Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1879-08-28

AHeIiCan Ingenuity nhu S3pcQ them time,
trouble and expense, and the SUCCESS that
las crowned these industries will follow
others il our capitalists will only mako tho
venture. At least this was tho moral of tho
celebration and speeches
Tho Pearl Fisheries Of Ohio.
About twenty ycars ogo Ecarls were dis
covered in tho Little Miami River, Warren
County, Ohio, and since then tho scuroh
for them has been one Of tho recognized
industries of tho region. The Cincinnati
Commercial says that the musscls Which
furuis! the pearls aro found in beds any
where from the banks to the middle Of tho
river, and arc generally discovered by tho
feet of the pear! fisher. About fifty men
and boys arc engaged in this work. They
wado into the river from depths roaching
from tho kuccs to the neck.
.Witl, thcir.fect they feel for the shells, and
raise them by their toes to IL height where
The hands can reach then, without stopping
go as to bring tho head under water,
Miniature oanoea, tied to the shore and
floating out, are used to deposit the shols
When bushcl or moro have been collected
the fisher Coce 10 the shore, md sitting
down on tho graas, in some cool shade he
opens the shells with large knife.
Tho pearls are found between slight
membrane that lines the shell ond the shell
itself-a translucent web of texture between
a cobwcb and q film of mica. Occasionally
the pearl is embodied in the shell 80 firmly
that only an expert lapidary could safely
detach it, This is rare The number Of
pearls found in single shell at tho Miami
fifty has any pearls at all. It 10 common
experience to bring to shoro bushels of
shells with never pearl Ono may work
for days with no reward; again, he may
make from Eve to one hundred dollars in
siuglo day. Tho uncertainty is probably
half the fascinat;on OF the work TO tho
peculiar class of men and boys who prose
cute it.
About year ago o wealthy banker of
Waynesvillc, Mr.. }. II. Harris, bcgon to
purchase the pearls, which Ind previously
been bought by New York und European
dealers chiefly, and has since made large
nn, tino collection. Mention is made Of
one Gno specimen, tho Evcrhart pearl
found in the Miami and cold to Mcssrs.
Tiffany & Co., in New York, for 5000. Tho
rifanics sold it to party in France for
$1,000, bought it back for $500, and
made final sale Of it for $4,000.
The season of tho pearl fisheries of tho
Little Miami lasts only from June till %.
tobcr, as it is necessarily dependant upon
| the warmth Of the water. The fisher works
about six Or seven hours per day, seldom
remaining longer than two hours, consecu-
| lively, in tho water. 1t would seem as if
tho worl; would bo unhcalthy, Lending to
! malaria and all ita attendant train Of low
iovers and vital exhaustion, but it was not
| spoken Of particularly in that way.
There are pearls found in other parts Of
| Ohio, but arc of the milk white, owing to
tho lack Of the c,Icareous deposit that
abound IN Warren County. The pearls of
the Little Miami region AFRO Of soft sky
blue, pink, golden tiuged, and iron color,
| witi: specimens That show n pure typo Of
each, and others that ore hlcndivgs Of all
The no!ois, Of course, are not solid, but
exquisite tintS and shades, changing with
the anglo Of rcfractcd light Tho sizo
ranges from that Of mustard seed to tho
size Of bullet.
Many of the Old Indian mounds that
have been opened contain pearls showing
now ancient their existence is. These
poarls in tho mounds lilo as il they had been
strung, but they crumble at touch.
Roccotly a pearl Of the most cxtraordi-
nary beauty and bril!ianoy was accidentally
found Oh the Wayncsyilo side Of tho river
by Morton l.. Roberts, little lad of ccvon
years, the son of MIR. D. a. G. Roberts, of
tho Adams Express Company, of Cincinnati
Morton was visiting somo rclatives there,
and wont down to get musse shells to
border flower bed for his aunt. There
were n quantity Of these that had been
looked over by fishers and thrown aside, aud
it was in ono of these that tho observing
eye of tho little boy detected the gem that
promises to be very valuable ono. 1t is
said TO be tho largest pearl ovor taken from
this region, and perfect in it's symmetry.
It has tho brilliancy of the purcst and most
intonsc tints Of the opal 1t seems to rest
III an aurcolo Of colors, so delicate, yet 80
| glowing, as to suggest to ono dream Of
color. The pearl will undoubtedly provo
one OF very rare value, Its weight is six
| carata
Yellow fever still continues on its steady
on1,raa in kTon,nbio