San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1894-07-19
RISING OF FISHES.
UNACCOUNTABLE PHENOMENA DIS
TURBS THE FINNY TRIBE.
San Antonio River Filled With
stupefied, Gaspipg Species OF all
Kinds, Which Are Taken by
Thousands - The Mayor to the
Rescue.

atlng disciple Vi Olu 4SddC " hiJOL
as our mayor, the Hon. Geo. Pas
chal, is so we'll known to be. ne has
been charged today with using the
sudden phenomena Of the thou
sands of sick fishes seen in the
river early this morning and all OF
last night, as an argument in
favor OF the passage of his
great project, the sewer PROPOSE
ton! This is the unkindest cut of
all, the last straw, the very essence
of meanness and Of stupidity OF his
political enemies.
Early this morning the first
small boy and the first big man
out OF bed and crossing the river
saw the strange scene OF hundreds,
even thousands Of big catfish, carp,
trout, suckers, perch and many
other varieties of our we'll known
food and scavenger fishes, boldly
swimming along the surface OF the
river, near the banks, and in an APP
parently dazed manner. Soon
others saw the strange sight and
procuring baskets, strings, boats,
anything in fact, waded in and
soon had saptured loads Of live,
though apparently very sick,
fish, of very large size. The
fish were so plentiful that
the smaller ones were left for the
later corners, but these too were
captured.
Even the crayfish, which are so
plentiful in the river as to be the
veriest nuisance to anglers, and
the turtles, those banes of a good
bait on a fine steel shank, crawled
out on the grass and weeds in the
river along the banks and were
seen in phalanX Of hundreds and
thousands.
Boys in a boat back OF Com
merce street, filled their
vessel full Of fish. Men above
Houston street bridge caught
strings of big trout to the mum Der
of 40 or 80 each, while below the
city, as far down as Guenthers
mills, the Mexican small boys had
simply picnics all day loading
wagons with fish. This is no eX-
aggeration. The amount Of fish
that were found dwelling in
the San Antonio river was an
astonisher even 10 the oldest
angler, and the sudden illness
which seems to have seized them
revealed a good many new varie-
ties that were not known TO exist
in our waters.
Mayor Paschal was early in
formed of the phenomena and at
once proceeded to inv estigate. He
procured half gallon Jars OF
the water at three or four
points in the river, one from
the source Of the river, one below
the pump house of the water
works, one below the City Brewery,
one back of Schasse's drug store,
and one from below the city, and
these he has requested chemist
George II. kalteyer and IlT. IL.
Menger to analyZe, to see II they
can find the cause. Inquiries were
also set afoat in regard 10
whether the blasting OF the new
artesian we'll at the head OF the
river, which produced such a fine
flow of water last Saturday after
noon, had any effect on the prob
lem or not. Mr.. Kalteyer said he
had heard that one charge of dyna-
mite had become wet and had
been thrown in the river.
The one-millionth part OF
grain of nitro glycerine would
be injurious to a fish, as a very
small dose acted as sort Of intox-
icant to the human system. 1T
was slowly soluble in water and
might require days to come down
as far as the city. 1t would not
poison or kill the fish, however.
Other theories were advanced,
such as the letting of Of ammo
MIA by the breweries, but this
would be so expensive that II
would be severe loss to the brew
cries and unless by accident, would
not be done by them.
Another theory was that a gas
pipe leaked into the river; then
that the Tennessee earthquake OF
yesterday morning had slipped
around and caused it, and there
were dozen different tales about
it.
Yet the fact remains. the
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