Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1901-06-12
QUEEN OF THE PEARLS
One Found in the Mississippi That
Weighs Io3 Carats and Is
Worth $4,000.
HAS SOLD oNCf FOR OVER $4,000
Original Finder Gets S17.5OO-His
Wife's Discovery in a Discarded
Clam Shell.

Chicago, June 12.-Three weeks ago
last Friday a Wisconsin clam fisher
put his hook down into the muddy
waters of the Mississippi, near Ian
sing, Ia. and fioated in his boat with
the current until he reached Prairie
du Chen. Somewhere between those
two points he caught on his hook Il
clam. in whose shell was hidden the
largest and most perfect pearl ever
found in America. This pearl is now
locked in n vault at II. Deakin's art
rooms in the Fine Arts building, where
everybody in Chicago who knows any
thing about pearls is going to look at
it. Deakin was offered $4,000 for it..
He refused to sell it. because he thinks
the pearl is worth $4,000.
Discovered by Mere Accident.
Like almost every other pearl of eX-
traordinary size and luster there is told
about this one Il story of how the clam
mer passed it by and rediscOVered it
only by chance. When the Prairie du
Chen fisher reached his little island OH
the evening of May ~ he went TO work
in his Shanty To see what he had found.
One big shell attracted his attention,
and he opened il. half expecting to get
Il pearl or Il barOuche. But he saw
nothing. and tossed il aside on the
table where he was working. A few
minutes later his wife entered the shed
to ask him to hurry to dinner. While
she was waiting she idly picked up one
of the shells and peered into it.
Then He Heard a shrek.
Then the clam fisher heard shrek.
He jumped across the table TO where
his wife stood SpeechleSS with the
shell in her hand. and snatched it
away from her. There. hiddeR under
the hinge, almost out of sight. was Il
massive pearl the like of which the
clammer had never seen before. He
dug it out, carefully cutting away the
she'll that had grown over it. and
started on the jump for his boat. When
he reached the nearest telegraph office
he wired 10 Il man in Prairie du Chen
to come to the island and see what he
had found.
Its Name Il Queen Mary,
The Prairie du Chen man reached
the Clammer'S Shanty that night and
before nc went away he had the pearl
and the clammCr had = check for Sill
200 Ii took Il lot oI argument to per-
Suade the fisher 10 part with The
stone. He said il was his wife'S and
he wanted her 10 wear it. The big
check. however. was too much for him.
ana he finally gave up the pearl with
one provision. My WifeS name is
Mary" he said IF you call that
pearl the Queen Mary YOU may take
il along with YOU"
One of the Finest in the World.
The cOnnoisSeurS who have seen the
pearl since Deakin bought il Il fort
night ago pronounce il the most Won
derful ever found in America. They
say also that il is equaled by few in
any other part of the world. 1t weighs
IU3 grains and is pear-Shaped. meaSur-
ing more than three-quarters of an
inch in length and five-eighths o" an
inch in diameter. 1t is perfect pink,
and so lustrous that one can see the
reflection of ones face in it. In the
sun it glOws with warm lights and
seems to be alive with opalescent col
or The Queen Mary has changed
owners three times since it was dis
covered. The Prairie du Chen man
sold it for $4,000. Deakin, naturally
enough, will not divulge the price he
paid for il.