Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1903-06-17
PACIFIC ISLAND DIVERS.
Natives Who Devote Iuci, of Thelp
Time Delving Beneath the
Briny Waves.

Away out in the south Pacific
| ocean, where white men rarely are
seen, there lies a little coral atou
known as Hikueru atolI. 1t is differ
ent from most coral atolls of which
you read in your geography, for it is
a solid ring OF coral and the lagoon
inside of it can be entered only by
dragging boats over tho beach.
This lagoon, says tie Philadelphia
Ledger, is one of the most valuable
pearl-shell lagoons and is sought ev-
cry year by the dwellers on Tahiti
and other islands of the south seas
to fish for pearls.
The French government, which
owns the atoll, has forbidden the use
of diving suits, because it is feared
that this method would l,rove too de-
structive to the pearl shells, and the
diving is done in the ancient south
sea way, by men and boys and wom-
en-, who go down with no artificial
help.
When the time comes for the pearl
fishing they set out from their ISL
| ands, some of them 400 miles away
from the atoll. Most Of the natives
bring their families aud household
effects with them. Many bring even
their houses. This is not SO difficult
an undertaking as it may appear at
first sight, for the houses are made
from light cocoanut palms and pan
danus leaves. They are built up in
sections, so they are easy to take
apart and transport
Most of the diving is done in water
from 60 to 70 feet deep. The sea is
so clear in the atoll that the diver
can study the bottom perfectly with
a water glass and locate the best
c1umps of shell before he dives.
When he is ready to go down he
slips into the water over the side of
the boat and, holding to the gufwale
with one hand, he looks downward
through the water glass. The mo-
ment he sights a good lot of shells
he begins to breathe deeply, sucking
in the air until his chest is inflated
as far as it can be, and then exhaling
it slowly through the mouth. so that
it makes a whistling sound. Having
illus cICdHcu Out Ills lungs, lie TIMES
a long breath. filling his chest with
perfectly pure air, and then he lets
go of the gunwale instantly and
sinks below the surface feet fore
most.
After he has thus sunk about ten
feet he turns quickly and swims to-
ward the bottom, head first, cleaving
q full ND
as a fish would. On touching bottom
he hauls himself along by Selling
clumps of coral until he reaches the
shells. Then he breaks them off the
reef with his right hand, which is
protected with white cotton cloth.
Quickly he puts the shells into a
little net of eocoanut fiber which he
carries over his shoulder Then he
stands erect and Immediately he
shoots toward the surface as if he
were pulled up by a rope. SO swiftly
does he ascend that he frequently
seems to leap out of the water when
he reaches the surface.
Of course, boys and girls of these
south sea islands can swim and dive
almost as well as if they were water
dwellers. One of them made an exhi-
bition dive for the officers of the
United States fish commission steam
ship Albatross last year. He re-
manned under the water two minutes
and 40 seconds and reached bottom
at a depth of 1O2 feet under the
boats keel. The water was so trans
parent that the beholders could see
him clearly. They declare that after
he had touched bottom at this enor-
nous depth he calmly picked over
the pieces of coral and shell at the
bottom to select one to bring UP,
exactly as man might Gull flowers
when working at his ease in garden.
This young diver was ready to go
down again only a few minutes after
he came up.