Daily Yellowstone journal., 1889-02-09
: FISHING WITH THE SALMON WHEEL
M LATEST scheme Ever Invented for
Capturing the Finny Tribe.

NJ LATEST 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'
q hook could ask no easier way OF
landing fish. And only the fact that
i can only be used at certain points
On the stream prevents this machine
from exterminating the salmon in one
sdhson. Imagine a common under
shot wheel, with the buckets turned
wrong way about This is set in q
high narrow hume nea the bank OF
the river, where the current is very
swift From the down stream end OF
this hume. extended outward at an
angle Of forty-ive 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),
It the up stream end, is a platform
from which a box lume runs to the
shore.
Now let us see how il works. When
the salmon are running. as every
body knows, they come up in the Co
lumbia river by millions. The stream
il very deep, and a large percentage
always succeed in getting to the breed
ing grounds in safety. When salmon
are running up river they are con.
SANITY 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 more 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 to four
feet long, heading resolutely up
stream. Nothing can turn them back
ward. That wonderful instinct of ma
ture which insures the preservation Of
species is nowherc better developed
than in a salmon. Now they are Just
below that widespread fence. The cur
rent, which is rushing through the
fumes, and turning the big wheel
81 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
10 come from the bank. This, TO the
almon's mind, is evidently the mouth
of a shallow creek. Here is a 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 a rush TO over
come the current, is caught by o
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
upon the platform, from which he
shoots down the fume TO a great tank
on the shore. Here come the fish,
crowdiDg each other forward 10 the
busy wheel. None can 90 under nor
20 one side. None will 60 back. And
once q school starts for a wheel the
owner can consider that he has q title
deed to the entire lot.
One wheel will run a cannery. Day
and night, while the run lasts, they
come flying up the wheel and shoot
ing down the f1ume in a continuous
stream. Fortunately there are but
few places on the river where the
wheels can 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 it is
salmon are rapidly disappearing from
che Columbia. -Lvermore Herald.