USING THE CROW-FOOT DREDGE 125 



can be secured by dragging one dredge at a time. In 

 guiding the boat to keep it in the proper position it will 

 be advisable to use the method illustrated in Fig. 26 and 

 described in Chapter X. 



Where a number of these boats are in use on one mus- 

 sel bed the pearl hunters will need to be careful or their 

 dredge bars will get close together and become en- 

 tangled. There is really no occasion for such an acci- 

 dent, yet sometimes the men become busy and do not 

 notice that the boats are drifting too close to each other. 

 The work of separating the bars is very tedious and un- 

 profitable. 



Very often small logs and pieces of wood and other 

 trash are brought up with the dredge. It is a good rule, 

 and well followed in most pearl fisheries, to place all such 

 inside the boat and take it to the shore at the time or 

 later. Where the logs are large, other men near should 

 assist in loading the log. By such care and co-operation 

 the mussel bed is soon cleared of all trash, and can be 

 worked with more ease and profit. 



It is a common thing to get the dredge caught upon a 

 snag from which it is difficult to loosen it. In such a 

 predicament the first thing to do is to mark the location 

 carefully so it will not cause trouble again. If the boat 

 contains an engine like the one belonging to Mr. C. 

 Davis, of Florence, Illinois, which is shown in Fig. 31, it 

 is much easier to pull the bar loose from the snag. The 

 best way is to let out as much rope as possible and tie the 

 rope to the bow of the boat. Then start the engine and 

 run straight up stream at full speed. The sudden jerk is 



