The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1897-07-10
MEXICAN PEARL FISHING.

MEXICAN PEARL FISHING.
The Annual Yield Of tho Gulf Of Califcr.
MIA IL About $780, 600.
The agent of the English p1 prize
tors of the concession granted by
the Mexican republic for monopoly
of pearl fishing in the gulf of Cali
fornia recently gave some interest.
ing details Of the present methods
employed in their industry, which
has continued ever since the occupa-
ton of the country in the time Of
Cortes.
The whole coast of tho gulf Of
California abounds In pearls, and
the concessions 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 IS feet. With
the introduction Of diving apparatus
the limit Of depth was increased to
80 fathoms. The best divers could
formerly remain under water not to
exceed two minutes. A modern
diver thinks nothing Of 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 at
tached, and places it in small bag
hanging to rope, which is hauled
into the boat on a given signal.
Sometimes the number of oysters
secured is large. At other times
only a few are caught.
The diver does not contine 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 it becomes the property Of
the concession and one source Of its
large income. -
Last year the value Of the pearls
harvested in Lower California was
alone $350,00O. In addition 5000
tons of shells were exported, which
were valued at 1880, 900 more.
Pearl fishing is the entire occupa-
ton Of the natives, and La Paz, the
headquarters, city of the PENN
sula, with about 1000 inhabitants,
is solely dependent upon the indus
try. The business is one Of chance,
and the pursuit is fascinating one
to tho natives, who are born gam
blers.
Every oyster does not contain it's
pearl, and only at intervals, and
rare ones at that, is really valua-
BILE pearl discovered. The largest
one ever found was about three
quarters Of an inch in diameter and
was sold in Paris to the emperor Of
Austria for $4,000. Many black
pearls are found in Lower Califor-
MIA and are valued higher than the
pure white. The large majority are
seed pearls and are only Of moder-
ate value. .a:.4. -
San Francisco Is not the market
for Mexican pearls, though it ought
to be. The harvest is exported
straight to London and Paris and
distributed from those great mar
kets.
The dangers Of pearl fishing have
always been exaggerated, possibly
; to give fictitious value to the beau
tiful gems. The loss of life In the
fisheries in Lower California was
undoubtedly larger before the intro
duction of the diving dress, but it is
not an established fact that the
deaths were always caused by the
shark or octopus, though these ma
rine monsters were without doubt
responsible for the loss of many
lives. Every diver has plenty of
hair raising stories to relate Of mar
row escapes from death, but as he
is the only witness of these affairs it
makes the difficulty to substantiate
them SO much the greater.
The occupation at best is hazard
Gus one, and those who were engaged
in it before the introduction of div.
ing apparatus were always short
lived. The demand in the worlds
markets for pearls Of extra bear
Is always far In excess Of the
ply.-Mineral Collector.