The Portland daily press., 1894-12-08
the water like a woman's veil.

iAo INoiCue Aq udElum also introduced
fame Mr.. "Tody' Hamilton, now promoter
of publicity for the Greatest show on
Earth. Not many of to-day's generation
know that ''Tody' drifted into the show
business through writing fshy stories for
the old aquarium. but so it is. And in par
enthesis. the habit then acquired has never
left him. The purely aquarium idea lasted
only two years. By that time the public
tired Of sea life. and Mr.. Reiche to keepi
open introduced all sorts of shows within
is walls.
The third and last attempt. and this times
probably permanent, will soon throw open
it's doors to the public. This aquarium rep
resents all that is modern in the building
of such place. Primarily it is designed to
give young and old the very knowledge
they do not get in the public schools--an
insight into the habits and knowledge Of
fish. This aquarium is to show the various
families of the Crustaceans and inny
tribes.
The aquarium, which occupies the famous
old Castle Garden bnilding, is a part now
of the park system, and SO this aquarium
fttingly belongs to the people of New York.
Like the various park institutions this
aquarium will be open by day and probably
by night, or at least few nights a week.
Those who remember the old Castle Gar
den building when carbolic acid disinfec led
future citizens were unloaded there, would
not recognize the place were they to see it
now.
Over 500, 900 has been spent in repairs
and improvements, and only the circular
walls and foundations remain of the old
building to show that it was once the
station through which millions of 2ew citi-
zens once passed.
On the ground floor there are six large
pools lineG with white porcelain tiles, and
filled with filtered sea water or fresh water
as the case may be. These pools are from
20 to 40 feet in diameter. They represent
the very latest IDEA in improved pools. and
are such as no otner aquarium i'll the world
has. Around the ground floor are situated
about fifty large tanks, also lined with white
tiles. The tanks are set into the walls,
and around each one is a border OF black
with a gold beading. and outside of that
maroon frame shows that the architect prob
ably intended picture frame effect. Any
thing handsomer than spotted trout lazily
floating in water absolutely as clear as crys-
tai, as seen in one of those pictures, could
not be imagined.
Upstairs gallery runs entirely around
the building, and. as downstairs. number
of porcelain-lined tanks are set IN the walls.
The upper gallery tanks will be devoted to
exhibitions of the rare and curious little
fishes together with groups of sea anemon-
es and vegetation and rare crustaoeans.
Living coral and reef builders will also be
shown combined with collections OF various
species of sea horses, pearl oysters. giant
clans and other curiosities of the sea or
river.
In a big room on the second tier the stu
dent of fishes may see just how all sorts and
conditions of fish spawn. Many of the
breeding experiments formerly conducted at
the Smithsonian Institution, Washington,
will be carried on in the Castle Garden
Aquarium.
"And, in fact" said Superintendent
Woodman. who has charge of the place.
"there will not be anywhere in this world
SO complete an aquarium as this one"
The test of good aquarium is it's ability
to keep fishes in pools OF tanks during the
summer months. If that is the sure test
the New York institution is well nigh per-
feet Out of 253 fish placed in the pools
last May only three have died. The rest
have thrived amazingly. The reason Of
this success lies in perfect system of
aeration and circulation combined with
probably the best and biggest nlterng plant
in the word. All other aquaria. those of
Brighton, Bremen, Hamburg and Yokoha-
ma, depend for unfiltered water on
either the bay on which they are situated,
or else they transport their water for miles
in casks. So complete is this tiltering sys-
tenn that the water here is drawn from the
bay right into the iltering tanks, where it
is cleaned of it's grease and impurities by
salts of lemon, and then strained into the
receiving tanks at the top of the building.
and from there distributed. The pools and
tanks are all provided with an aerating ap-
paratus, and the plumbing is simple and
direct, giving a constantly circulating
water in all of the pools.
The aquarium opening is set for some day
this month. The pools, tank and fish are
ready now, but floors, woodwork and the
signs which go by each tank are not ready.
When the building is finished from cellar to
roof private exhibition will be given to
the press some invited guests, and next
day and every day thereafter the oiuiZens
of the United States way wander in and
/ bout andysee beauties in fish such as they
never dreamed Off, 600 can b. accommodate
ed at one time.