The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1875-09-09
THE FISH BONANZA.
Tangle's Thrilling Tale of a Tour
to Two Rivers.
Two Hundred Tons Of Fish Cap
tured in Two Weeks.

tured in Two Weeks.
Correspondence of the Milwaukee Sentinel.
Two RIVERS, Sept. 1.-''Practice what
you preach has always been my motto,
and [ reiterated it to the man with a
gold band on his cap, named Emmett
Halleck, as he urbanely seated me by
the side of a fresh Mecklenberger in the
smoking car on the Milwaukee, Lake
Shore & Western Railroad I had con-
cluded to go into training for the State
Fair and fall election, and so 1esorted to
Manitowoc county, which for many
a summer, has furnished me with all the
comforts of any summer resort, and
not always found at such places. ] had
no intention of saying anything about
fish-because they are too common a sub
ject here-but as they have made them
selves uncommonly notorious, they have
forced the subject upon me, and, of
course, it caroms on YOU. Some reader
from the inland lakes may want to know
where this county is, and why it is bet
ter than any other place. / shan't give
any more information than that Manito-
voc and Two Rivers are only six miles
apart on the same bay, and only lack
the filling in to look like Milwaukee.
The former is the Clipper City of the
lakes, and noted for being the building
spot of the Goodrich line of steamers, with
hundreds of the finest lower-lakers afoat.
Among the last built. and owned in our
city, is the David Vance. But this
branch of trade is dull now, and Mani
towoc feels it somewhat, and is just now
going for an increase in manufactures,
and laying particular stress upon
THE ELEVATOR SUBJECT,
which is now certainty, and will be
ready before the snow flies, so that an
other spring will find this county send
ing by the cargo to the East, and there
will be howl about which is the second
" primary" wheat market in the world.
You must remember L lived in this
county once and taught school too,
which with the fish trade accounts for
SO much intelligence in the community.
Il don't care which has the credit of IT'D
SO [ note changes that have grown up
under the eyes that were watching them
that they have forgotten, as some new
conner in Milwaukee, will show you
something you had not noticed in the
mass of things going on. For instance,
the old importations used to be what
they eat, drank and wore, for which
they paid in lumber and tanbark. Now
it is exactly reversed !; they depend on
Michigan for bark and lumber and ship
all kinds of produce. Not even is seen
any more the two barrels of whiskey
to one of pork, " good old-fashioned
and common order with them but they
have crooked stuff too, with Uncle Sans
agents yanking the distillers out of the
woods occasionally. Obi I tell you,
they are civilized up here. I think they
learn it from the guests of the Wjndiate
House, as it IS comfortably full of Wis
itors. dull as the season has been, from
the South, wealthy, handsome and IL
telligent. Ct stopped there) A fine
drive along the shore brings you to Two
Rivers, or you can come by the cars
three times a day. [ have done the
most of my loafing here for the last two
weeks, watching the great fish bonanza,
during which tune
OvEI TWO HUNDRED TONS
of whitefish have been taken (herring
and trout [ have not seen a dozen of by
the twenty-four pound nets tributary to
this place. This is the greatest rush of
fish since 1864, and has made the glee-
some fishermen tired of working nights,
days and Sundays, and still it continues
making little income Of $4,000 per
week nearly, without a chinch-bug,
grass-hopper, frost, potato bug, flood,
weevll or drouth about it. They call it
the s'sapd cherry rum after small vine
on the beach whose berries ripen about
this time and resemble in the taste and
look the black cherry. A bad feature
OF this immense catch of fish (and it is
so farther north) is the large proportion
OF little or yearing whitetish that would
III another season triple their size. There
is no doubt but that the fish are getting
the worst Of it and will soon be used up
unless some law is passed for their pro-
lection. So I would remark to our next
Governor that he wants to tell the Legis-
lature to tell Uncle Sam he must pass
law prohibiting all fishing from Oct. L
to Jan, /, Or the little children he dand-
les on his knee while electioneering
around will never choke to death with
whitefish bone. I am open to bids from
fish gubernatorial candidate, and be-
ieve he will carry their vote, as all [
have talked with agree to the necessity
OF such law. Of course / have made
the usual trips by steam yacht, only one
of which now runs out of this polt.
Also by sail to the gillnets. There are
about six of them.~ But pond-fshing is
their ''best hold" and I add again the
most destructive of all in destroying the
small fish. [ dropped into a number of
the dwellings of the fishermen, attracted
by the extreme neatness which is as pc
culiar 90 them as fresh flowers, just to
see what part the women take in this
business. | find them all, from sweet
sixteen to how-backed ninety, knitting
gill-nets. Fred Eggers, merchant
here, who buys most of the nets, tells
me he paid for making
54O0 MILES OF GILL-NETs
last year, and up to date this year over
5000 miles. They go to Milwaukee and
other points on the lakes, and he is one
of many. Other places make in proper
ton, and the only wonder is that trout
and whitefish don't leave us their photo
graphs, and commit suicide at Niagara
Falls. They can't take any comfort
here; like unto the poor Indian, they are
reduced in numbers and in caste, for
what used to rank No. now ranks No.
l, and the old whitefish of '64 would't
recognize No. 3 of rs, even after he
was sailed. I'll bet Oil it. I saw an
other thing that remained me of city
life. 1t was dozen ragged boys diving
into kettle of fsh-entrails, which are
boiled for the oil in them. Scrutinating
down among them, found them eating
the "chum" of the whitefsh. It was
very good, and stands about the same
relation as tripe to the bovine. / have
tried them since baked, fried and pickl-
ed, and as many of them are thrown
away in our city, I deem it my duty to
throw good thing in your way when I
can, even if it does hit you in the mouth
TWO RIVERS