The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1881-09-13
Salmon Scooped.

From an English gentleman, who has
lately travelled overland from British
Columbia to this CITY, we learn that a
new device, which has been patented,
is now in operation of taking salmon on
the Columbia River. This device, or
machine, is known as "Williams' Patent
Fishing Wheel" and is located on the
Oregon side Of the Columbia river, about
mile and half below tho Cascades.
This device consists of jetty of rocks
built out from point on the shore of
the river, outside of which is planked
sluiceway, in which III undershot wheel,
with large tank buckets, revolves. The
sluiceway was built when the river was
ut its lowest stage of water, and tho
wheel is hung 80 that it can be raised or
lowered, as may be desired, according to
stage Of water. The instinct of the sal
mon is to run up the river alongside of
the banks instead of mid-channel. BY
this the fish can take advantage of the
eddies below jutting points of land. On
these projecting points the Indians have
from time immomorial taken salmon in
large numbers by using dip-nots The
jetty built out from the point above
named makes n largor and longer slack
water behind it, and the salmon round
ing the point rush into the sl,iccway to
get up the rivor, In the sluiceway, tho
wheel, which rcvolves in tho current, is
gauged so rs to sweep within foot of
the bottom, and the salmon are scooped
up in the tanks or buckets, which latter
let out the water rs they ascend On tho
wheel descending, the fish arc thrown
out into n trough or gutter leading to a
pen below, where they remain until ta-
ken away to bo canned. The arrange
ment Of the sluice-wheol, &C., is most
successful one, the catch of adult snl-
mon, which are the only ones canned,
running from 1900 to 1000 per day
There is virtually no expense in taking
the fish, save attending to tho pen.
AS the fishermen who take salmon in
boats in the Lower Columbia river de-
mand and receive from 80 to GO cents
per fish from tho canneries, one can
readily see what a vast profit tho use of
the wheel makes to tho cannery connect
ed with it. In fact if the use of this
wheel increases on the Uppor Columbia
river the oanneries located near Astoria
and oil others who depend on boat fish
ing, will either have to give up business
OF run at loss from reduction in price
of canned salmon, whilo their rivals will
get rich. There are about 5000 men
employed in the boats and making nots
for salmon Oh the Columbia river which
the general use Of this wheel Will throw
out OF work, and, at tho same time, the
permanent plant of tho cannerics, con-
sisting OF piers and buildings, estimated
at moro than $780, will become
worthless. These two items, tho non
employment of boatmen, &C., and per-
manent plant of cannerics, are, however
the least Of the evils which will come
from the use of Williams patent fish
Wheel
Our informant states that the wheel
scoops up all sizes of salmon from one
pound weight upward. That all fish be-
low six pounds weight are not used in
canning, but are thrown back into the
river dead, and float away. He states
that at one emptying out of the pom,
which he witnessed, several hundred of
the young salmon were thrown away as
above stated, and that rs this occurs
three times daily many thousands of I'M
mature fish arc destroyed weekly, which
would in succeeding seasons grow to II
size fit for canning. In fact, it is SIM
ply question of few years, say five,
with this fishing wheel generally in use,
when salmon-canning Oh tho Columbia
RIVER, which averages from 80, 500, 900 to
S3'0Oo,OOO annually, will have to cease
for want of adult fish to can.