
boiled in giant pots until the shell comes
| off The shells are then Scraped and pol
ished.
The pearl hunters throng the river every
summer Thousands of them are wading
and dredging for the mussel or tresh-"ater
clam The shells Of several varieties are
gathered by the ton and shipped up the
vi
tories. There are dozen varieties OF the
mussel but only two-the niggerhead and
the sand shell-are valuable to the fac
tories. Along the river are shacks in
scores, in which the families engaged IN
the hunt find shelter Outside are long
troushs filed with water. Huge cadronS
are mounted on brick foundations, and the
shells are boiled in these. Punts. RATS, fiat
boats and skiffs are used in the catch. a
trap made OF heavy plumbers pipe is
placed over each boat. To the pipe are
strung lines set at six-inch intervals. which
run fore and aft F'our-pronsed hooks
made of old wire are fastened 70 the lines.
The boat is pushed out from the bank for
work.
The fresn-water clam points his nose up
stream and invariably keeps his mouth
open He lies on the river bottom waiting
for something to come along, when he viii
greedily seize it and never let go. The
trap WITH the dozens of hooks is tilted over
the side of the punt lying upstream and
the clans at once lay violent hold upon it,
al many as can get grip on prong. The
fisherman hauls them in until MS boat is
tlled-Chicago Record.