Evening star., 1899-03-04
MONEY IN SHELLS
Profit in Dredging for CLANS in the
Mississippi River.
THE MATERIAL FOR PEARL BUTTONS
An Industry Which Has Increased
Greatly of Recent Years.
BEDS OF MUSSELS

From the Chicago Inter-oce
In the last few seasons along the Missis-
sippi river peculiar Industry has assumed
large proportions. In a number OF towns
between La Grange, Mo-, and Lansing
Iowa. hundreds OF men have been employed
IN the dredging and the preparing for
market Of what is commonly known as the
mussel or clam shell. Heretofore they have
been looked upon by all observers as prae-
lcaliy useless. except as bric-a-brac, but
their use as material for button making
mas made them commodity in commercial
circles
Buttons. pins and other ornaments made
out OF the shell OF the Mississippi musse,
are found I'm all parts of the world Tho
pearls which are found I'm these mussels
are popular among jewelers., and some COM
mand handsome prices
Inc man dredging for shells has a LARGE
poat built especially for the purpose which
ne allows to. float down stream gently.
shoIIs ne rakes the bed of the river for the
sHeus' an OF which he sorts Immediately
aIter taxing them out Of the water toss.
ing back those Of no value and tbrou,t,,,
oRe remainder in basket The shells are
a1terward boiled In large vessels an ~
banks of the river. then resort.J anS
shlpped TO the markets. oftentimcs h,
tons and car loads ny
The Different Varieties.
OF the thirty different varieties fo,,,s 4.
the mississippi. there are two eolors u,ht,,
ana pink The white shells are the o,,r,.
ones USED Tor button making. the pink hsv-
ing TOO many different shades which could
nuner pe matched in color. The most
numerous sort is known I'm tho clon, az
gers parlance as 1.-THE nigger head :, rI,-
are the best for the making of buttons. 80
,.,I. nnen S ls OF only one shade OF white and is
neIS easily sorted. Another kind very sInai-
iar TO the 'ntgger heads are knew, a.,
muckets. These are thick and o,1a,,.7
ana 90 not sustain a very high polisb Tr
shape both resemble the salt water clam.
p Se neleht is about one-third of a mound
Out or n shell of this size can be mad 60
dozen sixteen-line buttons. which or1ins,Ji,,
sen LOT from 10 TO 20 cents per dozen 50
the value of the large-size mussel after If
has mas undergone the refining process and the
saws nave made buttons out of n can hs
approximated - 4 De
The highest price which the dredeer re-
SeNes Tor the variety known as the ''nIgger
@ neau IN the winter months is about 80
cents per hundredweight. The shells hiring
she highest prices In the winter months
because they are hard to procure on ac-
count OF the ice In the height of the sum
me ther season, when all the dredgers along
the river are at work. the price is often as
low as % cents per hundredweight
Inc hrst two varieties named grow in
beds, which sometimes cover 400 10 500
1CiVs' anu are from 1Our TO eight feet deem
Ihey have no way of locomotion. and are
compelled to stay in the place of creation
Ihey multiply, one on top of the other
until they reach within two feet of the
surface OF the water, at low water mark
Ihe bed is always in deep water and in
protected places, such as the mouth of a
bay or slough.
The Sand Shell.
Another variety, known among clam dig
gers as the elite of the clam family. is the
sand she'll" which is not found in beds.
nut travels around on sandy beaches and
sloping mud banks. and in the spawning
season, which is May Il has the power 10
make itself buoyant and float of with the
current In shape IT much resembles the
ordlnary long pocketbook; in color II is
on the outside yellow, and ten different
shades on the inner side. This varied color
makes 1t difficult to sort the buttons made
from the she'll Its shape and thickness is
what makes ii valuable for there Is little
waste to it after the buttons have been
sawed from II. This sort commands an
average price of ST. per hundred weight
Another sort Is the 'buckhorn,' in shape
very similar to the oyster and of a dark
brown color on the outside. The inside of
this shell cannot be surpassed by any sea
shell In beauty of colors. This shell is not
other varieties. The last sort used for but
ton making is called the butterfly" be-
cause OF Its shape. which is like the wing
OF a butterfly. II is very prettily marked
yeHow run black stripes to the outer edge
OF the shell, with dark dots between
stripes This shell is generally small but
thick and found, like the sand she'll and
buckhorn, in small quantities.
Fine Pearls Sometimes Found.
The pearl buttons made from river CLAIMS
surpass those made from sea shells. because
they will not split being of a solid forma-
ton. The prospects for the deveiopment of
great INDUSTRY along the Mississippi are
good The supply for a constantly increas-
Ing market is almost inexhaustible and al
ready hundreds Of men in the river towns
have found easy employment in dredging
for the shells.
Not only is there profit in gathering the
shells. but occasionally pearls ranging In
Vaue from 50 to $40 are found In the mus
sells. The ''nigger head" variety is the one
in which pearls are most frequently found.
Tnese pearls are often of rare beauty and
shape. The shape is either round oval or
saucer form, and in size they run from that
OF the head of a pin to buckshot.
The growth of the shell is very slow At
nine years IL has the diameter of a dollar
which is the smallest sized shell marketed
ana when matured ii is the size of a mans
nana; I,raa, -, Ihose found in slack water; small
streams or head water, are generally limy
and brittle and cannot be used, having too
much lime in the shell.
In Large Quantities.
The vast beds of mussel shells. from
which the marketable ones are taken.
abound from La Grange. Mo-, north to
Lansing. Iowa, the most noted bed being at
New Boston, Iowa. from which more than
10000 tons OF shells were taken in the last
three seasons. Large quantities of the
shells are exported to Berlin, Amsterdam,
Paris and Vienna. From Mis-
sisstppi river towns about forty car loads
were shipped to the European market last
season.
After the shells have been sorted they are
thrown into large hot-water tanks and al
lowed to boil for five minutes when the
shells open and the meat Is loosened from
the SHE'LL One man can clean 5000 pounds
per day. As soon the shells are cleaned
they are ready for the market and the but
ton saw. The process Of saving out but
tons is intricate. There only what are
known as "blank-button factories IN the
west, and. after being sawed in the rough,
the shells are shipped east and are finished.
On the Mississippi are located about fifty
button factories, Muscatine Iowa, boasting
Of thirty button factories. employing most
y boys and girls. Some Of the largest fac
tories employ 800 hands and are valuable
Industries.
Silent Fourteen Years.