The Florida star., 1902-02-21

WHERE COMMERCIAL MOTHER OF
PEARL is OBTAINED.
Peril and Excitement In the Life of
Men Who Procure the Raw Ma
teriaI From which Buttons Are
Made.
Especial Correspondence

Especial correspondence
THURSDAY ISLAND, Dec. 2S. 1901
Far away in the cities Of civilization
my lady sits in her box at the opera.
The orchestra is drumming out its dull
prelude. My lady has finished sweep
ing the tiers Of boxes and the rows of
seats with her glance through the pearl
framed glass she holds in her white
gloved hand. AS she lays the glass
languidly down upon the velvet rim Of
the opera box she turns ii this way anu
rnat TO watch the splendid color play
under the electric lights of that rides
cent mother of pearl frame.
wonder if she thinks Off she
knows at all-how that exquisite pearl
shell WAS obtained for the cunning ar
tificer who shaped and polished it.
Thursday island. north coast of Aus
tralia. tiny patch OF earth in the sea.
fOnr miles long. two or three across. is
now the headquarters Of the mother of
pearl fisheries. When you know how
the shells are got from the mud ut the
sea bottom. you will wonder how pearl
and ornaments can he sold as chplply
as they are. Formerly the great hi
valves real oysters they arctic lin
ing of whose shells. large around as
big dinner plate. produces the mother
of pearl Of commerce. were abundant
all along the islan,,s Of southern ASIA
and the adjoining region. Now they
are getting scarj'a. In future they WI
have TO he llIn;ed ard grown as the
edible oyster is on the Atlantic coast of
the United States.
Here the pearl shell fishing. formerly
wholly in the hands of Australian ma
lives. has been invaded by the all con
quern- Jap. the Yankee of the orient.
He brings 10 the business grit. deXteri-
ty and Il civilized diving suit. in which
he lets himself down into the depths
and stays rs long as he likes. But our
synipathies are with The native whose
lung power and skill as Il swimmer
are his only safeguard from drowning
Three naked natives row out To the
pearl shell grounds in boat All can
swim better than any white man living.
though they are Australian abOriginCS.
fiat nOSed. wOOlly haired. thick Tipped
negroes. Two remain in the boat One
holds his breath and darts overheard.
down, down into unknown depths.
These naked black men sometimes go
down ninety feet. fifteen fathOms. be.
low the surface. The pearl fisher can.
not dive through this wafer. He sim.
ply swims down. SwimS as one would
upon the surface. He touches TIE mud
at the lotion. he crawls along over
that mud. he grapples cut this way
and that with HIS hands. if perchancp
they may strike the precious shells
whose feel he knows Instantly. If he
finds them. he shows one under each
arm, and up he comes with his two
shells. He gets a dollar apiece for
them. and the money is divided anon.
the three comrades.
While he was down there ninety feet
under the sea his comrades watched
the surface of the water all about them
with anxious eyes. The native divers
can remain under water a length of
time that seems incredible to a white
man, but sometimes the pearl gatherer.
I'm his anxiety to find the shells. stays
down too long. till he is exhausted
Above him the top Of the water is still