Morning journal and courier., 1881-08-10
The Fishing Wheel.
How Salmon are ScoOped Up on the Co.,
 Iumbia Rtver-Great Destruction of Small Fish.

How Salmon are ScoOped Up on the Co., Iumbia River-Great Destruction of Small Fish.
 [From the San Francisco (Cal) Bulletinl From an English gentleman who has late ly travelled overland from British Colum bia to this city we learn that a new device, which has been patented, is now in operation taking salmon on the Columbia river. This device, or machine, is known as 'sWiniamss Patent Fishing Wheel '' and is located on the Ore gon side of the Columbia river, about mile and half below the Cascades. This device consists of jetty of rocks built out from a point on the shore of the river, outside of which is planked sluiceway, in which an un- dershot wheel with large tank buckets re- wolves. The sluiceway was built when the river was at it's lowest stage of water, and the wheel is hung so that it can be raised or lowered, as may be desired, according to stage of water. The instinct of the salmon is to run up the river alongside Of the banks instead of mid-channel. By this the fish can take advantage of the eddies be- low jutting points of land. On these pro ieetinq points the Indians have from time immemoria1 taken salmon in large numbers by using dip-nets. The jetty built out from the point above named makes 8 larger and longer slack-water behind it, and the salmon rounding the point rush into the sluiceway to get up the river. In the sluice- way the wheel, which revolves in the cur rent, is gauged so as to sweep within foot of the bottom, and the salmon are scooped up in the tanks or buckets, which latter let out the water as they ascend. On the wheel descending the fish are thrown out into trough, or gutter leading to pen below, where they remain until taken away to be canned The arrangement of the sluice, wheel, &c., is 8 most successful one, the catch of adult salmon, which are the only ones canned, running from 1,5s0 to 1000 per day There is virtually no expense in taking the fish save attending to the pen.
 As the fishermen who take salmon in boats in the Lower Columbia river demand and re- ceive from 50 to 60 cents per fish from the canneries, one can readily see what a vast profit the use of the wheel makes to the can nery connected with it. In fact, if the use of this wheel increases on the Upper Colum- bia river the canneries located near Astoria and all others who depend on boat-fshing will either have to give up business or run at a loss from a reduction in price of canned salmon, while their rivals will get rich. There are about 3, ,0O0 men employed in the boats and making nets for salmon on the Columbia river, which the general use of this wheel will throw out of work, and at the same time the permanent plant of the can neries consisting of piers and buildings, es- timated at more than $250, ,000, will become worthless These two items, employ ment of boatmen, etc., and permanent plant of canneries, are, however, the least of the evils which will come from the use of Will liams' patent fish wheel.
 Our informant states that the wheel scoops up all sizes of salmon from one pound weight upward That all fish below six pounds weight are not used in canning, but are thrown back into the river dead, and float away. He states that ct one emptying out of the pen, which he witnessed, several hundred of the young salmon were thrown away as above stated, and that as this occurs three times daily many thousands of imma- ture fish are destroyed weekly which would in succeeding seasons grow to size fit for canning In fact, it is simply question of few years, say five, with this fishing wheel generally in use when salmon-canning on the Columbia river, which averages from 3D. 500, 900 to $3, GOO, GOO annually, will have to cease for want of adult fish to can.
 The use of this fishing wheel means the rapid destruction of salmon-canning in all rivers that have quick current and rocky shores. It is patent which should be re- voked on the ground of being ssadverse to public policy" and it's use, or kindred de- vices by which the immature fish are de- stroyed, should be prevented under heavy penalties within the limits of the United States. It is time that the interest of those who are to come after the present generation should be protected from wasteful devices, and especially in all matters relating to nat urai sources of fish and game food, which the cupidity of individual man would destroy