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RICH MUSSEL FISHING BY PICKANINNIES ST LOUIS Mo August 12 Pickaninnies solved a big problem for John I Winston pearl king of the Ozarks and made it possible for him to pick 12000 from the bottom of White River during tlie pearl fishing season of 1918 1918Heavy Heavy floods swamped the pearl fishing business at tlie height oftthe season There are many pearl fishers along White River which is peculiarly rich in pearl bearing mussels and they knocked off business because of the high water Not so Win ¬ ston He employed twenty or thirty little negro l oys who rowed out in boats and dived for mussels musselsAs As a result Winston sold 1000 worth of mussels to button manufacturers and 9000 worth of pearls in addition to one fine gem of splendid luster weighing 126 grains for which he received 2700 2700Winston Winston began pearly fishing thtjee years ago He started out with a flatbottom boat and a pair of tongs with handles ten feet long The mussels he fished up witli his tongs he cooked in a sheet iron boiler to enable him to extract the meat easily and leave the shells smooth and clean cleanThat That year he sold fifty tons of pearl shells to button factories and found 120 pearls The larger and finer of these lie disposed of for 3580 With the smaller ones his wife began a collection for a necklace necklaceThe The next year Winston hired several helpers and cleaned up 7000 in addition to 200 small but beautiful pearls which were added to his wifes collection collectionThis This year in addition to 1he 12000 he niade from his fishing he found enough pearls to com ¬ plete his wifes necklace which is now valued at 15000 It is composed of 500 pearls in seven strands and ranging from the size of a pinhead to five magnificent gems weighing forty grains each
