The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1888-10-20

Uow the Coluusfia River ensm"n Whees
Exterminates the Flnny Tribe.

The man who invented the Columbia
River salmon wheel was genius. The
LATEST fisherman who ever baited q hook
could ask no easier way Of landing "A
fish. Aud only the fact that it can
only bc used ut certain points on the
stream prevents this machine from
DISCRIMINATING the salmon In ono season.
A writer in the Livermore Herald thus
describes IL: Imagine common
undershot wheel with the buckets
turned the wrong way about. This Is
set in high narrow ilumc near the
bank Of the river, where the current is
very swift. From the downstream end
of the flume. extended outward NJ an
angle Of forty-iiye 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 upstream end. is platform.
from which box-nume runs 10 the
shore.
Now let us see how itworks. When
the salmon are running. rs everybody
knows. they come up In the Columbia
River by millions. The stream Is very
deep and huge percentage always
succeed In getting To- the breeding
grounds in safety. When salmon are
running up river they are constantly
ON the lookout for small streams in
which Ia spawn. Also where the eur
rent is very swift they are unable To
make Roadway in the center of the
stream, and consequently seek the
more quiet water near the bank. OF
these two instincts the inventor OF the
fish wheel took "a mean advantage. A.
the Cascades. for instance, whore the
water Is very swift. he sets his wheel
Here come the fish, hugging the
bank by thousands great black
fellows. from two 10 four feet long.
heading resolutely up stream. Moth
ing can turn them backward. That
wonderful instinct Of nature which in
snres the preservation of species Is no.
where better developed than in 4
salmon. But in this Instance IL proves
his destruction. Now they are just be-
low that widespread fence. The cur
rent which is rushing through the
flume and turning the big wheel at q
lively pace attracts their attention.
The upper fence, which sets nearly
square across the stream. makes quiet
water here. and this flow seem 20 come
from the bal This. TO salmon's
mind, is eN emily the mouth of
shallow crcr . Here is spawning
ground 10 OK liking. and up this little
stream we 20. So they crowd mp be-
tween the two narrowing fences
toward the fatal wheel The first fish
reaches IL, goes with rush To OVER
come the current. is caught by a
bucket and up he goes high in the air.
while every buckcb brings mp another
and another. till there is procession
of ascending fish. At the top the
velocity throws the fish violently upon
the platform, from which he shoots
down the flume to n great tank on the
shore. Here come the fish crowding
each other forward TO that busy wheel.
None can go under nor 10 one side.
None will 90 back. And once school
starts for wheel the owner can con-
slider that he has n title deed 10 the en-
tire lot.
One wheel will run cannery. Day
and night while the run lasts, they
come flying up the wheel and shooting
down the iume in n continuous stream.
Fortunately there are but few places
ON the river where the wheels eau be
worked with this result. Where the
fish can keep in the middle of the river.
few can be caught in this way. But
the men who control these points are
making fortunes. As il is. salmon are
rapidly disappearing from the Co
lumbia. Many canncrics are idle this
season. and the iishcrman's price per
fish is rising every year. Surely this
engine Of destruction is largely the
cause.