The National tribune., 1905-12-14
LABRADOR PEARLS.
A Little known Source OF Wealth In IN
Streams Of q Desolate Land.

A Little known Source OF Wealth In the
Streams Of . Desolate Land.
The deep-sea fishermen and whale or
seal hunters are about the only people
who know much Of the northern Labra-
dor coast. where 1t runs up into Hud
son Bay territory. Barrenness and
desolation, rocky shores beaten by the
icy Atlantic. long Winters and short,
Indictment Summers are it's chief char
acteristics.
life; merely ancient rockbuilt shelters
set up by whalers from Nantucket or
Gloucester. when Greenland whales
were hunted among the icebergs, or
rude seal hunters shanties. where OBJ
servation parties land for a day or two
at a time. But. curious as 1t appears.
there is a little-known source of wealth
in that lone land.
which generally make their last leap
into the ocean over q steep and high
waterfall. The immense masses Of fresh
water mussels, which in many places
actually choke the streams. first direct
ed attention to 1t in late years.
Men wondered why the old-time
whale or seal hunters and other early
navigators had collected such quaint
ties Of the shells as were to be seen
piled about the camping places. Then
short search by well-read neer-do-
we'll q few years ago revealed a large,
irregularly-shaped pearl, under a pile
oil old shells, and Immediately q VAL
liable secret was revealed to q few per-
Sons.
Since that time certain number of
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 re-
turns vary according to the fortune,
good or bad, which attends the indi-
vidual.
Some Of the pearls are large and Of
great value. Last year about this time
one was sold to a New Yorker Of rare
discrimination in the purchase of curios
for upward of $1,000. In appearance
distinguished from those obtained in
Southern seas, though unfortunately a
certain percentage Of them are irregu-
lar in shape.
Usually they are silver white in
color, though a young man who has
of rose-pink pearls, perfectly matched,
which weigh about IL grains each and
are worth probably $50 or $40 apiece.
Strangely enough, this lucky one was
not a pearl hunter, but took a clump
of shells in his hand, and sat down to
open them with his pocketknife. He
found the two pearls in one large she'll.
After that find he spent fortnight in
searching for more, but only secured
about half a dozen small ones. worth
perhaps SO the lot.
AS a rule, the pearl hunting Is gone
about in a more scientific manner than
that. The mussels are regularly stacked
OIL fiat rocks or sandbars, and are al
lowed to decompose, when the shells
open naturally and are easily examined
for the pearls. which lie loosely en-
bedded in the flesh Of the fish.
1t appears that the Indians of that
district have always known of these
fresh-water pearls. and that several Of
the rivers running north have been
regularly fished for them for many gen.
erations. Most Of the pearls collected
by these people in olden times were
ruined by being rudely bored, SO that
they might be strung for necklaces or
for the adornment Of wampum belts.
Nowadays, the wfdeawake Hudson
Bay Company traders pay a fair price
for all the Indians can collect. Some
OF the Montreal houses have regular
dealings with the pearl hunters OF the
coast, and have agents on the spot who
secure shipments for them.