Beverly banner. [volume] (Beverly, N.J.) 1877-1964, 1925-03-27

prepared by the National Geographic So
cety. Washington. D. CO
Where do the worlds pearls come
from? Not those made of bits of bone
and coating of fish scales by cunning
artificer in Japan and France, but the
beautiful natural gems that have been
priced through the ages as the great
est gifts of the seas.
The pearl oysters of the sea have a
very definite habitat. With a few ex-
ceptiOns they are found only astride
the equator between the parallels of
latitude 80 degrees north and south
and within this band they occur in
some part of every ocean the world
around. Pearls came to European no
tice from the East and 1t is there that
the trail of the pearl logically begins.
The first source of pearls encoun-
tered as one travels East is the Red
sea. From the fisheries there the
pearls known to the Egyptians prob
ably came. Much more famous, how
ever, are the pearl fisheries of the
Persian gulf on the other side of
Arabia.
Bahrein, the remote Arab isle in the
Persian gulf, which Is the reputed
birthplace of the Phoenicians, has
played an important part in the event
full history Of the Middle East. Ira
dition says the lustrous pearls that
cleaned on the breast Of the Queen
of Sheba were fished up from the hot,
dangerous depths Of these waters. For
centuries fortunes have been tished
up from these seas each year. On
the adjacent Arab coast are certain
sheiks in whose tribes pearls of great
price have been handed down for gen
erations and Ishtar, the dissolute
Babylonian princess, Is said to have
worn necklace of Bahrein pearls
which was so long that even when she
stood upright it brushed on the ground.
This fierce, hazardous pearl quest
is pursued now just as In the days of
King Solomon "As long as there are
pretty women there will be men buy
ing pearls" as a Jew at Bassora puts
It,
From June to November often as
many as 5000 small boats, each car
rying from to Is men, are busy
fishing for pearls off Bahrein and along
the Arab coast. 1t is precarious
trade, calling for courage, skill and
strength. Scores of stalwart divers
die each season in these waters from
shark bites, the stings of poisonous
rays, and from other accidents.
The divers work in from to 20
fathoms of water, although seven
fathoms is perhaps the average depth.
The best pearls seem to come from the
deeper waters.
How the Diver Works.
The method of diving in the Per-
sian gulf is simple A big naked man,
usually an Abyssinian, puts forked
bone over his nose and presses bees
wax into his ears to keep out the salt
water Then he ties a stone TO his
feet, heavy enough to pull him down.
About his waist Is slung net basket
In which to carry the oysters he finds
at the bottom. AS he slides over the
boats rail and sinks into the sea, he
carries with him one end of lifeline,
the other end being held by comrades
In the boat. When the diver is ready
to come up with his catch, or If dan
ger threatens, he jerks on this lifeline
as miner pulls the signal rope in a
shaft.
The diver usually remains under wa
ter minute or more. Many die each
season from loss of blood. induced by
diving too deep or remaining under
water too long.
Under low sheds on the beach the
oysters are opened and searched for
pearls. A small brass sieve equipped
with three sets of holes Is used for
sorting the gems. The pearls that will
not 80 through the largest holes in the
sieve are called "ras"; the residue Of
the second sieving are called "batin,"
and the smallest ones, the content of
the last sieving, are called ''dzel."
Black pearls are often found In the
Banrein waters, and many times the
tiny steel-colored "seed pearls are
brought up.
ceylon's Pearl Fishery.
Farther east in the waters off the
northeastern shore of Ceylon, are prob
ably the oldest and undoubtedly the
most prolific pearling grounds in the
world. From the most remote period
Of which there is any record. 1t would
appear that the pearl fishery played
very important part in the history
of Ceylon, having had more or less
direct and Intimate relations with
every important aspect of the civiliza-
ten ct the island The Inflammation
available ely suggests that frop
the eailies s the fishery was colls
aucfed In The same way as ID