Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-11-07
THE AMERICAN PEARL
Hundreds Have Made For
tunes in the Clam Beds.
READ LIKEFAIRYTALES
100000 IN PEARLS TAKEN
FROM ARKANSAS RIVERS.
Now the Output is Growing Rapidly
Less Owing to Lack Of Pro-
per Protection.

Written for The Evening Star by Douglas NJ.
Thayer.
Several weeks ago a New York pearl
dealer sold lot of domestic pearls to
Frenchman in Paris The Partisan did not
even take the trouble to ship them to
India, but after drilling them In the French
capital invoiced them to firm of Ameri-
can jewellers as oriental pearls. When
the man who had sold them to the French
man returned to lew York few days
ago he found the gems exhibition in a
New York show case. recognized them
Immediately the ones he had sold to
his French customer, and for the fun of
the thing he thought he would inquire
about the price.
I'VE are asking $4,000 for them" replied
the jeweler They are genuine orientals
and we ought to get little more seeing
that the price of pearls is gong up
wait minute" said the expert. Please
turn that pearl over. Now look Just at
the edge of the hole where the gem is
drilled you will find a dark colored spot.
See it? Looks as if the skin had been
bruised and had healed.
The jeweler looked, screwing his ''loup'
up to his eye and taking a careful squnt.
That's right he said finally. Then he
snatched away his "loup and gazed at
the dealer Say" he asked. looking at the
who are your
Tell you later; let's talk about those
pearls They are interesting to me: l
used to own them once. l bought them
out in Newport. Arkansas, when they
hadn't been out of the water more than
fifteen minW =. They cost me less than
$1,000. l sold them in Paris for $4,000.
They cost you about $4,000. 1 could have
sold them to you for $1,000. Now, here's
my name; here some pearls-domestic
ones like yours. Want to buy?'
The jeweler almost fell at the first
revelation, but the seco2d rallied him.
No Domestic Pearls.
No" he said, rigidly I'VE don't want to
handle any domestic pearls. 1t will spoil
| our trade and reputation"
1t is doubtful whether this or any other
jeweler will be able much longer to handle
domestic pearls oriental jewels and
thereby secure big profits, for the simple
reason that the pearl-bearing CLAIMS are
disappearing from the bottom of the M s.
sissippi river and its tributaries at rate
| that threatens total extinction of the spe-
| cies in a very short time Many of the
| most productive rivers of the pearling sec
| tons have been swept clean of the pearl
makers, and unless something is done soon
a business that is worth hundreds of thou
sands of dollars annually to the people of
| those sections will pass away as quickly as
| it came. And in this conjunction it is in
| teresting to note that the pearl oyster of
CeyiOn are now SO scarce tndl the govern
| ment is soon to put in force a law which
| will prohibit all pearl fishing for a period
| of five years.
Within the past three years more than
/ S3,O00.OoO worth of pearls have been taken
| from the waters of the Mississippi valley.
At least three-fourth of the pearls have
| come from the Black and White rivers of
Arkansas. In 1901 about 81 100000 worth
| OF the gems were taken from the Black
| river alone, most of which came from a
section not twenty miles long. with New
! port as its center. Last year less than
| 81 100000 worth We're taken and this sea-
son the output has fallen off more than 80
| per cent. The Black river has been entirely
| cleaned out, and the swarm of fortune
hunters has gone over 10 the White river
a few miles distant and that, too, has
! given up nearly all It's wealth
Crowd is Leaving.
/ When the river has been depleted the
largest peariing region in the middle west
viii become what it originally was-an I'M
| populated wilderness. Already thousands of
| people have left, and Newport and other
| towns which sprang up in a night are rap
| idly dwindling. In Newport more business
! houses and dwellings are vacant than are
| occupied; its population has fallen within a
little more than year from $1,000 TO 1000
| The other important domestic pearl CEN
| ter is on the Mississippi Itself. around Prai-
| RE Du Chen, Wis, but il does not COM
! pare with the southern beds and fishing 70.
pearls there is more OF a side line to the in
| dustry OF obtaining shells for the numer-
Gus pearl button factories along the river
! in this vicinity. The pearl button, oil and
| fertilizirg industries have been as largely
responsible for the defamation of the pearl
| bearing clam beds as the pearl hunters. and
| both have decorated the shores OF the Mis-
sissipp from La Crosse WIS. 10 New Or
leans with evidences of their ravages.
A Modest Fortune.
The pearltng fever started In the summer