The San Francisco call., 1905-03-05

owners OF floating and stationary mer-
chandfse stores and the people depend
ent upon pearl fishing in general. They
were willing that certain parts Of the
ocean be closed up for period Of five
years but they wanted the privilege of
nshing elsewhere in the meantime free
o. charge. The idea Of sailing into a
ouoy and reading For suitcase apply
TO Jim Smith" didn't appeal to them
IN the least and they couldn't exactly
ngure out why the rich man should
build fence around the ocean anv-
how and say this belongs to me-"
So the maEs meeting went to worL
When the opportunity presented itself
they asked if the sky and the sunshine
were apt to be bottled and retailed to
the highest bidder, and If they were to
be allowed a little moonshine free of
charge. In short, they held the whole
matter I'D in such a ridiculous light
that houses Of Parliament smiled in a
nonchalant fashion and said 1t would
be a shame TO rob America of her
high position in the trust line"
SO the old ocean goes scot free this
time and we small people NAV go ON
hoping and watching for the pearls
For be II known to the uninitiated
that the majority OF pearls taken are
Of poor quality and comparatively
valueless, though now and then gems
are found valuing as much as $4,000 to
$500 each, and on the average each
ton Of shell produces pearls TO the
value Of s400.
Coarse ones Of extraordinary size
are sometimes obtained, and now that
baroque pendants, necklaces and Jew
elry of all kinds are so fashionable, the
price has gone UP for such oddities.
Official statistics regarding the take
Of pearls are not at all reliable, and
many pearls never reach the hands of
the owners, but are retained by the
divers and disposed Of by them secret
ly at a price much below their real
value. AS the best specimens of
pearls and shells are found In deep
water, the diver has q splendid oppor-
tunity to investigate II he has any rea-
son to believe that pearl of any value
has been discovered, and as he cannot
very well be watched, who is to be the
wiser? Ordinarily the shells are
opened by the owner or his represen-
tative, who live on board the boat
and examine for pearls. II none are
discovered the shell Is thrown into a
box near at hand and the fish con-
sumed by the crew or thrown away.
Upon shell and shell alone do the
pearlers rely for subsistence, but the
pearls are regarded as nice little ad-
diticns to ones income. With the
exception of prospecting for gold
there is probably no occupation more
fascinating than pearling. AS each
shell is picked UP 1t is an unknown
quantity. 1t may contain a bit of mud
and II is Just possible that a small
piece Of creamy white may make
your bank book jump ahead some five
or SIX thousand. 1t Is the glorious
uncertainty that holds men and
sends them cruising about in the trop-
ical waters that contain untold dam
gers for them.
The ocean is rather crafty and
clever about her transactions, too.
When the "tenderfoot' puts in an ap-
peardnce she seems to know II and
throws out a tempting bait to lure
him on. When / first went into the
business she sent me rare gem with
her compliments and told me that I
could market it for no less than
$4,000. Then when 1 was filled to the
brim with enthusiasm. she closed up
shop and has taken a vicious delight
in keeping me on the anxious seat
ever since.
OF course now and then q lucky
find is made, and some exceedingly
beautiful and valuable gems are dis
covered, but more often. however, the
pearls that are found are either badly
shaped or otherwise defective. To be
Of any value a pearl must possess. in
in addition to a good color and iuster,
a certain well defined shape. That is
ii must be either a round pearl, drop
or button. A drop is oval or pear
shaped, and a button is similar TO a
round pearl hutton somewhat fat
tened.
The theories regarding the origin Of