Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-07-04
WONDER WORK WITH FISHES
some Marvellous Things to BE shown by the
Fish Commission at Chicago.

Some Marvellous Things to BE shown by the
Fish Commission at Chicago.
1NHE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION
- hopes to make its exhibit the most attrac-
tive feature of the worlds fair. Nor would this
expectation appear necessarily unreasonable.
inasmuch as the waters OF the earth cover
countless things in which mankind 10 most
keenly interested. being spread over an area
three times larger than that wherein explora-
tons on land are practicable. What science
knows already of the bottoms of the rivers and
the seas and Of the creatures OF various kinds
from giants to microscopic pigmies which the
waters contain, is interesting enough. but al
most immeasursble fields of subaqueous re-
search yet remain to be surveyed and inves-
tigated. Full many gem not only Of price
but Of knowledge the dark. unfathomed
caves OF ocean bear. The problems of the
great deeps are mysteries still destined to fur
nish libraries of fascinating information for
generations to come. For il is only within a
very few years that attempts have been made
to fish up what these depths contain to investi-
gate the inhabitants of the realms where mer-
maids and mermen were supposed of Old 10
dlsport themselves, and to catalogue the fauna
and Nora of Neptune's marvellous domains.
Only within time most recent have natural
lists learned how TO assist the spawning OF sea
nshes In the streams The rivers and ponds
al over the country are rapidly being trans
formed into farms for the propagation and
iattening Of fnny produce. and il is estimated
oy those who have most knowledge on this sub
lect that IT will not be long before the waters Of
the United States will yield more food for the
people OF this country than the land.
THE COMMISSIONS EXHIBIT.
Taking all these things into consideration
u seems likely that the fish commissions show
at the fair will draw the multitude. An entire
building will be devoted to aquaria. in which all
sorts Of living sea and fresh water fishes. as
well as other animals will be exhibited.
Another structure will be filed with anglers
apparatus OF every kind, with every descrip-
ton OF hooks. lines, nets sinkers. poles artifi-
cial bait. spears. &c, well as traps and other
devices FOR commercial use strictly. which the
sportsman sneeZes cUntemptuously at. Also
will be shown the mechanism by which the
ocean bottoms are surveyed and mapped out
with dredges and other paraphernalia for COL
Letting specimens of every variety of life from
the depths. Appliances which record sound
ings even in the great sea holes six miles down
or more will be displayed with devices for
taking the temperature Of the always frigid
depths. for bringing up samples of bottom
ooze and FOR recording the tremendous pres
sures OF the neither waters.
HArcHrSg AND FARMING FISH.
An elaborate series of exhibits will show the
most approved methods adopted for matching
and farming fish. In this wav will be illus
trated the processes by which the great shad
fisheries, which would otherwise have been
already destroyed. are maintained in the Poto-
mac and other eastern rivers and how. slmi-
larly, the wonderful salmon fisheries of the
northwest are kept up by pouring into the
streams annually millions of young fry.
Matching of various food fishes will be carried
on constantly in jars turning out hundreds of
thousands daily, SO that the public may have
learned to assist the piscatorial efforts of ma
ture.
N FORMER YEARS.
The notion of a fishery exhibition seems to
have been originated by the Dutch, who held
the first one at Amsterdam in 1861. In 1865 a
similar show was opened at Bergen, Norway. at
which were shown all kinds of apparatus for
the capture of aquatic animals from the whale
| to the shrimp, besides models of fish curing es-
Establishments and sea products of ever descrip-
| ton. During the following year fishery ex-
hlbltion was started at Archachon. in France.
at which. among other things. the multitudinous
use OF sea weeds were demonstrated. likewise
the value OF guano made from inedible fishes
was shown, and various other strange sea pro-
| ducts were placed on view such ambergris.
spermacet:. shagreel and the dye shells of the
Indian ocean. There were also oysters from the
Isle OF Re, growing il. their native element and
| on the very tiles which for propagatiag
purposes had been placed to intercept the spat.
Cultivated musses, SO valuable as bait were
| seen hanging in beautiful clusters Just as they
had grown on basketwork provided for farming
them in the Bay of Aiquilan. In 1866. also. an
even larger fisheries exhibition was given al
Boulogne. During 1867 there were several
| more shows of q similar character at various
European cities in Denmark, Austria anS
Sweden.
In 1869 France gave such an exhibition a,
| Havre. ia which picked mackerel were shown
for the first time and excited much curiosity
| 1t was not until 1871 that the Italians entered
| the field with show at Naples. piscicul-
| tural exhibition was held at the Westminster
| aquarium. London, in 1875, but owing TO the
| haste with which il was got up il was unsatis-
factory. In 1850 the Germans gave a fishery
exposition at Berlin, which was a grand affair.
| 1t is a matter of history that the display
| made by the United States on this oc-
casion far exceeded that of any other
| nation in comprehensiveness and in the
variety Of objects shown. The first prize. given
| by the emperor. was awarded to America for
| the completeness of lite showing. The Prince
| of Wales, in 1881. opened a national fisheries
exhibition at Norwich. which proved SO success
| full that it was followed the next wear by the
international fishery exposition at Edinburgh.
and in 1888 followed the great international
fisheries exposition at London. This last was,
perhaps. the most important event in the his
tory Of the fisheries of the wof, 4. and did more
to advance the interests of fishermen than had
been done by all other shows of the sort up to
that time.
However, not all these exhibitions put to-
gether have made such a display as will be
shown at Chicago to celebrate the anniversary
of the discovery by Columbus. and it may rea-
sonably be anticipated that the great show of
fisheries to come will give a new inspiration to
the study of the waters and to the water-farm-
ing of the future.
In the Park.
,:E,NE:IZzgs