The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-01-30
a PEARL KING.
A Young American, Aged 80, Who
Lives in California.


Los Angeles Letter in Chicago Times
Herald.
1t is not generally known that one sin
gle merchant, a young Californian, 80
| years of age, controls the pearl and pearl
| shell market of America and Europe This
| monarch of the pearl trade is Samuel
| Harris He operates in the Pacific ocean,
| and he has built up an astounding COM
mercial reputation in the course of eight
! years.
| There are plenty of cattle kings in The
| West and wheat kings in the East ana
money kings everywhere but there lis
| only one pearl king. and that peer Is
| Harris. Thousands of rare, translucent
| gems are brought to this country and
| shipped to Europe by his agents. lie deals
in mother-of-pearl shells by the ton, ana
| the magnitude of his transactions mas
made the private mark of Harris, name
| ly, a diamond enclosing a large H.
| seal of international Importance ana
| guarantee of genuine kingship. Harris
| gathers his sheeny gems, exclusively IN
! the Society Islands. For eight years ne
| has made these Pacific land spots the
| fields of his interesting business 1t was
| on the shores of Tahiti that first he earn
| ed his title of king. After repeated trans
| actions with the natives, whom ne en-
ployed In pearl fishing, he stimulated
| them from passivty to great acuVley'
gaining their confidence and trust by
honest and reliable barter. He never
made promises to them that he did NOT
| keep. He paid them in full the price winch
| they demanded. Himself a finished crluc'
| a connoisseur he never permitted them
| To over-value a pile of Shells and they
| grew to admire him. He controlled the
situation at Tahiti. He was easily king
| 1t is said that Harris has been lover
| of these delicate gems since his boyhood
| Pearls have always been to him the most
! mysterious, the most wonderful, the most
! beautiful handiwork of nature. To him.
i gifted with an artistic, ideahsuc temper
ament, they appealed in romantlc' poeu,c
| wav To him each translucent gloDule
| seemed like a tear from the weird eyes OF
an earth bewitched mermaid. They were
| silent tokens of the water maids grlef,
she who perhaps pinned for a terrestrial
lover. no
Finally young Harris took a pleasure
| VOYAGE to the distant Society Isles, ana
saw what made his enthusiastic eyes bulge
| in their sockets. He saw native children
| nlaving along the sands with the richest
| Dearl he had ever seen; he saw the native
| bellies passing by with ropes of pearly gems
about their throats such treasures as
| would have made a society queen turn
pale with envy.
trin to Tahiti. and he took with him $1,000
| worth of merchandise. His burden con-
sisted mainly of tobacco, knives, rope, hsh
| hooks and articles of clothing. Ihese Were
| Inquiries to the native Tahitite, ana the
| pearl trader brought back that year IN ex-
| change for his merchandise fully $4VOJe
| worth of pearls and pearl shells. He did
| not consider it bad bargain, ana ne mas
been back every year since.
Formerly only the lowest grade pearls
were brought to the American market. The
a1.r nd
| lv ever found their way this side of the
| water Harris has turned the tables, ana
| now brings to the San Francisco market
| the most perfect pearls found anywhere.
| The perfect stones are orient, and of trans
lucent whiteness or glimmering rides
cence They are finely symmetrical IN
form. and the best are generally pear
| sbaned like a falling tear. The hunt for
| these beauties of the deep goes on inces-
| sanity. The same excitement and uncer-
tainty attends the fishing as surrounds the
tireless chase for gold or the determined
| digging in a diamond mine There is the
same labor and the oft-repeated disap-
pointment Now and then great sur
| nrise is brought up by the fearless pearl
| diver. That compensates for all the rest.
| Lately il was an immense black pearl,
| the handsomest of its kind ever snatched
| from the fathomless ocean. Harris
brought it on his last recent voyage to
|
ton it was found to be absolutely perfect,
having a weight of six carats. Ii is val
ued in the London market at $50.
Since 1894 Harris has revolutionized the
| trade in pearl shells. Only one grade ever
| found its way to the manufacturers of
| pearl shell ornaments and gew-gaws. 1t
| was generally shell that was thin, faky
and colorIess. and sold for $500 ton. This
energetic young pearl king now exports
| four different grades or varieties ranging
In value from $500 to 81, 200 ton.
| All shells are purchased in bulk from
the native fishers. They bring down their
bauls of shell to the young kings schoon-
er as it lies in port fretting restlessly
against the side of the rude piers. They
bring down their find here for the kings
inspection He sits in state and passes
! Judgment
Harris can tell at a glance what pile of
shells is worth. He is an expert at deter
mining value, and he is a shrewd buyer as
| well and has never permitted the native
EXPERTS 10 out distance him in Judgment.
| When a pile of shells is dropped before him
he picks up one or two and runs his arm
| careessly through the heap, and in a mo-
ment can determine the grade, for the ma
| tives are clever al assortment. No uncom-
mon shells are ever found among the poor
ones. They have not learned yet the trick
Of deception by mingling the good and the
bad
Now Harris sails away again for the
ninth trip to the sun-kissed Society group
| Many an venture-lOving youth yearns
for the romance and excitement of these
strange schooner voyages that the pearl
king takes. He goes in search of rare
treasure, and he comes back with Golfers
| invariably laden. The trader is gratifying
| first a hobby and a cultured, extraVagant
one, but he is laying the foundation there
by OF an interesting and firmly rooted
commercial enterprise And the black
tribes of the islands would fight for him.
He is their king. A crown awaits him any
day
Corset Special, TUESDAY, Feb. 1.
Beginning next Tuesday for one week