The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1907-11-08
AT OCEANS BOTTOM
GATHERING PEARLS
Modern Equipment Makes ths
Work Much Less Hazardous
Than Formerly.
From the New York Sun.

The era of naked divers exposed IL,
peril from sharks has passed away.
Modern progress equips the pearler
With Il suit OF India rubber. copper
breastplate. with leaden weights back
and front; helmet, glass pa1eled and
With telephonic attachments; air pipes,
life lines and a submarine searchlisht.
/ Thus equipped the pearl diver may
spend SIX or eight hours at the bottom
of the sea. whereas In olden times
three minutes made a record.
Although pearls are oun in nearly
all lnoliuscs and eve in univalves, lika
the Australian haliotis. - kin Of
%barnacie. true pearls are produced only
hy the pearl oyster or mother of pearl
she'll. The latter is really the divers
bread aud butter. The shells are As
big as dinner plates n weigh two
pounds when cleaned They fetch from
500 to $3.50 Il ton.
The ancient fisheries were chiefly i'll
the Indian ocean and Persian gulf. but
nowadays the best pearls come from
Ceylon and from Australian waters.
especially Torres straits. Pearl fishing
In Ceylon is u government monopoly,
In March the feet starts for the pearl
ing grounds. each vessel with twenty
or thirty divers and their assistants.
But you will find the headquarters OF
pearling in the desolate country extend
ing from EXmouth gulf to King sound.
in western Australia.
Chinese and Malays as well as tribes
of native black fellows are there today.
but The old nude divers. the reign of
terror and piracy when a large haul
was ~made-these n similar conditions
have passed away, giving place to fleets
Of luggers carrying modern diving out.
fits and representatives of the newt
able capitalist in the person of the
master pearlers. Here is 600 miles OF
coast line. with perhaps 5000 hardy adj
~venturers engaged In the pearl trade.
There are some thousands OF Japa-
nese, Manilamen, Malays and men of
other races acting chiefly as crews for
the vessels. The vessels are schooner
rugged and from seven to fourteen tons
burden. Each carries a master diver
and q crew Of four, n of whom Ia the
divers assistant n works the air
pumps. Y
The shells are found on hedges about
ninety feet down in the sea. but they
are far more plentiful at greater
depths. Fortune awaits the inventor Of
a. diving apparatus which will enable
the pearler to work In comfort a hum
dred fathoms down.
!. A good days work is anything more
than 200 pairs of shells. The business
Is absolutely speculative. One diver
ma gather ton after ton Of shells with
out securing anything OF greater value
than a few seed pearls, while another
may make a fortune out of a day'E
gathering.
The most famous pearl discovered in
Australia of late years Is known as the
Southern Cross. 1t consists of q cluN-
ter Of nine pearls in the shape OF q
cross. This freak of nature was picked
up at low water on the Lacipede island
by a beachcomber named Clark. who.
after burying 1t for some time for SUI
perstitlous reasons sold It for $50; later
1t fetched $4,000.
The worst enemy the Australian pearl
. divers nave are the storms that an
nllally visit The coast. AS to sharks,
they rarely attack q diver in modern
.. dress. and he can always frighten them
. off when they persist IN following him
, by letting a few air bubbles out OF his
dress. Other enemies are the sea
snakes, the smaller octopus. the stin-
gray and the blowfish.
After a days take Of shell has beer
conveyed ashore the shell opener gets
. at work at once. The pay of the men
is $50 a month. plus. 10 per cent. OH tbs
value of the pearls found. Some idea OF
8 he magnitude of the industry may be
obtained on learning that last year o2t
luga~rs paid an annua IS license to EN-.
gage In the trade and they took man,
4 thousands of tons Of pearl SHE'LL whi!e
n SIS to the pearls themselves. the Gus.
toms duties in the pearl town Of Broom.
exceeded $4,000 month.
I The treasury authorities OF western
n Australia estimate they receive at leas
500, eco u year In dues from the pearl
crs. Hardly a month passes withou
y the discovery OF "teardrops of til,
: ocean," having a market value of-fron
s. 5000 to $4,000 each. A beautiful PM
pear shaped specimen weighing 20
grains was found last season and sol,
vi lov $50, 900.
Before setting pearls are classified &C
cording to size on q setting board. an,
:. the delicate work OF drilling q valuahl
s,,ecimen fs invariably done NV an olS,