Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1908-08-27
500 YEAR.
NEW VOL. 43.-NO 81
Taking Tortoise-She

About the middle Of February. when
the north is shivering in wiutry winds,
with an occasional dash Of snow, the
turtlers of Nassau are getting their lit
tie vessels ready for the summer cruise
in the waters of the Bahama Islands.
running as far south as Grand Turk
and the CAicos group, and even to the
waters of SAnto Domingo. in search Of
the highly priced hawkbill turtle-in
zoology EretmOchelys imbr:cst'. sI-
plains Mr.. Joseph A. Howells in the
New York Sun. This is the turtle
that furnishes the tortoise-shell, also
called caret. These SHELLS are worth
from FIVE dollars to twenty dollars .
pound, according to thickness and
markings.
A turtle boat is ordinarily little
schooner about thirty feet long and
fourteen feet beam, but OF course they
vary in size. They are seaworthy aud
simple in rig. The merchants ofNss-
sau 6t out hundreds Of these vessels,
each Of which carries number Of small
boats, with two men TO each boat, a
cook, who has charge Of the vessel
when the men are off alter turtles. and
an extra man on the larger vessels.
The usual equipment is about ss
follows: For fifteen tons or smaller
vessels, 6ve boats and eleven men
twenty tons, eight boats aud eighteen
men thirty tons. ten boats and twen',
ty.two men The small boats are about
eleven feet long, Aat-bottomed and
quite seaworthy. When not in use
they are nosted amidships on each aide
Of the mast.
Each small boat is equipped with
an oar for sculling, water slass, a
wooden box twelve inches long and ten
inches square. in one eld Of which is
fitted, water-tight, an ordinary win-
dOw.psne; fifty or sixty fsthoms OF
light rope attached to conicsl net siI
feet deep with six.by. eight-inch mesh,
at the bottom Of which is half-inch
iron hoop four and ons-hAlf feet in di.
ameter, and weighed with lead.
When the vessel reaches the hunt.
iug-grouuds, the boats are put over
and scatter about for over q mile or
more. Each boat has an expert tur-
tier, who lies at the bow with his face
close to the wster.glass, which is i'm
mersed three or four inched under the
surface Of the water. Through this he
searches the bottom from six 10 TWEEN
ty or thirty fathoms below, which in
those clear waters is plainly visible.
The man in the stern sculls the boat.
the fisherman signaling with bis bare
feet the course he wants taken. When
he sees a turtle he carefully lowers the
the net and drops it over his game,
which Immediately tries to escape, but
becomes sntanglei in the msshes and
is soon landed in the boat.
As the hawkbill is hunted for the
shell on its back, when taken aboard
the vessel it is killed and the shell re-
moved. Ifitis wanted. the best parts
Of the meat are saved for food, bat Tho
rest is cast into the sea. Thousands
Of pounds Of soup material are thus
wasted for next 10 the green turtle,
the hswkbill is the best for soup that
is caught Ifs canning outfit were at.
tsched 10 turtlsr, a large amount Of
valuable material could be saved.
Turtle-6shing is attended With the
proverbial 6shermsn's luck. Some.
times the crsE-Ehich works on
shares-will take one hundred and
eighty pounds in three months, and
again not half as much. Sometimes
the catch 10 three months will amount
10 one thousand dollars. The value
Of the shells varies greatly. The sv-
srsgs hAwkbill will be worth from
FIVE dollars 10 twenty-five dollars.
The most valuable are those termed
"lantern. backed" and the clear she'll
10 worth twenty-five dollars . pound.
Does your back achei Do you have
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