Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1867-02-28

proceedings of Wt fNtddcYhtd 1fdUt-
nv Of Natural Science, on the plant
ing Of shad in the Alabama river, and
adds, "if they do not 90 freely over,
being satisfied that they could if they
chose, you must transport some from
below into the basin Of the dam above,
and then let your Legislature forbid |
fishing above the dam for FIVE years. /
That is the term allowed in Maine to /
restore barren rivers"
/ think we need hardly take the |
trouble, to transplant fish from the
lower to the upper levels, for once or
twice that the Columbia dam has beer
broken, they have made their way
above it, and have been caught in
small numbers at Duncan's island.
But what Mr. Lyman says is never
theless true; that the fish will make
almost irreprcssible exertions 10 re-
turn to the beds where they were
spawned, while to pass beyond there,
they will take but little trouble.
The spawn of the few, however,
that make their way up, will return
by rcsistless instinct in the following
season, and it may by well to consider
bis own recommendation, that the
fishing above the dam should be some
what restricted by Legislative onaet-
ment for limited period, until our
great SusQuehanna shall be cured Of
"barreness.
1t remains for me TO describe TO you
the device which has been inserted in
the Columbia dam.
The dam itself is about six feet high,
and about n mile and third long,
and is located on a rough, rocky bed.
The channel below is rapid and much
interrupted by large rocks, worn by
the water. The fish channels in these
rapids are tortuous and much spread
over the whole bed OF the stream.
A point was selected within about a
quarter of mile of the York county
shore, where the fish "most do con
gregate' from all the lower channels
every spring, and whore many ofthem
have been annually taken; and at
this place section forty feet long,
was cut clean out of the dam, a Golfer
dam having been first erected above
to keep of the water.
In this opening, a new sub-dam was
erected, so that its comb or highest
elevation would about equal the level
Of the water below the principal dam
when the fish are running, "a little
over three feet say.) The lower slope
Of this sub-dam was placed at an in
clination of one in fifteen, and the
sides of the aperture in the main dam
were dentated or framed in a series of
oiisetts, SO as TO promote the iorma-
ton of eddies in the current passing
over the sub-dam.
When the fish are running then, in
the spring, the water in the aperture
will be under the influence of gravity
in opposite directions. The lower
water will try to attain its level, the
top of the sub-dam and the upper wa
ter rushing through the aperture will
meet and certainly drive il back hut
with force considerably impeded by
the cushion so to speak, oflower water.
The fish will be nosing along the
foot Of the main dam, as is their wont,
and finding this passage open, agitated
though it be by these contending cur
rents, they will endeavor TO pass up,
and let us hope they will succeed. But
should they fail in the first few trials,
there are the recesses at the sides
where the cddies are sure TO be form
ed, and where they may gather
strength for a renewal of the trial |
am informed, by persons in the neigh
borhood of Columbia who have seen
this aperture of ours with the water
running through it, that there are
many passages in the Conewago rap
ids below, which are much more diff
cult of ascent than this is; and which
of course the fish must easily pass, or
they would not be caught, as they now
are, at the base Of the Columbia dam,
their next obstacle.
Such is the result of our labors at
the Columbia dam, and we have but
to wait now until spring to see what
action the fish, our long absent friends,
will take upon the subject.
) If our inducements are sufficient
we may, in the future, be able to i'm.
prove upon them, and Mr. President
Knight has expressed his willingness
to render all reasonable aid in making
such improvements as, after expert
. mcnt, may seem to be required.
The next two dams in streams, con.
templated by the act, are first the
Middlctown Feeder dam, crossing the
Swatara a short distance from its
( mouth, and the Duncan's Island dam,
crossing the Susquehanna at or near
ClarlS's Ferry These both belong to
the Pennsylvania railroad company,
. whom | notified, according TO law,
and who acknowledged the receipt OF
the notification On November the,
! first, nothing had been done TO either
of these dams, and Immediately after
that day / had placed in the hands OF
the district attorney of Dauphin coun.
ty, j. W. Simonton, Esq, a written
account of my proceedings If the
case be carried TO the courts, and q
decision should be had againts the
constitutionali.y of the act, there will
: be no use IN prosecuting the compan.
les higher up the stream. If the act
should hold, and the Pennsylvania
, railroad company be compelled to al
, ter its dams, the point will be settled
b for the upper companies, and there
will be no more trouble So did moi
initiate legal proceedings in respect tc
| those companies, decming it better &c
r await the decision of the courts, in