The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1880-04-21
ANEW ORLEANS FISH STORY.
BuffalO.Fish Being Drained from
tho Mississippi into The swamp.
New Orleans Times.

Every one who has visited Sharpe's
crevasse must have observed the immense
numbers Of buftalo-fish that are contin-
ually passing through the gap. For the
benefit of those who have only read about
the crevasse, it may be stated that on an
average over 1000 of III ,se fishes are
caught daily and conveyed to Gretna,
Algiers and New Orleans for sale. The
question naturally arises, how comes it
that so many of this particular fish pass
through the creyasse, to the almost en-
tire exclusion of all other sorts. An old
gentleman, who, in his day, has been a
lawyer, doctor and surveyor. and who
now resides in Gretna, enjoying life Of
ease and comfort, addressed the reporter
as he was standing on the levee, looking
at the crib-work now going up under
Col. Hardee's management.
~ suppose you have noticed these rice
fumes along the leveeY Well, sir, there's
something curious about those things. l
am believer in the theory that every
body and everything in this world con-
stitute an attraction for some one or
something else. You can understand
me, therefore, when l say that these rice
fumes attract buffalo-fsh. Before this
crevasse occurred you could walk along
this levee and at every fume you reached
you could see hundreds of these fishes in
the immediate neighborhood. What the
attraction is I can't say. Il you'll 60 up a
little further you'll find large iron
siphon placed over the levee. Well, sir,
there used to be fume at that point, and
it was literally besieged with buffalos,
lut since the placing Of the siphon the
fish have manifested signs of dissatisfac-
ton. am great observer, and the re-
suit of my observation establishes an i'm
portant sequence to what | have already
told you. When a Aume is opened
thousands of little fish, of course, are
drawn through the opening. 1t is to
prey on these smaller species that the
buffalo haunt the fumes. A regular line
of communication is kept up between
the shoals of buffaloes at the different
fumes, so that when fume is opened
the shoals all along the line are notified
by the way-couriers and hasten to the
spot.
"Now, you see, this crevasse was caused
by the water securing passage through
the rice fume that was formerly cut
through its centre. The bufalo-fsh
that were on guard began preying on the
minnows and other little species that
were sucked through the opening. But
watch the result. BY the time the noti
fication to the other shoal got under sue
cessful headway the opening had wild
ened, and the current through it grow
ing very strong and swift, the buffaloes
themselves were carried through. Al
fast as the other shoals arrived, they fol
lowed the fate of their predecessors. Al
they reach the neighborhood their efforts
against the current are futile, and it il
impossible for them to convey any kine
warning to their fnny relations in tht
rear. If this crevasse is not stopped
soon," concluded the old gentleman, "it
is safe to assume that the lower portion
of the Mississippi River will be entirely
drained of buffalo-fsh." I....
The reporter expressed his surprise OF
the receipt Of the information, but wa
compelled to acknowledge that 1t reliev
ed him Of big load of depressing cogi
tation.