The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1882-10-25
THE SALMON WHEEL IN OREGON,
a. Novel Way Of Catching Tlsh on. the
Columbia River.

ticed any nets"
"Nets are Of no account now. 60 and
see the snail" said the captain, az he
!. bent over and rang the slowing bell for
the Dalles-
Some time after ] saw the ~"snail," and
8 most ingenious, successful, detestable
engine Of destruction it was. The owner
had admirably planted it just above the
Upper Cascades, on the north bank of
the river, the south bank being at that
point almost impossible to the fish. It
was placed just where the swift edge of
.tue current makes q most inviting eddy,
Through which the salmon must natur-
Tally ~"r1ir1'' on their way up stream. The
current was here shout eight feet deep.
The salmon never swim lower than four
feet be3ev the surface. Erected oyer
what would he the entire width Of the
run was q huge frame. Suspended with
in thia an immense wheel revolved, 60
adjusted On pulleys as to rise and fall
With the changing depth Of water. Upon
the spokea or arms Of this wheel, eight
in number, were fastened as many wire
nets, each thirty f, ct in diameter, loose
and baggy and movable, resembling in
appearance the pouch of 8 pelican. The
current itself is the force that turns the
wheel like an undershot. Very slowly
Is goes around. The great scoop nets
spread lazily through the water, one
after another, st just the depth where
they are most fatal. Their arms almost
pause and float motionless through the
streann. But, though slowly, the great.
wheel, called from this motion the
~Fsnaii," does move, and with just the
righttardfness, for as the nets emerge
fron tho, water they are SO filled with the
struggling prey that Mr.. Williams, the
OWne+.o of one.of the wheels, pronounced
800 an average catch. At the proper
angle above, the net is turned upside
down. It, contents are dumped along
the arm Of the wheel to what might be
termed its hub, striking which they re-
bound along u trough to the bank. IT Is
q stirring but cruel sight, for there are
many email and unmark etable fish in
every haul. The theory is that these
:, are returned 70 the water and live, but
1t Is like the returns Of the killed and
W0uEdcd' after a battle-s0 stunned and
.maimed are they that but few survive.
The wheel presents o busy scene, and
Che profits must be enormous. The con-
trivauce costs but about $40, and takes
but half-adozen attendants. There are
four Of these wheels ON the river, and .
gentleman engaged liz the fishing BUSH
ness informed me that the calculation
was they caught about half the salmon
that go up.
There is q wheel On Bradford's island,
above Bonneville, the work Of which
has become so notorious mot merely kill
ling understandable fish, but in so doing
destroying 3 dozen times as many Of a
size as yet too small for commerce. that
the public press has demanded its sup
preston. But all these wheels, as has
been said, are 1.-THE production Of q brain
which aims to live without work. Pro-
baby from 1000 to 5000 salmon flor pro-
prtetors of the wheels are very oElary Of
giving actual figures) large and small,
are caught every hour, night and day, OF
the week, save from Saturday to Sunday
night. Compute the amount. I know
Of one actual catch of $500 salmon in o
day-large fish, suitable for the canner-
les. An experienced fisherman stated
it as the result Of his observation that
but one in ten of those caught were used
and packed. One wheel kept the large
cannery at Warrendale busy all through
the season, and then the cannery could
not pack them ali.
Looking at the descending stream Of
half dead fish literally " broken OH the
wheel,N I could not but regard the ques-
ton for 3 moment in the light of an an
gler and an economist. Meanwhile, day
and night, the "~barbarous and murder
Gus" Il am using Ia intelligent fisher
mans phrAse) f" snail F" wheel is kept
going, and The salmon arc literally cor
rallied by millions "a the very haunts
where they go TO bring forth their kind.
Meanwhile, too, all along the sound to
Alaska, the larger part Of the fish SO
plentifully caught is wasted, just IS the
buffalo were i'll Montana, and the ten
dency is to the am result-extinction.