Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1909-01-08
TRIP TO THE ORIENT
Clarence f. EdwordS Touring the
Eastern Countries.
TIE IS OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.
| INTERESTINGLY WRITTEN IN WEEK
LY LETTERS, WHICH WILL AP.
PEAR IN THE RECORDER.

PEAR IN HE RECORDER.
Raiatca, August ]: When one
reaches Makatea, little outlying
island Of the Society group, after
leaving San Francisco, he sights
the first 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 on from Tahiti the
islands are more numerous, aud
scarcely a day passes without sight
ing land. In sight of Papeete may
be seen low lying islands, off to the
northwest, and if one be curious
and ask about them he will be told
that it is where the pearl fisheries
are. While visiting in Papeete |
met DR.. Williams, who has come to
this out of the way place to prac-
tice dentistry, and at the same time
make a fortune in pearls. | was
fortunate enough to get view Of
his collection Of some three thous-
and pearls, and after being fully
impressed with them found that
they came from the islands lying
on the horizon.
There is quite a mistaken idea
regarding pearl fishing, and it is a
common belief that the fishers are
in a position to steal the finest
pearls. 1t needs but visit to the
fisheries to disabuse your mind of
such an idea. Pearls are found
in oysters, as everybody knows,
and at the fisheries thousand upon
thousands of oysters are brought
to the surface and destroyed in Or
der that a very few pearls may be
obtained. Not every oyster con-
tains 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
possible and put them in the sack
before being compelled to come to
the surface. The sack is taken by
an overseer and the oysters emptied
on pile on the rocks. After they
lay there in the tropical sun for
several hours the oysters are not
only dead but are in state Of de-
composition. The shells are then
opened and carefully examined,
and the oysters that have pearls in
them are set aside, the plearls being
carefully guarded, put away in a
safe place and cared for until they
can be taken to Papeete. The ma
tives who dive for the shells and
who separate the pearls are brought
to the island on the boats of the
owner and no other boats are pre-
mitted to land. The divers have
cocoanut leaf huts and are provid-
ed with food during the season. 1t
is impossible for them to secrete
pearls, as they are subjected to a
rigid examination before being TAX
en- back to Papeete. Then, too,
after they get away from the island
that it is almost impossblefo 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 examined
as to where they got possession of
them.
The life of the pearl fisher is a
hard one, but the natives do not
work at it long enough to cause
them great Inconvenience, They
contract to work so many weeks,
and are taken to the pearl island
where they are fed. They build
their own huts. They receive no