Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1883-02-07
A SCALY EXHIBIT.
a View of the United States Contribu-
ton to the international Fish
Exhibition at London.
AN INTERESTING DISPLAY.
washington CORES. New York Times


les to be held III London on the 1st of
MAY next, the various objects illustrat-
INC the fishing industries of the United
States are now in almost complete or
der. This collection brought together
by the United States Fish Commission,
is distributed III the various depart
ments of the National Museum, and the
visitor is amazed at its completeness.
Tt not only shows what has been done
LII the past, but is being done III the
present, and explains the gradual march
of the fisheries, which, commencing With
the first settlement of the country, has
taken to-day such vast Development
that, according to the last census, the
value of our catch exceeds that of any
other country. This exhibition, e1-,
haustive of its kind, shows not only the
practical features of the fishing INDUS
try, but is thorough ID its scientific
classification OF fish, as all that is known
on the subject of American ichthyology
viii be exhibited
Commencing with this special depart
ment full set of plaster casts of all I'M
portant sea and fresh water fish caught
on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, or In
the rivers or lakes, Will be sent to Eng
land. These plaster casts, modelled
from the fish themselves, are absolutely
correct as TO form, and the peculiar
colorationS of the fish have been painted
on the casts. These casts viii be fur
ther supplemented with photographs of
AL the fish, each picture giving the ex-
act length and size of the fish. To these
are added alcoholic preparations of the
fish themselves. All the works written
On American fish are to be sent, with the
fishing literature of to-day. To Illus
trate the whaling business every variety
Of harpoon, lance, and gun IN use with
all the proiectiles employed In the cap
ture OF the cet8ceans, are shown on
screens. This collection Is endless. The
archaeology of whaling has been exhaust
ed to make this exhibit perfect. There
will be sent a perfect Whale-bOat, thor
oughIy equipped with everything that
is wanted down to the Undertook. In
this collection are exhibited the log
books of former whaling cruises, which
are very curious specimens Of marine
compilations. When 3 whale Is captured
it is the habit of the captain to print
with a wooden stamp, right across the
page, a picture of a whale, but when
whales are seen and not captured, the
fact of having sighted them is shown by
means OF another stamp which presents
the tale only Of the creature. Looking
over such logs 1t IS curious to notice
shat, considering the number of whales
seen, few have escaped capture. All the
makeshifts of the whaler, who is so long
away from the land, have been brought
together, such as strange lamps, manu-
featured out of tumblers, and other in
genious things. Here are rough skates,
fashioned out of flies, which some ice
bound sailor has made and used, per
haps, for sport or to follow the eea eie-
plants over the slippery ice.
There are charts here, toe, over which
New Bedford shippers have pondered
for many a long dark winter day when
nipped III the ice, wondering whether
they could ever get free OF the foes and
track their way back TO the New Eng
land coast. Clever Yankee inventions
are there here for slicipg blubher so as
TO try out the oil, and various are the
tubs, buckets and pals III use In secur-
ing the oil. Here is peculiarly formed
vessel, which IS lowered down into the
mead of q spermaceti whale, SO as to bale
out every drop of the precious oil. Old
New England haunts have been ran
sacked IN order to procure these objects,
belonging to the past and present, all
of which serve to explain the history of
the whaling business. In a special por-
ton Of the museum building the heads
OF departments, with workmen under
their charge, are placing the various OBJ
jects Oh screens. Two objects particu-
larly attract attention. One is the bow
of whale-boat, and on it is the figure
of a harpooner as large as life with arms
outstretched ready to throw the iron.
The other is the bowsprit of a sword
fisherman, with a man cut on the bow
spirit, harpoon In hand, in the act of
dartipg the grains into the X5pb5Gs
glQdj1ts. These two exhibits, which are
exceedingly clever III conception, the
action of the figures having been skill
fully modelled, Will decorate the entrance
Of the American exhibit in London.
In order to better explain the COM
plete character of any department, that
Of the oysters viii show as well as any
thing else that thoroughness which lie
the main object Of the United States
fish commission. The geographical dis
tribution Of all the edible m0llusks on
the American coast will be shown by
means of maps. Then the biology and
embIlology OF the oysters VIII be ex-
planned. Next will be shown the varie-
ties of oysters and such differences as
may be due to environment, with those
changes having their origin In culture.
The fishery of the oysters will then be
illustrated with models OF all the varie-
ties of vessels, boats used, with the
actual dredges, tongs, etc., which serve
to take them. A model of an oyster
bed in it's natural condition is being
made, with other models showing how
excessive dredging has changed its face.
All the enemies of the oyster are to be
exhibited. After this comes the nu-
merous methods Of packing and canning
oysters for food. For instance, q pungy
dumps on a Baltimore wharf her hun
dreds of bushels of oysters, and an hour
afterward they have been opened and
canned and ready for transportation.
The apparatus and Industrial methods