Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1915-12-02
ARKANSAS NOW
HAS PEARL DIVERS
Are Just as Picturesque as
Those of the Orient.
ONE OPERATOR EARNS MUCH

Sheriff of One of White River Counties
Has Made Perhaps More Than Any
Other Ore Man-Wife Has Necklace
of the Small Gems, and Its Value Is
Placed at $4,000.
Newport, Ark.-On account Of con.
tinued high water this years output
Of the White river pearl fisheries has
not been nearly SO large as that Of last
year, with one exception.
During the dry season, when many
bars are uncovered and mussel beds
underlying the shallow water for more
than 800 miles are exposed to view, 1t
is impossible to look either up or down
the stream and not see as many as
dozen pearl fishers at work. Under
every cool, cedar clad bluff there are
always from one to dozen camps.
The fresh water clam, once good only
for fish bait, has in recent years be-
come a big commercial commodity, and
the, principal industry Of it's kind in
LulS country ID LhdI VI 'hV W hiIN 1870
fisheries.
Jesse |. Wilson, former sheriff of one
Of the White River counties and now
known as the pearl king has earned
perhaps more than any other one man
from the waters Of White river Three
years ago, with his wife, he made his
first attempt at pearl fishing.
Last year, dry season, Wilson had
several helpers and he cleaned up
about $1,000, in addition to nearly 200
small but very beautiful pearls turned
into the growing collection of his wife.
This year things looked rather
gloomy for awhile. A few miles from
Newport, where lies one Of the finest
mussel beds in the river, Wilson con-
Structed a sort of wharf, upon which
he laid a miniature railroad track from
the high bank to rocky iSlet near
the middle of the stream. On this
track he placed a dump car. The small
steamers belonging to the button fac
tories could clay up to the end of this
wharf, no matter at what stage the
water was, and the shells could be
dumped into them easily.
Having disposed Of the problem of
loading the shells, Wilson then put
into operation his plan of securing the
muSselS from beneath the deep water
On account of the depth the tongs
were no longer feasible, so he con-
structed several RATS and two boats
resembling Chinese sampans. Then he
hired twenty or thirty negroes, mostly
boys, as divers, and operations began.
The negro boys along the White river
are regular water rats and are at
home even in the swiftest current
Wilson treated his men and boy div
ers we'll, paid them good wages and
saw that they had every comfort. In
addition he allowed them 5 per cent
of the proceeds of the shells.
Ropes were attached to all RATS, and
when one was loaded it was drawn to
the shore, the musSels were carried to
the cooking vat. the meat was extract
ed and carefully examined for pearls
and the shells were piled near or dump
ed into car ready for loading into
steamer.
Wilson's success this year is the talk
OF the river folk. He had a practical
monopoly of the shell industry, as the
high water prevented all others from
earning more than bare living He
sold nearly $1,000 worth of shells and
$4,000 worth of pearls, in addition to
one fine gem of splendid ulster, weigh
ing 1876 grains, for which he received
$2,70O.
Besides all this. Mrs. Wilson secured
enough medium sized gems to com
plete her necklace, which she is now
wearing. 1t is valued at $4,000. It is
comprised of 500 pearls. in seven
strands and ranging from little larger
than pinhead to five ball shaped
gems of forty grains each
incidentally. the eX-sheriff a short
time ago captured an escaping bank
robber from Oklahoma who had wan
dered into the White river fisheries.
and got $1,000 reward for it,