Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-09-12
IRISH kELP CATERERS.
Seawced Harvesters Who Help 10
Make the Worlds Iodine

On the coast of Connemara, an ebb-
ing tide laid bare great quantities of
seaweed-reic of Atlantic gales; far
across black rock and yellow sand
stretched this mass of slippery golden
weed. haunt of many wild fowl who
now and again few up with piercing
cries. Here, further than eye could
reach, lay masses of deep sea tangle.
sugar wrack, knobbed wraclS. bladder
wra ck-all valuable as yielding kelp
III it's most profitable form, namely
that which is richest In iodine. Far
Iand wide stretched this brown carpet
of the Laminarf weeds. and slowly.
down the tidal river passed low.
bargeike vessels. moving seward,
and rowed with great oars, such as
may be seen upon the Thames On
board were men i'm high boots. all with
tan of the sea on their faces; for in
the mackerel season the majority of
these kelp gatherers turn fishermen.
Some hours passed, and then, more
swiftly. with a flowing tide, the harges
passed up stream again, their decks
and sides all hung with golden sea-
weed, which in due time would be
dried in the sun, collected into shallow
pits dug on the lonely Connemara
moors, and there set alight The
burning is prolonged until the sea-
weed has become fused mass; it is
then known as kelp, and this kelp,
while still smouldering is divided up
into pieces of convenient size; it is
generally calculated that twenty-five
or twenty-three tons of seaweed will
yield a ton of kelp. Later still, the
barges are reloaded, and glide down
stream once more; the kelp is trans
ferred to a waiting ship and conveyed
to England there to be used in d pro-
cess which the Connemara peasants
declare is kept most strictly secret to
manufacture iodine.
A heavy southwest gale. therefore,
spells profit to these dwellers on the
seaboard of Connemara, for during 1t
the most profitable kind of seaweed
which will form in time drift weed
kelp"-is brought ashore. Many of
these seaweeds for instance the deep
sea tangle, the bladder Nrack, black
wrack and sugar wrack, can only be
obtained in stormy weather: other
kinds of seaweed-namely. species of
! fucus-grow, on the contrary within
the tidal range, and can be cut off the
rocks during low tide; they are, there
/ fore. known as cut weeds" in contra
| distinction to drift Weeds Cut
weed. however. is less profitable than
drift weed. being far less rich in iodine,
and the kelp obtained from 1t IS ac-
cordingly less valuable. Drift weed
kelp has been known to yield as much
as ten to fifteen pounds of iodine a
ton OF 2.250 pounds, while. on the 9th
er hand cut weed selp will not give
more than three or four pounds II is,
therefore, upon obtaining good sup
piles of drift weed kelp that the ener-
gies of the Connemara fishermen and
peasants are conferred
The work of collecting this weed is
arduous; the men stand for hours knee
deep in water, shoveliing great bran
ches of Seaweed into the boats, as soon
as one patch of rock is more or less
cleared they stumble on still further
always governed in their search by
vagaries of the tide. aud generally
seeking spoil in the most desolatc
SPOTS of that most desolate
coast Away to their right lies the
gray, rock bound Marooni's sta
i ton beyond sight--to their left rise the
dim outlines of Dog and Deer islands
with Arran far beyond, a misty shad-
ON. Sometimes for days together foe
lies low upon this coast--a white cur
tain always moving slowly. yet novel
seeming to move away then, again
there are times when land and sea
alike are struck to strange. almost un-
earthly radiance, Then the wide At