The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1901-08-04

clad In thick ilannel and then In these
dresses with metal heads. SO framed at the
front with glass that the diver can see out.
Of copper or lead The weight bo cslries Is
usually about 100 pounds, but sometimes
less. Often there are twenty elghi pounds
ing down the diver keep his feet below
him. II he should lose his balance and turn
might dy mp In the air. If one boot falls
of that leg VIII hob up In the air and he
must az far qs possible Keep all the weight
AZ the bottom of the sea he must strad
dig them and stoop down.
Every diver carries bag with a draw
string In IT, He fills his bag with shells
and then Jerks the signal line, aud Is pulled
up The shells are counted ana weighed,
and ne Is paid according TO what be has
found. some men making much more than
others There Is one diver who has gath
cred 1905 pairs OF shells In one day, but
half this number Is good work,
The Dangers OF Pearl Fishing.
The business Is very dangerous There
are sharks and poisonous fish ana squld.
The sharks follow the luggers. attracted
by the pieces OF salt beef, which are now
aud then thrown from the boats They do
not trouble the divers without they are
uahed except when very hungry. and IN
they come near the diver can o6en an 90
cape valve In his snit and make A noise
when usually scares them away As a
al A
sharks, but they DO not sDear 1.h or nthaS
aaulhals ny the bottom of the SEA without
niTsl aseertalnlng whether there are sharka
tract thS Ur tue dend hsh would surely at
:, a ANOTHER danger is the veki or great souId
nls marine monster has long arms when
ue iSslens upon anything within his ench
~ dstnrhed he vomlts out mn inhvr anij
MHcn uIsColors the waters about hin, and
eI he u'E srd rs Maple 70 be bewdered In the
sim and 70 fal against the rocks
I'm IN me native fisheries much of the div.
NE bn,u "me , Dy the women. who 20 down
to their f cet ID suits nnso They fasteg stones
90 not plug up their nostriis and ears a.
10 tue pearl divers of India. 80
Finding Pearls
The pearl nshlng companies OF rhursoov
island are extremely careful I'm onening tha
shells No one can tell whether nm ovste,
may not contain a hundred dollar az
Thousand dollar pearl, and the pearls arc
so small they can be easily stolen Tho
openlng Is done With a kulfe much like
! bI adel' iAne knit with a dim flexible
piuue anu STRONG handle. A good onprhfor
epn open ton 0f shells In dav and not
mss pearl. White men viii ncrnr -,
inv rrSasineS open the shells without watch.
ins tnem inc shells containing the nsirIs
| nave sometimes a curious nuneSronco h 40
! Mhlch those who are eNperlrureI ran IN
spa WY u2 ss, pe9rls IN them Such shells
! ttne foreman OF the sloop to oppn nnG VI
loltlnan usually watches carefniis Ky
| opening of all the shells tne
sometimes one oyster VIII cont,In 80,
sIntl pearls aud sometimes more We So y
sksis rom nge usually diseased ana their
| oysier m ugu' co net sun q perfectly healthy
I large size. SO that the divers a. peri or
i've that the pearls necessarily come ,n ne
lately discovered sold Tor s9S1SeSt pearls
or93nsht S1OO and pearls worth SIM n 1e
| 5nasiss common so mo The fishing il done on tbe
/ peaIis are clear gain a"u ihe
Artificial Pearl Maxine.
me Pearl oyster farm. wbirh -
llshed on Friday island. was storto, ~,
company with German selentlst =, :,
mead The bay was stocked vim -,
oysters and the German was emnlorod =,
/ put little piece Of glass or pra,, =, 80
! uslue the shell ~ each oyster with thS ,N
! pectauon that the oysters woni,i th.n,, ~ NA
the seefetons which form the pearls abeni
| these bits OF glass and sand cosiin, ,n,a.
more aud more until nt last fhe,' k,e eavn
eool SIZED round pearls The niass ~
| Hsie' hrst ana after that the sand. hnt 81
aI,soi,tm ,niu, the experiment HAS boon an
AND SIN il Is said that some trrita,,sy
s snni Is the cause Of every peari
| pearl enl In two, looked al through n st,on
] lens shows coucentric lnVePa ill., -, 'a,y fs
ana IN the center Is a round hole. and sa,n,
times ~ THIS center Y is said. a grain AZ
/ 49, eNnfr frequently cut pearls I'm
| pleess' ana their experience is that there
Is always hole Ia The center. II is snn
/ poseu mat The grain OF sand Irritates fhe
/ fasi'r anu that II eNudes this carbonate 81
I NiNN cnflfinr " iitsf s. :.
comes comes a smooth round BAN which does not
Pearl Fishing in lnula.
The greatest pearl fisheries Of the world
are those Of the Indian ocean, both about
ceylon and in the Persian gulf Here vast
quantities Of pearls are found. the oysters
being taken more for their pearls than for
their shells In one season us many as 1t.
QOc,oO0 were brought 10 the surface by nfty
divers on the coast Of Ceylon. This work