The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1920-04-16
Pearl Fishermen

While the report that a pearl weigh
ing 100 grains and valued at about
s14o, 900 was recently found by diver
| in the waters of the Indian Ocean off
Prcome, West Australia, was not &C
companied by information as to who
was the lucky finder, it is not improb-
able that the man was some chance
fortune hunter.
In no quarter of the world do there
exist such large elements Of chance
in the accommodating of fortunes as IN
Australia, and the islands of the South
Seas. Closely interviewer in the stor-
| les of many men of wealth in the Anti
podes are romances of unexpected
strokes of fortune. This is probably
| true to a greater extent in pearl fish
ing than in any other of the allurins
opportunities that are offered for pos
sible quick gaining of wealth.
Although most of the bays and in
lets of, the remote island groups of
the South Seas have been stripped of
their pearl-bearing bivalve mollusks by
venturesome wayfarers, there contin-
ues to be found occasionally small
al cas- of these waters that have been
untouched by pearl divers and which
often yield wealth to the explorers.
The richest pearl Writer'S in the
world are those adjacent to the pic
turesqe beach town of Broome
Pearl fishing, as it is called, is d
fascinating business. 1t lures the
typical beach-comber to dreams of
affluerce that Outlines have come to
a full realization. Finding valuable
pearls is to these men the fulfillment
of a gamblers chance. At Broome
the beach-combers from the far cor
ners of the earth are wont to congre-
gate in greater numbers than prob
ably any other spot upon the coasts
of the seven seas. To bring up pearls
from the depths of the ocean that may
enable them to indulge in that lux
urious life of ease that so forcibly
appeals to their indolent nature is
The highest ambition of many of these
men. In rare instances the rise to
fortune in this manner has made 4
new man of this riff-rat' OF humanity
On the occasion of visit which l
made to Broome nearly five years ago
there was pointed out to me case
o. this kind He was a man whose
life history previous to his advent
in Broome was a sealed book so far
as he made himself known to the
people of that place He had drifted
in there like jetsam thrown up by
the restless tide. He was beach
comber in all that that term implies.
His feet We're unshod and his clothes
in rags. He shifted around from one
| job to another until he was finally
taken on as member of crew of
pearl lugger. 1t was a life that
seemed to suit him admirably. Then
came the awakening. When he saw
| the collection of pearls that We're
harvested from the lugger's periodica!
visit he was preparing to embark in
became imbued with an ambition to
go into business on his own account.
1t was many months before he had
laid by enough from his earnings to
purchase and outfit lugger of his
own But this was finally accom-
plished and he set forth on his frs
fcrtune-hunting expedition. What hap
pened to many others. In his first
haul of mollusks he obtained a yield
of pearls valued at more than 100000.
TTe invested his profits in a fleet of
pearl luggers, and at the time of my
visit he was preparing to embar kin
pearl fishing in the Persian Gulf, which
ranks next to the waters at Broome in
the matter of abundance>and quality of
the gems.
Distances are OF small moment to-
men Of affairs of the Antipodes. A
few months after my visit to Broome
/ came across this new pearl million
aire at the Tai Mahal Hotel in BON
lay. He was returning from an in
vestigation of the Pearl industry in
the Persian Gulf, where he had invest
ed in a feet of pearl-fshing boats.
When Parliament of the Common
wealth of Australia enacted a law some
years ago prohibiting the employment
of Asiatic and native island laborers
in that country, the crews, divers ant
other workers in the pearl industry
at Broome were Malays and Japanese
More than 1900 Japanese were EN-
ployed in the pearl-fishing fleets. Fol
g time it was feared that the new Law
would destroy the industry, but no at
tempt was made to enforce the law
On some of the island lying to thu
north and east of Australia, inhabited