Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-01-24
THE LUCK OF PEARL FISHER.
Overheard in the Night to Escape q Brutal
skipper.

Overheard in the Night to Escape = Brutal
skipper.
From the San Francisco Chronicle.
Robert j. Holloway, who is a pearl fisher
hailing from Thursday Island. is at present in
this city on his way back to his sea-girt home
on the other side of the Pacific Seen at the
Russ House yesterday afternoon Mr.. Holloway
gave some highly interesting facts relative to
his dangerous but occasionally highly lucra-
tive occupation.
Il scarcely know what made me take to fish
ing up oyster shells as a profession, " he said.
but suppose it presented opportunities for
adventure and excitement which fascinated me.
Twenty-three years ago was an apprentice on
board an English ship trading in the Poly
nesian Archipelago. and used to envy the
pearlers and inter island traders their free and
careless life among the beautiful tropical
islands. As is often the case, | had a brutal
skipper, and this helped me to resolve to run
away from the vessel and throw in my lot with
the pearl fishers. One dark night when we
were at Batavia / dropped over the side and
went ashore. Here l had no difficulty in get
ting employment on one of the small luggers
which was to sail at aybreak.
Il spent two years on this little vessel an
saved what earned. and having by that time
what l thought sufficient experience l started
in a small way for myself, pearling and trading
in 'beche de mer' with the natives. Sometimes
we had trouble with the savaSes; but. taking all,
through. the risks incurred were we'll compen-
stated for by the large profits in the trade.
SIN 1875 l had become the owner of a fine
lugser, and 1 employed eight divers. all Kama
kas. who use no diving apparatus whatever.
and can remain under water for several min
utes at a time. This season was operating in
the bay OF Carpentaria and was extremely for
tunate in getting pearls, although | lost three
of my men by sharks. These men take great
risks, seeming to have no fear OF the swarms of
sharks that infest the water. The divers have
a large stone attached by a cord TO the boat
With this weight in their hands they dive over
board and sink rapidly to the bottom. Then
grabbing all the shells within reach they fill the
network bag hung around their necks and come
to the surface with their cargo"
''What percentage of the shells contain pearls?"
asked the reporter
well, there is no rule" explained Mr. Hol-
loway. sometimes We don't get a decent
pearl in boat load, and again we NAV make a
rich haul in a handful of them. The small
Opaque pearl ia common enough and Of really
little value. One good big pearl ia worth pail
full Of them.
After fishing on the coast of West Australia
for couple of years / tried the New Guinea
fisheries. Here | was very successful, and In
20 l settled down at Thursday Island deter
mined to make that my headquarters while my
boats went in different directions BY this
time had three large pearling vessels and en-
ployed about fifty men. At the present time /
run eleven boats and pay about 100 men, OF
course, all the vessels not equally SUCCESS
full, some of them often running me into loss
for the year.
pearls are now very fashionable in Europe,
and there is great demand for tine best sorts
have just been to Vienna, Paris and London,
where have disposed Of some extraordinarily
good specimens at prices which have not re-
ceived for years previously. do most of nv
business with Amsterdam. and have it on au-
thority of my agents there that three of the
finest pearls in necklace worn by the Princess
Of Wales are from my fisheries"