The Portland daily press., 1891-07-30
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WON DERS OF THE DEEP.
Fisheries Exhibit at the WORLDS Fair.
Capt. J. w. Collins, Of the Fish and
Fisheries Department, outlines the
Magnificent Show to be Expected
A Brief History Of Fishery ExposI-
tions.

tlons.
One Of the most interesting exhibits at the
Worlds Columbian Exposition will be that
OF Fish and Fisheries. Therein not only
Will visitors of piscatorial inclinations find
much to engage their attention, but others
who have been wont to regard "ishy" and
incredible" as synonymous and equally in
consequential terms, will undoubtedly have
reason to change their minds as to the inter-
esting features of fish display after visiting
this department of the Exposition. The
fisheries building will be corner where the
public will wish TO linger, spot where 1t
will be possible to realizs the words of John
Bunyan when he wrote:
You see the way the fisherman doth take
To catch the fish, what engines doth he make!
Behold how he engageth all bis wits,
ALSO MS snares, lines, angles, hooks and nets.
Much has been said and written of the
magnifcence Of the Worlds Columbian Ex-
position, by way of comparison with pre-
vious expositions, which it is proposed to
eclipse. The immense strides made in every
department of art, science and industry dur
ing the second half of the present century
have been fittingly illustrated at the various
international expositions held since the late
Prince Consort OF England inaugurated the
great London Exposition of 1851. Human
ingenuity and the inventive genius of the
age have we'll nigh blotted out the word
impossible" from the vocabulary of ma
terial science. Steam and electricity have
been harnessed to the will of man until 1t
has became question how far will human
science travel, not how far can 1t reach But
while the secrets of earth and air have been
explored and there forces bent to do mans
bidding, the mysteries of the great deep
the field Of exploration, il such a term may
be used in speaking Of the ocean, is three
times larger than that wherein researches
by land are practicable, 1t follows that the
result OF subaqueous research still leaves
almost undesirable possibilities to be
explored.
Everything that science has rescued from
the depths of ocean, sea, lake or river, will
be displayed at the forthcoming fisheries
exhibit:-inhabitants OF deep sea grottos, the
coral animal-builder of islands and conti-
nents--sea anem0nes that blossom miles be-
low the surface of the ocean, monstrous
devil fish, sharks and other terrors of the
deep will be seen, beside the speckled beau
ties Of stream or lake. the plebeian catfish,
angler and the shallow stream. From ocean
depths will be brought specimens Of sub
aqueous life so marvelously delicate, and so
richly beautiful that the microscope will
and film-like tracery. The methods. too, by
which the mysteries of the deep are pene-
trated, the paraphernalia of the United
States Fish Commission, the Inventions by
which the finny tribe Is cultured, the won
derful progress made in the art of fish farm
ing, In addition to the implements Of COM
mercial fishing and the latest tackle for ang-
ling all these will be displayed to their
fullest extent. lsg
In speaking of the general details of the
Worlds Columbian Exposition, IL has grown
customary to make comparisons with pre-
vi0us Expositions 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 necessarily
be of exceptional merit, in order to eclipse
previous exhibitions of piscatorial char
actter. The idea Of fishery exhibition
seems to have originated with the Dutch,
and to them belongs the honor Of having in
augurated displays of this kind The first
exhibition of this description was held at
Amsterdam in 1891, and for several years
this was reputed to have been the best dis
play OF this kind, though, in the meantime,
there had been several similar ones else
where. Much care was exercised in draw
sidered, was comprehensive one, and the
display, so far as It went was thoroughly
practical presentation Of the fisheries, and
the several arts connected herewith. 1t
probably to the small size Of the country,
and to the fact that people had not at that
time really learned to know what fishery
exhibition was like, 1t was comparatively
speaking. scantily patronized. AT the pres-
ent time there Is something decidedly novel
and attractive In display of this kind.
which is interesting even to the uninitiated.
There are always many curiQsities in the
shape OF piscicnltural apparatus, models of
boats and vessels, singular shaped baskets
and pots for the capture of cells and crusta-
ceans. and thousand and one other appli-
ances, which go to make up a collection Of
fishing implements. The second Fisheries
exposition was opened at Bergen, Norway,
on the first OF August. 1866. In arranging
their programme the Norwegians copied
apparatus for the capture Of aquatic animals,
from the whale to the shrimp, being includ-
ed, besides models Of fsh-curing establish
ments, and various forms of sea products.
In the following year 1896, a third fishery
exposition was opened at AIchachon, France,
and 1t seems that the French were deter
mined to leave no stone unturned to render
fishing popular in their country. for a little
later, in the summer of that year, there was
also similar ex position at Boulogne, the
latter place, however, being far less favor
ably situated than Archachon for display
of this kind. Bertram, In his Harvest Of
the Sea-" says: "The ambition of the d.
rectors Of the exposition at Archachon, was
to show little of everything connected with
the science of the seas, even to specimens
OF the ground. inhabited by mussels as well
as bits Of rock frequented by the larger
crustaceans. The uses of sea.weed were
demonstrated; the guano made from those
inedible. fish with which the sea abonnds,
could also be tested at the exposition OF
Archachon. Various other sea products
were likewise to be seen there, as anbergris.
spermaceti, shagreen, the dye shells of the
Indian Ocean, etc. And better than all, at
the Archahon exposition the best fishes Of
the sea could be seen disporting au nsturdL
Oysters from the Isle Of Re, were also there.
growing on the very tiles which had inter.
cepted them as spat Cultivated mussels. SO
valuable as bait, were likewise exhibited.
hanging In beautiful clusters, Just as they
had grown on the basket work erected in the
bay of Aiguillon."
The affair at Boulogne was, however, on
much grander scale, remarkable feature Of
the Inauguration being grand procession.
which, as 1t turned out, was an AQUATIC one
for heavy rain fell while 1t was en- route
At this exhibition, Norway took the leading
position, as might be expected, for a country
having such important fisheries, and depend
| ing chiefly on southern Europe for a market.