The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-02-07
He Left a Brutal Skipper to Get
Into a Better Paying
Business.
How He Runs a Number of Yes
sells and Employs Many
Men.
What He Says of tho Dangers and Profits
Of Eobbing the Ocean Bottom Of
Its Wealth.

Robert j. Holloway, who Is a pearl nsneF
mailing from Thursday island. Ia at present
in shis city on his way back to his sea-girs
home ON the other side Of the Pacito. says
the San Francisco Chronicle. Seen At the
Russ house yesterday afternoon. Mr.. Hello-
way gave some highly interesting facts rel
alive to his dangerous but occasionally
highly lucrative occupation.
IT scarcely know what made me take 10
fishing mp oyster shells as a profession" he
said, but ] SUPPOSE it presented oppcrtuni-
ties for adventure and excitement which
fascinated me. Twsnty-three years ago l
WAS an apprentice on board m English ship
trading in Polynesisn archipelago. and used
TO envy the pearlets and intsr-islRnd trad
era their free and careless life among the
beautiful tropical islands. As 10 often tho
case, l 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 l dropped over the side and went
ashore. Here I had no difficulty in getting
employment On one Of the small luggers
which was to sail at daybrsak.
II spent two years on this little vessel
and saved what I earned, and having by
that time what I thought sufficient ex-
periencs l started in a small way for my
self. pearling and trading in 'beehs do mer'
with the natives. Sometimes We had
trouble with the ssvages, but. taken all TO-
cether, the risks incurred were we'll COM
pensatsd for by the large profits in the
trade.
"Iu 1875 I had become The owner of a fine
lugger, and ! employed eight divers. all
kanakss, who use NO diving apparatus
whatever, and can remain under water for
several minutes at q time. This season l
was operating in the bay Of C%arpsntaria.
and was extremely fortunate in getting
pearls, although l lost three of nay men by
sharks. These mon take great risks. seem-
ing to have 10 fear of the swarms Of sharks
large stone attached by q cord to the boat.
With this weight in their hands thev dive
overheard and sink rapidly to the bottom.
Then grabbing oil the shells within reach
they fill the network bag hung round their
necks and come to the surface with their
o' 1%h., r. ,o.n..o, ., ,hs ,hs,,. contain
pearls?" asked the reporter.
well, there is no rule" explained Mr..
Holloway. 'Sometlmes we DOM get a
decent pearl in a boat load, n again we
may make a rich haul in a handful Of them.
Inc small opaque pearl 10 common enough,
and Of really little value. One good big
pearl is worth a pailful of them.
after fishing on the coast of West Aus
tralia for a couple of years I tried tho New
Guinea fisheries. Here / was very success
full. and in 1879 l settled down at Thursday
island, determined to make that my head
quarters whils my boats went in different
directions. By this time I had three
large pearlinR vessels and employed about
fifty men. At the p%resenttime / run eleven
boats and pay about q hundred men. or
course all the vessels arc not equally suc-
cessful. some of them running mo into loss
for the year.
Pearls are now very fashionable in
Europe, and there is a great demand for
the best SORT. l nave inst been to Vienna.
Paris and London, where l haye just dis
posed Of some extraordinarily good speci-
mems at prices which Ihave not received for
years previously. l do most of my busin sss
with Amstsr dam, and / have it on authority
OF my agents that three of the finest pearls
in q necklace worn by the princess of Wales
are from my fisheries"
Regular bowels follow the use Of TurT's
pvrrc