New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1907-08-28
HUNTING FOR PEARL S
Features Of an Industry That Is
to Be Safeguarded.
FORTUNES MADE IN A DAY.
vincennes Qnd.) Mussel Digger Found
Pearl This Season Worth $500.
Plan of Pearl Dealers to Save Fish
cries Threatened With Destruction.

Pearl This Season Worth $500. 4
Plan Of Pearl Dealers to Save Fish
cries Threatened With Destruction.
Pearl dealers of the Maiden lane dis
trict in New York have started
movement to save the western pearl
threatened because there is now no
restriction on the work of the fishermen
who are taking from the rivers tons
Of mussels from which only a few
pearls are obtained. It is also pro-
posed to restock some OF the rivers,
eastern and western, from which the I
mussels have been exterminated. A |
petition was recently sent to Washing
ton asking for an investigation of |
present conditions affecting the mus i
sells in the western rivers and the fea-
sibility of establishing hatcheries in
which the fish may be propagated, as
in the case of various kinds of food
fish.
In view of this movement the fol
lowing article on pearl hunting in
Indiana is of timely interest:
Scenes along the Wabash river dur
ing the last summer rivaled the SEN
sational days when men journeyed
to the west by the hundreds to gain
great wealth in the gold mines. This
summer along the Wabash small for
tunes have been made in single
day, and a number Of mussel diggers
have picked up pearls worth $500 or
Sc St0p
Encouraged by this success, pearl
hunting has come to be one of the
most favored industries along the In
diana water course. The most success
full find perhaps made so far during
the season was that of a VincenneS
| factory employee. He started out one
| day to enjoy a two weeks vacation.
When he returned he carried pearl
which is worth $500 and perhaps ST.
| 600.
During the last four or five years
| VincenneS has been the center of a
! fourishing pearl industry. The amount
of pearl money circulating now will
run about $4,000 month. When the
| Wabash field first attracted the atten-
! ton of the mussel diggers it was
thought to be only a poor one. Elk
perts making their examination about
| five years ago said that the mussels
would be good for the pearl button
factories only, and for awhile the ac-
t1vity was but slight. A few months
had passed when experts decided to
make closer examinations, and these
revealed hidden treasures. The news
spread rapidly, and mussel men focked
there from all parts of the country.
Vincennes is the center of the Wa
bash district and while the industry
has died out in the southern portions it
is still prospecting at Vincennes. Now
there are perhaps a hundred diggers
trying their luck in hunting for pearls
within the immediate vicinity. Some
twenty-five camps are to be found
along the banks of the picturesque
river, while the number of 'cockcuts'
will perhaps reach total of fifty. The
men are busy. and the scenes are most
interesting, as each digger is anxious
to improve every minute lest his
neighboring hunter may make the finds
of value
While the diggers depend largely or
their finding of pearls for their for
tune" they also receive neat sums fol
the shells. In the course of a yeal
thousands of cars of these shells are
shipped out Of Vincennes They are
used in the button industry. While
diggerS receive not a little money fo]
these shells, they regard that as only
secondary business and are of course
most anxious to make the finds tina
have given so many comfortable for
tunes. In the four or five years tina
Vincennes has enjoyed the pearl boon
many valuable finds have been made
and not a few of the most valuable
pearls have been placed in foreign
markets.
Since the industry first opened a
Vincennes quite a few Iaborers hav,
realized small fortunes by lucky finds
and the one man to make this seasons
biggest is Leon Bouchner He hat
been employed at a glass factory, ant
when the plant closed down some few
) weeks ago he decided to spend his va
: cation in digging mussels. Luck seem
ed to be with him, and few days ag,
he made the biggest find of the season
when he discovered gem that is wortl
$1,000 at least and possibly $1,000.
He will not place the beautiful pear
on the Vincennes market, but will talk,
it out of the city, where he hopes t
realize the $1,000 if possible. His pear
weighs over forty grains and is abou
an inch in circumference 1t was fount
just below Yincennes in what is know
as three ridge mussel, which he hat
been cooking with bunch which b.
regarded as yalueless.
White river has also been a good fel6
for the pearl industry, and numbe
of good finds have been reported from
different places along this water course
The pearls in White river are not quite
50 plentiful as they are in the Wabash
but those that are there are Of greater
value. The pearls in White river arr