The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1895-09-20

slow but memorable march OF those de-
stroying agencies of human progress,
before which the salmon must surely
disappear, as did the buffalo OF the
plains and the Indian OF California.
THE helpless salmon's life is gripped
between these two forces, the murder.
GUS greed of the fishermen and the
white mans advancing civilization, and
what hope is there for the salmon in
the end? Protective laws and artificial
breeding are able to hold the first in
check, but nothing can stop the last
This statement is supplemented by
the inquiry; "What was it that de-
stroyed the salmon of the Hudson, the
Connecticut, the AIerrimac, and the
various smaller rivers of New England,
where they used to be exceedingly
abundant?" 1t was not everlasting
that did it. If the excessive fishing had
been all there was to contend with, a
few simple laws would have been suf-
ticient to preserve some remnants at
least of the race.
1t was not the fishing, 1t was the
growth of the country, as 1t Is com.
monty called, the increase of the popu-
lation, necessarily bringing with 1t the
development of the various industries
by which communities live and become
prosperous. II was the mills, the dams,
the steamboats,, the manufactures in.
furious to the water, and similar causes
which, first making the streams more
and more uninhabitablef for the salmon,
finally exterminated them altogether.
In short, 1t was the growth of the coun-
try and not the fishing which really set
a bound to the habitations of the salm-
on on the Atlantic coast.
Then, concerning the salmon rivers
Of the Pacific coast, the Sacramento
for example, it is said that when the
first rush of gold-seekers came to Cali
fornia in 1870, every tributary of the
Sacramento was fruitful spawning
ground for salmon, and into every trib-
utary countless shoals of salmon has
tened every summer to deposit their
eggs. But in 1872, only twenty-three
years later, not one single tributary of
the Sacramento of any account was n
spawning ground for the salmon except
the McCloud and Pitt rivers in the ex.
trcme northern part of the state, where
the hostility of the Indians had kept
white men out 1t was not fishing by
any means that had caused the disap.
pearance of the salmon, for the miners
did very little fishing in those times; but
it was the debris from the quartz mines
which drove the salmon out, running the
spawning grounds and rendering the
river uuinhabitable for the salmon.
DIR. Livingstone Stone, an eminent
scientist interested in the preservation
of the salmon fisheries, SAYS: "Whc
would have thought thirty years agc
that the creation OF national park in
this country would be the means OF
rescuing the buffalo from extinction;
Who Thought then that anything was
needed to rescue the buffalo? Til,
buffalo roamed in myriads over the
plains and mountain slopes of the
CO... portions of the United States
and We 20 innumerable That, with Tho
exception OF few far-sighted persons
no one thought that this noble race Of
animals was ever in danger. The sup
ply seemed inexhaustible and the
species at least safe froa. extinction.
How soon we found out our mistake
and how suddenly the change came
The note of alarm had hardly beer
sounded long enough to be distinctly
cemprehended over the country befor,
the buffaloes were gone-all gone prac
tically, except few struggling surviv
ors which, If they had not found refur,
in Yellowstone park, would have beer
gone too, long before this. The Vel
lowstone National park saved them. II
saved the wild race from extinction
and, II nothing else should ever be nc
complished by the creation Of the park
this alone would justify its existence"
All the rivers within the jurisdiction
of the United States have been investi
gated by the fish commission, and non.
of them are free from objections which
make salmon propagation impossible
Where to locate salmon park ha.
been problem which has vexed the
commission for number of years. A
place has been at last discovered for 4
salmon hatchery; river which can b.
made an asylum Of refuge, and the FISH
commission believes that It should be
set aside as an eternal heritage for the