Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-11-17
The buildings have an insurance upon
| than Of So Snn = -

The buildings have an insurance upon
them of S., 500.
The reporter asked: How about the
statement Of Mr.. Redding that the Com
misSionerS had held no meetings of late pr
Mr.. Dibble-We have held at least
twenty special meetings since last Noyem-
Der, as emergencies required. We did not
notify Mr.. Redding of those meetings
The records OF the meetings have been re-
gularly kept. During the session of the
Legislature we had frequent meetings. We
had the bills for our appropriations
drafted, presented and assisted in securing
their passage. We succeeded, and the re-
suit of our efforts is the hatchery and
steam launch. Mr.. Buckingham and N.Y.
self concluded to build both; appointed
ourselves a committee for that purpose,
and we were not bothered. | know of no
gentleman who could not get along with
Mr. buckingham and myself, but do know
of reasons why men who are not gentlemen
cannot get along with us. Mr. Redding
threatened to make a minority report. If
he dld, 1t was never published. Suisse
quently he wanted to be appointed COM
mlttee OF one to investigate seals and sea
lions. He appointed a committee to look
after and shoot the seals and lions. but we
have not heard what success attended his
gunners. lie evidently did not know what
be was writing about, for the seal rocks
and Islands where the seals and sea lions
sun themselves are within the corporate
limits OF the city of San Francisco, and
there Is an ordinance which prohibits the
discharge of firearms within the city limits.
The seals.and sea lions have been there for
the past LOCO years, and will likely remain
there Tor ages to come. They are not doing
the damage that is stated. In fact. some
body has been lying about them.
MIR. buckingham said he commenced
hshlng IN the Sacramento river March u,
1852, at the mouth of Cache creek, a few
miles above the town of Rio Vista. The
river at that time contained many seals.
and sometimes he would notice as many as
dozen at time around his nets. To-day
there are none of them in the river. The
nets have crowded them out, and they are
only found now at and near the Golden
Gate.
Mr.. Dibble says that during the close
season there should be about three DAYS in
the week when all nets should be taken out
of the river, so as TO give the salmon a
chance to reach the spawning grounds. If
half of each week during the close season
were open days it would be better for the
State, for the canneries, and would result
in restocking the rivers in very few years
with an abundance of salmon.
Mr.. Buckingham said that last year there
were 800 seines, operated by 5000 fisher
men, on the Sacramento river The past
year they decreased to l 200 seines and
about $500 operators. If the 1000 seines
had been kept on the river salmon would
have soon became fish of. the past. One
net does more mischief now than ten did
thirty years ago. Then the river was
thirty-tive feet deep where now it has an
average of five or six feet. In early days
the seines were twenty-five meshes deep
and seventytive fathoms long, and they
hshed 10 4 depth of sixteen 10 eighteen
feet. To-day they are from thirty-five to
forty meshes deep and run from 100 to $50
fathoms in length, with eight and one
fourth-inch meshes, and it is almost i'm
possible for fish to get through then.
While standing upon the bridge just above
the hatchery some time since, in
short space of time he saw upwards
OF fifty salmon pass up stream. They were
all Scared some had lost fins, others their
tails, and the skin was nearly entirely off
of some Of them. which showed how they
had struggled in getting through the
meshes of river nets. They seemed to be
lively, but their wounds would in most of
the cases cause their death sore on q
fish increases in fresh water while it rap
IDLY heals in salt water
Mr.. Dibble said Pit river was a noble
stream, and is really the Sacramento. The
little Sacramento is a small stream, not so
large rs Hat creek. Pit river is so called
from the fact that the Indians in that sec
lion in early days dug pits in which to
trap deer. Nine miles above Hat creek, for
twelve miles Pit river is a still body of
water, resembling a slough In that entire
distance there is only II inches of fall.