The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-07-02
WONDERS OF THE DEEP
Proposed FISHERIES Exhibit at the
Worlds Fair.
THE MAGNIFICENT EXHIBITION
Outlined by Captain j. w. Collins, of
tho Fish and Fisheries Department.
A Briof History of Fishery EXPOSE
tons of Other Lands.

will be the Fish and Fisheries. Therein
not only will visitors Of piscatorial in
clinations find much to engage their
attention, but others who have been
wont to regard "fishy" and "incredi-
bic" as synonymous and equally in
consequential terms will undoubtedly
have reason to change their minds as
to the interesting features OF q fish dis
play after visiting this department Of
the Exposition. The fisheries building
will be corner where the public will
wish to linger, spot where it will be
possible to realize tho words OF John
Bunyan when he wrote:
You sec tho way the fisherman doth take
To catch the fish, what engines doth he mike!
Behold how he engageth all his wits,
And his snareS, lines, angles, hooks and nets.
Much has been said and written Of
the magnifcence of the worlds Colutn-
bian Exposition, by way Of comparison
with previous expositions, which it is
proposed to eclipse. The immense
strides made in every department OF
art, science and industry during the
second half OF the present century have
been titiy Illustrated at the various in
ternational expositions held since
the Prince Consort of England in
augurated the great London Exposition
of 1851. Human ingenuity and the in
ventive genius OF the age have well
nigh blotted out the word impossible"
from the vocabulary OF material sci
ence. Steam and electricity have been
harnessed to the will OF man until it
has become question how far will hui
man science travel, not how far can it
reach. But while the secrets OF earth
and air have been explored and their
forces bent to do mans bidding, the
mysteries of the great deep have not
been neglected. But inasmuCh as the
field OF exploration, il such term may
be used in speaking of the ocean, is
three times larger than that wherein
researches by land are practicable, it
follows that the result OF subaqueous
research still leaves almost immeasur-
able possibilities to be explored. !.
NOTHING OMITTED.
Everything that science has rescued
from the depths Of ocean, sea, lake or
river will be displayed ut the forthcom-
ing fisheries exhibit-inhabitants Of
deep sea grottos, the coral animal
builder OF Islands and continents-se
anemones that blossom miles below the
surface of the ocean, monstrous devil
fish, sharks and other terrors OF the
deem will be seen, beside the speckled
beauties of stream or lake, the plebian.
catfish, perch and sucker, suggestive OF
the boyish angler and the shallow
From ocean depths will be brought
specimens OF subaqueous life SO marvel.
ously delicate, and so richly beautiful
that the microscope will only reveal in
part their wondrous beauty and film
iike tracery. The methods, too, by
which the mysteries of the deep are
penetrated, the paraphernalia OF the
United States Fish Commission, the in
ventions by which the fnny tribe is
cultured, the wonderful progress made
in the art of fish farming, in addition to
the implements OF commercial fishing
and the latest tackle for angling-all
these will be displayed to their fullest
extent. .
In speaking of the general details Of
the Worlds Columbian Exposition, it
has grown customary to make COMPARE
sons with previous Expeditions Of the
kind, in order to extol the expected
merits OF the forthcoming enterprise.
In making such comparisons the fact
has, to a large extent, been lost sight OF
that the Fisheries display must neces-
sarily be OF eXpectional merit, in order
to eclipse previous exhibitions of pis-
catorial character. The idea OF a fishery
exhibition seems to have originated
with the Dutch, and to them belongs
the honor of having inaugurated dis
plays OF this kind. The first exhibition
OF this description was held ut Amster-
dam in 1851, and for several years this
was reputed to have been the best dis
play OF its kind, though, in the mean
time, there had been several similar
ones elsewhere. Much care was exercis-
ed in drawing up the programme, which
all Things considered, was c0mprehen-
sive one, and the display, so far as 1t
went was thoroughly practical pre-
sentation Of the fisheries, and the sew
eral arts connected Herewith. 1t was
considered a success, though, owing
probably the small size OF the country,
and to the fact that people had not at
that time really learned to know what a
fishery exhibition was like, II was COM
paratiyely speaking, scanthy patron-
lied.
A NOVEL SPIRIT.
At tho present time there issome-
thing decidedly novel and attractive in
display of this kind, which is inter
esting even to the uninitiated. There
are always many curiosities in the
shape OF ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS models
OF boats and vessels, singular shaped
baskets and pots for the capture OF cells
and crustaceans, and thousand and
one other appliances, which go to make
up collection of fishing implements.
The second Fisheries exposition was
opened at Bergen, Norway, on the LIST
Of August, 1865. In arranging their
programme the Norwegians copied
closely after the Dutch; all kinds OF
fishing apparatus for the capture OF
aquatic animals, from the whale TO the
shrimp, being included, besides models
OF fish.curinG establishments, and vari-
ous forms Of sea products. III
the following year (ls86) n third
fishery exposition was opened at
Archachon, France, and it seems
flint the French were determined to
leave no stone unturned to render fish
ing popular in their country, for little
Inter. In the summer Of that year, there
WINS also a similar exhibition at Bou-
lorne, the latter place, however, being
fnr loss fayorably situated than Archa-