The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-11-24
One Of the Interesting Cities
of Mexico's Pacific Coast
1T WAS FOUNDED BY CORTES
The Work Of the Divers Aided by I'm.
proved Methods
Values Of the Fisheries-The History OF thu
Town-Largs Returns From Pearls.
Some Lucky Finds

one of the m ost interesting cities on the
Pa, iio coast Of North America. The 10.
cation was undouotedl discovered by
Fort no Ximines, a pilot Of Co ties, and
in 1885 Cortes founded the present city.
sending shipload of settlers, who, after
ieinfocred, four years later. by All sxps-
uition u.uer Fran,i-co de Ulloa. Very
Hu is Known Of La r z by the gen. raj
public, and until the news wa, flashed
o.sf tue wor! recentlt t"a. 1t had been
heard Of ~ lite Spanish Me.icsn
Town. La M stands ON tne tip end of
the Lowe Cai fo,.ia reninusa that ex.
TO DIS. south ward, forming the Gull OF
California, or Cortes, as the SpaniaIds
n.m d it. TINS long narrow lagoon 10
as little known to the outside world 40
the D., sd sea, but 1t has osrn familiar to
dealers for centuries btca1so Of its tsarls
and p arl hsneries, over 6W pear.divrrs
obtaining u living in the vicinity, while
the attn it has produced in the last
$40 YEA. amounts to a very iarse sum.
The locality reaching away from La
Paz first b, came known through Cortes,
who f"und in the possess on OF the ma
lives very valuable pearls. According
TO the story some of the men found .
child with string OF pearls asout her
necS, some of which, had they not been
,uinrd by tho rude piercing, would have
been worth thousands o. dollars. The
natives had no idea Of the value OF the
pearls, aud MANY were obtained from
them winch later brought fabulous prices
in Europe. Some OF the finest PEARLS in
the collection OF the sovereigns OF Spain
during tho pat two oentdries came from
the Mexican peari-hsheries and were
taken by La Paz divers. few years
ago the value Of the pearls taken caused
a rush to ground equallins that Ia
the gold fields. One pearl weighed IS
carats and was sold r $1,000; anuthsr,.
ing AZ carats, brought 5000. One OF the
LARGEST pearls found here during the past
century brought $50, 900. One OF ths beat
wears for p arls la modern times was
1881, in which black pearl was found Ut
in Paris. In 1852 two were found, weigh
ing 81 ana As carats, which realized SILL.
900 In 1883 a Aght-orown perl VS.
fund which weighed 05 carats, aud sold
for $4,000; while pear-shared sp"ttcd
pearl brought $500. To illustrate how
the natives are cheated, even touay, one
man t"und a pear-shapen white rearl OF
great lustre wuich he sold Tor $40 to
merchant, who, in turn sold 1t in Paris
for $500.
The annual find of pearls OF the gulf Of
Curt 3, the headYuart RS Tor ~hicD Is at
La paz, amounts to shout s3oO,o ono
of the best pearls ct late years has been
Gallo tns Cleopatra. Ii was perfect,
wei hing thirty-six carats, and sold for
$40, 600. The bis safe u the mShaRer OF
La Paz could tell same wonderful stories
OF he gems it mas held. The pearls are
divided into ght Or nine classes, the
lonest raue be. ne nerel, imperfect aud
rou IN : ie- es; tbe highest large AMI svm-
metiical, ranging in price from 1880 up
to $l0uO, ana from pure white earls With
ricn luster to black ana metallic hdes
and pinS.
cries at La raz and the gull have fallen
into the haIds If the America IS, and for
the last fifteen years the Pearl Swell cnm-
pany has control'e ed the lis, cry, working
the banks between CAPE st Lucas and
the Rio Colorado, while another company
CO trolls the fisheries about the islandr Of
Ceraito, Espeii,u Santo ana S.n josef in
the ruff of california. The bsnin Ing be-
gins in May at La faz anu In OcsobeF tue
La Paz men go t, the vicinity OF Acs-
pulco, where they work until about Jan.
usry.
Tie diving today It La Pss 10 entirely
different from tue method followed In
former years. Then the men plunged
down 10 the bottom, dragged down BY
weig hts, and foi minute, or a. Ions -
they GOULD hold thsiI breath, they picked
mp shells, tossing them into q basket.
Now ali 10 changed. The 500 or 600 men
employed are divided into gangs and
move abvut on four or tive schooners OF
100 tons burden. About seventy Iuodern
diving suits are en- ploy ed, and each gang
has one The diver remalns down an
hour or more, gathering the {. ellis and
the wire bssKet is then lowered to him.
He 10 followed by q small boat In whi"h
there is q pump worked BY several na-
tivee. The divers and their sssi tants
camp along the beach, and the shslis are
taken ashore everv night, the main sure
houses being at La Paz.
The liftlA n that the h0m0 Of
so many of the divers was picturetqne
place but il has been almost deserted.
Lying low. the sea broke over It, carry.
ing away the ONES OF the divers who
were along shore, and wreckinR or blow
ing ashore many OF the diving fleet. La
Pa has normal population Of about
5000 persons and stands on small bay
OF that name On the west shore OF the
gulf. 1t 10 the capital OF the state, out
has little commercial value outside OF
the pearl fisheries. Coming into. the
bay, it strikes one as typical sleepy
bay, before the hurricane came were rows
If 90 trees y nd the title matched homes
OF Inc divers covefrdswith tropical vines:
The houses in the town proper arc al
low, WITH a single story Of wood: adobe
OF plaster. In the csnte. was the plaza
with ito group Of tropical trees. bot this
was destroyed. Every the house.
are hidden by tropical verdure. beh md
.he town rise the purple peaks OF the
Lower California mountains-a hitting
ackpround for the picturesque city. In
many uuaItsrs are evidences OF the i'm.
portsncs OF the pearl fsheres. Here are
se ,eraI lsrse warehouse in which are
piled bags Of shells OF the pearl oysters
| that are even more valuable than the
| pearls. These are shipped to Germany,
where they are converted into various
obiect.-buttons. knife-handles AMI the
THOUSAND and one articles which we pro.
| ducs, yet buy from Europe. About 5000
| tons OF these shells are procured BY the
La Paz divers every year. The plaza ana
| its public buildings, the old mission OF
La Pax. and It's quaint decorations
brought from SPAN years ago, the gioVe:
| Of ralms and bananas, to groups OF
| pearl divers about ths II sunny homes,
are the main features OF interest.
| T Q introdu ction OF diving sutts Vas
| the .alvstion Of La Paz. The oyster beds
| had been 90 overworked that few were TO
| be hal, as :ivsrs could not penetrate to
| great depth Ia the water. but toe div>
| ing arm or changed all this. anu th men
were al once enabled to penetrate TO
derth nf sky or seventy feet to held
hitherto unworked. When the al eIs
! hrst learned to use the amor at least one
| \ month lost his lie. This WAS mainly
| que TO poor tubinf, which broke. letting
| water into the helmet. American tubing
| is now EN- ployed and accidtnts are rarely
heard of, A uivsr in armor has never
| been moles led BY SHARK.
The divers receive very snail wages
IL