The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1866-01-12
I.ake Fisherfes-Their Rise and Progress
Tho Modus opermndi OF Picking, Etc.

account of the history of this branch of commerce
in tho West:
The first experience in lake fish as an article OF
commerce was first made by MIR. BarnaDus Cam-
pau, an enterprising merchant OF the oide1 oays
of Detroit, who packed few barrels ana shPPeu Pl
them to Buffalo soon after e ee ooIo to- npocure
salt at much less expcnss than previously. iMs
necessary article was before that time mostly
br,ught hither by the st. Lawrence river anu tne
lax-s and cost enormous prices. Mr. CaniPau !.S
exEsrirnent proved unproiitable as commerciai
| eu;yrprise. but he continued to pack quantity
yt3fy until his DEATH in 1845, and supplied
tkI homo market with this excellent edible,
- consumption OF which was connneu 70
Detroit and vicinity. His fishing grounds
were those ut Belle Isle, then known as Hog Island,
or Isle au Cochon, as the French named 1t.
TbeH are now owned and carried on by iir.
| Alexander NJ Capmau, and are very prohtaie,
| tlit s'catch this season amounting 10 thirsy
thousand dollars This is, however, on cxtraordl-
nary yield, resulting from lucky change IN tho
wind. which blew from the eastward quite strong
ly for several days. just the fish were migrating
ri the river, and drove them back from Lake 3D.
Clair into the nests at Belle Isle. lho carry eApi9r
ers of this region Of country make mention OF tho
trout and white fish, the luxnrousness OF wilch as
an article of sustcma:co they themselves proved,
and noted as well that they wero much used as
food by the aboriginal inhabitants OF she forest.
The French settlers supplied themselves with them
ton OH the shores of the lake Feglon. Ihey were
found aso Of very great and substantial benefit 10
or soldiers in tho war of 1872, Ill the absence Oh
other supplies Tho Indians always supplied lnem
to the inhabitants during the carly days ol De-
troit, taking them with spears, and exchanging
! them for rum and wlisky-the ''iirewater tE;it
has ever been the desire and tho bano oil the rcd
man. as ii is alike the s0ace and destroyer ot Ills
white brother.
So about tho year 1880, when rapid emigration
70 Michigan commenced, and Increased to such an
extent III the next few years, the fisheries OF the
lakes were called upon for large proportion OF
the necessary sustcnancc not only for the new
cumcrs but for the old inhabitants. For, us Is
well known, Detroit was for long time only o
trading post, dealing in furs and petries being,
as NJ. La Motto Cadilas said, sort OF door
through which to so into and como out OF the vast
and rich regions beyond. Tho people having
given but very little attention to agriculture up to
this timo, depended mostly, like all primitive
races and tribes, upon hunting and fishing, and
| the consequent trade and traffic resulting there
| from.
Ii WHERE THE FISH ARE SENT.
! : The great demand for fish at tho times noted
caused several other fishing grounds to be opened,
and the business rapidly increased. Grounds
xere opened in the ST. Clair river, along Nshore
| oS Lake Huron, and several houses in thf g be-
tAme extensively engaged in the tysdo, ng
alarge number of men and several. ycsa1 u-
I svely in tho business In the year - 8ere
we're packed somo 35, 900 barrels of fish eece Diff
| ferent kinds which amount increased to nearly
100 900 barrels within the noxt ten or fifteen years.
Most of the quantity taken is brought to Detroit
whence the home consumption is supplied, and
large quantities shipped to Ohio Indiana, illinois
md other parts of the country, the demand at the
South having increasedlargely; and formed con-
SS mn oSsE Fl aso Ne s
and Boston, where they are prizcd as they ought
to be- and even at Salem and Marblohcad they go
to compete with the fisheries of the ocean, beard
ing the dcnizens Of the great deep i'll their worry
| dens.
PREPARING FOR MARKET.
1t is interesting to noto the processes by which
the tinny tribes AFRO seized and prepared for mar
kct: the trades and occupations that are brought
into requisition through all the branches OF the
business from the time they leave unwilllnSly,
their native clement and arc headed down, well
seasoned with Saginaw salt, in barrels made OF
Michigan pine, made by Michigan artisans, and
our own merchants consign them to tlcir various
destinations. Tho nets, pound or drag, AMI sill
nets, arc often manufactured by tue iShermen
themselves during the winter or early in the SUM-
mer, and made ready for the catching season
when the harvest is gathered in, the take drawn
to land, and the skilled slight OF hand and sharp
knives Of .hc crew dccapitatc the pscntory game,
rip open their bodies cutting through from INC
back, remove tho internal yiscera, all of which Is
done seemingly By a single operation, and the iisll,
with its rich plump and juicy proportions is
thrown upon tho pile. In the neantime tho
nearest available timber for the purposo Is lowed
| upon and the woods resound with tho blows OF
the axe and the coopcr's hammer, in tho prepara-
ton of tho barrels or half barrels in which the iis
are to be pcltlcd as most OF them arc until they
! are brought to the packing houses, Sncro they
are opened, inspected, weighed and satcd down
generally in half barrels, Of one hundred pounds
each, filled with brine Of the proper strength
branded and made ready for market.
This branch of tho business is now going on ut
several warehouses, along the docks in this city;
the men with their fingers wrapped up to protect
them from the cold brine and salt, by mlttcns oi
canvas or woolen rags bound around thom. The
original packages are opened by q professions
cooper; the inspector or his assistant examines
the quality of the fish as they are thrown with 0
huge fork into the scale pan until the tick of tho
beam shows the proper weight when thoy art
thrown upon the table of the packer, who
sprinkles them plcntifully with salt, and placing
them one by one in the barrel, pounds them down
with huge wooden maui, till they alS all in, and
room left sufficient for inserting the head, wllicl
tho cooper fits quickly, driving the hoops anew
and supplying those that arc damaged or broker
with new Ones Now and then the inspector dis
covers fish too poor or too small to pass muster
or perhaps all interloper is found white fish
muscalung or siskowt in the trout barrel, or rict
rerSa, Ill Of which Irregularities are thrown out
and properly disposed of. The water OF 'the be
triot" is pumped up into huge tubs, and the brine
madc of the requisite strength which is tasted b!
q saometer of the most primitive kind, one o
which we saw at an establishment OH tho docl
yesterday, being nothing more or loss than huge
potatoo, which foated more lightly upon tht
buoyancy Of the brine, according rs the destin.
of the fluid was increased, by the shoyclins i'll o.
Port Austin, Bay City, or Saginaw salt.
The season Tor packing Is nearly at It's close
there being, perhaps, not many more to arrive
and the season of navigation nearly closed.
The Augusta Chronicle and Sentinel Of the 10tl
inst remarks The position taken by Gen. Tlson
t1tn hna1 tbn Ernn ,n1i n ofn
eff negroes will not make contracts we will make
contracts for them" and what is better, compe
them to work, has had good effect. Those
freedmen inclined to be idle, finding out that they