Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1899-06-20

| single merchant, a young Californian,
80 years of age, controls the 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
astounding commercial reputation in
the course of eight years. There are
| plenty of cattle kings in the west and
| wheat kings in 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 his transactions has
made the private mark Of Harris
\ namely, diamond inclosing large II
"a seal of international Importance and
a guarantee of genuine kingship.
Harris gathers his gems exclusively
| in tine Society islands. For eight years
| he has made these Pacific land spots the
| field of his interesting business. 1t 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 passivity 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 a fin
ished critic, connoisseur, he never
permitted them to overvalue 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 boy
hood. Pearls have always been to him
the most mysterious, the most wonder
full, the most beautiful handiwork of
| nature. To him, gifted with an artistic,
idealistic temperament, they appealed
| i'll a romantic, poetic way. To him each
translucent globule seemed like tear
from the weird eyes of an earth be-
witched mermaid. They were silent to.
kens of the water maids grief, she who
perhaps pined for a 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 he had ever seen; he
saw the native bellies passing by with
ropes of pearly gems about their threats,
such treasures as would have made i
society queen turn pale with envy. Then
Harris made his first business trip to
Tahiti, and he took with him So, 900
worth of merchandise. His burden coz
sisted mainly of tobacco, knives, rope,
fishhoohs and articles Of clothing.
These were luXuries to the native Tahi-
tite, and the pearl trader brought back
that year i'll exchange for his merchan-
disc fully $40, 600 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 iridescence They are finely
symmetrical in form, and the best are
generally pear shaped, like a 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 a
diamond mine.
There is the same labor and the oft
repeated disappointment. Now and then
a great surprise is brought up by the
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 it was found to be
absolutely perfect, having a weight of
six carats. 1t is valued in the London
market at e150.
Since 1894 Harris has revolutionized
the trade in pearl shells. Only one
grade ever found its way to the manu-
facturers of pearl shell ornaments and
gewgaws. 1t was generally shell that
was thin, fiaky and colorless and sold
for $500 a ton. This energetic young
pearl king now exports four different
grades or varieties, ranging in value
from 5000 to 81, 200 ton.
All shells are purchased in bulk from
the native fishers. They bring down
their hauls of shell to the young kings
schooner as it lies in port, fretting rest
lessly against the side of the rude piers.
They bring Gown their find here for the
kings inspection. He sits in state and
passes Judgment. Harris can tell at a
glance what a pile of shells is worth.
He is an expert at determining value, |
and he is a shrewd buyer as well and |
has never permitted the native experts |
to outdistance him in Judgment When |
a pile of shells is dropped before him, |
he picks up one or two and runs his |
arm carelessly through the heap and in |
a moment can determine the grade, for |
the natives are clever at assortment. No |
uncommon shells are ever found among |
the poor ones. They have not learned |
yet the trick of deception by mingling |
the good and the bad.-Chicago Times