The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1884-06-06
sHAD IN CALIFORNIA WATERS.

Shad are said to be very abundant this year
in the California streams. In regard to their
introduction in those waters, Seth Green
says I'm the spring of 1871 Mr.. Throcmor-
ton and Mr.. Redding, fish commissioners of
California wrote me what l thought OF the
feasibility of taking young shad to their
waters / wrote them l thought the chances
were against it, as there was long strip of
alkali country to pass through and it would
be difficult to get change of water when it
was needed. But thought the experiment
worth trying, and if they would send me the
money to pay the travelling expenses of a
man, would furnish the fish and cans free of
charge, and they take all the risk. I got the
money and some passes by the next mail. l
had four men OF my gang, and l thought
either of them would like to go, but when
came to look them over one at time there
was not one of them that had confidence
enough in himself to undertake the trip. l
had the money and said l would send the fish,
There was no choice for me to take; l had
got to go.
June 10, 1871, l started at 6 AN. from
Mulrs fishery ten miles below Albany on the
Hudson river, with II, 900 young shad. / did
not have any trouble until got to Omaha !;
there the water was bad, and continued SO
until I got to Laramie river before l got q full
fish. 1t was blue time for me. | would
look at the little helpless fellows they were
suffering and so was l. had brought them
into the world, and would not see them suffer,
if it was possible thing to help them. There
were tanks of good water in all the passenger
cars for the passengers, and the idea struck
me that and my babies were passengers and
I would give them drink I kept going
through the cars with my little tin pail until
the porters began to find no water in the
tanks. They had seen my tin pail going
through the cars but had not seen me draw
any water True, did not take any particu-
lar pains to get the water at the end of the
car where the porters were But they mis-
trusted me and went into the baggage car,
and the baggage man told them that | had
been carrying water all day. He flew up and
was so mad that he would have struck me if
he had not looked me over and thought he
would get the worst of it. Then he began to
cool down, and took him aside and told him
the whole truth. / told him who I was, and
that the little fish had to have water and he
began to sympathize with me, and we shook
hands, and he shut his hand quick and put it
in his pocket and wanted to know if he could
do anything for me. I pointed to my pail
The pail left the Car and returned in a few
minutes full of water. | emptied it and
away the pail went again and returned full
every time, and kept going; another porter
came. I shook hands with him and in few
minutes he came with pail full of water. I
stad in the car with the fish, and the water
kept coming, and more porters and brakes
men. I shook hands with all of them, and
they all had pals and my little fish began to
stop rolling up their big eyes at me and was
happy. l got water the rest of the trip from
Lawrence river to Sacramento, and 275 miles
up the Sacramento river, where we planted
the fish in good order, June 16, at 10 PM, in
the presence of Mr.. Redding and Mr.. Smith,
fish commissioners. This was the first ship
ment of live fish ever taken from the Atlantic
to the Pacific coast and 1 think it was the
longest and hardest trip ever made by one
man. My first nap after planting the fish
lasted twelve hours.
Good sized shad were caught in the Sac
ramento river in the year 1874. - German
toaon Telegraph,