Gilpin observer., 1916-07-06

steamer, with limited passenger ac-
commodations, plying between La
Guayra and Trinidad and taking in
some of the coastal towns en- route,
connected Pampatar with Trinidad
during my stay on Margarita, but,
like all coastal service of the Vene
zuelan national steamers, this service
is liable to change in its itineraries
and cannot be relied upon There is
but little commerce in Pampatar, and
the town is fast falling into decline
The population of Pampatar is about
1,5O0 souls. Nearby can be found ex.
tensive salt deposits belonging to the
government.
Asuncion. the third town of impor
tance on the island, is losing the i'm
portance which the ruins of large
buildings and houses indicate that II
possessed in times gone by. 1t has
today a population Of but 5000 souls
where in former days the population
must have been far larger.
Has a Salubrious Climate.
The climate of Margarita island has
been renowned for centuries, and the
island in times gone by and even now
adays Is a favorite health resort fol-
sufferers from all kinds of fevers
This fact is. mentioned in a number
Of the early histories of the island
Neither the anopheles nor the steg
omyia mosquito are found on Mar
garita, which would explain that vel
low fever patients and those suffering
from malarial fevers can come to the
island without endangering the health
of the residents. The island is espe-
cially preferred as a recuperating re
sort by the inhabitants of Ciudad
Bolivar on the Orinoco river. There
are, however, but poor accommoda
tions in the Margarita towns fol-
transients, and the uncertain steamer
connections prevent the island from
becoming the national sanitarium fol-
the sick of the Venezuelan republic
Margarita island has an area of 444
square miles, and in reality consists
of two separate mountain ranges con.
nected by a low, sandy isthmus, about
10 miles long and from 20 to 1SC
yards wide. When seen from a short
distance to the northward or south
ward 1t will appear as two islands
The eastern portion of the island lie
IS miles long and about IA miles wide
The western portion, known as Ma
canao, which is practically uninhab
tied. is about IL miles long, east and
west, and z miles wide The lagoon
dividing the two parts of the island,
known as the 'Laguna Grande," OF
the "Laguna Arestigna," is some 10
miles wide and miles broad.
The explanation of the lack of pros
perity of Margarita island lies in the
fact that the rainfall on the island lie
SO extremely scant rs to be almost
negligible in some districts.
PearIino the Chief Industry.
The most important industry OF the
island is the pearl fishing Although
lately the pearling grounds have again
begun to show signs OF exhaustion,
due to excessive fishing by destruc.
tive methods, a large number of men
are still employed in this work and
the Margarita pearls rank in quality
with the highest grades of pearls from
the Orient.
The usual method pursued to gather
the pearl mollusks is with rakes that
are dragged over the ocean bottom;
the shells are then opened by hand
and the pearls removed. A number
of diving suits are also used in these
waters for the collecting of shells
from the bottom Of the sea, but as
oP ,ot,
have to pay far smaller license fee
to the government than those using
the scaphander method, and as divers
familiar with the use Of the diving
suits command high prices, owing to
the risks that they take with the usu.
ally defective outfits and the ignor.
ance OF the men who work the pumps
that provide the diver with air. the
raking outfit is the one in general use.
The pearls are generally bought by
the Turkish and Syrian dealers resid-
ing on the island and are shipped by
them to Paris. the clearing house for
pearls from all parts Of the world. II
Is strange to note that a large num-
ber of the pearling boats used in these
parts are rigged with lateen sails
a rig which is not seen in the other
West India islands and which was
probably introduced in Margarita by
the Syrian pearl dealers.
There is a closed season for pearl
ing from May 15 to September 1, dur
ing which time the fishing is absolute.
ly prohibited. This is done to allow
the pearl mollusks to spawn, and
does great deal toward preserving
the fisheries. Nevertheless, due to
the enormous amount of fishing that
has been going on in the last 20
years on grounds that have but lin.
tied area. 1t is said that the pearling
grounds are becoming more and more
depleted. and that in years to come
the industry will once again. as 1t
did after the early Spanish occupation.
automatically come tO n atandafiIl