Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1883-12-08
METHOD OF SHIPPING CARP FROM
FOREST PARK.

ST. LOUIS, Dec. 1, 1888.
EDITOR REPUBLICAN-For the Informal
ton of all concerned, and especially in reply
to the insinuation of favoritism, made by your
Brownsville, Saline county, correspondent,
81. Fl. Bradford, in the Republican of Novem-
Der q, against the fish commissioners in the
distribution of young carp, L give the follow
ing facts as to our method of shipment.
The last legislature gave us but one-half
the appropriation asked for and urgently
needed for the propagation of young fish, and
no appropriation for rebuilding our aquarium
car, burned up last January. Hence we have
no funds for transportation purposes and are
compelled to rely solely upon the express
companies and the charitable generosity of
the railroad companies. We have arranged
with the Pacific Express Company to receive
the cans of young fish at the ponds in Forest
fark and deliver them to the various express
companies in the city, at a cost OF 20 cents per
can. the distance hauled being about four
miles. Here the water is changed and the
cans sent promptly to destination by morning
or evening trains as best suited to prompt de-
livery, the consignee having been notified by
mail one week i'll advance of shipment to be
ready to receive his fish. The fish are sup
pled free OF charge to the applicant, but he
1s required to pay the cost of the can, hauling
from the park and express charges. Each
can holds 1--WE gallons of water and weighs
about fifty pounds when shipped. The ex-
press companies very properly request our
shipping agents not to ship more than ten
cans at the same time by any one train, as
more would cucumber the express car and
interfere with prompt delivery at stations.
Under this limitation we can only ship about
forty cans a day as u maximum, and as our
employees are but few, this number is as many
as we can handle. In addition to the above
restrictions and difficulties we must be gov
erned by the conditions of the weather at the
time of shipment. Young carp must be kept
during transit below sixty degrees of Fahren-
heit, forty is still better. If these conditions
cannot be secured on any given day selected
for shipping, this shipment must be abandon
ed and another day set.
Up to date dec. 1, 1889 we have shipped
5s4 cans from Forest Park, each containing
about thirty fish. From the st. Joe hatchery
about 100 cans. Those cans have been sent
to all parts of the state without favoritism,
our employees being guided solely by the safe
ty of the young fish and the rules of the en-
press companies. The notices to applicants
in Saline county have been out nearly one
week, and they will receive their cans in due
time, unless some unforeseen accident oc-
ours But only a few cans will reach one
county on the same day, as only ten can go
in one train.
WE have nm 0nr hnntS ohnuf Sn0 nv,
plicants, and think we have fish enough to
supply them, but of this we cannot be sure
until the last pond is drained. After the 1st
of January it will not be safe to ship,as freez-
ing of the water in the cans will destroy the
fish. We hope to close out all shipments be-
fore that date. In consequence of warm,
sultry weather during November, we have
lost a considerable number of young carp
during transit on the railroads. The fish ar
irving dead, the consignees have refused to
receive and pay for the can and express
charges, thus entailing a considerable and
unexpected expense upon our small fund, as
we must pay all charges thus refused. If
such parties who have thus lost their fish will
have the can returned TO Forest Park, free of
cost to us, we will ship them another can on
the same conditions AS all other shipments, if
the supply Of fish does not give out in the
meantime.
The supply of young carp at St. Joe is al
ready exhausted, and applicants from that
section must forward their applications to
Phil. kopplin, Jr., Forest Park, st. Louis.
Mr.. Il. H. Bradford could have received the
above information direct from US, had he ad-
dressed us instead of the Republican. Re-
specially, L. G. w. STEEDMAN,
Chairman Missouri Fish Commission.