The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1885-04-09
OREGON SALMON.
The recent friehtful accident VIII


The recent frightful accident which
happened to a stage in Southern Ore
gon can not fail, says the New York
Times, to call the attention of the state
authorities 20 the necessity of protect
ing settlers against the attacks of sal
mon. The stage in question was cross
ing Applegate Creek, when it was sud-
denly attacked by a 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 Olympia, a,-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
free from salmon, and many of the
streams are rendered practically i'm
passabe 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 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 OF 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 tish's heart,
but such blow to be effective must be
delivered Immediately behind the pee
toral fin, and it requires the utmost
coolness for man to face the rusn of
maddened salmon and wait until he
can stab him in the only vulnerable
part. Scores of hunters vino have sue
cessfully fought the grizzly bear have
and scores of others, crippled and
mangled, survive to tell the story of
their blood-curdling experience while
in the very jaws OF a monster fish.
Were the salmon to cOntine them
selves wholly to the water they would
be comparatively harmless, for no man
would be in danger unless he ventured
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 mum
Der 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 night passed that
mest;c animal, and no less than five
human lives were sacrificed almost
within sight of the Methodist meeting
house. The people of the town never
went out of their houses unarmed, and
they lost so much sleep in consequence
of the nightly and inceSaant roaring of
the fish that life was really burden to
them. The town authorities offered a
reward of 81. 600 for the head of either
of the two salmon, but no local hunter
was bold enough to make the attempt
to gain it. These formidable fish were
finally killed by party of hunters,
nine in number, from Tacoma, who,
assisted by pack of well-trained fish
hounds, tracked the salmon to their
lair in a small pool OF stagnant water
and shot them with Gatling gun.
Twenty-Five bullets were found in the
body OF the male and seventy-four III
that OF the female. The former fell
dead at the first fire. but the latter, al
though severely wounded, rushed on
the hunters, and succeeded in killing
one and disabling eight dogs before she
was finally conquered.
In winter, the Oregon salmon, rem
dered more fearless than eveI by want
Of food, roam over the country in packs
and droves of from twenty-five to a
thousand fish. No exact statistics as
to the annual loss OF lif.. by salmon in
Oregon are at present accessible, but it
is believed that in proportion to its
population Oregon loses as many inhab-
itants yearly by salmon as India loses
by tigers.
The only way in which to meet this
great evil is for the state government
to offer reward of, say. SlUU for every
salmon killed within its borders. Such
an offer would cause an instant emigra-
lion of thousands of fearless hunters
from every state in the Union to Ore
gon. Some lives would. OF course. be
lost, but the salmon would soon be
practically eXterminatcd, and ii would
become possible for stage to pass
even Applegate's creek without being
attacked'and destroyed b. salmon