The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-12-31
GATHER PEARLS ON
 LABRADOR SHORE Some Very Valuable StonI $ Have Been Discovered USUALLY SILVER WHITE Indians of the District Have Always Known of the Pearls and Fishes
 for Them for Gen.
 eratons.

Gaspe Basin, Canada.-Deep sea fisher men and whale or seal hunters are about the only persons who know much of the Northern Labrador coast, where it runs up into Hudson Bay territory. Barren ness and desolation, rocky shores beaten by the ice Atlantic, long winters and short. indictment summers are its chief characteristics
 There are few signs of human life; mere ly ancient rock built shelters set up by whalers from Nantucket or Gloucester when Greenland whales were hunted among the iceberg or seal hunters rude shanties, where observation parties land for day or. two at time But curious as 1t appears there is a little known source of wealth in that lone land.
 It Is found in the rivers, which gener- ally make their last leap into the ocean over steep waterfall. The immense masses of fresh water mussels which in many places choke the streams first d- rected attention to 1t in late years
 Men wondered why old time whale or seal hunters and other early navigators collected such quantities of the shells as were piled about the camping places. Then short search by ne r-do-well few years ago revealed large, irregularly snapped pearl under a pile of shells and immediately a valuable secret was re- vealed.
 Since that time several men have become expert pearl fishers, and now shipments are periodically, and in summer. regularly made of pearls. These men make fair wages by their labors, though, of course, the returns vary according to the fortune that attends the individual.
 Some of the pearls are large and of great value. Last year one was sold to New Yorker of rare discrimination for upward of s1O00.
 In appearance these fresh water pearls are not easily distinguished from those ob- tained in southern seas, though unfor- tunately some percentage of them are irregular in shape.
 Usually they are silver white in color, though young man who has just return ed from Labrador has pair of rose pink
 pearls, perfectly matched, which weigh about twelve grains each and are worth $60 or $70 apiece.
 This lucky one was not a pearl hunter
 but took clump of shells in his hand and
 sat down to open them with his pocket
 knife. He found the pearls in one large
 shell. After that find he spent fort
 night In searching for more, but only ob- tained about half a dozen small ones
 worth perhaps s.
 As a rule pearl hunting Is gone about Tn a more scientific manner. The mussels are stacked on fiat rocks or sand bars and are allowed to decompose, when the shells open naturally and are easily ex-
 amined for the pearls, which lie embed ded in the flesh of the fish. The Indians of that district have always known of these fresh water pearls, anc several of the rivers running north have been fished for them for many genera
 tions Most of the pearls collected by
 them in olden times were huined by being rudely bored, so that they might be strung | for necklaces or for the adornment ol | wampum belts.
 | Nowadays the wide awake Hudson Bay | company traders pay fair price Tor all | the Indians can collect. Some Montreal | houses have regular dealings with the nearl hunters of the coast, and nave agents on the stop who obtain shipments l for