The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1905-09-09


rae < Aheui lost DaFf,.fs e
All IIndeFsstttes tgdE.ieeFll- I,1tr-iIJ'-
IS shlrI<s ana sffnR Ray Are
AaonE me Daaeerr Tlfay Drave.
rhree native divers s for their
deep Sedtcr feats cama, IN pearl
inf sIo6f with US one gtfnOon and
gge a dne exhibition. says writer
IS the London Graphic. The bed over
which we halted was abOut ninety feet
under the surface. Our three divers
stripped to-A pdreo" apiece. and then.
sdifattInR down on the gunsale of The
boat WITH their hands hInging ovc..
heir knees. appeared to mediate.
Fiiey were s.takIng their wind" the
sIlife steersfnan informed me.
After about I'VE minutes of perfect
stiffness they suddenly got up and
dfved on the thwart. The rest OF US
INDICTED up and down the tiny deck
talked peeulnted and passed away
thesfffiie FOR what seemed an e1traor-
diiariIy Ion period. No one. unfor-
tdndtelys hll brought a watch, but the
traders ana schooner captains all agree
n ayine fhat The Penrhyn diver can
stay under water for full three min
trte last, one after another. the
dark he1d popped up agltn, and the
divers, each carrying shell or two.
SWAN back to the boat. got on board
ana presented their catch to me with
the ease. grace and high bred courtesy
that are the birthrlght of all Pacific Is
landers.
As GENERAL rule, the divers carry
baskets and hIl them before coming
up. Each man opens his own catch at
once and hunts through the shells for
pearls. Usually he does not find any.
Now and then he gets small gray
pearl or decent white one or big
irfeg1Iar ebaroque'' pearl OF the new
rtsi variety, and once In a month OF
Sundays he Is rewarded by large,
cleaning gem worth several hundred
p66ntIs for which he will probably
FOO or s30
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
air all rushes out under the jumper,
ana he Is mfserably suffocated. The
air pump above is often carelessly
worked, In any case, and there is no
recognized system OF signals except
the Jerks that mean Pull up"
sThey're the most reckless devils on
tlie face of tee earth.'' said local
trader "Once let man styilSe ~ good
bed of shell and lie won't l"sfe 1t.
He'll stick down there :.-i lay, grab
5bing away IN twenty +: -ho:.:s or more
tin be feels paralysis coming on
+'PEraiysIsY'
Yes-thcy get It, lots of EN- II
YOU was to go down In twenty fath-
-cms-tiey can do five and twenty, but
anything over is touch and go-ana
stay 'alf the day, you'd come up owl
ing like anything and not able to move.
That's the way 1t catches them, and
then they must get some one to come
and rub them with sea water all night
long, and maybe they dies, and maybe
they're all right by morning. SO then
down they goes again, just the same
as ever Sometimes man'n be pulled
M dead at the end OF the day. How
does that happen? Well, 1 allow It's
because he's been working ut big
depth all day and feels all right, and
tEen, do you see, he'll find something
a bit extra below of him, in holler
like. and down he'll go after 1t. and
the extra fnthom or two does the trick
s.Sharls? Well, I've seen you pop
ming Mt them from the deck Of the
Duchess, so you know as well as do
how many there are. Didn't 1t them
even when the fin was up? That's
because you 'aven't creased your bu!-
LET. suppose. You want to, II the
water isn't to turn It aside. But about
the 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
ers a bit, and the air bubbles out and
frlRttans them to fits. II you meet
big sting ray it'll run its spine into
yo1 ana spoil the dress. SOS the water
comes in, and maybe it'll stick the
diver too. And the big deyiltish IS
nasty. He'll hold you down on rock
but you can use your knife on him.
The kara mnuaa is the worst. The
divers don't like him. He's not as
big as shark, but he's downright
wicked, and he's a mouth ON him as
big as 'nlf his body. IL an onoo comes
along Ell bite an arm or leg on the
man anyway and eat i'm outright If 'e's
big enough to do 1t. Swordfish? Well
they don't often come into the lagoon;
it's the fishing canoes outside they'll
20 for. Yes. they'll run canoe and
man through ut a blow easy enough
but they don't often do it.
ssAbout the diving2 Well, think the