The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-12-16
SWIMMERS IN DARKNESS
Hard Lot Of Certain Kinds OF Fish
That Live in Dismal
Places.
------- IL
Disporting in Underground Waters
and Never Seeing the Light
OF Day.
Inhabitants of Sewers and Water Pipes In
Large C~itiss-Their Enemy the
voracioua Eel.
written for THE HELENA Isprprsprsr.l

.;MNM ssSIHs.+ black lsgoons over
.s.a l1nfhhhnnp [;5H hung by dense tropi-
NI cal forests, into the
@ssr~- thick, muddy current
Of western and southern rivers. some glim-
msr Of light psnstratss By which the fnny
inhabitants may see their way and find
their food.
But it sometimes occurs that swimmers
whose natural home II in sunlis waters
ARE compelled to pass their lives in raylsss
gloom.
The fish OF the river Styx. in the Mann
moth cave of Kentucky. afford an instance
Of this state OF things. However they may
hrat have found their way into these wat
ers. they are now 80 Injured to their gloomy
surroundings a. to have formed = species
adapted in structure to the elements in
which they live. Born az they are into nm
broken darkness, eyes are lacking to them,
and their perceptions must depend upon the
acuteness OF other senses. While they man
nge to exist and perpetuate their kind, they
are weak, colorless, under-fed creatures,
making = poor showing for size and viRor
compared with fish of q corresponding spe-
ciss In waters above ground.
Fist sometimes get shut off from sun
light by the gradual closing over Of the
surface of a shallow muddy lake. Marsh
grass, lily and flag root intervene near the
face of the water into a framework upon
which decaying stalks and leaves and the
Judgment of floating material from the ar
form. by degrees, a covering seeming to the
eye like solid land. When this matted
growth has wholly covered the surface, in
hidden pools of water amid the prevailing
soft mire. the fish Of the natural lake may
still survive and breed for many years;
they, too. adapt themselves in structure to
their changed and darkened conditions.
Swimmers underground are sometimes
brought to light in odd and unexpected
ways. Accounts have appeared in the news
the earth's surface in the stream Of water
rising from an artesian we'll. In such cases
the drill has probably entered some subter-
ranean reservoir or water vein having it's
source In the bottom of an open lake or
river. But still it is not impossible that
fish may exist and even breed in the cur
rent Of some Of the large water assures
underground.
The inhabitants of the large underground
pipes of the water Gystems of cities afford
instances Of these swimmers in darkness.
The large storage reservoirs which feed the
pipes always contain fish of various kinds,
and the spawn-perhaps, too, the tiny min
ows-beinR drawn through the filters into
the discharge pipes, there develop the best
they can under the dark and straitened
conditions. Eels, always found in. the pipes,
perhaps work their way down through the
filters or enter from the sewers at times
when the water ia wasted from the pipes.
These fish and perch and sometimes rock
bass are hardy enough to endure the gloom
and confinement, and find by other senses
than sight food enough to keep them alive.
In the principal mains, the diameters of
which usually range from thirty to forty
inches. they find free swimming room.
The perch and bass, which grow to a
length of three or four and sometimes six
inches, are pallid. puny creatures. with
bodies thin, colorless and translucent.
They do not breed in the pipes. hence the
species never get fully adapted in structure
to their surroundings. Their eyes do not
disappear, as in case of the fish of the
Mammoth cave, but are blind, being Gov
cred by a thick film.
The cells attain their full natural size and
appear to get along we'll in their under-
ground quarters and to keep in good con-
dition. Ii does not disturb their health.to
be restored to aboveground waters, whore
as the perch and bass die at once on being
taken to the light.
Tho imprisoned fish 30 long as they keep
within the main conduits are Of no
great disadvantage TO the water systems.
IL ia by swimming up the small pipes lead
ing to buildings that they give trouble.
Large manufactures are specially liable to
annoyance from this cause. To prevent it
as far as possible il 10 usual with such es-
Establishments to make q trap, known as a
fish we'll. at the point whore the water en-
tiers the meter. This well consists of a
basin of varying depth, about a foot and a
half long by a foot wide; but sometimes it
proves nsuficien to contain the fish.
mostly cells. that collect in il. Thus some
some years ago the fish well in the supply
pipe leading into the South Boston Sugar
Ann haNa~nn III - Al l
cells, which, by oloaginR tho meter. put the
company to considerable trouble and ex-
pense to remedy the matter.
Luckily for the oontentment Of the
smaller inhabitants of underground waters,
they have never known any ether condition
Of life; but when the best il said their lot
Is a forlorn one. In ~unending darkness,
with heads pointed to the current, they lie
in their cylindrical iron prison. swaying
pale bodies hardly more substantial thar
the waters about them, waiting with CROP
ing senses to secure what food the black
onflow may bring them. Short commons
they must find to judge by their thin AZ
r%earance.
Other dangers than starvation beset the
perch and bass. Forever squirming along
the pipes in search of prey comes the vora-
clous eel, adapted by nature to making his
living by devious methods. In the limits
of the. conduits there would be narrow
room In which to dodge, even il they had
eyes with which to see his approach.
1t seems a peculiar irony of fate that the
perch. which is born to toat in sunshiny
waters. swimming near the surface in
schools, should be the particular fab that
here fnds himself shut out from light.
Even companionship would seem to be de-
MED bim. for in the darkness he hardly can
trust tho approach of any living thing of
seemingly equal size with himself. Beset
by such dangers. blind, chilly and starved,
the unfortunate perch might. as reasonably
as any living creature could, entertain seri-
Gus doubts as to whether life was worth
living.
The end comes for him-if h ia not
snapped up by come larger fish-whon,
nfter attaining growth according to his days
and luck in securing food, the cadaverous
swimmer, dartinp from some pursusr or
instinctively seeking tho light, swims al
last mp some house pipe. Unable, as we'll
as fearing to turn, he presses onward until
he can go no farther, and there, stuck fast,
ends his barren existence. unknowing tho
stir and execration that his dismal taking
off will cause in the upper world through
tba atonpivu IF fha nina