The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1892-06-09
GREAT COLUMBIA RIVER.
A cANToNIAN TELLS SOME WONDERFUL
FISH STORIES.

Head Oh--sThe Great west ana the
Largeness of the Pacific Coast---Now
for Queen vic's Dominions.
BONNEVILLE, Oregon May 25.
This place is on the great Columbia
river Just below Cascade Locks. 1
came up here from Portland this morn
ing to spend the day on a river where
fishing Is done on a scale that beats
anything in the world. The Columbia
river is noted for its fine salmon all over
the country and it certainly deserves
its reputation. There is perhaps no
body of water anywhere in which there
are so many fish. Some Of the lnlets and
side streams are so full of fish that one
colld not wade over without tramping
on fish at every step. Some are very
large. / saw one caught this afternoon
that weighed at the cannery after being
dressed and head off, 800 pounds. They
called 1t q sturgeon. The salmon which
are so much sought after over the
country, weigh from 3 to 80 pounds and
are the principal fish here. They are
caught In gill nets and scoop wheels.
The SCOOP wheels look somewhat like
the stern wheel of q steamboat. 1t is
attached to barge or frame work near
the shore in such way as to allow the
current to keep the wheel In motion.
Wire webbing is put all around the
wheel. Shoots are made from the axle
of the wheel and down the sides to the
barge or trough. The fish are scooped
up, fall into the shoot and are carried
to the barge where the fishermen pick
them up and throw them into a box.
l saw the fish going down the shoot at
the rate of one minute, in size from
to 20 pounds each. am told that one
of these wheels has caught as much as
10000 pounds In q day, and there are
many hundred of them along this river.
/ saw a fisherman run out with a row
boat, take up about 100 feet of gill net
that had been set two hours, and he got
200 pounds of blue back salmon, which
Is q very fine fish. Two men with a
row boat and 200 yards of gill net will
earn during the best of the season which
| is this time of the year, about S25 a day.
These fisherman sell all their fish as
soon as caught to the canneries, which
are located every few miles along the
shore. The canneries pay them from
i 81 to 3 cents pound for their fish in
condition, as caught, Rowboat after
rowbost may be seen steering for the
nearest cannery, where the fish are
taken from the boat, raised by a crane
with steam power, dressed at once by q
score of Cinnamon; cut up by slicing
| machiAe, run by steam power also;
packed in tin cans soldered up by
machinery, cooked in the cans in large
steam yats; taken out, inspected, put
in cases ready for shipment to all the
markets of the world.
No one fishes here like we do In Ohio
for amusement, but for q profit and a
living. The typical tlsherman's cabin
stands all along the river on both shores,
nestled in and among the green and
beautiful foliage.
The towering mountains, clothed In
their pines of evergreen and native firs,
that stand with their magnificent
heights on either bank of this great
river, cast their shadows over every
home of all these fishermen.
AT this season of the year these peo-
pie ought to be happy, with their baimy
| temperature and their bright, shining
sun. Every valley, hill and mountain
here is bedecked by nature with her
most beautiful hues. The magnificent
i landscape on either shore; the huge,
bold mountains that shutit in: and the
grand old river that flows between, l
Will uOL dIIelupJ w uosClluo'
The Pacific coast with its more than
q thousand miles frontage of the lands
| of the United States, is certainly des'
! tined to cut no small figure in the his
tory of our country. California with
her immense acreage, her fertile valleys,
her fruitful farms, her orange groves,
her waving fields of grain and golden
hills, make her al empire within herself.
Oregon, with her fertile plains and
| timbered lands; with her mountains,
| beneath whose rocks billions of uatold
wealth lie hidden; treasures that will
| be undisturbed for ages yet to come.
Oregon will some day be "big star
| on the American flag.
| Washington? Yes the State of
| Washington, although 1t lies still
| farthernorth, has climate as mild as
Old Virginia, although it contains Mt.
| Baker, Mt. Rainier, Mt. st. Helena and
| Mt. Adams, whose tops are covered
| with snow IL every month of the year,
perhaps 100 feet deep or more. Yet at
| the base of these mountains and all
the surrounding country the climate is
all one would desire. The state
abounds in mineral wealth, copper lead,
coal and iron ore. She has many acres
| of forest timber which is valuable, and
the state will some day be manufac-
turing state.
Farther back from the Pacific coast
lie the desert plains, the rocky hills and
mountain bluffs, seemingly a barren
| waste of millions of acres OF land
Nature has provided 1T for some pur-
pose which is a secret to us now, but IN
time the human mind will utilize and
enjoy its wealth.
Our flag floats over great country
f0rty-fOur states-many of these states
are larger in territory and natural
wealth than are empires of the Ole
world. Why, we are country of en-
pires, every empire is ruled by ouI
brothers, all speak the came Language
and all sail under the same flag. An
American can't help but be proud Of
the success of our Republic, and cam
help but glory in the future granC
prospects that are in store for hi'
country.
| thought yesterday as we sailed
by the Charleston and tho Baltimore
two war boats belonging to our Navy
lying at anchor in Portland haI boz, how
little use we had for them. 1t Is tru'
the Baltimore raised a little racke
down at Chilli few months since, bu
it would have been as we'll for oul
flag II the Baltimore had not been there
and no excitement caused. We ar,
respected because we are powerful
without a large standing army. W.
can get along better without 1t anS
save that expense, than the powers o
L n,~n,>a no,, .uith n onh oil itQ pYpanap