The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-12-06
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a RUSSIAN INDUSTRY.
Hsw the Ursl Sturgeon Are Caught BY tn


Haw the Ursl Sturgeon Are Caught BY tn
Cossacks.
OF all the great Russian family, the
Cossacl1s are undeniably the most war
like and independent Their peculiar
and isolated position, geographically
and politically, has developed these
traits in their character. The cZarS
have never attempted to subdue them.
They have been and still are too useful
IN repelling the Turcomans, Kirghiz
and others pillaging Mongolian nomad
tribes, who periodically harass the
jewellers on the borderland The peo-
pie retain the Russian institution of the
Artil, or cooperative principle in all
trades, but they give to that principle
a much broader application than Is
found among the large western cities
Every male mem Der of the COssack fam
lily is required to serve three years in
the regular army of Russia A certain
number leave yearly the Ural and other
provinces for st. Petersburg and other
military stations, to relieve those other
members of the tribe who have served
their terms They inherit the custom
of ownership of land in common, and
have equal access, as far as practicable,
TO all the productive wealth of the COM
muuity. This system is well exempli-
fed in their great sturgeon fisheries on
the Don and Ural rivers, which are
their chief source Of income.
The river Ural takes its rise from the
Ural mountains, and flows southwark
about eight hundred miles into the
Caspian sea On the lower part of this
river are the largest sturgeon fisheries
in the world. There are such fisheries
on the Don and Volga, but by far the
greatest celebrity, as well as CONNER
cial Importance, is attained by those Of
the UraL They increase greatly the
wealth of the Cossacks of the district;
for the fisheries belong to them exclu-
with their rights.
The Ural sturgeon is cartilaginous
and almost homeless. The usual length
of the fish is from five to six feet, but
sometimes a Huso or Bielaya-of the
same family-is captured which meas
ures more than twenty feet in length.
The method of shing is peculiar
Hooks and lines are used, but the hooks
on the sturgeon line have no barbs, as
have those used for the capture of other
fishes. The Cossacks stretch across the
river, or from the shore outward, a long
line foated with corks Ordinarily one
end of the line is fastened to the shore,
and the other to boat anchored in the
stream From this line descend other
shorter lines often more than a thou
sand in number, carrying each at its
extremity an unbarbed hook The
hook is about ten inches long, and
hangs in the water about seven feet
from the surface. No bait is used
The sturgeon seek a spawning ground
in the fresh water, and at the approach
of the proper season they swim up the
river mouth, away from the salt and
brackish water, and toward the ground
they have selected for breeding pur-
poses 1t is during this journey that
the fishing-lines are seU for them, and
as the fish blindly make their way up
the river, they strike against the hooked
lines and are "gaffed'-frst, perhaps,
by single hook. Upon being struck
thus, they slash their powerful tails in
their pain and anger so fiercely and
wildly that other hooks are imbedded
in the Infatuated fish, until at last,
hooked, it may be in dozen
places, the sturgeon is firmly held until
the line is drawn in. 1t often happens
that nearly every one Of the one thou
sand hooks is found imbedded in some
part of fish
In every commune or stanitza the
fishing is carried on upon a cooperative
basis. The. fish caught are divided
equally among the CossaclIs of the dis
trict Sometimes the division of the
spoils affects the direct welfare of forty
or fifty stanitza, each one of which
forms in itself a community. When the
season opens, the great gun of the town
of Uralsk is discharged as a signal
for the commencement of fishing.
No one dares fish for sturgeon
before this signal is given. Word
is then passed from stanitza to stanitza;
communal guns are discharged in all
the villages, and all the male COssaclIs
make their way to the river. The fish
cry is continued about three weeks
Another gun announces its termination,
and, after this, sturgeon fishing is an
offense which is severely punished, and
which, therefore, is seldom known to
have been necessary.
The most valuable products of the
Cossack fisheries are the famous black
Caviare, and the caviare made from the
sterlet-a small species of sturgeon. /
There is a common notion, even with |
some of our cvclopedia makers, that f.
caviare is simply the sailed roe of the |
different species of sturgeon. This is
great error. The fresh roe, especially |
the black, is much more highly priced, |
much more delicious, and consequently /
more expensive than the salt. The /
price Of either-black or sterlet fresh /
caviare-in ST Petersburg is ten shil- /.
lings, while a pound of the Saltcd ar
ticle costs only sixpence. 1t Is almost /
impossible to transport the fresh roe of f.
the sterlct, for II is so tender that the ,
shaking VII break the eggs 1
No perfectly prepared caviare, there !
fore, can be obtained except in the dis /
tricts where the tishare taken.-Yankee I
Blade.
Could Compliment Be More DeIicate-
She (having talked for an hourl-You /
must think am very fond of the sound /
Of my own voice.
He-You said you liked music.-Bos-
ton Globe