Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1911-04-14

worth for buttons, obtained some and
experimental with them. making up
samples, finding them valuable mate
rial and we'll adapted for buttons
All that was known of the shells was
that they were found in North Amer
lea somewhere. a few hundred miles
southwest of Chicago In 1887. Mr..
Boepple received word from former
Ottesen friends residing in America
urging his coming to this land immedi-
ately. Upon examining the postmark
of the letter and locking up the loca-
ton he found il was from the vicinity
from which the above mentioned
shells had been picked up. Having oD-
portunity TO satisfactorily sell his OF
tesen plant and the suggestion Of To-
eating in America appealing to him,
ne decided TO venture the change for
the worth of these newly learned
shells. If they were to be had in large
quantities he saw great possibilities
of their future usefulness.
/ He left Germany about March 1887,
and took with him turning lathes and
other equipment enough to start up
small individual factory. He found
the shells in Illinois and knew they
were in abundance, but the problem
Of capital was ever before him and
on the other hand he was in a strange
land among strange people. He con
Guided TO remain at Gibson. H., for a
; time and trust the future TO take care
of itself. a farmer by chance saw the
mussels he had already collected and
remarked that such and many other
kinds were found in the Mississippi at
the mouth of Rock river in such guam
titles that they could be scooped out
+ by the wagon-loads.
/ The following spring Boepple went
10 Chicago, and, seeing a large display
of pearl buttons in one of the stores,
concluded that they were used in great
quantities. From Chicago he went to
Rock Island, ILL.,, in order to investi-
gate the Rock river and Mississippi.
Here he found the shell better and in
greater quantities than he had ever
hoped for or expected from the account
Of the farmer He gathered some of
the shells. studied them. found them
TO be what he wanted, and began nego-
! tiations for the erection of a factory.
Muscatine was TO be the scene of the
work. and here he established his first
factory. also the first of its kind in the
entire world. This was not however,
until he had opened up negotiations
with some prominent Muscatine CAPT
talists for a larger factory, but can
celled them later when he disagreed as
to their business relations in the ap-
preaching industry. 1t was in his own
little factory that he would be able to
follow his own Ideas and methods, and
having just finished building an addi-
( tional room at the rear of his home, he
decided to use thai for a shop for the
present, and fitted it up with his foot
power lathes. He produced only
small quantity per week. A short time
later he employed few helpers, and
steadily the business increased. His
business was f1ourishing and eventual
~ he entered into and closed negotia-
ions with another Mnscatine capital
ist. and the summer ofIS96 found them
building a large, well appointed pearl
button plant, fitted in the most prac-
teal manner, and in which were en-
ployed about $50 people.
Shortly afteTward, after pulling
through a. long period of fierce opposi-
lion and competition, Mr. Boepple was
sent as a nrembertof the new firm TO
Davenport. where aSbranch factory had
been opened. II was but a short time
after this. however, that business diff
culties arose at the Muscatine office.
and eventually;Mr. Boepple found him
self out of the, group of stockholders.
The branch at Davenport flourished
for time. but eventually attacks from
the outside sent it into other hands.
and the history of BOepple's manufac-
turing enterprises began drawing TO a
close.
His subsequent employment by the
government then came, but as a monu-
ment to his work arose The steady de-
yelopment of the mussel pearl button
industry. At the present time Iowa
leads the world with So button estab-
lishments. representing a capital in
vested Of s102, 145. together with
value of S4G7, 351 for the manufactured
product. which is Il per cent of the
United States total. Likewise for fin
ished products this state leads with 81
Establishments and a value for the
manufactured product of more than
$500, 600. /
The Mississippi pearl has proved /
successful rival TO the oriental both
in size and lustre. While it is true
that $4,000 is the highest price receiv- |
ed thus far by river pearl buyer. yet.
II the sales of the New York jewellers
we're known, there is no question but
that much higher figure could be
quoted 1t is the infinite number and
variety demanded by the market which
gives impetus to the industry. Lus-
trous white pearls. pearls of Egyptian
blackness, pearls of every tint of the
rainbow; ovoid. semi-s pherical, globu-
lar pearls, and pearls of no shape at
all: pearls and dazzling lustre and
pearls dull as the river bed from /
Nhanca rkcr- r.oa=ls .-.,...s :