Los Angeles herald., 1910-11-27
MEN WHO DIVE FOR
MOTHER. R.OF.PEARL

following account OF the mother-oI-
pearl industry in the South Seas:
"Mother-of-r rearl shell are found ON
the Pacific coasts of North and South
America, in the islands Of tie P cific
ocean, in the Philippines on the coasts
of Australia and in the ad AGENT
islands, on the coasts of Iadia and in
the islands of the Ea Indian Chi
pelago, in the Persian Gulf, in the Red
Sea and in Zanzibar. These shel s,
which form an important article of
commerce, are largely used for making
buttons and the handles Of fruit
dessert and pocket knives; for inlay
ing furniture, musical Instruments,
Japanese and Chinese Ia quer worS,
European lacquer and papier-ma he
work; in manufacturing variety o.
small and fancy articles
I'm Russia mother-of-pe arl s used
for ornamenting church vestme ments, and
in Austria for making Deau ifdl
jewelry; in Italy high-reli canoes
are carved on mother-of-pes shells,
and in Turkey allegorical and o ma
mental designs are eng aved en- large
polished shells which are known as
Jerusalem shells. Natives of a number
of tropical islands make ornaments of
the shells, and in the South Pacific they
use mother-of- pearl fishhooks, which
are so bright that no bait or other lure
is necessary.
''In the colony of Tahiti mother-of-
pearl shells are found chiefly in the
Tuamotu Cor Low archipelago, which
embraces the Tuamotu Cor PaumotU
and the Gambler islands, and extends
in q SoutheaSterly and northweSterly
direction for 1000 miles, the greatest
width of this belt of islands being 300
miles. With only few exceptions the
eighty-two islands composing this ar
hhinoIa 1nn-1uino ofn-1c nf
coral formation, narrow strips of land
forming a chain of islands and islets in
most cases separated by passes of wa
ter and stretches of partially sub
merged coral reefs
"These islands and coral reefs to-
gether enclose lagoons, some of which
are of considerable extent, the largest,
that of Rangiroa, being forty miles
long and twenty miles wide. At nine
teen of these islands are passes which
enable schooners of ordinary size to
enter the lagoons. The total land area
of the eighty-two islands is 345 square
miles, and the population is a little
more than 5000. which is scattered over
half the number of islands, the rest not
being permanently inhabited. The CO.
coanut palm f1ourishes throughout the
archipelago, and other trees of small
size and a good deal of shrubbery are
found on most of the islands. The soil
being unfit for cultivation, fish, and
bread made of American flour, except
during the diving season, when other
articles of food, including canned
meats, are consumed. The natives
have an ingenious method of catching
fish in June, July and August by build
ing narrow passes with coral stone
pens which the fish enter through long,
narrow openings.
while shells are produced in all the
islands they are found of good quality
and in paying quantities in fewer than
one-fourth of the lagoons. The most
productive of the Tuamotu islands are
Mikueru, Takume, Takaroa and Taxa
poto, of the first rank; Marokau and
Ravehere, of the second rank, and
Hao, Motutunga, Manihi and Raroia of
the third rank. OF the Gambler ISL
ands, Mangareva, Akamaru and Okena
produce shells which are large and
heavy, but their quality is not very
good. The time for the opening and
closing of the diving season, which
usually lasts from May 1 to November
/, and the names of the islands open
for the season, are published months
in advance in the Official Journal of
Tahiti, together with the regulations
to be observed and the penalties for
their violation.
1.-THE large islands are divided into
three sections, only one of which is
open during a season, and the small
lagoons also are open only once every
three years, This year there will be
open thirteen sections and lagoons,
some of the latter being insignificant.
Before the opening of the season Pa
peete merchants send to the islands
to-. h fatH