The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-11-12
Centre Of earl Fishing

parent and translucent when shaded
slightly.
The old story anent the formation OF
rearls was that they we're developed
inside the oyster as protection
against grains Of sand and other for
eign substances that had worked in be-
tween the mollusk's body and its shell
Like many another pristine theory in
the world Of science, this explanation
OF the raison d'etre of the pearl has
gone by the board.
The latest view on the subject IS
right in line with the theory of the
UBIQUITOUS germ.
In effect it is that the oyster con-
| tracts disease lQe 10 me presence
OF microscopic insect known as the
diatoma. This huEeiike creature infests
oyster beds and causes disease among
the molusk inhabitants that undoubi-
eddy yields more valuable results thar
any other in the whole known realm
of therapeutics
The substa ace of which pearls are
formed is a sort of secretion that is
exuled from the disease affected part
of the oysters body. Pearls have eX-
actly the same cheniC al composition
whether they are called fresh water
or salt water or WhetEer they are
taken off the coast of Australia CT out
of the Mississippi river at minneapolis.
In all cases they are made up of cal
clum carbonate. water ana Il certain
quantity. varying in different pearls,
of animal matter
Ten years ago isolated fishermen
eked out hard existence along tlie
| lower Mississippi river, especially in
| Missouri, Illinois and Arkar sas. With
only the crudest appliances fer the
work the lone pearl hunter toiled at
the hardest kind of manual LABOR. ROW
! digging with spade and hoe i'm the
mud in the river bottom, and now
dragging a clumsy rake ct the stern
of small boat.
Today, according to a recent esti-
mate. there are 10000 men and women
| engaged in an industry whose produ Il
/ last year was valued at upward of Sc
| 100000. Furthermore. The industry has
| reached the stage. where companies
! backed with plenty of capital are in
/ the field, and al least one of these COM
/ panies is equipped with suitable ma
! chinery for dredging the river bottom
! for the pearl-bearing oyster
| Pearl fishing IN its inception was an
| accident and now it is 4 gamble
The industry had its beginning IN
the discovery of a few valua BILE pearls
among the tons OF clam shells that
| were annually dug out of the lower
Mississippi TO supply the demand of
/ the manufacturers of shirt studs and
/ buttons
AT one time d ton of clam shells
/ brought SIS on the shore and half ton
: of shells as the result of days work
was not unusual for d good man. Then
I the price dropped as the result of a
! glutted market and nothing but the
/ fact that pearls We're occasionally
/ found among the shells kept the shell
! industry from petering out completely
/ At the present time the shell indus
4 try is a side issue. The men and Wo-l-
\ en-. too, who are to be seen along the
I whole length of the river between st
! Paul and Prairie du Chen industri-
ously dredging for the Eard-shelled
! mollusks are pearl hunters first ard
shell gatherers afterward.
4 They can get from s. TO SO a ton foI
the shells. Dat they can get from :;
20 So an ounce for the smallest. moss
imperfect stones-they call them bar
/ oques down the river-and they ear
\ get almost fabulous prices for the best
pearls.
/ Any fisherman without regard TO his
skill or previous experience stands a
good chance OF striking it rich Al
any time by bringing UP pearl OF
j great price In IA It. that IS where the
\ gamble comes in. William Bates. he OF
the $4,000 stone of recent finding
fished for several seasons with just or
binary luck. and then he gave added
1 zest TO the game by bringing uD the
4 grandfather of all the Mississippi
r1earlS