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

clans and water thrown over them, an
hours boiling must be allowed. At
/ the end of that interval the mussels
viii be free from the shells and the
clam digger may shovel the mass out
onto tables and the family begin 10
sort" The shells are thrown aside
into bins, the meats left on the ia
BILE
Now begins the real pearl hunting
Every mussel is carefully fingered,
for though the best pearls are US
ually conspicuous, those of lesser
value are often imbedded in the clam.
The diligent search may bring forth
nothing - it may produce a pearl of
great price-and with that hope the
pearl hunter holds enthusiastically to
his work. If he but persevere, he
knows his lucky day will come. II not
today. then tomorrow, or the day after.
In the meantime he earns a daily
wage by the sale of his shells. They
all have some value Those well sup
piled with nacre sell for buttons at
from SIG to $40 a ton. The others,
which were formerly thrown away as
"Culls,' now are bought by the shell
buyer, ground up and sold for poultry
food or land plaster.
The professional clam diggers live
in settlements along the river banks
or occupy house boats which are
available both as winter and summer
homes. Besides the professionals,
there are a large number of people,
both men and women. residing in the
river towns who clam a part of ev-
cry summer The sunburnt, dirty,
toughlooking individual who halls you
from his clam boat may belong to the
river rat" clan. and see in a pearl on
y the price OF so many DRINKS, or he
may be a college student seeking the
wherewithau to pay for another year
at school He may stupidity wonder
where the pearls come from, or he
may tell you that a pearl is a cal
careOus concretion formed at the point
Of invasion where the mollusk depos- I
its nacreous matter. But whatever |
his class, rest assured he will never /
tire of warning Of pearl fishers luck
He may tell you OF a certain clam
digger who labOred for three years I
withour finding a pearl of value. He
decided to abandon the business and +
on the day he so determined there .
rolled out onto his palm a pearl OF 1
wOndrous lustTe which sold for 81, 900 !
The following day another Of the value I.
Of $1,000 was found. Or there's the /
story of the dressmaker who came rid |
ing by in a skin one afternoon and .
gave a clam digger so cents for a doz-
en- shells In the fourth she opened /
there lay pearl which marketed for a |
SUM equal 10 three years earnings at
dressmaking- Or you may hear of the /
'peeler'' which was sold to a buyer
for $500. a ''peeIer," as every one
IN the Iowa river towns knows. is a
slug or dull-lOoking pearl, which pro I
iuces a pearl of value when deprived Il
IF its outer wrappings by the skilIful \
Use Of knife. This 'peeler" under
he knife of the buyer yielded a pears
worth $4,000. The same pearl buyer
bought another "neeler" two days lat
r for $500. and sold the remains for
s35- One who netted $4,000 in two
seasons from the sale Of pearls, tells
he following as the story of his luck
est deal:
While in New York early in the
sumner OF 1902 l talked with a
wealthy man who owned a tinted orr
sntal pearl Of great beauty He told