Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1886-09-14
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SKETCHES FOR THE BOYS.
CATCHING A SALMON.
SuspEn oxG.

Boys. did you ever catch salmon !
II not. listen to the words Of experience
about TO be spoken by one who has. In
the frs, place. get out your maps and
look up the Columbia River. learn the
names OF It's tributaries. the territories
through which they fow, the direction
in which the Columbia runs. and the
ocean into which It's waters are poured.
You will find IL to be = grea, riyer.-
larger. perhaps. than all the rivers OF
Maine combined. Then wan, you TO
learn where the Dslles Of the Columbia
are. 20 ,ha, you will know how many
miles they are from It's mouth. and also
the distance from the Dalles to the city
Of Portland. Oregon
The Columbia River furnishes the
grsales, .almon.fshing on the globe.
They are csugh, by thousands I. they
swim from the ocean up the river. They
are cAugh, in various way. The h'h
wheels turns them out by tons. These
wheel. are some thirty feet in diameter;
they look much like the side wheel OF q
steamer: they are attached TO the lover
end Of ia, boat: this boa, !. anchored
by the bank OF the river. the swif, cur
rent turns the wheel. the t'h in swim.
ming up the river enter the wire pocket.
Of the wheel. and being unable TO eS,ri.
cate ,hem..lye. are turned up In the
wheel. from which they fall upon .laies
made Of boards. and thus slide 20 the
bank. | saw one wheel tha, bad TUNED
ou, ten tons Of salmon in ,weniy.four
hours: ano,hsr had captured four ton. in
two and a half hours. Five hundred
thousand case. are each year canned and
shipped 10 all the markets Of the world.
Thi. industry give. employment, TO over
three thousand men and fifteen hundred
boats. Daring the year 1855 one hun.
drrd and ,wen,y vessels were loaded
with canned salmon in the Columbia
River each carrying on an average one
thousand tons. Ny salmon were caught
=, the Dslle..
This i,a place where for long dis
,ancs the grea, Columbis River turns
over and run. on IL. edge. The bank'
Of rock here come 20 near TO each other
,ha, the river h.. sfaee OF only 'iS'y
Zee, TO run through. A short distance
below. il ia mile vide aud very deep.
but there Il is only sixty fee, wide.
No one can tell hos deep. bui the cur
rcn, run, AZ the rate Of sixteen miles an
hour
There /. city Of some 5000 inh.bi,-
ant. which has derived IL. name from
the Dale. aud which Is located about
four mile. from iis namesake. | ireaehsd
the city a, nigh, aud resolved TO remain
there until morning, then walk up and
catch some salmon. During the evening
| procured a mos, elaborate outfit for
the work. fine rod. With q grea,
bra. reel. long lines, aud variety OF
hooks.
At an early hour arose, and after
eating q luncheon ,ramped to the fishing
grounds. A hundred men were there
before me. Wheels were turning out
the fish by hundreds. men were catching
them with dip-ne,'. with lines. aud IN
many ways. |, was Wild seene.-ihe
water running white with foam. the
channel Of the rivef 30 narrow. above
and below the Dalles where /, broad
ened. erea, rocks tower above the
rushing eurren, which broke a, their base.
The salmon by thousands were swim
ming up the river; scarcely = mohient |
passed bat whA, some biz fellows would |
spring clear Of the water. then 20 back |
with a wild plunge. ! Was too much |
excited 20 wai, long. aud AZ once began |
my operation. AZ points the water had |
worn on, into the bank OF the river. and |
in these places the salmon were very |
thick. They would no, bite. however
and TO catch them with hook you were |
obliged to drag Il in the water until You |
succeeded in hooking one OF them.
W. very glad when | discovered that
fact, for | had never me, with success In |
fishing because the h.h would never bite
nv bait. have often watched h'h a.
they have taken the creates, care resard-
le.s Of personal inconvenience TO 20 out |
round my hook. and ssvAgely bite at the
hook Of some other fellow. And on this
morning When the fact. became known,
rtjoieed in spin, because ,hs, ! knew |
could drag hook with the bes, OF them
Several minutes passed before anything
OF an unusual character occurred. Then
there wa. a sensation in the water. and
| a, once comprehended ,hA, had eaugh,
a salmon. S,ri,h. dush, smash. wen,
something in the wa,er-i, was the most
happy momen, Of my life, bu, pleasure
soon gave way to business. i, soon ap-
peared TO me iha, had something like
an army contract on my hands. My line
was drawn tAut far moment and then
a fifty FOUNDER 'prane clear out OF the
water. then plugged back in the ioimy
mass.
My neighbos saw my good luck.
"Meliean man eA,ehee muchee bigee.
calculated little dirty smoke dried Chi.
n.man upon my left. A tall big Indian
only grun,ed "ugh." and then disdained
to look longer a, the resul, OF my good
fortune.
Ny time was now completely occupied.
As my prize wen, back into the water,
caught the slack OF the line up in my
hand instead Of winding il upon the reel;
|, was no, . wise thing TO do, for the
mex, moment IL ran through my fingers
smoking like ho, wire. and had !. not
been for the excitement should have
cried ou, 10 pain. My victim had not
struck his cOlors; he would fret 70 down
stream and would follow in ho, pursuit;
then in q most unexpected manner he
would change directions and 20 upstream,
then for the centre Of the stream he would
steer. and then back towards me be would
come like mad. /
wha, on earth should ] do with him!
II one Of you boys had been there under
similar circumstances you would have
known jus, wha, to do. You would not
have been excited. bu, would have landed
,ha, salmon in . cool. scientific manner.