New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-08-30

and used the freshwater pearls to an astonishing
extent. Bushels of pearls have been found the
hearths of some of these Ohio mounds. These are
of course, worthless. they have been damaged
and half decomposed by centuries of burial and by
the heat of sacrifcial fires. An idea of the guam
tity found in certain Of these mounds may be
gathered from the fact that all the pearls which
have been found in the recent years of search and
excitement would not approach in numbers those
found in any of these mounds. 1t is probable
that the mound builders used the mussels for food,
and thus naturally accumulated large numbers OF
pearls, which probably used for ornaments
The Spanish explorers who accompanied De Soto
in his memorable expedition from Florida to the
Mississippi in 1910. give many remarkable accounts
% the pearls seen and procured from the natives
with whom they came in contact IN their extensive
wanderings through the region OF the Gun StateSS
coonists MADE reference to similar kind in their
accounts of the more northern tribes AS these
presng matters little attention was paid to the
search for pearls unit! about tortytnree years ago
three grains was found at Notch Brook. near
the Queen Pearl and was sold to the Empress
Eugens Of range for $500 Il is tod DC b Worth 9en
caused great excitement, not alone in New-Jersey,
Pt tnf With in
MGns of up0 at
little or no result One pearl large round one one
but it was ruined by boiling to open the shell:
During this &c fea ev w0Fts a Gg
In the Union The excitement gradually died away,
what revived in 1865, when many fne pearls
obtained from Little Miami RiyeE Ohio. e. ,o,.
when some Of the finest American pearls were
found near Waynesville. Ohio.
Since 1850 pearls have come from comparatively
new districts further West and South and IN a
came the PRINCIPAL pearl producing States one
r s95 que and sbseouent 6yopSh 50 500 in London
During the summer of 1889 quantity OF magni1,
rivers of Wisconsin, in Rock, Green, Lafayette.
Grant and Crawford counties One of these pearls
! cold Fnr aTdE
were principally purpIsh red copper red and dark
in this region. and by 1890 it had extended through
Illinois, along the Macknaw River and its tribu-
tary creeks IN Mclean Iaze%eI anu NOo1 b
produced nearly $4,000 worth of pearls since 1889
81 rs ,,esei bsds necIIIisr feature Of this fever
20 r tR psr bbtnF is h it seems to run in cycles
The year 1897 witnessed q widespread outbreak
OF the pearl mania, which extended through large
areas previously unaffected by II. reproducing IN
seen eIsewhere-the excitement seizing upon the
Of steady labor and fock by thousands to the
rivers and creeks to gather unos The ultimate re-
locality is cleaned out Most of these people have
an exirayagant idea Of the value of choice pearls
which they may ind while thousands are disap-
pointed at discovering that every irregular ma
creous concretion that they may find is not valu-
The chief centre Of excitement in 1887 was Ar
kansas, where pearling had never been carried on
before. Thence the fever extended west into the
| Georgia and portions OF Tennessee were largely
affected In Arkansas the principal operations were
along White River and its tributaries. along
Black River. Cache River and the upper part OF
the ST Francis River. the valley of the Arkansas
and along the Ouachi1a Saline and Dorcheat rivers
peculiar feature OF this region was that large
proportion of the best pearls found not by
opening the shells but lying in the mud of the
shores or at the bottom OF shallow streams. Often
they found in or upon the soil at some dis
lance streams lakes. This peculiar &C.
currence is partly explained by the wide areas
covered by the rivers in flood times when probably
the pearls werc shaken OF he mussels.
Arkansas pearls not unknown before this
time. On the contrary, for years the country
people had picked them up. having been attracted
by their glitter and beauty OF coioring and their