﻿MUSSEL 
  KESOURCES 
  OF 
  THE 
  ILLINOIS 
  RIVER. 
  

  

  23 
  

  

  Table 
  8. 
  — 
  Percentages 
  of 
  Different 
  Species 
  of 
  Mussels 
  at 
  Six 
  Stations 
  in 
  the 
  

   Lower 
  Stretches 
  of 
  the 
  River. 
  

  

  Species. 
  

  

  Niggerhead 
  

  

  Ohio 
  River 
  pig-toe 
  

  

  Pig-toe 
  

  

  Warty-back 
  

  

  Maple-leaf 
  

  

  Washboard 
  

  

  Blue-point 
  

  

  Three-ridge 
  

  

  Lady-finger 
  

  

  Three-horned 
  shell 
  

  

  Buck-horn 
  

  

  Deer-toe 
  

  

  Butterfly 
  

  

  Paper 
  shell 
  

  

  Yellow 
  sand 
  shell 
  . 
  

   Other 
  shells 
  

  

  Flor- 
  

   ence. 
  

  

  Har- 
  

   din. 
  

  

  Graf- 
  

   ton. 
  

  

  Note. 
  — 
  x 
  represents 
  less 
  than 
  1 
  per 
  cent. 
  

  

  Second 
  section: 
  From 
  Kampsville 
  to 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Illinois 
  at 
  

   Grafton, 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  32 
  miles, 
  the 
  mussel 
  conditions 
  are 
  much 
  

   better, 
  and 
  the 
  river 
  is 
  yielding 
  greater 
  quantities 
  of 
  shells 
  than 
  

   any 
  other 
  portion 
  except 
  the 
  Peoria 
  Lake 
  region. 
  There 
  were 
  about 
  

   150 
  boats 
  at 
  work 
  in 
  this 
  stretch, 
  wdth 
  a 
  daily 
  yield 
  of 
  500 
  to 
  700 
  

   pounds 
  of 
  shells 
  per 
  man. 
  

  

  Except 
  in 
  the 
  last 
  few 
  miles 
  of 
  the 
  lower 
  course, 
  the 
  river 
  bears 
  

   closely 
  to 
  the 
  right 
  of 
  the 
  watershed 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  high 
  bluffs 
  and 
  

   wooded 
  hills, 
  and 
  consequently 
  becomes 
  very 
  picturesque 
  in 
  appear- 
  

   ance. 
  

  

  Above 
  the 
  Government 
  locks 
  at 
  Kampsville 
  10 
  men 
  were 
  engaged 
  

   in 
  mussel 
  fishing, 
  each 
  obtaining 
  300 
  to 
  500 
  pounds 
  per 
  day. 
  There 
  

   were 
  30 
  tons 
  on 
  shore. 
  The 
  last 
  bed 
  above 
  the 
  locks 
  extends 
  almost 
  

   to 
  the 
  dam 
  and 
  is 
  more 
  productive 
  on 
  the 
  lower 
  end, 
  probably 
  due 
  

   to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  but 
  little 
  work 
  had 
  been 
  done 
  there 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  

   the 
  danger. 
  The 
  beds 
  produce 
  washboards, 
  45 
  per 
  cent; 
  blue 
  points, 
  

   21 
  per 
  cent; 
  warty-backs, 
  20 
  per 
  cent; 
  while 
  just 
  below 
  the 
  dam 
  the 
  

   yield 
  is 
  not 
  so 
  large, 
  yet 
  the 
  pearl 
  finds 
  will 
  probably 
  more 
  than 
  

   make 
  up 
  the 
  difference. 
  

  

  Below 
  the 
  Kampsville 
  locks 
  (the 
  last 
  in 
  the 
  river) 
  the 
  w^ater 
  is 
  

   swifter, 
  and 
  the 
  stream 
  is 
  in 
  its 
  natural 
  condition. 
  The 
  shells 
  are 
  

   about 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  above, 
  but 
  near 
  the 
  dam 
  there 
  are 
  more 
  pocket- 
  

   books 
  {L. 
  ventricosa 
  and 
  capax) 
  and 
  fat 
  muckets. 
  Some 
  beds 
  also 
  

   have 
  a 
  large 
  percentage 
  of 
  lady-fingers. 
  On 
  July 
  3 
  a 
  sheller 
  working 
  

   the 
  bed 
  below 
  the 
  locks 
  unguardedly 
  ran 
  his 
  boat 
  into 
  the 
  falls 
  of 
  

   the 
  dam 
  and 
  was 
  drowned. 
  

  

  From 
  Willow 
  Island 
  to 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  Hurricane 
  Island 
  there 
  were 
  

   30 
  boats 
  in 
  operation, 
  and 
  very 
  good 
  results 
  were 
  obtained. 
  Both 
  

   sides 
  of 
  the 
  latter 
  island 
  have 
  good 
  productive 
  beds; 
  the 
  catch, 
  

  

  