Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1893-06-16
GREAT FISH SHOW
To Be Seen at the Worlds Co.
lumbar Exposition.

To Be Seen at the Worlds Co.
lumbar Exposition.
PORTION OF GOVERNMENT EXHIBIT.
Salt Water Fish and Fresh Water Fish IN
Huge .Aquariuns Where Everybody Cnl
See Them-The Crab Which Carries Iii,
House With Him-Display Which Inter.
ests Everyone.
WORLDS FAIR, June 10. - Especially -
There is one place in the exposition where
a crowd may always he found, a place
where the visitors seem never to tire Of
looking and wondering. It is the aquar.
ium furnished by the United States Fish
commission. BY a happy arrangement
the exposition erected the great Fisheries
building and devoted one of the polygonal
pavilions to the show which the govern.
ment wished to make. so locating the
building that this pavilion is near to and
apparently a part Of the governments vast
exhibit. Thus it is that we see all thai
Uncle Sam has toshow-his own building,
the light house, life saving service, camp
of marines, battleship, weather bureau,
ETC., all together. There is nothing that
Uncle Sam shows which gives more pleas.
ure to the multitude than this aquarium.
Go with me for a few moments to the
interior of this pavilion and you will cease
to wonder why the people flock hither by
the thousands. You will not be surprised
that they stand as closely packed as they
can, hour after hour, those in front un.
willing to give up their places and thos,
in the rear patiently awaiting a bette,
chance to see. We enter the central part
of the Fisheries builling and pass out
through a long, curved corridor. Then W.
find ourselves in a rotunda sixty feet in
diameter, in the middle of which is a basin
or pool twenty-six feet in diameter. This
pool is one of the most beautiful things te
be found in the whole exposition. It il
beautiful in itself, for from its center rises
a towering mass of rocks covered with
moss and lichens. From clefts and crevices
in the rocks crystal streams of water gush
forth and trickle to the wreaths, rushea
and semi-aquatic plants in the basin be.
low. A delightful scene it is, cool and re.
treshing, when seen on a hot day. But the
pool is even more beautiful in it's contents;
Tor in its clear waters thousands of fish
disport-gorgeous gold fishes, golden ides,
golden tench, bass, perch, carp, pickerel-
q hundred varieties of the finny tribes.
There are fish four feet long and little fel.
lows so small you can scarcely see them.
The water is phenomenally clear, and the
picture is one Of surprising loneliness. All
day long the pool is surrounded by thou.
sands of visitors.
If n ever doubted that the people love
fish he may here have his doubts removed.
OF all the creatures of the animal world
the fish is certainly one of the most beau.
tiful and graceful. He has a fascination
all his own. The trouble is, ordinarily,
that we cannot see him alive. He hides
himself in his native element, and afford,
the curious eye of man but passing, I'M.
satisfactory glimpses of his charms. But
here he may be seen and studied and ad.
mired in all his glory. There are such con.
trasts, too. The fish are big and little,
active and lazy, pretty and ugly. Some
have color and many have not, some are
playful, prankish, others stupid, sleepy.
But it is not alone in the big pool that
fish are to be SEEN. There are fish every.
where in this building. One may here
easily imagine himself gifted with tho
power Of walking on the bottom of the sea
and holding communion with its fnny in.
habitants. Running around the rotunda
are two series of ~tanks-great iron tanks
with glass sides, all filed with water and
fish. In these are shown hundreds Of
varieties Of denizens of the sea, the lakes
and the rivers-fishes, turtles, crabs, lob
sters, cells. Spoonbill fish surgeons, por.
cupine fish, and many others rarely OF
psyer before seen in public exhibitions are
here.
The crabs appear to be.general favorites.
They are such queer creatures, and have
such funny ways of moving to and fro,
that the people are fascinated by them.
One of the quaintest of the lot is the rock
crab. He is not very big, some four inches
long, but he always plays to large aud.
fences. On his back is q formation Of
rock. It looks like a little house, and, in.
deed, that is what it is to him, for it helps
him to hide from the monsters of the deep
who might convert him into q Jonah did
he not lie still and fool them. He takes
his house with him wherever he goes, OF
course. 1t IS q part OF him, Il he could
not leave it at home if he wished to. He
is all the time moving backward and for.
ward.
Starting at one end of his tank he never
stops till he gets to the other, constantly
throwing out his little feelers to see il
there are obstacles in the way. If he en-.
counter an obstacle-a piece of rock, a
larger crab or a turtle-he obstinately re.
fuses to turn from his path, but climbs
straight over with the most awkward and
comical movements you could imagine.
Arriving at the end of his journey he
pauses q moment and then starts in the
other direction, but without turning
around. Apparently he can travel for.
ward and backward with equal ease. In.
deed, it is difficult to tell which is forward
or backward for him. This rock crab re.
minds me Of the curious man who went
from Indiana to the dime museums some
years ago. He was afflicted with some
sort Of disease which required him to keep
walking all the time. He walked night
and day, and wore a deep, smooth path
around his cabin. At least, that was the
story. Well, the rock crab is Just like
him. He knows NJ peace.
OF the crabs and all the salt
water fish must have salt water in which
to live. How to secure supplies of salt