South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1879-08-22
The Pearl Fisheries of Ohio.

About twenty years ago pearls were
discovered in the Little Miami River.
Warren County, Ohio. and since then
the search for them has been one of the
recognized industries Of tho region. The
Cincinnati Commercial SAYS that the
mussels which furnish the pearls are
found in beds anywhere from the banks
TO the middle OF the river, and are gen.
orally discovered by the feet of the pearl
fisher. About fifty men and bows are
engaged in this work. They wade into
the river from depths reaching from the
knees to the neck.
With their feet they feel shells. and
raise them by their toes to a hight where
the hands can reach them without stoop.
ing so rs to bring the head under water.
Miniature canoes, tied To the shore and
boating out, are used TO deposit the
| shells. When n bushel or more have
been collected the fisher goes TO the
shore, aud sitting down on the grass. i'm
some cool shade, he opens the shells
with n large knife.
The pearls are found between sliI
membrane that lines the shell and the
she'll itself-a translucent web of texture
between cobweb and film OF mica.
Occasionally the pearl is embedded in
the she'll so firmly that only an expert
lapidary could safely detach it, This is
rare, The number of pearls found in a
single she'll ut the Miami fisheries rarely
exceeds three. and on an average only
one shell out Of one hundred and City
has any pearls at all. 1t is u common
experience to bring TO shore bushels of
shells with never pearl One may
J work for days with no reward: again.
he may make from five To- one hundred
dollars in single day. The uncertain.
ty is probably half the fascination OF the
work TO the peculiar class Of men and
boys who prosecute ii,
About year ago wealthy banker
OF Waynesvilie, Mr.. J. Ii. Harris, began
to purchase the pearls. which had pre-
viously been bought by New York and
European dealers chiefly. and has since
made large and fine collection. Men.
ton 10 male Of one fine specimen, the
Evcrhart pearl. found in The Miami and
sold to Messrs. Tiffany < Co, in New
! ork, for 5000. The ritianies sold it TO
a party in France for $1,000, bought it
back for $1,000, and made n final sale
Of it foi $500.
The season Of tho pearl fisheries OF
the Little Miami lasts only from June
! till October, as it is necessarily denen-
dent upon the warmth OF the water
| The fisher works about six or seven
hours per day, seldom remaining longer
than two hours consecutiyely, in tho wa
ter. 1t would seem as if the work
would be very ruhealthy leading to ma
laria and all its attendant train Of low
tevers and vital exhaustion, but it was
not spoken of particularly in that way.
There are pearls found IN other parts
OF Ohio, but are Of the milk white, owing
to the lack Of tho cacareous doposit
that abounds in Warren County. The
pearls Of the Little Miami region are Of
a soft, sky-blue, pink, golden tinged, and
iron color, with specimens that show q
pure type OF each, and others that are
blendings or all The colors, Of course,
are not solid, but exquisite tints and
shades, changing with the angle Of re.
fracted light. The size ranges from
that Of mustard seed TO the size Of q
bullet.
Many of the old Indian mounds that
he'C bcCh oicbcu CONTAIN pearls, Snow
ing how ancient their existence is
These pearls in the mounds lie as il
they had been strung but they crumblG
a. q touch.
Recently a pearl Of the most extraor
binary beauty and briliancy was sccis
dentally found on the Waynesyilc side
OF the river by Morton l. Roberts, IT.
Tie lad Of eleven years, the son Of Mr.
j. A. @. Roberts, Of the Adams Express
Company, Of Cincinnati. Morton was
visiting some relatives there, and went
down to got mu5scl shells TO border 9
flower bed for his aunt. There were q
quantity Of these that bad been looked
over by fishers and thrown aside, and /,
vas in one Of these that tie observing
eye Of the little boy detected the gen
that promises to be O very valuable one
II is said to be the largest pearl ever
taken from this region. and perfect in
its symmetry. IL has tho br,,iau-y oil
the purest aud most intense tinls Of thr
opal. 10 seems 20 rest in an aurcoie oil
colors, go delicate, yoi so glowing as U
suggest To one a dream OF color. In,
poafl will undoubtedly prove one oil
very rare yaluc. Ito weight is six c..at5