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pearl-fishing had only been half-organized, and investigation in the interests of the trade sporadic and half-hearted.
Shortly,
however, I witnessed a great regularizing of everything connected with
pearling. The passion of the Americans, who had taken over the islands
from Spain, for what is now called rationalization was making itself
felt. Besides, the presence of me, a European, emphasized the fact
that the great markets of the world now had their eyes on Sulu-fished
pearls.
Within
three years of my advent one hundred and twenty luggers equipped with
diving-gear were prospecting and fishing for pearl-shell from
Zamboanga, in Mindanao, to points south of Tawi-Tawi, bringing their
owners often to opulence. For the percentage of large and high-grade
pearls brought in was remarkable, and I, among others, was there to buy
them.
In
Sulu three modes of fishing for pearls were carried on side by side.
The registered luggers were equipped with the modern diving gear, as in
Broome and other progressive pearling centers where Europeans and
Japanese held stakes in the enterprise. Just before the European War
broke out, an improvement in deep-sea diving-gear had come about
through the introduction of the compressor, which made the diver below
independent of the crew above. It was I who first introduced
compressors into the Sulu fisheries, but at that time the high price
and native prejudice against innovations militated against their
general and immediate adoption. The contrivance, by the way, consists
of a combination of a gas or oil engine with a metal air tank or
reservoir. The advantages this confers are that the engine can be
started or stopped at a moment's notice by the attendant, that the tank
remains steadily filled with air at even pressure, and that the diver
is freed from the fear that the fellows at the pump might go to sleep.
Also the diver could now go down to depths which previously were
unattainable by him.
Naked
diving was the rule among the coast Moros or Samals, who had not yet
learned to trust to the air pump, the helmet, and hose, and who had
not, besides, the means to provide themselves with the costly
equipment. For all that
