Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1908-12-30
THE PEARL FISHERIES
OF TIRE ISLANDS OF THE SOCI-
nIY GROUP NEAR PAPEETE.
Or. EdWords Meets Dr.Williams, Who
Practices Dentistry and Fishes
For Valuable Pearls.

Raiatea, Dec. 20:-WEen one reach
es Nakatea, a little outlaying island
OF the Society group, after leaving
San Francisco, he sights the first is
land in more than three thousand
miles, and at the same time sees one
of the numerous islets which form
the fringe of the main group. Going
from Tahiti the islands are more
numerous, and scarcely a day passes
without sighting land. In sight of
Papeete may be seen low islands, off
to the northwest, and if one be curl
Gus and ask about them he
told that it is where the pearl fisher
les are. While visiting in Papeete l
met DR.. Williams, who has come to
this out of the way place to practice
dentistry, and at the same time make
fortune in pearls. l was fortunate
enough to get view of his collection
of some three thousand pearls, and
after being fully impressed with
them found that they came from the
island lying on the horizon.
There is quite a mistaken idea re-
garding pearl fishing, and it is the
common belief that the fishers are in
position to steal the finest pearls. 1t
needs but visit to the fisheries to
disabuse your mind of such
Pearls are found in oysters as every
body knows, and at the fisheries
thousands upon thousands of oysters
are brought to the surface and des-
troyed in order that very few
pearls may be obtained Not every
oyster contains pearl, and the diver
has no means of knowing anything
about the contents of the shell.
Divers go down into the water with
sack attached to the neck, and
they loosen as many oysters as possi-
BILE and put them in the sack before
being compelled to come to the sur
face. The sack is taken by an
overseer and the oysters emptied on
the rocks. After they have lain there
In the tropical sun for several hours
the oysters are not only dead but in
a state OF decomposition. The shells
are then opened and carefully exam
ined, and the oysters that have pearls
In them are set aside, the pearls be-
ing carefully guarded, put away in
a safe place and cared for until they
can be taken to Papeete. The natives
who dive for the shells and who sep
arate the pearls are brought to the
island on the boats of the owner and
no other boats are permitted to land.
The divers have coconut leaf huts
and are provided with food during
the season. 1t is impossible for them
to secrete pearls, as they are subject
to rigid examination before being
taken back to Papeete. Then, too,
after they get away from the island
they find that it is almost impossible
for them to sell pearls, for they are
watched closely, and If it be found
that pearls are being offered for sale
the natives are arrested and exam
ined as to where they got possession
of them.
The life of the pearl fisher is hard
one, but the natives do not work at it
long enough to cause them great in
convenience. They contract to work
for so many weeks, and are taken to
the pearl island where they are fed.
They build their own huts. They
receive no pay until the end of the
contract season. They are then exam
ined, and If it is found that they have
secreted no pearls they get full pay
for the tine employed. which is such
small sum that one wonders why
they work at all.
Makatea is one of the pearl is
lands, and all through the g.oup are
others, but strange as it may seem all
of these islands do not contain pearl
oysters. yet all of them have oysters.
In addition to the pearls the shells
are valuable, for the mother of the
pearl on the inside of the shell are
used for manufacturing knife handles
and similar articles. After the shells
have been thoroughly searched for
pearls they are thrown into heap.
and then carried to Papeete, where
they are sold by the ton to traders.
III you have a pearl handled knife i'm
your pocket as you read this you
probably have something that came
from these South Sea islands.
1t is a run of eleven hours from
Papette to Raiatea, and If was pleas
ed with the island of Tahiti I can
only say that Raiatea is even more
beautiful. and they tell me that Ror-
atonga, still further along. is more
interesting still. l shall tell you Of
Raiatea in my next letter.
Clarence Edwords.