The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-04-09
MEXICAN PEARL FISHING,
Yield of the Gulf of CaIifOr-
mia Is S35O,OOO.

MIA Is $3.50, 900.
The agent Of the English proprietors
Of the concession granted by the Mex
lean republic for a monopoly of pearl
fishing in the Gulf of California recent
Iy arrived in San Francisco and gave
some interesting details of the present
methods employed in their industry
which has continued ever since the
occupation of the country in the time
of Cortez
The whole coast of the Gulf of Cali
fornia abound in pearls, and the con-
ccssionS control the entire territory
Until within the last few years native
divers were employed, and the depth
to which they could descend did not
exceed So feet. With the introduction
of diving apparatus the limit of depth
was increased to thirty fathOms The
best divers could formerly remain I'M
der water not to exceed two minutes.
A modern diver thinks nothing of a
two-hour stop in water 100 feet in
depth, though at greater depths the
stay is necessarily shortened on account
of the enormous pressure of the super
incumbent water. A diver when upon
the floor Of the ocean looks about for
the oyster which he tears from the
object to which it is attached, and
places 1t in a small bag hanging to a
rope, which is hauled into the boat on
given signal. Sometimes the num-
Der of oysters secured is large, at other
times only a few are caught.
The diver does not confine himself
to the pearl oyster alone, but if he sees
a rare specimen of coral or a new
species of shell he places it in his bag
and sends it to the surface, where II
becomes the property of the concession
| and the source of it's large income.
Last year the value Of the pearls har-
vested in Lower California was alone $780,
600. In addition, 5000 tons Of shells were ex-
ported, which were valued at s., 250, 900 more
Pearl fishing is the entire occupation of The
natives, and La Paz, the headquarters,
| habltants. is solely dependent upon the in
| dustry. The business is one of chance, ant
| the pursuit is a fascinating one to the ma
| tives, who are born gamblers.
| Every oyster does not contain it's pearl
and only at intervals, and rare ones at that
| Is a really valuable one discovered. Tn
largest one ever found was about three
| quarters of an inch in diameter, and wa
sold in Paris to the emperor of Austria TO
! $4,000 Many black pearls are found Il
Lower California and are valued highe
| than the pure white. The large majorit
are seed pearls and are only Of moderat
value.
San Francisco Is not the market for Mex
lean pearls, though it ought to be- TIL
harvest Is exported straight to London an
| Paris and distributed from these great mar
! kets.
The dangers of pearl fishing have Away
been exaggerated, possibly to give q hC
titious value to the beautiful gems. TIL
loss Of life in the fisheries in Lower Cal
fornia was undoubtedly larger before tn
introduction of the diving dress, but it
not an established fact that the deaths wer
always caused by the shark or octopu:
though these marine monsters were withoJ
doubt responsible for the loss of many lives
Every diver has plenty Of hair-raisin
stories to relate of narrow escapes frol
death, but as he is the only witness
these affairs, it makes the difficulty to sui
stantiate them 50 much the greater
! The occupation at best is a hazardous on,
and those who were engaged in it befo1
the introduction of diving apparatus wei
always shOrt-ived. The demand in tn
worlds markets for pearls of extra beaut
is always far in excess of the supply.