Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1885-08-06
OREGON SALMON.

The recent frightful accident which
happened to stage in Southern Ore
gon can not fail, says the New York
Times, to call the attention of the. state
authorities to the necessity of protect
ing settlers against the attacks of sal
mon. The stage in question was cross
ing Applegate Creek. when il was sud-
denly attacked by drove OF salmon.
The stage was instantly overturned,
and the hungry fish swarmed over it,
while the stage driver, with great pres
ence of mind, cut the traces of his
horses and, throwing himself across the
off wheel-horse,-a powerful animal,
formerly the property of DR.. Goodrich,
of pia,-managed to escape. The
dispatch which conveys to US this pain
full story says nothing of the fate of the
stage passengers, but, unfortunately,
there is every reason to believe that
they fell victims to the salmon.
The Oregon salmon has long been
regarded by experienced western hunt
ers as the most dangerous animal in
testing this continent. 1t is much
larger than the salmon of the Atlantic
coast, and, unlike the latter, which is
timid and inoffensive fish, it is fear
less, aggressive, and cruel. There is
scarcely river in Oregon which is
streams are rendered practically i'm
passable by the numbers and ferocity
of the salmon inhabiting them.
To hunt the Oregon salmon requires
iron nerves and great skill in the use of
the rifle. The usual practice of the
hunter is to hide himself on the bank
of q stream and to send in his dogs to
rouse the salmon from their lair. When
the fish come within gunshot the hunt
er fires, and unless he kills or disables
the game at the first shot his chances
for life are small. The infuriated fish
will, in most cases, turn upon the hunt
er whose shot has been ineffective. One
blow of the salmon's tail almost invari-
ably proves fatal, and if he can once
set his terrible teeth in the flesh of the
hunter he can not be shaken off. The
only chance of escape is for the hunter
to drive his knife into the fish's heart,
but such blow to be effective must be
delivered Immediately behind the pee
GOODNESS for man to face the rush of
q maddened salmon and wait until he
can stab him in the only vulnerable
part. Scores of hunters who have sue
cessfully fought the grizzly bear have
fallen victims to the Oregon salmon,
and scores of others, crippled and
mangled, survive to tell the story of
their blood-curdling experience while
in the very jaws. of monster fish.
Were the salmon to confine them
selves wholly to the water they would
be comparatively harmless. for no man
would be in danger unless he ventrred
into the salmon pool. But,unlike most
of our American fishes, the Oregon sal
mon is in the habit of leaving the water
and wandering through the forest in
search of prey. Men, women, and
children have often been chased for
long distances by salmon on the lonely
Oregon roads, and an enormous num-
ber of sheep and cattle have been kill
ed and devoured. Two years ago the
forest in the neighborhood of East Mel
vile, in Southern Oregon, was infested
by pair of salmon of unusual size and
ferocity. Hardly q night passed that
as noaSt;c ami animal and No less tbon five
human lives were sacrificed almost
within s;nht Of tba MethoJ;st meot;n@O
house SThe neonIe of the town never
went ont of their honses nnarmed and
thew lost 50 much sleen in consequence
of the niohtlv and incessant roaring of
the fish hat life was really a burden to
them, The town authorities offered a
reward of 81, 600 for the head of either
of the two salmon. bnt no local hunter
was hold enouoh to make the attemnt
to cain it. These formidable fish were
finally killed bv Marty of hunters
nine IN number. from Tacoma who
assisted hv mack of well-trained f;sb'
hounds tracked the salmon to their
lair in a small pool of staonant water
and shot them with Gatlino oun
Twentv-two bullets we're found in the
bodv Of the male and seventv-four in
that of the female. The former fell
dood ot tbo fret tiro hut tho 1.,tor a.