The Magnolia gazette. [volume] (Magnolia, Miss.) 1872-current, 1883-07-12
How Pacific Coast Goldfish were First
Discovered.

To Captain Jim Townsend, Of tho
Reno Gase6e. belongs the credit of the
first discovery of Goldfish on the Pacific
Coast. In 1858 he and Captain Tom
Smith, an adventurous old salt, were
knocking about up and about Alaska,
hunting steals, trading in furs, and pros
pecting tue northern waters for what
ever might turn up.
In oalms they did good deal Of fish
ing, and while loafing about near Chou
inagin Island, to the surprise Of all
aboard the schooner they began to pull
up Goldfish from the "briny deep"
They SOON satisfied themselves that cod
fish were very abundant in the waters
sboutthe island. 1t was agreed 10 keen
tine matter quiet until they Gould return
10 ui@ grounds prepared to take and
preserve full cargo of the fish, but It
lees not appear that any of the original
discoverers ever returned to the spot.
In 1862 Captain Townsend was fore
man of the Territorial E,tte,yDrtse (the
office then being on North q Streetl.
Townsend frequently said that he knew
OF Better thing than any silver mine;
he knew of a place up on the north
coast where could be caught any uuan-
tity Of Goldfish He had the place down
to dot, as he said, both latitude and
longitude.
The Captain tried to enlist j. T.Good-
man, then one of the owners of the
Enterprise, in the matter; he also was
after ID. L. Mccarthy, another Enter
prt& owner, hot and heavy, to go into
the codlishng speculation. The diseov-
cry of Goldfish in Pacific waters was
looked upon as one of Captain Jim's
yarns, though he swore that this was
mo fnnUy business that he was in
dead earnest.
Captain Jim's Goldfish discovery was
for time standing joke in the office,
even 5he ''devil'' having Ills grin about
it. resently Captain Jim Slipped off
dow'd to San Francisco, determined to
60 Tor the Goldfish. AT the bay he ar
ragged with Dewar & Gherick, a promi-
Dent shipping firm, to fit ont the schoon.
er Metis for the trip.
They had worked several days at
overhauling the rigging and mending
the sails of the Metis f. had their stores
/ on the wharf and were about ready to
put out to sea-whem Sam Brannan.
one unlucky morning, came poking
about among the shipping. He soon
found out what was up, and told the
owners of the Metis that there was moth
ing in it. He satl that he came from a
goldfish State, and was confident that
there was not Goldfish on the Pacific
Coast. In shon, he so frightened the
owners of the schooner that they with
drew from the whole business. saving
it would prove mere wild-goose
chase.
Much disappointed. Captain jim
came back to the Comstock. He was
still occasionally "joked" about his
'codlish mine, as some OF the bows
called it, but one day in 1868 Jim had
his triumph. In glancing over the San
Francisco Bulletin he found an item to
the effect that vessel called the Ii
mandra had just reached port from the
north coast with a cargo of 80, ,0DO cod
fish. The vessel had found Captain
Jim's fishing ground. The Goldfish
brought down by the Timandra sold for
twelve and one-half cents picked,
which was about equal to thirty-seyen
and one-half cents for the dried article.
After this, when Captain Jim told
about the white elephant he used 70
ride in India when fighting on the side
of the natives, not a man dare dispute
a word he said.- Nrgtnta city (NccJ
Enterprise,