The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1905-09-14
THEPENRHYNDIYERs
FEATs or THESE RECKLESS PACIFIC
OCEAN ISLANDERS.

Among the Dan<erH They Brayc.
Three native divers famous for their
deep water feats came out In pearl
ing sloop with us one afternoon and
gave fine exhibition, says a writer
in the London Graphic. The bed over
which we halted was about ninety feet
under the surface. Our three divers
stripped to5a ''plreo" apiece, and then
squatting down on the gunwale of the
boat, with their hands hanging over
their knees, appeared to mediate
They were taking their wind" the
white steersman Informed me.
After about five minutes of perfect
stiffness they suddenly got up and
dIved on ule tbwart. The rest OF US
INDICTED up and down the tiny deck.
talked, circulated and passed away
the tine for what Seemed an eXtraor-
dinarily long period. No one, unfor-
tunnteIy, had brought a watch, but the
traders and schooner captains all agree
in saying that the Penrhyn diver can
stay under water for full thee min
uteS. At last, one after another, the
dark heads popped up again, and the
divers, each carrying shell or two,
swan back to the boat, got on board
and presented their catch to me With
the ease, grace and high bred courtesy
i
landers.
AS a general rule, the divers carry
baskets and fill them before coming
up. Each man opens his own catch nj
once and hunts through the shells for
-earls. Usually he does not fad any,
Now and then he gets a small gray
pearl or a decent white one OF big,
irregular ''baroque" pearl of the new
,rt'' variety, and once In month OF
sundays he Is rewarded by large,
cleaning gem worth several hundred
pounds. for which he will probably
get EGO or EDO.
Diving dresses are sometimes used
in Penrhyn, but in such an irregular
and risky manner that they are really
more dangerous than the ordinary
method The suit is nothing but
helmet and jumper. No boots are
worn, no clothing whatever on the
legs, and there are no weights to pre-
serve the divers balance. 1t some
times happens. though wonderfully
seldom, that the diver trips, falls and
turns upside down, the heavy helmet
keeping him head downward until the
sir I'LL rushes out under the jumper,
and he is mlserably suffocated- Tx
air pump above is often carelesslO
worked, in any case, and there Is no
recognized system of signals except
The jerks that mean Pull up
They're the most reckless devils on
the face of the earth" said a local
trader. "Once let man strike good
bed of shell, and he won't leave It.
He'll stick down there all day, grab
hing away in twenty fathoms or more
till he feels paralysis coming on
"ParalysIs?"
.sYes-they get it, lots of 'em, If
you was to g. down in twenty faith
oms-they can do tiye aad twenty, bu"
anything over is touch and go-ano
stay 'aIf the day, you'd come up owl
ing like anything and not able to move
That's the way it catches them. and
then they must get some one to come
and rub them with sea water all night
long, and maSbe they dies, and maybe
they're NIL right by morning. So ther
down they goes again, just the same
as ever. Sometimes man'll be pulled
up dead at the end of the day. How
does that happen? Well, allow It's
-because he's been working Mt big
depth all day and feels all right, ana
,llen, do you see, he'll find something
n bit extra below of him, in holler
IKE. and down he'll go after 1t, and
the extra fathom or two does the trick.
sharks? Well, Two seen you pop
ming at them from the deck or the
Duchess so you know as well as 90
how many there are. Didn't 1T them
ven when the fin was up? That's
because you 'uven't creased your bui
LOT. suppose. You want to, II the
water Isn't to turn it aside. But about
tho divers? oh, they don't mind
sharks, none of them, when they've got
the dress on. Sharks is easy scared.
you've only got TO pull up your jump
,.rs a bit, and the air bubbles out and
rrightens them to fits. II you meet a
Dig sting ray It'll run its spine into
fou and spoil the dress, SOS the water
comes in, and maybe it'll stick the
diver too And the big devtlhsh Is
nasty. He'll hold you down on rock
hut Won can use your knife on him.
The kara mauaa Is the worst. The
divers don't like him. He's not as
big as shark, but he's DOWNRIGHT
wicked, and he's n mouth on him as
biz, as 'alf his body. II an onoo comes
along 'e'lI bite an arm OF leg or the
man anyway and eat i'm outright If 'e's
big enough to do it. Swordhsh? Wen,
they don't often come into the lagoon;
it's the fishing canoes outside they II
go for. Yes. they'll run canoe and a
man through at blow easy enough
hut they don't often 90 II.
about the diving? Well, think the
naked diving is very near as safe us the
mnchlne. taking all things. Worst OF II
Is IL n kara mauaa or nn cnoo comes
along. the diver can't wait his time
am 81 Zoos No he doesn't stab IT