Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1907-09-19
Worlds Biggest Pearl
Fisheries.

While the price Of pearls has not shot
up with the some velocity that has been
the case with the diamond nevertheless
the demand for FIRST class pearls all over
the world has been very insistent and the
price has slowly risen to a very high
level. The most valuable pearl fisheries
In the world are those near the island Of
CeylOn. The British government which
has control of the leasing OF the valuable
oyster beds whence the pearl oysters are
taken by divers has just leased the privi-
leges of taking the oysters out Of the
water to a London syndicate at a greatly
increased price.
The way the actual work Is done I'll
getting out the pearl oysters is interest
ing. Each night at twelve o'clock u num-
Der OF big sail boats start for the oyster
beds and they stay there until the
next afternoon. Thus the divers do the
bulk of their work during the night,
which seems to have brought about the
best results The boats usually sail out
some twelve fifteen miles to where the
government Duoys mark out the space
where the pearl oysters lie.
The divers, who are almost invariably
Arabs, put their feet top a haavy
weight attached to a rope and are lower
ed over the side or the sailbOats. They
gather all the oysters they can tear away
from the pearl beds and are swiftly pulled
up to the surface of the water. There
they remain for about two minutes, ris-
ing and falling with the swell Of the In
dian ocean and then sink down into the
sea again with their rude baskets Each
diver can work about six hours The
only appliance used by these pearl divers
is tortoise shell clip which Is placed on
their nostrils to exclude the water. Even
this is not always used: AS for diving APP
paratuS It is never used. The average
dive takes from 85 to 80 seconds while
the maximum dive has been ninety sec
onds. II must be remembered that the
diver fl working as hard and fast as he
can drive his body the whole time he 10
on the sea floor and that the pressure OF
the water against the lungs Is something
terrific to Withstand.
It il just about noon the next day when
the divers climb aboard the sail boats
and stand for shore. AS soon az the oys-
tiers are landed they are taken into
huge and picturesque stockade where
each diver has his sacks checked and Is
given one-third Of the oysters as his pay
ment for the work. He Immediately
sells these oysters on the streets. 100000
oysters are usually brought In and the
enormous record of FIVE million oysters In
q single day has been made In the Ceylon
pearl fisheries.
The buyers Of pearl oysters are really
more interesting than the divers. They
are Of all races and from every land IN
der the sun. Many are backed by enor-
nous capital. man may lose five thou
sand dollars In a bad days buying or buy
only a thousand oysters and become
millionaire over night. Every shell Ia
lottery ticket of the most uncertain value.
The bids are required to be repeated In at
least two languages and In more II re-
~ hrya Fpdtvfdual htddpr All fhA
pearl oysters taken out are sold by the
syndicate This may seem strange but
the syndicate makes a tremendous pront
by this method and takes absolutely no
chances. When the oysters are opened
the lucky merchants send their pearls to
India and from there they are shipped 70
Paris and London. New York takes year
" millions of dollars worth of Ceylon
pearls all of which have been found In
Just the way described above.