Huntsville gazette., 1883-07-07
How Pacific Coast Goldfish were First
Discovered.

To Captain Jim Townsend, of the
Reno Gazette, 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 seals, trading i'll furs, and pros
pecting the northern waters for what
ever might turn up.
In calms they did good deal of fish
ing, and while loafing about near Chou
magin 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
about the island 1t was agreed to keep
the matter quiet until they could return
20 the grounds prepared to take and
preserve full cargo of the fish, but it
does not appear that any of the original
discoverers ever returned to the spot
In 1862 Captain Townsend was fore
man of the Territorial Enterprise (the
Office then being on North c Street,
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 guam
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 d. Z. Mccarthy, another Enter
paase owner, hot and heavy, to 90 into
the codishing speculation. The discov-
cry of Goldfish in Pacific waters was
looked upon as one of Captain Jim 5
yarns, though he swore that this was
mo funny business he was in
dead earnest.
Captain Jim's Goldfish discovery was
for time a standing joke in the office,
even the ''devil'' having his grin about
it. Presently Captain Jim Slipped off
down to San Francisco, determined to
90 for the Goldfish. At the bay he ar
ranged with Dewar & Gherick, promi-
nent shipping firm, to fit out the schoon-
er Metis for the trip.
They had worked several DAYS at
overhauling the rigging and mending
| the sails of the Metis-had their stores
on the wharf and were about ready to
put out to sea-when 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 said that he came from q
| Goldfish State, and was confident that
| there was not Goldfish on the Pacific
Coast In short, he so frightened the
owners of the schooner that they with
| drew from the whole business, saying
it would prove a mere wild-goose
| chase
Much disappointed, Captain Jim
came back to the Comstock. He was
still occasionally ''joked" about his
''codfsh NINE" as some of the boys
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 cargo of 80, 700 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
and one half cents for the dried article
After this, when Captain Jim told
about the white elephant he used to
ride in India when fighting on the side
of the natives, not man dare dispute
a word he Virginia city (NeC.J
Enterprise.