﻿4 
  MUSSEL 
  FISHERY 
  OF 
  THE 
  FOX 
  EIVEK. 
  

  

  and 
  Elgin 
  has 
  contaminated 
  it 
  for 
  considerable 
  distances 
  below 
  those 
  

   cities. 
  This, 
  however, 
  does 
  not 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  harmed 
  the 
  mussels 
  

   in 
  these 
  regions. 
  

  

  PEARLS 
  AND 
  SHELLING 
  ON 
  THE 
  FOX. 
  

  

  Pearls 
  have 
  been 
  hunted 
  on 
  the 
  Fox, 
  as 
  upon 
  other 
  mussel-bearing 
  

   streams, 
  for 
  many 
  years. 
  During 
  the 
  last 
  six 
  years 
  pearl 
  hunting 
  

   has 
  increased 
  in 
  extent, 
  but 
  did 
  not 
  assume 
  commercial 
  importance 
  

   until 
  1909, 
  when 
  hundreds 
  of 
  shellers 
  were 
  at 
  work, 
  cliiefly 
  between 
  

   Millington 
  and 
  Sheridan. 
  Several 
  good 
  finds 
  were 
  made 
  which 
  

   attracted 
  others 
  to 
  the 
  river, 
  and 
  by 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  summer 
  the 
  

   whole 
  region 
  from 
  Yorkville 
  to 
  Serena 
  swarmed 
  with 
  pearl 
  hunters. 
  

  

  Certain 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  have 
  received 
  much 
  notoriety 
  from 
  

   the 
  newspapers 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  pearl 
  finds. 
  These 
  stories 
  are 
  

   often 
  exaggerated, 
  but, 
  even 
  at 
  the 
  prices 
  named, 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  

   finds 
  seldom 
  warrants 
  the 
  space 
  given 
  to 
  them. 
  This 
  attention 
  from 
  

   the 
  press 
  has 
  given 
  the 
  region 
  near 
  Elgin 
  a 
  reputation 
  for 
  pearl 
  

   production 
  which 
  it 
  does 
  not 
  deserve. 
  The 
  Fox 
  has 
  produced 
  some 
  

   extremely 
  good 
  pearls; 
  its 
  yield 
  is 
  much 
  above 
  the 
  average; 
  but 
  

   most 
  of 
  the 
  better 
  finds 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  lower 
  river 
  in 
  the 
  

   neighborhood 
  of 
  Sheridan. 
  From 
  information 
  gained 
  from 
  shellers^ 
  

   and 
  pearlers 
  it 
  is 
  estimated 
  that 
  the 
  average 
  value 
  of 
  a 
  season's 
  

   pearl 
  find 
  for 
  a 
  constant 
  sheller, 
  between 
  Geneva 
  and 
  Yorkville, 
  

   would 
  not 
  exceed 
  $100. 
  On 
  the 
  mussel 
  bed 
  between 
  MiUington 
  and 
  

   Sheridan, 
  however, 
  extraordinary 
  conditions 
  seem 
  to 
  exist. 
  The 
  

   average 
  value 
  for 
  finds 
  here 
  has 
  been 
  very 
  high. 
  Many 
  extremely 
  

   good 
  pearls 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  last 
  few 
  years, 
  ranging 
  in 
  price 
  

   from 
  $1,000 
  to 
  $1,850. 
  This 
  region 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  

   most 
  fertile 
  pearl 
  producers 
  in 
  the 
  country, 
  though 
  few 
  valuable 
  

   pieces 
  were 
  found 
  in 
  1911. 
  A 
  few 
  shellers 
  still 
  continue 
  to 
  work 
  on 
  

   this 
  bed 
  in 
  spite 
  of 
  the 
  extreme 
  scarcity 
  of 
  shells, 
  depending 
  for 
  

   compensation 
  almost 
  entirely 
  upon 
  "finds." 
  Shells 
  found 
  in 
  this 
  

   district 
  are 
  opened 
  by 
  the 
  knife 
  to 
  avoid 
  injuring 
  the 
  pearls 
  by 
  

   cooking. 
  

  

  The 
  shells 
  in 
  this 
  locality 
  are 
  almost 
  entirely 
  muckets 
  {LampHilis 
  

   Ugamentina) 
  ; 
  the 
  river 
  bed 
  is 
  rock 
  and 
  gravel 
  and 
  the 
  current 
  is 
  

   strong. 
  

  

  In 
  1909 
  shells 
  were 
  sold 
  for 
  the 
  first 
  time. 
  The 
  beds 
  above 
  York- 
  

   ville 
  were 
  tapped 
  the 
  following 
  year 
  and 
  shellers 
  were 
  attracted 
  to 
  

   the 
  work 
  throughout 
  the 
  entire 
  region 
  between 
  Gary 
  and 
  Sheiidau. 
  

   Two 
  years 
  of 
  heavy 
  shelHng 
  depleted 
  the 
  beds 
  near 
  the 
  latter 
  place. 
  

   Further 
  up, 
  especially 
  near 
  Elgin, 
  pearl 
  hunters 
  have 
  increased 
  in 
  

   numbers, 
  but 
  the 
  scarcity 
  of 
  shells 
  and 
  other 
  conditions 
  closed 
  the 
  

   season 
  early. 
  Apparently, 
  shelling 
  here 
  as 
  elsewhere 
  along 
  the 
  river 
  

   has 
  seen 
  its 
  best 
  davs. 
  

  

  