﻿MUSSEL 
  FISHERY 
  OF 
  THE 
  FOX 
  RIVER. 
  5 
  

  

  CHARACTERISTICS 
  OF 
  THE 
  SHELLERS. 
  

  

  The 
  shellers 
  and 
  pearlers 
  on 
  the 
  Fox 
  are 
  of 
  a 
  totally 
  different 
  type 
  

   from 
  those 
  found 
  on 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  larger 
  streams. 
  Although 
  the 
  river 
  

   has 
  been 
  extensively 
  worked 
  for 
  several 
  years 
  and 
  its 
  pearl 
  finds 
  have 
  

   received 
  much 
  attention 
  from 
  newspapers, 
  few 
  outside 
  shellers 
  have 
  

   come 
  in. 
  In 
  some 
  cases 
  shellers 
  from 
  other 
  States 
  have 
  been 
  driven 
  

   out 
  by 
  threatened 
  prosecution 
  under 
  the 
  State 
  mussel 
  law, 
  which 
  

   requires 
  a 
  license 
  for 
  nonresidents. 
  As 
  a 
  consequence 
  the 
  nomadic 
  

   class, 
  found 
  so 
  frequently 
  on 
  some 
  rivers, 
  does 
  not 
  exist 
  on 
  this. 
  

   Most 
  of 
  the 
  shellers 
  here 
  are 
  persons 
  from 
  the 
  factory 
  or 
  the 
  farm, 
  

   who 
  take 
  an 
  outing 
  of 
  perhaps 
  several 
  days 
  or 
  a 
  few 
  weeks 
  every 
  

   summer 
  and 
  try 
  their 
  luck 
  on 
  the 
  river. 
  With 
  few 
  exceptions, 
  they 
  

   are 
  an 
  intelhgent, 
  industrious, 
  pleasant 
  class 
  of 
  people. 
  

  

  The 
  pearlers 
  care 
  little 
  for 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  shells 
  and 
  usually 
  do 
  

   not 
  save 
  them; 
  they 
  are 
  left 
  on 
  the 
  bank 
  or 
  thrown 
  into 
  the 
  river 
  to 
  

   Utter 
  up 
  the 
  bed 
  and 
  thus 
  are 
  wasted. 
  In 
  some 
  instances 
  the 
  shells 
  

   are 
  saved 
  by 
  regular 
  shellers 
  who 
  gather 
  them 
  up 
  along 
  the 
  bank 
  or 
  

   buy 
  them 
  from 
  the 
  pearlers 
  at 
  5 
  to 
  10 
  cents 
  a 
  bucket, 
  a 
  rate 
  of 
  from 
  

   $3 
  to 
  $7 
  a 
  ton. 
  

  

  The 
  regular 
  shellers 
  who 
  work 
  day 
  after 
  day 
  during 
  the 
  summer 
  

   months 
  depend 
  chiefly 
  on 
  the 
  shells 
  for 
  a 
  living, 
  and 
  consider 
  any 
  

   pearls 
  found 
  as 
  so 
  much 
  additional 
  j^rofit. 
  Money 
  from 
  pearls 
  may 
  

   amount 
  to 
  more 
  than 
  from 
  shells, 
  but 
  this 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  depended 
  upon, 
  

   for 
  often 
  nothing 
  of 
  value 
  is 
  found 
  during 
  the 
  season 
  and 
  the 
  general 
  

   average 
  for 
  the 
  year 
  is 
  not 
  very 
  high. 
  

  

  The 
  number 
  of 
  regular 
  shellers 
  on 
  the 
  river 
  during 
  September, 
  1911, 
  

   was 
  about 
  70; 
  in 
  midseason 
  there 
  were 
  probably 
  as 
  many 
  as 
  100. 
  

   The 
  number 
  of 
  amateur 
  pearlers 
  on 
  the 
  river 
  on 
  some 
  Sundays 
  in 
  

   the 
  summer 
  ranges 
  perhaps 
  between 
  400 
  and 
  500. 
  

  

  Many 
  of 
  the 
  regular 
  shellers 
  begin 
  work 
  early 
  in 
  the 
  sprmg 
  and 
  

   continue 
  until 
  the 
  season 
  closes 
  October 
  1. 
  During 
  the 
  season 
  a 
  

   sheUer 
  often 
  gathers 
  as 
  many 
  as 
  15 
  or 
  20 
  tons 
  of 
  shells, 
  and 
  the 
  daily 
  

   wages 
  averages 
  $3, 
  exclusive 
  of 
  pearl 
  finds. 
  

  

  METHODS 
  IN 
  USE. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  season 
  the 
  sliells 
  are 
  obtained 
  by 
  

   wading. 
  The 
  outfit 
  consists 
  simply 
  of 
  a 
  pail 
  or 
  burlap 
  bag 
  to 
  hold 
  

   the 
  mussels 
  and 
  a 
  knife 
  to 
  open 
  them. 
  The 
  regular 
  sheller 
  usually 
  has 
  

   a 
  boat 
  into 
  which 
  he 
  throws 
  the 
  mussels 
  and 
  opens 
  them 
  by 
  cooking. 
  

   The 
  mussel 
  bar 
  and 
  mule 
  are 
  but 
  little 
  used, 
  except 
  in 
  cold 
  weather 
  or 
  

   high 
  water. 
  Some 
  have 
  a 
  wheel 
  at 
  each 
  end 
  serving 
  as 
  a 
  support 
  

   from 
  the 
  river 
  bottom. 
  The 
  mule 
  wliich 
  has 
  given 
  most 
  success 
  is 
  a 
  

   long 
  and 
  narrow 
  one, 
  about 
  8 
  feet 
  long 
  by 
  15 
  inches 
  wide. 
  In 
  places 
  

   where 
  there 
  is 
  but 
  little 
  current 
  a 
  windlass 
  is 
  sometimes 
  built 
  upon 
  the 
  

  

  