﻿MUSSEL 
  RESOURCES 
  OF 
  THE 
  ILLINOIS 
  RIVER. 
  5 
  

  

  From 
  its 
  origin 
  to 
  Utica, 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  about 
  43 
  mUes, 
  the 
  river 
  is 
  

   a 
  series 
  of 
  rock 
  rapids 
  and 
  pools, 
  and 
  is 
  practically 
  destitute 
  of 
  mussels. 
  

  

  From 
  Utica 
  to 
  Meredosia, 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  159 
  miles, 
  the 
  river 
  flows 
  

   through 
  a 
  region 
  of 
  but 
  slight 
  fall 
  and 
  abounds 
  in 
  sloughs, 
  bays, 
  

   lakes, 
  islands, 
  and 
  drowned 
  timber. 
  The 
  principal 
  tributaries 
  be- 
  

   tween 
  these 
  cities 
  are 
  the 
  Vermilion, 
  Mackinaw, 
  Spoon, 
  and 
  Sanga- 
  

   mon 
  Rivers, 
  the 
  last-named 
  of 
  which 
  produced 
  some 
  excellent 
  shells 
  

   this 
  year. 
  The 
  river 
  bottom 
  of 
  this 
  stretch, 
  with 
  but 
  few 
  exceptions, 
  

   is 
  composed 
  of 
  mud 
  or 
  of 
  mud 
  and 
  sand, 
  which 
  is 
  characteristic 
  to 
  

   the 
  mouth. 
  From 
  the 
  mussel 
  fisherman's 
  point 
  of 
  view, 
  the 
  most 
  

   important 
  part 
  of 
  this 
  section, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  of 
  the 
  entire 
  river, 
  is 
  Peoria 
  

   Lake, 
  which, 
  by 
  the 
  dip-net 
  method, 
  has 
  yielded 
  many 
  tons 
  of 
  good 
  

   shells. 
  

  

  From 
  Meredosia 
  to 
  Grafton, 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  71 
  miles, 
  the 
  river 
  flows 
  

   almost 
  due 
  south 
  and 
  rather 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  high 
  bluffs 
  on 
  the 
  right, 
  

   except 
  near 
  the 
  mouth, 
  where 
  it 
  bears 
  to 
  the 
  east 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  hills 
  on 
  

   the 
  left. 
  In 
  this 
  stretch 
  there 
  are 
  fewer 
  sloughs, 
  but 
  more 
  islands 
  

   and 
  bars. 
  In 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Hardin 
  there 
  are 
  many 
  productive 
  

   mussel 
  beds, 
  with 
  a 
  yield 
  second 
  only 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  Peoria 
  Lake. 
  

  

  POLLUTION 
  OF 
  THE 
  ILLINOIS 
  RIVER. 
  

  

  The 
  effects 
  of 
  the 
  sewage 
  pollution 
  of 
  the 
  Des 
  Plaines 
  River 
  and 
  

   the 
  drainage 
  canal 
  upon 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  upper 
  Illinois 
  have 
  been 
  a 
  

   subject 
  for 
  much 
  discussion 
  both 
  to 
  fishermen 
  and 
  the 
  cities 
  along 
  

   the 
  river. 
  The 
  analysis 
  and 
  general 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  physical 
  conditions 
  

   in 
  the 
  following 
  data 
  and 
  tables 
  were 
  made 
  under 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  

   Prof. 
  S. 
  A. 
  Forbes 
  during 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  1911 
  and 
  the 
  spring 
  of 
  1912: 
  

  

  During 
  July 
  the 
  river 
  between 
  its 
  origin 
  and 
  the 
  Marseilles 
  Dam 
  is 
  practically 
  

   barren 
  of 
  fishes, 
  bubbling 
  with 
  gases 
  of 
  decomposition, 
  and 
  full 
  of 
  floating 
  organic 
  

   matter, 
  and 
  the 
  bottom 
  is 
  in 
  many 
  places 
  deep 
  with 
  fodil-smelling 
  mud 
  from 
  which 
  

   large 
  bubbles 
  of 
  offensive 
  gas 
  escape 
  when 
  stirred. 
  The 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  changes 
  

   greatly 
  at 
  this 
  dam, 
  black 
  bass 
  and 
  carp 
  coming 
  up 
  in 
  some 
  numbers 
  to 
  that 
  point. 
  

   During 
  March, 
  the 
  organic 
  matter 
  of 
  the 
  sewage 
  instead 
  of 
  being 
  rapidly 
  decomposed, 
  

   with 
  a 
  nearly 
  complete 
  appropriation 
  of 
  the 
  oxygen, 
  as 
  was 
  the 
  case 
  last 
  summer, 
  

   is 
  now 
  being 
  slowly 
  decomposed, 
  with 
  a 
  consequent 
  gradual 
  fall 
  in 
  dissolved 
  oxygen, 
  

   U) 
  Chillicothe, 
  93 
  miles 
  down 
  the 
  river. 
  At 
  Morris 
  there 
  was 
  97 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  saturation 
  

   in 
  February, 
  where 
  last 
  summer 
  the 
  average 
  was 
  less 
  than 
  10 
  per 
  cent, 
  while 
  at 
  

   Chillicothe 
  there 
  is 
  now 
  36 
  per 
  cent 
  where 
  last 
  summer 
  there 
  was 
  an 
  average 
  of 
  44 
  per 
  

   cent. 
  Bottom 
  conditions 
  were 
  similarly 
  different. 
  The 
  gases 
  of 
  the 
  bottom 
  sedi- 
  

   ments 
  at 
  Morris 
  last 
  summer 
  were 
  largely 
  methane, 
  the 
  product 
  of 
  organic 
  decomposi- 
  

   tion 
  in 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  oxygen 
  and 
  the 
  odor 
  was 
  that 
  of 
  a 
  septic 
  tank. 
  

  

  Table 
  1 
  shows 
  the 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  during 
  summer, 
  Lake 
  

   Michigan 
  and 
  the 
  Kankakee 
  River 
  being 
  high, 
  while 
  at 
  the 
  other 
  

   places 
  the 
  percentage 
  of 
  saturation 
  runs 
  low. 
  Table 
  2 
  shows 
  the 
  

   early 
  spring 
  conditions 
  when 
  the 
  decomposition 
  of 
  organic 
  matter 
  

  

  