The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-07-11
PEARL DIVING OF TODAY
Many Perils Eliminated From
the Industry.
RECEIVE $50 FER MONT,

The Naked Diver and tiis Three Mi
ute Plunge Replaced Ivy the Divin
Suit Man, Who Spends Hours
the Seas eottom--Fishns in Az,
tralian Waters.
The era Of naked divers exposed
to peril from sharks has passed away
Modern progress equips the pearler
with suit of india rubber. copper
breastplate, with leaden weights back
and 'front.' helmet, glass panelled and
with telephone attachments; air pipes
life lines and a submarine search
light. Thus equipped the pearl diver
may spend six or eight hours at the
bottom of the sea, whereas in olden
times three minutes made record.
Although pearls are found in nearly
all mollouses and even in uniyalves,
like the Australian haliotls. a kind
Of barnacle, true pearls are produced
only by the pearl oyster or mother of
pearl shell. The latter is really Inc
divers bread and butter. The shells
are as big as dinner plates and weigh
two pounds when cleaned. They fetch
frim $500 to $3.50 a ton.
The ancient fisheries, were chiefly in
the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf,
but nowadays the best pearls come
from Ceylon and from Australian wat
ers. especially Torres Straits. Pearl
fishing in, Ceylon is a Government
monopoly. In March the feet starts
for the pearling grounds, each vessel
with twenty or thirty divers and their
assistants. But you will find the head
quarters OF pearling in the desolate
country extending from Exmouth
Gulf to King Sound, in Western Aus
tralia.
Chinese and Malays as we'll as
tribes II native black fellows are there
today, but the old nude divers. the
reign OF terror and piracy when a
large haul was made-these and sim
liar conditions have passed away, CIV
ing place to fleets of luggers carrying
modern diving outfits and represen-
tatives of the inevitable capitalist in
the person of the master pearlers.
Here Is 500 miles of coast line, with
perhaps 5000 hardy adventurers en-
gagged in the pearl trade.
There are some thousands OF Jap
anese, Manilamen, Malays and men
Of other races acting chiefly as crews
for the vessels. The vessels are
schooner rigged and from seven to
fourteen tons burden. Each carries
master diver and crew Of. four,
one OF whom is the divers assistant
and works the air pumps,
The shells are found on ledges
about ninety feet down In the sea, but
they are far more plentiful at great
er. depths. Fortune awaits the IN
ventor OF a diving apparatus which
Will enable the pearler to work in
comfort hundred fathoms down.
A good days work is anything
more than 200 pairs of shells. The
business is absolutely speculative. One
liver may gather ton after ton of
,hells without securing anything OF
greater value than few seed pearls,
While another may take fortune
'ut OF a days gathering.
The most famous pearl discovered
In Australia Of late years is known
rs the Southern Cross. II consists OF
cluster Of nine pearls in the shape
of a cross. This freak OF nature was
picked up at low water on the Lac
lpede Island by beachcomber nam
I'd Clark, who after burying 1t for
some time for superstitious reasons
sold 1t for $50; later it fetched $780,
900.
The worst enemy the Australian
pearl divers have are the storms that
annually visit the coast AS to sharks
they rarely attack a diver In modern
lress, and he can always frighten them
on when they persist In following
him by letting a few air bubbles out OF
his dress. Other enemies, are the sea
snakes, the smaller octopus. the
stingray and the blowfish.
After days take OF shell has
been conveyed ashore the shell opener
gets at work. at once. The pay OF the
men is $50 month. plus 10 per cent
ON the value of the pearls found.
Some idea II the magnitude of the
industry may be obtained on learning
that last year $40 luggers paid an
annual IS license to engage In the
trade and they took many thousands
OF tons Of pearl shell; while as TO the
pearls themselves, the customs duties
In the pearl town OF Broome ex-
ceeded 5000 d month:
The treasury authorities, OF western
Australia estimate otliey receive a.
least 100000 year in dues from th.
pearlers.. Hardly q month passes