STRICTLY BUSINESS: CERTAIN FISH SPECIES CAN TRAVEL OUT OF WATER

"Watch for Walking Catfish."

The sign startled me. It was handwritten but clear.

I was driving along a two-lane blacktop road in southern Louisiana, along one of the many bayous which dot that part of the state. I didn't know that walking catfish frequented that part of the country.

Walking catfish?

Oh, yes, I was familiar with the breed.

And, yes, it can move on land, from one body of water to another.

My experience with walking catfish happened a number of years ago, along the Mississippi River, in extreme Southern Illinois.

The river was low, and we -- three young boys -- were tossing our bait from a sandbar which jutted out into the water.

Eventually, a large catfish gobbled the lure. I had to have some help, but I hauled the catfish over the sandbar and into a few inches of water in back of the sandbar. By that time, the catfish had shook the hook and was lazily lolling in the shallow water.

We knew he couldn't go far, so we left him there, tossing the lure back into the river side of the sandbar.

Occasionally, I glanced at the prized catfish -- plenty there for everybody for dinner.

Suddenly, the catfish wriggled out of the shallow water and across the sandbar, toward the river.

The catfish was almost walking, using its fins to wallow across the sandbar and into the river, never to be seen again.

Everybody agreed the catfish walked. It wasn't until years later the "walking catfish" story came up again.

"Yeah, some catfish can walk," said one outdoorsman in a crowd.

He was right.

A number of catfish species, belonging to the Claridae family, have been reported to have amphibious habits. The walking catfish can leave water temporarily for a walk over dry land. In fact, these creature can move overland from one pond to another.

The species can also go through periods of drought by burrowing into the mud of dried-up pools.

It's easier for the catfish in grassy fields, however. They can wriggle through the grass with snake-like movements. But in other instance, they have been observed "almost standing up," looking for another wet place.

Casino boat arrives Sept. 12

A 259-foot paddlewheel boat is plowing its way through the waters of three major rivers en route to a new destination in Southern Illinois.

The North Star, constructed at Bender Shipyards in Mobile, Ala., has been operating as a gambling casino in North Kansas City since July 1994.

The vessel, which recently was completely renovated, will serve as the home of Harrah's Metropolis Casino starting next month. The North Star, with a capacity of almost 2,200 people 1,800 passengers and 380 employees will arrive at the Metropolis, Ill., harbor Sept. 12.

To get to Metropolis, the vessel will go down the Missouri River from Kansas City to St. Louis, down the Mississippi River to Cairo, Ill., and up the Ohio River for its final leg to its new quarters at a new and spacious entertainment complex at the foot of Ferry Street.

The vessel is expected to pass Cape Girardeau the first week of September. The dates have been narrowed by Harrah's officials to Sept. 4, 5 or 6.

Before the arrival, however, Harrah's is preparing to open the first phase of its new Harrah's Metropolis operation this week.

The new dockside entertainment complex will open Friday. The complex, which includes a climate controlled ramp and expanded parking, will feature Harrah's signature restaurants and a lounge. The complex will also have the Range Steakhouse, the Fresh Market Square Buffet and the new Diamond Lounge.

Phase II will include the arrival of the new casino vessel, which will replace the Players Island Casino vessel, which will be sold.

With the completion of the second phase, Players Island Casino will official be named Harrah's Metropolis Casino.

"We're excited about the changes that are taking place here," said Mike Crider, vice president and general manager of the Metropolis operation. Crider, of Carlisle County, Ky., is familiar to the Southern Illinois/Western Kentucky area.

An economic blow

The turn into the parking lot at 35th Street in uptown Cairo, Ill., used to create a few traffic tie-ups, but motorists didn't object. The turn-off was into the vast parking lot of Burkart Foam, Inc. As many as 1,000 cars a day crowded into the location.

That was during the 1960s, when Burkart employed as many as 1,200 workers.

Those numbers dropped to about 500 during the mid-1970s. By the mid-1990s, only 120 workers were turning into the parking lot.

Finally, the employee count was at 31 when earlier this month the company called it quits. Letters were sent out to employees, union officials and to the city of Cairo, explaining Burkart's decision to close.

Burkart produced polyurethane foam, used primarily in automobile seats and residential mattresses. Burkart officials said many automotive seat manufacturers found it cheaper to produce the seat components in Mexico. Many Burkart foam users had moved operations to south of the border.

Officials said that Burkart had only one major seat manufacturer left the U.S., and that company recently announced it was joining the exodus to Mexico.

Burkart will officially close Oct. 1.

Before the plant's closing Alexander County was second on the unemployment list of Southern Illinois counties, with an 11.5 percent unemployment rate, second only to neighboring Pulaski County, at 12.7 percent.

Tri-Con moved 5 years ago

Cape Girardeau knows what it's like for a business to leave for Mexico.

It was only five years ago that Tri-Con Industries Ltd., an automobile seat covers manufacturer, headed for Mexico.

Tri-Con, which employed as many as 500 workers and manufactured a many as 100,000 seat covers, during peak production, closed its doors in March 1996, eliminating about 200 jobs.

The company, a U.S. subsidiary of Tokyo Seat Co., closed a second seat-manufacturing company, at Columbia, in March 1997.

The company assembled covers here and shipped them to the Tri-Con plant in Columbia, Mo., where they were installed on seat frames, ready for installation in vehicles.