The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1882-10-13
rHEsALMoN WHEEL IN OREGON
A Novel Way of Catching Fish on the Go
lumbia River


COLUMBIA RIVER, September 27.-"How
are so many fish caught? haven't noticed
any nets"
Nets are of no account now. Go and
see the snail, " said the captain, as he bent
over and rang the slowing bell for the
Dalles.
Some time after | saw the "snail," and a
most ingenious, successful, dctestable en-.
CINE Of destruction it was. The owner had
admirably planted 1t Just above the upper
cascades, on the north bank of the river,
the south bank being at that point almost
impossible TO the fish. IL was placed lust
where the swift edge of the current makes
a most inviting eddy, through which the
salmon must naturally rum on their way
up stream. Here the current was
about eight feet deep. The sal
mon never swim lower than four
feet below the surface Erected over what
would be the entire width fthe "run" was
huge frame. Suspended within this an
immense wheel reyolyed, so adjusted on
pulleys as to rise and fall with the changing
depth of water. Upon the spokes or arms
OF this wheel, eight in number, were las-
tened as many wire nets, each thirty feet
~ NitiiltNtl' lppoN anu buhEl anu IuONuDlp,
resembling in appearance the pouch of a
pelican. The current itself is the force that
turns the wheel like an undersnot. Very
slowly it goes around The great SCOOP
nets spread la2ily through the water, one
after another, ut Just the depth where they
are most fatal, Their arms almost pause
and float uotionless through the stream.
But, though slowly, the great wheel, called
from this motion, The snail, does move,
and with Just the right hardness for as She
nets emerge from the water they are so
filled with the struggling prey that Mr.. Viii
iiams, owner of one of the wheels. pro-
nounced 800 an average catch. AT the
proper angle above the net is turned upside
down. Its contents are dumped along the
arm OF the wheel to what might be termed
its hub, striking which they rebound along
q trough to the bank 1t is stirring but a
cruel sight, for there are many small and
unmarketable fish in every haul" The
theory is that these are returned to the
water and live, but it is like he returns
Of the killed and wounded" after battle
so stunned and manned are they that but
few survive. The wheel presents "A busy
scene, and the profits must be enormous,
for the simple COntrivanCe costs but
about $780, and requires but half "A
dozen attendants. There are four of
these wheels ON the river and q gentle
man engaged IN the fishing business in
formed me that the calculation was they
caught about half the salmon that 20 up.
There is a wheel on Bradford island, above
Bonneville, the work OF which has become
so notorious mot merely killing merchant
able fish, but III SO doing destroying dozen
times as many OF size as yet too small for
commerce. that the public press has de-
uandcd its suppression But all these
wheels, as has been said, are 1.-THE produc-
lion of brain which aims to live without
work" Probably from ., 900 to $, 900 salmon
(tor proprietorS of the wheels are very chary
about giving actual figures, large and
small are caught every hour, night and
Gay, OF the week, save from Saturday
TO Sunday night. Compute the amount.
know of one actual catch of &, 100 salmon
in u day-large fish, suitable for the
canncries An experienced fisherman
states it rs the result of his observation
that about one in ten Of those caught were
used. Even of the number used packed
ana sent down in barrels, one wheel kent
the large canncry at Warrcndale busy all
through the season, and then the canncry
couldn't take care of all.
Looking at the descending stream of half
dead fish, literally "broken on the wheel.n
could not but regard the question for a
moment in TIE light of an angler and an
economist. Meanwhile, day and night, the
"barbarous and murderous" Il am usinga
intelligent iiSherman's phrase) "sna,ln
wheel is kept going, and the salmon are lit
orally corralled by millions in the yery
haunts where they so forth to bring their
kind, Meanwhile, too, along the sound to
Alaska, the larger part of the fish so plenti
fully caught is wasted, Just us the buffalo
were in Montana, and the tendency is the
same rosult-eXtinction. What will become
OF an industry which supports 10000 men,
when the price of its product has fallen
thrceiourths during the past few years.
Evening Post.