268 THE BOOK OF THE PEARL
and
from a basketful of Unios he reports finding several marketable pearls
for which he received $180 from a Baltimore jeweler. Others followed,
and many fine specimens were secured. Unios are especially abundant in
the Flint, Ocmulgee, and Oconee rivers, and it seems probable that
many pearls might be found in these streams.
Florida
has not yet been actively exploited, but it may prove a productive
region ere long. The reports of De Soto's expedition make special
reference to the size and beauty of the pearls found at a point where
he crossed the Ocklocknee River about thirty miles above its mouth,
near the present site of Langston, Wakulla County. And there seems
little doubt that pearls may be found in the Ocklocknee and also in its
affluent, the Sopchoppy River. The banks of these streams are full of
shells, and pearls of choice color have been sent from there.
It
is unnecessary to refer in detail to the origin of pearling in each of
the States. The general interest in this industry from 1889 to the
present time has resulted in the examination of most of the rivers and
creeks, and in few has the search been entirely unrewarded, although
the finds have been relatively much greater in some waters than in
others. As a rule, pearl-bearing Unios are most numerous in clear,
swift streams, with sandy or gravelly bottoms and which flow through
calcareous rocks. With pearlers as with miners, there is a stampede to
the places where a good find is reported, since the rivers are free for
all ; consequently, there is much variation from year to year in the
amount of attention which the individual streams and localities receive.
While
many of the pearlers operating in the Mississippi River are
professional fishermen or rivermen, most of those in the smaller
streams have had no previous experience in similar work. Frequently
whole families come twenty or thirty miles, and even greater distances,
and camp on the river bank. In many instances farm-hands are there who
have abandoned their crops, mechanics who have left steady jobs,
railway men who have taken a lay-off, teachers, merchants, all eager
and expecting to find a fortune. In some localities, pearl fishing has
been used as an attraction in big picnic advertisements, and has drawn
larger crowds than a public orator.
The
mollusks are removed from the river bottoms in various ways and by many
forms of apparatus. In the shallow streams the fishermen simply wade
out in the water and pick up the shells by hand. If not readily visible
from the surface, the shells may be located with the bare feet or by
the use of a water-telescope. Where the water is too deep for wading,
the fishermen work from small boats, and use garden rakes or other
convenient inplements.
Where pearling has developed into more of an industry, special
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