﻿MUSSEL 
  RESOURCES 
  OF 
  THE 
  ILLINOIS 
  RIVER, 
  7 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  table, 
  compiled 
  from 
  Water-Supply 
  Paper 
  239, 
  by 
  

   W. 
  D. 
  Collins," 
  gives 
  the 
  mean 
  of 
  36 
  mineral 
  analyses 
  of 
  water 
  from 
  

   the 
  Illinois, 
  Fox, 
  and 
  Sangamon 
  Rivers. 
  The 
  analyses 
  were 
  made 
  

   from 
  August 
  1, 
  1906, 
  to 
  July 
  31, 
  1907. 
  Wliile 
  the 
  Illinois 
  River 
  water 
  

   is 
  not 
  so 
  high 
  in 
  carbonates, 
  it 
  is 
  higher 
  in 
  sulphates 
  and 
  chlorine 
  than 
  

   other 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  State. 
  The 
  Fox 
  has 
  a 
  high 
  percentage 
  of 
  mag- 
  

   nesium. 
  

  

  Table 
  4.- 
  

  

  -MiNERAL 
  Analyses 
  of 
  Water 
  from 
  Illinois, 
  Fox, 
  and 
  Sangamon 
  

   Rivers. 
  

  

  Illinois 
  

  

  River, 
  

  

  La 
  Salle. 
  

  

  Ulinois 
  

   River, 
  

   Peoria. 
  

  

  Fox 
  

  

  Illinois 
  

  

  T?Jr.'4 
  I 
  River, 
  

  

  Sangamon 
  

   River, 
  

   Spring- 
  

   field. 
  

  

  Parts 
  per 
  million. 
  

  

  Turbidity 
  

  

  Suspenaed 
  matter 
  

  

  Coefficient 
  of 
  fineness 
  

  

  Silica 
  (SiOs) 
  

  

  Iron(Fe) 
  

  

  Calcium 
  (Ca) 
  

  

  Magnesium 
  (Mg) 
  

  

  Sodium 
  and 
  potassium 
  (Na 
  and 
  K) 
  

  

  Carbonate 
  radicle 
  (COj) 
  

  

  Bicarbonate 
  radicle 
  (HCO3) 
  

  

  Sulphate 
  radicle 
  (SOO 
  

  

  Nitrate 
  radicle 
  (NO3) 
  

  

  Chlorine 
  (Cl) 
  

  

  Total 
  solids 
  

  

  159 
  

   136 
  

  

  50 
  

  

  22 
  

  

  16 
  

  

  .0 
  

  

  203 
  

  

  50 
  

  

  6.6 
  

  

  13 
  

  

  278 
  

  

  74 
  

   39 
  

  

  .8 
  

   16 
  

  

  .32 
  

   52 
  

   24 
  

   16 
  

  

  .0 
  

   247 
  

   37 
  

   3.4 
  

   7.5 
  

   276 
  

  

  Whether 
  or 
  not 
  the 
  great 
  amount 
  of 
  sewage 
  that 
  is 
  annually 
  poured 
  

   into 
  the 
  river 
  is 
  detrimental 
  to 
  the 
  aquatic 
  Ufe 
  in 
  the 
  lower 
  stretches, 
  

   the 
  fact 
  remains 
  that 
  from 
  ChiUicothe 
  to 
  near 
  the 
  mouth, 
  with 
  few 
  

   exceptions, 
  the 
  Illinois 
  is 
  indeed 
  a 
  wonderfully 
  productive 
  stream 
  in 
  

   fishes 
  and 
  mussels, 
  and 
  far 
  exceeds 
  in 
  these 
  resources 
  many 
  rivers 
  not 
  

   having 
  similar 
  physical 
  conditions. 
  

  

  THE 
  MUSSEL 
  INDUSTRY. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  of 
  interest 
  to 
  note 
  that 
  probably 
  the 
  first 
  American 
  fresh- 
  

   water 
  shells 
  taken 
  for 
  the 
  purposes 
  of 
  button 
  manufacture 
  were 
  

   derived 
  from 
  the 
  Illinois 
  River. 
  As 
  early 
  as 
  1872 
  a 
  couple 
  of 
  tons 
  

   of 
  mussel 
  shells 
  were 
  collected 
  from 
  the 
  river 
  at 
  Peoria, 
  111., 
  and 
  ex- 
  

   ported 
  to 
  Europe. 
  Again 
  from 
  the 
  same 
  river, 
  at 
  Beardstown, 
  111., 
  

   in 
  1876, 
  a 
  sliipment 
  of 
  shells 
  w^as 
  made 
  to 
  a 
  New 
  York 
  firm 
  for 
  manu- 
  

   facturing 
  purposes. 
  In 
  both 
  cases 
  the 
  returns 
  were 
  evidently 
  insuffi- 
  

   cient 
  to 
  warrant 
  a 
  continuation 
  of 
  the 
  work, 
  due 
  largely 
  no 
  doubt 
  to 
  

   the 
  want 
  of 
  machinery 
  adapted 
  to 
  river 
  shells, 
  together 
  with 
  the 
  

   general 
  inappreciation 
  of 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  material. 
  

  

  a 
  Collins, 
  W. 
  D.: 
  The 
  quality 
  of 
  the 
  surface 
  waters 
  of 
  Illinois. 
  U. 
  S. 
  Geological 
  Survey, 
  1910. 
  

  

  