The Raymer enterprise., 1915-06-24
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queen OF culture and wealth
ais'tg after uightfal Of a pleasant evening
our httle steamer sailed out OF the harbor Of Co
ionho bound for the "pearly shores" for all
ancuorase few miles of the port of Arippu
near which place the pearlhshing feet was To be
sih operations al the rising OF the sun In Cey
ioh tue oyster beds under government suner
VISION, and about March Of each year prea,
peaflhShing expedition hoyers over the waters
OF the Gulf Of Mannar The personnel Of the
Meet Is made up nt MaIays, Arabs, Indians sinra
lese' and those from various other branches of
midas teeming millions
ihe experience OF the stranger with the unioue
meet Is not disappointing The sight of thous
"us VI ulsets from hundreds Of little boats
p'lhs'hs into the water or riding downward
astftd" heavy weights rising with their treas.
nfes others returning to the watery depths the
babei OF strange voices combine 10 naint a ,in
turesque and lasting impression upon the mind
Of the visitor
Inc waters around Ceylon and those nf tho
hut OF California have the richest pearI.produc.
ihk oyster beds In existence Situated on onro
h''e sues OIL the earth IL is interesting 10 com.
pare ile WORK OF the pearl hunters or divers sn
fhF separated. yet pursuing many methods In
common in the search for precious gems bansath
me waters. In Ceylon upon a given signal the
dEihg begins the boats are small and hold com
ioftapy eight or twelve persons The men
wear lew clothes, and each man takes a turn at
nlElhs Tor all OF them appear to be experts A
rope win weight attached is thrown over the
side OF the boat. the diver attaches himself IN
The rope and his assistant lowers him into the
water. Other divers plunge downward unassist
ed Around the diver hangs bag within which
ne places the oysters rapidly as he can pick
them from the sea bottom
on the Mexican coast, Of which La Paz is the
general rendezvous, the method Of pearling is
much the same as In Ceylon Many of the yes.
heis used are larger. and the modern diving suit
Is more IN evidence, There is usually large
sailboat called the mother" and probably half
dozen smaller ones termed "luggers" The lat.
Ter are manned by crew OF six or eight men.
one or two Of whom are divers The small boats
transfer their catches al frequent intervals to
me larger vessel standing by. where the shells
are opened and carefully examined for pearls.
What is pearl: Before considering other
pearhshing grounds, especially those OF the
Americas, II may be of interest to know Just how
the pearl is produced that is so far as the scen.
fihc reader is concerned. One OF the shortest
and most striking definitions is that suggested
by French scientist who says "A pearl is the
brilliant sarcophagus Of worm" Others go
more into detail and declare that the growth Of
the pearl Is often associated with a possible de-
gree Of annoyance or pain The tiny deposit that
finds Itself within the shell of mollusk or oyster
may be introduced accidentally or purposely, as
we shall see later. The foreign substance within
the shell is believed TO irrtae the oyster and
he begins to cover il with series OF thin layers
OF calcium carbonate Little by little these pc
culiar layers are formed. and in few years a
beautiful pearl NAV be the re3ult or the forma-
tion may prove absolutely worthless.
Peariforming mollusks are widely distributed
over the world and they may be univalves or
bvalyes In the former shape sometimes find
them in couchs and In the latter classification In
clans and oysters The subject in various rami-
fcations has proved interesting and fascinating
to Investigators but this story Is only general
talk about the pearl and the scientific details are
left to those who make a serious study OF the
nature OF this famous and muchprzed ornament
Saltwater pearl fishing In the Americas has
been pursued from our earliest history. and while
these pearling waters may not be as ancient as