The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-11-13
HOME PEARL FISHERIES.
Pearl FoUND NEAL PATERSON IN
1857 TALUED At $4,000.

H EfOuie All ONer Nnc OOuntrN hthFtntu
for PeRris-A Large Find in Arkansas
Last Yesr-PearI Fishing by Wholesale.
Pearl fishing as an Industry IS connected in
the minds Of most people with Oriental life and
customs. That American farmers. hangers
ON at the village stores and other types of coun-
try life should he pearl fishers dlsarranRes
ones idea OF the fitness OF thugs. But II has
proved an absorbing OCCUPATION to the resi-
dents OF certain sections of the country. The
Fresh Water Pearls and Pearl Fisheries In tho
United States" by George w. Kunz. supplies
a scientific study of the question which is full
OF information likely to- interest the unprofes-
sional. reader and open his eyeB as to the ex-
tent to which pearl fishing has been practiced
in the past. Mr.. Kunz's volume Ia extracted
from the United States Fish Bulletin for 1897
and Is published by the Government Printing
O0ice ut Washington. II is the unto pearls
from the shells found In tho fresh water
streams that are most abundant in the United
States. The general manner Of handling
them in this country lie described by the au-
thor as follows:
Pearls are found usually either by farmers
who devote their spare time to this industry.
and. II no result is obtained. suffer no loss, or
by persons In country villages who are without
regular occupation. but are ever seeking
means for rapid increase in fortune. The
general method OF collecting shells is for boys
and men to wade into the millrace or into the
river to their necks, feeling for the sharp ends
Of the unto which always project. When one
Is discovered the finder either dives in after IL
or lifts 1t up with his feet. 1t was the custom
formerly to open the shells In the water. and
once during the process a pearl as big as a
pigeons egg is said to have been dropped In
the water and was never recovered. Multi
tudes OF shells that do not contain pearls are
destroyed. Many brooks and rivers have been
completely raked and scraped often in a reck-
less manner and consequently with little re-
suit. This wholesale destruction has no doubt
exhausted many varieties Of these shells. to-
gether with the depredations of h~ogs-which
have exterminoted whole shoals OF unios when
the brooks wore low-aud impurities intro
duced into the water by manufacturing estab-
llshments.'
That the fresh water pearls found here we're
abundant In earlier times has been proved by
the investigations Of a~r,heologists. On the
hearths OF the mounds In Ohio unto pearls
have been found In. great abundance. They
were used by the Ohio mound builders for the
purpose OF ornamentation and were most fire.
quently observed in connection with articles
OF carved stone. Pipes made in the form of
the heads of birds and animals with their eyes
made from pearls were found in the Ohio
mounds and in some cases they were used to
ornament statuettes. Mr.. Kunz concludes
that all the pearls found in the Ohio mounds
probably came from the inland waters. al
though some investigators maintain that they
may have been brought from the Gulf. Great
numbers Of pearls were found by Ferdinand
de Soto In Florida, Georgia. Alabama and Ten
nessee. thatis. in the regions that correspond
to the area occupied by these States. One in
cldent showing the value and extent OF these
possessions of the Indians is quoted:
1.-THE cacique came one day to the Governor.
bringing him q present of q string Of pearls
five feet in length. These pearls were as
large as flberts. and had they not been bored
by means OF fire. which had discolored them.
would have been OF immense value. De Soto
thankfully received them. and in return pre-
sented the Indian chief with pieces OF velvet
and cloth OF various colors and other Spanish
trifles held In much esteem by the natives. In
reply to the demand of De Soto. the eacique
neighborhood. He further told him that in
the sepulchre OF his ancestors was amassed q
p wese Meieom Ssa 70 esir 1i a Wa,ca "a t msa spS as fGey
pleased. The Adelantado thanked him for his
good will. but replied that, much as he wished
tuaries OF the dead to obtain them. adding that
he only accepted the string from the chief
DE Soto having expressed a curiosity to see
the manner of extracting pearls from the shell.
tne cuCluu6 luStdltiy- utSIdJcHeu IOTty cdnOeS
to FISH for oysters during the night. At an
early hour next morning a quantity OF wood
SpJ E Eather ed and or piled %0s ae eoae CHI river lssrs ssap K
glowing embers. AS soon as the canoes ar
rived the oysters were laid ppon the hot Goals.
They quickly opened with the heat, and from
some Of the first thus opened the Indians
obtained ten or twelve pearls as large as
the cacique. who were standing together look
ing on. They weresof a line quality. but some
what diseolored by the fire and smoke. III
Indians were apt also to further inlure pearls
thusN obtained by boring them with a heated
COPPER instrument.
turned to his quarters TO partake OF his morn
ing meal. While thus engaged u soldier en-
tered with hT a large neari N his hand .h ae had had
the pearl between his teeth. Not having been
Injured by fire or smoke. 1t retained its beau
Ia Its form that several spaniards who pre-
tended to be skilled in those matters de-
dier would have. given 1t TO the Governor to
present 70 his wife. Dona Isabel de Bobadilla.
V SHi VI him into 70 preateieS It hn Until he should HIdd1 arrive fU,
at Havane. when he could purchase horses
and other necessarles with It,"
incident occurred with, the town, OF Rome. Ga.
1t is with the pearl fisheries, OF this country
most interestingly: Until about forty years
ago. no interest whatever, was shown in the
subject %9ess 81 p ,siI a Fisheries; The fnet in Sissa Il Which Ta.1
was found at Notch Brook. near Paterson. y.
j. 1t was later known as the Queen PEARL
and was sold by Z firm Of New York jewellers
to be worth SI0.OO0 to day. This lind created
an excitement which extended throughout the
whole country. Tn unIos were gathered in
this brook by the thousands. ana most Of them
were ruined by the careless manner In which
they were collected. One pearl. which In the
connoisseur's opinion. would have proved
the most valuable of modern times, was
ruined because the finder boiled the shell In
VIII .ch IL lay in order to open il. The fever for
finding pearls spread to such an extent that
In the year 1857 pearls valned ut $l5,OOO were
sent to tho New York market from nearly
lnuustry gradually declined until 1868. Then
1t was revived by the discovery. of pearls IN
the Little Miami River in Ohio. In 1876
$4,000 worth of pearls was found near Waynes-
vile. o. Mr.. Kunz thus continues:
AT that time Israel ii, Harris OF Warnes-
Vile began what has sipce become ond of tho
finest and best-known collections 81 nnio
pearls in this country, purchasing dnring
many years every specimen OF value that he
could lind In that part Of the State Anong
his pearls was one button-shaped on the hack
and Weighing thirty-eight grains; also
a..aA alnNna aV.Na 40 ms Tnna WtuE .nna t.I an