﻿28 
  MUSSEL 
  RESOURCES 
  OF 
  THE 
  ILLINOIS 
  RIVER. 
  

  

  in 
  pearls, 
  and 
  in 
  their 
  "haste 
  to 
  do 
  so, 
  generally 
  discarded 
  the 
  shells 
  

   as 
  worthless, 
  or 
  at 
  best 
  only 
  of 
  secondary 
  importance. 
  During 
  the 
  

   summer 
  of 
  1907 
  only 
  two 
  men 
  were 
  found 
  who 
  said 
  that 
  shells 
  and 
  

   not 
  pearls 
  were 
  the 
  chief 
  object 
  of 
  their 
  work. 
  When 
  the 
  mussel 
  

   industry 
  reached 
  a 
  firm 
  commercial 
  basis, 
  however, 
  this 
  type 
  of 
  men 
  

   practically 
  vanished, 
  and 
  was 
  replaced 
  by 
  the 
  regular 
  fishermen, 
  

   farmers 
  who 
  work 
  at 
  mussel 
  fishing 
  during 
  dull 
  seasons 
  on 
  the 
  farm, 
  

   the 
  professional 
  mussel 
  fishermen, 
  and 
  by 
  others 
  who 
  were 
  attracted 
  

   to 
  the 
  river 
  for 
  pleasure 
  and 
  profit 
  during 
  a 
  summer's 
  outing. 
  The 
  

   mussel 
  fishermen, 
  when 
  at 
  a 
  distance 
  from 
  home, 
  often 
  live 
  in 
  tents 
  

   or 
  in 
  rudely 
  constructed 
  houses 
  situated 
  at 
  favorable 
  places 
  along 
  

   the 
  shore, 
  and 
  at 
  times 
  in 
  substantial 
  house-boats, 
  which 
  aflford 
  them 
  

   shelter 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  an 
  economical 
  means 
  of 
  moving 
  their 
  outfit 
  from 
  

   place 
  to 
  place 
  as 
  the 
  season 
  changes 
  or 
  their 
  inclination 
  prompts. 
  

  

  Almost 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  shellers 
  have 
  gasoline 
  boats 
  with 
  which 
  to 
  carry 
  

   on 
  their 
  work. 
  There 
  are 
  two 
  types 
  of 
  boats 
  in 
  use 
  — 
  the 
  launch, 
  of 
  

   which 
  there 
  are 
  a 
  variety 
  of 
  designs, 
  and 
  the 
  John 
  boat; 
  the 
  latter 
  is 
  

   very 
  popular, 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  comparatively 
  cheap, 
  easily 
  made, 
  affords 
  

   plenty 
  of 
  room, 
  and 
  is 
  perhaps 
  better 
  adapted 
  for 
  handling 
  the 
  nec- 
  

   essary 
  appliances. 
  It 
  has 
  a 
  broad 
  flat 
  bottom, 
  square 
  ends, 
  long 
  

   rakes, 
  especially 
  forward, 
  and 
  is 
  from 
  14 
  to 
  18 
  feet 
  long. 
  Tlie 
  gaso- 
  

   line 
  engines 
  are 
  from 
  2 
  to 
  20 
  horsepower. 
  Tlie 
  advantages 
  of 
  a 
  

   power 
  boat 
  over 
  the 
  rowboat 
  are 
  very 
  apparent, 
  namely, 
  the 
  greater 
  

   distance 
  possible 
  to 
  travel 
  in 
  a 
  day, 
  the 
  readiness 
  with 
  which 
  the 
  

   camps 
  can 
  be 
  moved 
  from 
  one 
  locality 
  to 
  another, 
  and 
  the 
  greater 
  

   quantity 
  of 
  shells 
  taken. 
  

  

  Crow-foot 
  har. 
  — 
  Tlie 
  ordinary 
  mussel 
  bar 
  or 
  brail 
  with 
  crow-foot 
  

   hooks, 
  common 
  on 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  commercial 
  rivers, 
  is 
  the 
  principal 
  

   apparatus 
  used 
  on 
  the 
  lower 
  two-thirds 
  of 
  the 
  Illinois. 
  The 
  bar 
  

   is 
  usually 
  of 
  iron, 
  from 
  12 
  to 
  16 
  feet 
  in 
  length, 
  and 
  from 
  three- 
  

   fourths 
  to 
  1 
  inch 
  in 
  diameter. 
  Tlie 
  strings 
  carrying 
  the 
  hooks 
  are 
  

   placed 
  4 
  inches 
  apart. 
  There 
  are 
  two 
  types 
  of 
  mules, 
  or 
  under- 
  

   water 
  sails, 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  sometimes 
  called, 
  the 
  common 
  solid 
  frame 
  

   type 
  and 
  the 
  roll 
  mule. 
  The 
  latter 
  is 
  generally 
  used 
  on 
  this 
  river, 
  

   and 
  has 
  some 
  advantages 
  over 
  the 
  other, 
  in 
  that 
  it 
  can 
  be 
  rolled 
  up 
  

   and 
  put 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  way 
  when 
  not 
  needed, 
  or 
  used 
  as 
  a 
  tent 
  for 
  pro- 
  

   tection 
  against 
  unfavorable 
  weather, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  claimed 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  better 
  

   adapted 
  to 
  change 
  the 
  angle 
  of 
  the 
  boat 
  when 
  desiring 
  to 
  cross 
  the 
  

   mussel 
  bed 
  diagonally 
  or 
  to 
  avoid 
  a 
  known 
  hang-up. 
  On 
  some 
  parts 
  

   of 
  the 
  river 
  scissor 
  forks 
  or 
  tongs 
  are 
  employed 
  with 
  fair 
  success 
  

   during 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  year, 
  usually 
  in 
  low 
  water. 
  At 
  those 
  places 
  where 
  

   it 
  is 
  impossible 
  to 
  use 
  any 
  appliance 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  snags 
  and 
  other 
  

   obstructions, 
  and 
  where 
  the 
  water 
  is 
  not 
  too 
  deep, 
  the 
  shells 
  are 
  often 
  

   taken 
  by 
  wading 
  or 
  diving, 
  but 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  necessary 
  exposure 
  this 
  

   method 
  is 
  not 
  very 
  popular 
  with 
  the 
  mussel 
  fishermen. 
  

  

  