, 1888-12-23
FISHING WITH THE SALMON WHEEL
The Lui st scheme Ever Invented for
Capturing the Finny Tribe.

The Lui st Scheme Ever Invented for
Capturing the Finny Tribe.
The man who invented the Column
bia river salmon wheel was a genius.
The LATEST fisherman who ever baited
a hook could ask no easier way of
landing fish. And only the fact that
il can only be used at certain points
on the stream prevents this machine
from DISCRIMINATING the salmon in one
season. Imagine a m under
shot wheel, with the buckets turned
wrong way about. This is set in a
high narrow hume near the bank of
the river, where the current is very
swift From the down stream end of
this fume, extended outward ut an
angle of forty-five degrees, are two up
right fences, formed by pickets driven
closely together into the bottom of the
river, and wired TO keep them from
washing away. Just above the wheel
(Which is some ten feet in diameter),
at the up stream end, is a platform,
from which a box flume run to the
shore.
Now let us see how it works. When
the salmon are running, as every
body knows, they come up in the Co
lumbia river by millions. The stream
is very deep, and a large percentage
always succeed in getting to the breed
ing grounds in safety. When salmon
are running up a river they are ON
stantly on the lookout for small
streams in which TO spawn. Also
where the current is very swift they
are unable TO make Roadway in the
center of the stream, and consequently
seek the quiet water near the
bank. OF these two instincts the in
ventor of the fish wheel took a mean
advantage. At the Cascades, for in
stance, where the water is very swift,
he sets his wheel. Here come the
fish, hugging the bank by thousands
great black fellows, from two IL four
feet long, heading r~esolutely up
stream. Nothing a turn them back
ward. That wonderful instinct of ma
ture which insures the preservation of
species is nowhere better developed
than in n salmon. Now they are Just
below that widespread fence. The cur
rent, which is rushing through the
fumes, and turning tho big wheel
at a lively pace, attracts their at
tention. The upper fence, which sets
nearly square across the stream, makes
quiet water there, and this flow seems
to come from the bank. This, TO the
salmon's mind, is evidently the mouth
Of n shallow creek. Here is n spawn
ing ground to our liking, and up this
little stream we go. So they crowd
up between the two narrowing fences
toward the fatal wheel. The first fish
reaches it, goes with n rush to over
come the current, is caught by n
bucket, and up he goes high in the
air, while every bucket brings up an
other and another, till there is a pro-
cession of ascending fish. At the top
the velocity throws the fish violently
uror The platform. from which he
shoots down III" NTnlF t9 N great tank
on The lure lisrs rouU the fish,
-.yWuWE H1at other forward to the
busy gnaI eau 80 under MOI
90 ysl -.4o. rono viii go back. And
once n school starts for n wheel the
owner can consider that he has a title
deed TO the entire lot.
One wheel will run acannery. Day
and night, while the run lasts, they
come flying up the wheel and shoot
ing down the flume in n continuous
stream, Fortunately there are but
few places on the river where the
wheels car DO worked with this result.
Where the fish can keep in the middle
of the river few n be caught i'll this
way. But the men who control these
points are making fortunes. AS it is
salmon are rapidly disappearing from
the Columbia. -Livermore Herald.