Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1898-03-29

He Now Controls the Pearl and Pearl
 Shell Market of America and Europe.
 An Interesting Trade With Natives of
 Pacific Islands.
 It is not generally known that one single merchant, a young Californian. 32 years of age, controls tbe pearl and pearl shell market of America and Eu- rope. This monarch of the pearl trade is Samuel Harris, He operates in the Pacific ocean, and he has built up an
 stounding commercial reputation in the course Of eight years. There are plenty of cattle kings ill the west and wheat kings in the cast and money kings everywhere, but there is only one pearl king, and that is Harris. Thou sands of rare, translucent gems are brought to this country and shipped to Europe by his agents. He deals in mother of pearl shells by the ton, and the magnitude of h.s transactions has made the private mark of Harris namely, diamond inclosing large II -a seal of international importance and a guarantee of genaine kingahip.
 Harris gathers his gems exclusively in tk9 Society islands. For eight years he has made these Pacific land spots the field of his interesting business. It wes on the shores of Tahiti that first ke earned his title of king After repeated transactions with the natives whom he employed in pearl fishing he stimulated them from passiYity to great activity, gaining their confidence and trust by honest and reliable barter. He never mado promises to them that he did not keep. He paid them ia full the price which they demanded. Himself fin. ished critic, u eonnoisseur, he never permitted them to overg&lae a pile of shells, and they grew to admire him He controlled the situation at Tahiti He was easily king.
 It is said that Harris has been Q lover of these delicate gems since his boy hood. Pearls have always been to him the most mysterious, the most wonder ful, the most beautiful hand1work of nature. To him. gifted with an artistic, idealistic temperament, they appealed i'll romantic, poetic way To him each translucent globule seemed like tear from the weird eyes of an earth be- witehed mermaid. They were silent to kens of the water maid s grief, she who perhaps pined for terrestrial lover
 Finally young Harris took pleasure voyage to the distant Society isles and saw what made his enthusiastic eyes bulge in their sockets. He saw native children playing along the sands with the richest pearls be had ever seen; he saw the native belles passing by with ropes of pearly gems about their throats, such treasures as 1osld have made a society queen turn pale with envy. Then Harris made his first business trip to Tahiti, and he took with him s, 000 worth of merchandise. His burden con sisted mainly of tobacco, knives, rope, fshhooks and articles of clothing. These were laxuries to the native Tahi- tite, and the pearl trader brought back that year in exchange for his merohan- disc fully $40, coo worth Of pearls and pearl shells. He did not consider it bad bargain, and he has been back very year since.
 Formerly only the lowest grade pearls were brought to the American market. The finer ones were retained abroad and rarely ever found their way this side of the water. Harris has turned the tables and now brings to the San Francisco market the most perfect pearls found anywhere. The perfect stones are orient and of translucent whiteness or glim- mering iridesoenoe They are finely symmetrical in form, and the best are generally pear shaped, like falling star. The hunt for these beauties of the deep goes on necessarily. The same ex- citement and uncertainty attend the fishing as surround the tireless chase for gold or the determined digging in Q diamond mine.
 There is the same labor and the oft repeated disappointment Now and then 3 greet surprise is b-cHght mp by the fearless pearl diver That compensates for all the rest Lately 1t was all im- mense black pearl. the handsomest of its kind ever snatahed from the fathom- less ocean. Harris brought it on his last recent voyage to San Francisco After careful examination it was found to be absolutely perfect, having weight of six earats. It is valued in the London market at e15Q.
 Since l994 Harris has Fevolutionized the trade in pearl shells Only one grade ever found its way to the manu- lecturers of pearl shell ornaments and gewgaws. It was generally shell that was thin, faky and colorless and sold for $500 a toA. This energetic young pearl king now exports four different grades ot varieties, ranging in value from Se00 to Sl, 200 a ton.