OCR Text |
Show Mussel Shells , Worth Many Millions , I Made the Great Pearl Button Industry The history of mussels In Michi MIchi- MIchigan Michigan Michigan - gan is not much d different ferent from fromthat fromthat fromthat that in other mussel producing producingareas producingareas producingareas areas , . observes a writer in m the Detroit De- De DetroIt De Detroit - troit Free Press When a makerof maker makerof makerof of mothcr-ot mothcr ot mother-of mother of - pearl buttons from seashells sea seashells seashells shells in Europe , moved to Musca-tine Musca tine Musca- Musca Muscatine Muscatine - - tine , Iowa , in 1890 , and turned outpearl out outpearl outpearl pearl buttons from fresh water mus mus- mussels mussels mus- mus mussels - - sels on a little hand machine , theexploitation the theexploItation theexploitation exploItation of the nation's nations ' musselbeds mussel musselbeds musselbeds beds was Inevitable As soon as thebusiness the thebusIness thebusiness busIness was a success , American AmericanbraIns Americanbrains Americanbrains braIns and capital capltnJ came into the thepicture thepicture thepicture picture Power machines were In- In Invented invented in invented - . vented to make mussel shells into intopearl Intopearl intopearl pearl buttons The business grewrapidly grew grewrapidly : . rapidly rapidlyThe The great Mississippi river , the the"father the"father the"father thefather "father father " of waters , " had a naturalsupply natural naturalsupply naturalsupply supply of mussel beds , untouchedby untouched untouchedby untouchedby by the greed of man . . It was thelargest the thelargest thelargest largest supply of fresh water mussels mus mussels mussets sels sets shells and fresh water pearlsin pearls in the world , worth many millionsof millions of dollars Some of these bedsproduced beds bedsproduced bedsproduced produced 3 000 to 4 000 tons of mussel mus mus- mussel mussel - sel shells to the mile One man WIth witha a mussel boat could catch from one oneto oneto oneto to two tons of shells a day . Some found fresh water pearls worth worththousands worththousands worththousands thousands of dollars each . . . The manufacturers in the button buttonbusmess buttonbusiness buttonbusiness busmess business were no different from Crom other oth oth- other other - er manufacturers They were inbusiness inbusiness In InbusIness busIness tor for profit , , not for health.They healthThey health . They made more and better ma ma- machinery machinery machinery - chinery . They glutted the market.The marketThe market . The shrewder men uncovered newmarkets new newmarkets newmarkets markets , and whipped wlupped the old chinaand china chinaand chinaand and horn buttons out of existence.The existenceThe existence . The fresh water pearl button be became be- be became became - came the strongest , most beauti beaut- beaut beauti- beautI beautful beautiful beautiful ! - - I ful and best button that was ever everput everput everput put on manufactured garments garmentsIn In the search for new sources of ofsupply ofsupply ofsupply supply , the Michigan mussel beds bedswere bedswere bedswere were discovered , ' among whuh which whuhthose whichthose whichthose : those of the Grand river were most mostproductIve mostproductive mostproductive productIve Their history is th thesame the thesame e esame same as that ot 01 of the Mississippi ; in fact , the same as that of theexploitation the theexploltatlOn theexploitation exploltatlOn exploitation of most mos ' of our naturalresources natural naturalresources naturalresources resources |