Semi=weekly graphic., 1898-04-13
ISTHEPEARLKING
HOW SAMUEL HARRIS OF CALIFORNIA
 WON THIS TITLE.

f
 An Interesting Trade With Natives of
 Pacific Islands.
 IL is not generally known that one single merchant, a young Californian, 32 years of age, controls the pearl and pearl she'll 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 astounding commercial reputation in the course of eight years. There are i plenty of cattle kings in the west and wheat kings i'll the east 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 hls transactions has made the private mark of Harris namely, a diamond inolosing large H "a seal of international importance and a guarantee of genuine kingship.
 Harris gathers his gems exclusively in the Society islands. For eight years he has made these Pacific land spots the field of his interesting business. It was on the shores of Tahiti that first he 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 made promises to them that he did not keep. He paid them in full the price which they demanded. Himself fin ished critic, eonnoisseur, he never permitted them to overyalue 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 a 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 handiwork of nature. To him, gifted with an artistic, l idealistic temperament, they appealed in q romantic, poetic way. To him each translucent globule seemed like a tear from the weird eyes of an earth be- witched mermaid. They were silent to. kens of the water maid s grief, she who perhaps pined for a terrestrial lover.
 Finally young Harris took a 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 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. Then Harris made his first business trip to Tahiti and he took with him $3, 900 worth of merchandise. His burden con- sisted mainly of tobacco, knives, rope, 1 fishhooks and articles of clothing. i These were luxuries to the native Tahi- tite, and the pearl trader brought back that year in exchange for his merchan- disc fully $40, 900 worth of pearls and pearl shells. He did not consider it 8 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 iridesoenee They are finely symmetrical in form, and the best are generally pear shaped, like a falling i cNo fo. nf "a deep goes on necessarily. The same ex- eitement and uncertainty attend the fishing as surround the tireless chase i for gold or the determined digging in diamond mine.
 There is the same labor and the oft repeated disappointment Now and then great surprise is brought up by the i fearless pearl diver. That compensates for all the rest. Lately it was an i'm mense black pearl, the handsomest of its kind ever snatched from the fathom- less ocean. Harris brought it on his last recent voyage to San Francisco. After careful examination 1t was found to be absolutely perfect, having weight of six carats It is valued ill the London market at e150.
 Since 1894 Harris has revolutionized the trade in pearl shells. Only one grade ever found it's way to the manu- lecturers of pearl shell ornaments and gewgaws It was generally shell that was thin, flaky and colorless and sold for $500 ton. This energetic young pearl king now exports four different grades or varieties. ranging in value from 5000 to $l, 200 ton.