St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-10-17
FINE WISCONSIN PEARLS.
Gems Said to Surpass Oriental
Treasures in Beauty and Value.

NcIiS SStiu W oufpdsS ofiChAstA
Treasures in Beauty and Value.
New York Sun.
1.-The Sum-" said Expert E. A. Thrali
the other day, as he stood in doorway
in Maiden Lane in the sunlight with a
copy of this paper in his hand. ''seldom
gave Uncle Sam more valuable tip
than is contained in this exceptionally
interesting siX-line editorial:
1.-THE pearl fisheries in Wisconsin are
yielding handsome returns if the tales
of the pearl fishermen are not as imag-
NATIVE as those of fish fishermen. Hon.
jeremiah Rusk should set his agricult-
ural specialists to picking up and Sc nd
ing out seed pearls.
Il use the adjectives exceptionally in
terestin alvisedly," th,. jeweer con-
tinued, "because what are called the
Wisconsin fisheries are mine Of
wealth, and it will be worth big
fortune to America every year to pre-
serve them from devastation. and that is
just what is threatened now. During
the last two summers pearls have been
collected in great numbers IN these fish
cries that rival in brilliancy ard value
the richest pearl gems that have been
gathered in the famous Oriental or
South American pearl beds. The Wis
cOnSin pearls are the most gorgeous
that the world has ever seen. There
were never any discovered that were SO
varied in hue or SO dense in compost
ton"
DO you mean this asked the visitor.
cor is this a sort of pearl fishing stury?"
Judge fol YOURSELF" the jeweier
said. and he walked to a big safe i'll the
rear of his store and drew from large
jewel drawer little packet of tissue
paper, and. walking back into the sun
light. opened it. Thirteen pearls lay in
a little heap in the center of the packet.
They glistened with rainbow hues and
changed cUlorS daZlingiy when the jew
eler rolled them gently to and fro with
the end of gold pencil.
1t was fascinating to watch the quick
transitions of color. Some were green,
others bronze, and others still Il glisten-
ing blue-black. Purple and gold. and
bronze and pink, and brown tints of
wondrous brilliancy shOne in the sun
beams as they rOlled hither and thither.
"Theie is one proof OF the beauty of
the new American pearl" the jeweler
added. Another proof is that | have
sold specimens as high as $1,000 apiece
in Paris recently. You don't get Paris
ian jewelers. to pay that sum for any
stantial tn justify the outlay. These
thirteen specimens here are worth
$4,000. Imagine what an eIitranciIig
Jewel could be made if these thirteen
were set in brooch. 1t would he more
unique and noticeable than the same
number OF diamonds in cluster"
Nv here did they come frun?'
"EheSe thirteen were taktnfrOm pearl
oysters dug up in Sugar river, tetween
Albany and Broadllead, in Wisconsin.
In two seasons | have had $50, 600 worth
of specimens.and they nave had ready
sale, SO the Sun Is not mistaken in hint
ing that tine fisheries are trea sure
to the governmental pair of these
weighing ,tifty,four grains was
recently sold to pearl house use
order. Another pearl that was received
from Sugar river last week brought
$1,000 spot cash unset. The popularity
of these pearls is that til. ir~"skIn" or
layers of crystalline substance is thin
ner and their composition denSer than
either the Oriental or South American
pearl, and their color tints more varied.
They stand the SevereSt test of worth.
| too. have sawed specimen in two
and found its constituent parts perfect.
''It is an outrage. though" the jeweIer
| added, THAT the government has as yet
taken no steps to protect these pearl
beds. While it ought to he something
| for Americans to be proud OF that the
| countay should produce tn. finest speci-
| mems of such gems known, the govern.
| ment does not seem TO wake up to a
! patriotic notion of its duty to save the
| pearl beds from utter ruin. These
| Wisconsin pearls were discovered
along several miles of the bed of
! the Sugar river and also in the Peconic
| and Rock rivers, and up Yellow creek.
| Sugar river was the richest mine. In
collecting them the fishermen have
been allowed to kill the oysters that
yielded the beautiful prizes. 1t was the
most ignorant and brutal kind of
slaughter, and no other intelligent gov
eminent would have permlted it.
Oriental and South American pearls are
gathered with the greatest care. and
with no injury to the oysters. Fisher
men for these gems first shake ,he
oysters to discover jf they con-
| tain pearls. This is quite readily ascer
4 tanned 10y the rattle the pear
makes when the shell is disturbed
When an oyster is found containing a
pearl the shells are forced partly open,
and the pearl is shaken out, and the
oyster is thrown back. 1t Is practically
| unlnJureQ. III wisconsin the hSIerinell
| ripped the shells open with knives. tore
out the pearls. and threw the shells
away. Of course this treatment killed
the oyster every time. That is some
thing that the Hon. Jeremiah Rusk viii
have to remedy in hurry ii he wants
to save the pearl fisheries. Two years
of ignorant methods of pearl collection
have well nigh killed them.
Even the shells" he said, "are pretty
enough to win protection from the gov
eminent, if it would only take the trou
BILE to give it to them. Let us hope
Uncle Sam will wake up to al apprecia
ton of the worth of these pearls. 4
friend of mine calls them world beat
ers.' So they are. They justify tin,
glowing and beautifully expressed
though scientifically inaccurate, eulog!
of the admiring bard, who sang:
Not what poets say they be
Are pearls-they never grew
They come not from the hollow sea,
They come from heaven. in drops of dew
| Down in Indias seas they slip
Through green and briny whirls,
Great sea shells catch them in their lips