Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1866-12-13
THE CANDLE FISH.

went to British Columbia, as scientific mem
Der of the commission appointed to mari
the boundary line between British anC
United States territory, has published il
London an account of his travels in vol
ume entitled "The Naturalist in Vancou
yer Island and British Columbia" Among
his stories is the fol owing account of al
extraordinary fish
al have never seen any fish half as fat
and as good for Arctic winter food as the
little candle-fsh. 1t is next to impossible
to broil or fry them, for they melt complete
ly into oil. Somesidea of their marvellous
fatness may be CLEANED from the fact that
the natives use them as lamps for lighting
their lodges. The fish, when dried, has a
piece of rush.pith, or a strip from the inner
bark of the cypress tree (Ihuja giganted, }
drawn through it, long round needle
made of hard wood being used for the pur-
pose it is then lighted and burns steadily
until consumed. | have read comfortably
by it's light the dlestick-literally a
stick for the candle-consists of bit Of
wood split at one end, with the fish inserted
in the cleft. These ready-made sea-candles
little dips wanting only wick that can
DN oudCu III a easily ITduS-
formed by heat and pressure into liquid
When the Indian drinks instead of burn
ing them, he gets fuel in the shape of oil,
that keeps up the combustion within him,
and which is burnt and consumed in the
lungs, just as it was by the wick, but only
gives heat. 1t is by no mere chance that
myrlads of small fish, in obedience to
wondrous instinct, annually visit the north
ern seas, containing within themselves all
the elements necessary for supplying light,
heat and life to the poor savage, who, but
for this, must perish in the bitter cold of
the long dreary winter.
As soon as the Indians have stored
away the full supply of food for the winter
all the fish subsequently taken are convert
ed into oil. If we stroll down to the lodg.
es near the beach, we shall see for ourselves
how they manage it. The fish reserved for
oil making have been piled in heaps until
partly decomposed five or six fires are
blazing away, and i'll each fire are a num-
Der of large round pebbles to be made very
hot. BY each fire are four large square
boxes, m de from the trunk of the pine
tree. A squaw carefully piles in each box
a layer of fish about three deep and covers
them with cold water. She then puts five
or SIX of the hot stones upon the layers of
fish, and when the steam has cleared away
carefully lays small pieces of wood over
the stones then more fish, more water
more stones, more layers of wood, and 50
on, until the box is filled The oil-maker
now takes all the liquid from this box, and
uses 1t over again instead of water in fill
ing another box, and skins the oil off as it
floats on the surface. A vast quantity of
oil is thus obtained often as much as sew
en- hundred weight will be made by one
small tribe
The refuse fish are not yet done with,
more oil being extracted from them. Built
against the pine tree is a small stage made
OF poles, very like monster gridiron The
refuse Of the boxes, having been sown up
IN porous mats, is placed on the stage, to
be rolled and pressed by the arms and
chests of Indian women and the oil thus
squeezed out is collected in a box placed
underneath. Not only has Nature, ever
sent an abundance of oil to the
redskin, but she actually provides ready
made bottles to store it away in. The
great seawrack, that grows to an immense
size IN those northern seas and forms sub
marine forests, has hollow stalk, expand
ed into complete flask at the root-end.
Cut into lengths of about three feet, these
hollow stalks, with the bulb at the end, are
and kept wet until required for
use. AS the oil is obtained it is stored
away in these natural quart bottles, or
rather larger bottles, for some of them hold
three pints."