How TO MAKE A CROW-FOOT DREDGE OUTFIT. 115 



rope is very good for the purpose, as it is larger and 

 easier to handle. Any new rope gradually gets larger 

 after being used awhile. One objection to a new rope 

 is that it twists and gets full of kinks which make the 

 rope inconvenient to handle. A good, strong swivel at 

 one end will allow the pearl hunter to get rid of the 

 twists easily. Another plan is to use a ring on the bridle 

 and a snap on the end of the rope. The snap can be 

 loosened so the rope can be untwisted, but the snap is 

 liable to come open while the dredge is on the river bot- 

 tom in use, so it is not as reliable as a good swivel. After 

 the rope has been used for awhile it will not give much 

 trouble by twisting. The length of the rope needed will 

 depend upon the depth of water. At Florence, Illinois, 

 the ropes used are generally about sixty-five feet long. At 

 some places more rope is required, while at other places 

 less will do. There should be enough to reach the bot- 

 tom of the river, letting the dredge drag back of the 

 boat a sufficient distance to make sure that all the hooks 

 are scratching the bottom of the river, and, in addition, 

 there should be about twenty-five feet left in the boat. 

 Some is needed to anchor the dredge, while at least ten 

 feet more is needed to reach back to the dredge, which 

 rests on the standards, and there should also be an al- 

 lowance made for the shrinkage of a new rope. 



The river may raise some and more rope will be re- 

 quired on that account. 



Some pearl hunters like to drag both bars at once on 

 some occasions, which, of course, requires more rope. 



The bars are usually twelve to sixteen feet long and 



