The Cairo bulletin., 1909-03-20
PEARLS IN RACC00N
DISCOVERY REVIEWS INTEREST IN
HUNT FOR MUssELS.
Gem Which Sold for S140 Found in
Seventeen-Pound Animal After II
Had Been Baked and Eaten
by Family.

Isle au Haul, Me.-The mountains
look on Isle au Haul and Isle au Haut
looks on the sea. and close up under
the mountains and near down To the
sea In a fishing hamlet called the
Thoroughfare lives old Sol Hamilton,
the man who first brought black foxes
ana striped raccoons and pearl-bearing
mussels 10 the island.
The importations were made a long
time ago-Sol says he did the work
when William Henry Harrison was
running for president in 1siO-and
since the black foxes have degenerated
from type and all pups have been bogn
red, while the mussels have SO far for
gotten how TO produce pearls worth
carrying away. But the raccoons have
grown fat and prospered while feeding
on marine diet and breathing fog, SO
that the last rutfed grouse and most
OF the domestic poultry have been ex-
terminated from the town.
When a man gets too old to chase
foxes or tree TaccOons he can still finu
sport in dredging fresh water mussels
from inland rocks and ponds, and
throwing them out on bare lodges till
they reveal the hidden pearls.
Hamilton is the only resident Of
Isle au Haul who has ever found
pearl in u mussel shell This dlscoF-
cry was made in 1896, two years be-
fore the Spanish war, and he was 50
elated over his good fortune that lac
took the boat for Boston the next day
and spent two weeks and $50 in mar
keting his pearl for SIS. The transac-
ton did not pay as an investment, but
it convinced old Sol that pearls IN
paying quantities were 10 he found II
Isle an Haul waters. and anybody who
would work hard enough and long
enough could get rich al pearl hunting.
Since then the luck of the pearl fish
ermen has been variable. Hamilton
found one or two pearls every year. In
1904 he discovered three pearls, one Of
which he sold for $50 and the other
two being small and off.color brought
80 and eight dollars, respectively. |
Hamilton 5 grandchildren became near |
~ parboiled every summer from much |
wading and diving in the warm water |
Then the grandchildren OF the rae
coons that had been imported by Ham |
ilton Went into partnership with the |
Hamilton grandchildren in the pearl |
business. and the new industry came |
to a standstill One year Hamilton !
failed to secure a single pearl because |
the raccoons had discovered the heaps |
Of mussel shells and had opened them |
and had eaten the contents without |
stopping long enough to pick out the !
pearls.
Hamilton set fox traps and deadfalls |
and caught many raccOons, all of which |
We're dissected for pearls without re-
suit So persistent was the Hamilton
trapping that raccoons were getting
scarce and the shore farmers were be-
ginning to let their poultry roam
about the island.
One morning his grandchildren came
in from the pearl ledge bear
Ing the biggest raccoon ever seen in
county. When properly
dressed and ready for baking the car
cass weighed II pounds. In the body
were found three pearls, one of which
vas as big as goosebcrry and
brought Hamilton $40 when he sold it
10 a Boston jeweler
The dredging for pearls will be ra
sumed with great enthusiasm next
snring