Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-06-24
PEARL DIvING's PERILs.
Naked Natives Pursue a Dangerous
Calling for Small Gains.


From the London Graphic.
Three native divers famous for their deep
water feats came out in a pearling sloop
with US one afternoon and gave fine ex-
hibtion. The bed over which we halted
was about ninety feet under the surface.
Our three divers stripped to "pareo'"
apiece, and then, squatting down on the
gunwale of the boat with their hands hang
ing 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 off the thwart The rest
of fidgeted up and down the tiny deck,
talked, speculated and passed away the
time for what seemed an extraordinarily
long period. No one, fortunately, had
brought a watch, but the traders and
schooner captains all agree in saying that
the Penrhyn diver can stay under water
for full three minutes, and 1t was quite evil
dent that our men were showing of FOR
the benefit OF that almost unknown bird,
the "wahine papa" At last, one after an
other, the dark heads popped up again, and
the divers, each carrying a 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 that are the
brithrght of all Pacific islanders-not at
all embarrassed by the fact that all the
clothes they wore would hardly have suf-
feed to make a Sunday suit for an equal
number of pigeons.
AS a general rule, the divers carry bas-
kets and fill 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
a big irregular 'baroque" pearl of the new
art variety, and once in a month of Sun
days he is regarded by a large cleaning
gem worth several hundred pounds, for
which he will probably get EGO to $50
nfxrt,a fironc ,caI in
Penrhyn, but in such an irregular and risky
manner that they are really more danger
Gus 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 preserve the
divers balance. 1t sometimes happens
though wonderfully seldom-that the diver
trips, falls and turns upside down, the
heavy helmet keeping him head downward
until the air all PUSHES out under toe
jumper, and he is miserably suffocated. The
air pump above is often carelesSly worked
in any case, and there is 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 a man strike a good bed of SHE'LL
and he won't leave it, not for Father Peter.
He'll stick down there all day, grabbing
away in twenty fathoms or more till he
feels paralysis comm on
"Paralysis?'
"Yes-they get it. lots OF 'em. If you
was to go down in twenty fathoms-they
can do five and twenty, but anything over
you'd come UP 'owling 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 maybe they dies. and
maybe they're all right by morning. So
then down they goes against. just the same
as ever Sometimes a man'H be pulled up
dead at the end of the day. How does that
III ILL
been workin at big depth all day and
feels all right and then do you see. he'll
find something a bit extra below of him,
in boiler like. and down he'll go after 1t.
and the extra fathom or two does the trick.
Sharks? Well, I've seen you poppin' at
them from the deck of the Duchess, so you
know as well as l do how many there are.
Didn't 1t them, even when the fin was up?
That's because you 'aven't creased your
bullet l suppose. You want to, if 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 jumpers bit and the air bub-
bles out and frightens them to fits If you
meet big stingray, it'll run its spine into
you and send the dress all to- mean, spoil
the dress, sos the water comes in and
maybe it'll stick the diver, too. And the
big devil fish is nasty; he'll hold you down
on rock, but you can use your knife on
him. The kara mauaa is the worst; the
divers don't like him. He's not as big as
a shark, but he's downright wicked. and
he's mouth on him as big as 'alf his body.
If an onoo comes along, ell bite an arm or
leg off of the man anyways and eat i'm
outright if e's big enough to do It, Sword
fish? Well, they don't often come into the
lagoon; it's the fishing canoes outside
they'll go for. Yes, they'll run a canoe and
man through at a blow easy enough but
they don't often do it. If you wants a
canoe, I'll get you one, and you needn't
mind about the swordfish. AS like as not
they'll never come near you.
About the divan? Well, I think the
naked divin' is very near as safe as the
machine, takin' all things. Worst of 1t is,
II kara mauaa or an onoo comes along
the diver can't wait his time till 1t goes No
he doesn't stab it-not inside the lagoon
because there's too many of them there,
and the blood would bring a whole pack
about. He gets under ledge of rock and
hopes tt'n go away before his wind gives
out. If it doesn't, he gets eat"