The Newtown bee., 1879-09-03
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 the 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. erally discovered by the feet of the pearl fisher. About fifty men and boys are engaged in this work. They wade into the river from depths reaching from the knees to the neck.
 With their feet they feel the shells, and raise them by their toes to height where the hands can reach them with out stooping so as to bring the head un- der water. Miniature canoes, tied to the shore and floating out. are used to de- posit the shells. When bushel or more have been collected the fisher goes to the shore. and sitting down on the grass, in some cool shade, he opens the shells with large knife.
 The pearls are found between slight membra that lines the shell and the shell itse1f-a translucent web of tex ture between cobweb and a film ot mica. Occasionally the pearl is embed; ded in the shell so firmly that only an expert lapidary could safely detach it. This is rare. The number of pearls fisheries rarely exceeds three, and on an average only one shell out of one hun- dred and fifty has any pearls at all. Ii is 8 common experience to bring tC shore bushels of shells with never pearl One may work for days with no reward again, he may make from five to one hundred dollars in a single day. The uncertainty is probably half the fascina- tion of the work to the peculiar class o men and boys who prosecute it.
 About 8 year ago a wealthy banker o1 Waynesville, MT. J. H. Harris, began to purchase the pearls, which had pre- viOusly been bought by New York anC European dealers chiefly, and has since made large and fine collection. Men tion is made of one fine specimen, tho Everhart pearl, found in the Miami anC sold to Messrs. Tiffany & Co.,. in New York, for $9OO. The Titfanys sold it tc party in France for $l,O0O, bought ii back for S1 800, and made final sale of it for $2, 800.
 The season of the pearl fisheries of the Little Miami lasts only from June til October, as it is necessarily dependent upon the warmth of the water. The fisher works about six or seven hours per day, seldom remaining longer thar WOhOurs, cOnsecutively. in the water 1t would seem as if the work would bC very unhealthy, leading to malaria anC all it's attendant train of low levers anC vital exhaustion, but it was not spoke1 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 the calcareous de posit that abounds in Warren county The pearls of the Little Miami region art of a soft, sky-blue, pink, golden tinged and iron color, with specimens that show a pure type of each, and others that ar' blendings of ali. The colors, of course are not solid. but exquisite tints anC shades, changing with the angle of re. fracted light. The size ranges from tha of a mustard seed to the size of a bullet
 Many of the old Indian mounds tha | have been opened contained pearls showing how ancient their existence is These pearls in the mounds lie as if the, had been strung, but they crumble at touch.
 Recently pearl of the most extraor dinary beauty and brilliancy was acci dentally found on the Waynesville sid of the river by Morton L. Roberts, lit tie lad of eleven years, the son of MT. J A. G. Roberts. of the Adams Expres Company, of Cincinnati. Morton wa visiting some relatives there, and wen down to get mussel shells to border | flower bed for his aunt. There was quantity of these that had been looked over by fishers and thrown aside, and i was in one of these that the observin! eye of the little boy detected the gen that promises to be very valuable one It is said to be the largest pearl eve taken from this region, and perfect in it symmetry. It has the brilliancy of tn purest and most intense tints of tn opal. It seems to rest in an aureole c colors, so delicate, yet so glowing, as t suggest to one a dream of color. Tn pearl will undoubtedly prove one of yer rare value Its weight is six carats.