Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-09-19
FIND SHELLS
FOR BUTTONS
oTTU MWANs GATHER SEVERAL
TONS OF sMUssELs FROM DIES
MONIES RIVER.
BEDS NEAR CLIFFLAND
Shipped From station Near OttumWa
to Muscatlne by Car Load-Tom
HamersIey Finds Many Ex-
ceIlent Pearls.

A new industry. or at least an in.
dustry OF some promise, that OF gather.
ing mussel shells for the pearl button
makers, which until quite recently has
been practically unknown to the gen.
eral public Of this section, is being
carried on in a modest manner along
, some OF the shallow places OF the Des
Moines river In the vicinity OF Ottum-
wa. The starter of this Industry
Thomas j. Hamersley, 1909 Sherman
street, piles his trade OF boiler maker
In the employ Of the G. NJ & st. p.
railroad at the yards In the west end
and has turned over the business to his
son j. w. Hamersley. This young man
with force of from six to eight men
and three of four boats has been
gathering the commercial bivalve
during all of this summer and part OF
last summer and shipping by the car
load to Muscatine button makers the
results Of their labors.
Began Last Summer.
The business was begun as an ex-
pertinent by Tom Hamersley last sum-
mer when he was taking thirty day
leave of absence when he made use Of
his vacation in profitable as well as
pleasant manner by wading the shallow
spots along the Des Moines some seven
miles east and south OF Ottumwa The
success OF last summers experiment
led to Mr.. Hamersley placing his son
IN the work and suflcient promise was
held out by the returns made that
some two months were spent at the
business of gathering the shells. This
year the work was begun in earnes.
and additional help ives employed
and as result great many shells
have been secured.
Gather With Forks.
The method OF gathering the shells
us by a feet OF boats that will each hold
about half a. ton Of shells. The men
with forks wade the shallow places
Of the stream where beds are known
to exist and scoop the bivalves by the
fork load into the boats. When q
boat Is filed it Is taken to the shore
and the shells spread out and meat
removed Thus the work goes on
through the day until some eight or
nine hours have been put in. The
shifts In the water range from two to
three hours at time.
Season 10 Short.
The rising of the river and the cool
ing OF the water has practically stop
ped the work for this season AS the
men have to wade the. water for two
ito three hours at q time. the season
is necessarily short" and as result
the men work fast while they have the
season. Mr.. Hamersley states that
two men can gather about thirty tons
per month at an eight hour day shift.
These shells are worth to the gatherer
as they lie on the bank, shout SO per
ton. Thus while there Is q good re.
turn for the labor spent. the season Is
short and the labor must be fast.
Finds Many Pearls.
While Mr.. Hamersley has knowledge
OF the west in the days gone by, he is
public. Thus far the work has been
carried on in the river along the
Sedore and Bailey farms southeast of
Ottumwa about a mile east Of Cliff
land. Mr.. Hamersley has secured
about thirty pearls OF various size
many OF which might be compared to
a pea, and one of these shows weight
OF fourteen grains Most OF these have
been sent to firms In New York and
Chicago to be assayed for their true
worth and no report has yet been made
to the owner. He has also freak
pearl shaped like human foot and
measuring about one half inch in
length which he has mounted and
uses for a scarf pin.
ship 10 MuscatIne.
Mr.. Hamersley Is full OF optimism
as to the possibilities the business or.
fers and although his plans have not
taken DEFINITE shape yet, he expects to
begin the manufacture Of buttons in
Ottumwa and thus get the 'mAnufactur-
er's and gathers profits. During the
gathering season, the Rock Island
ships from fifty to 100 tons OF shell
each month from Cliffland. The shells
are carted from the beds to Clinland
and loaded on the cars at that point.
Fifty tons were shipped this week to
w. H. McElroy OF Muscatine.