The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-11-14
SMALL FISH BY THE MILLIONS.
An Interesting and Puxxiing Phenomenon
Observed at Loon Lake.

An Interesting and Puxziing Phenomenon
Observed Mt Loon Lake.
From the Spokane Review.
Evan Morgan. manager of ID. c. Cor
bins boat house and picnic grounds at
Loon lake during the summer, has re-
turned from a business trip TO the lake,
and reports having witnessed a strange
sight while there. and one for which
nobody has ever been able to account.
although II Is a yearly occurrence at
that place. This was the annual APP
pearance OF millions of FISH OF varie-
ty that are never seen in the lake ex-
cept during a week or ten days early In
November.
1T was the most remarkable sight I
ever saw" said Mr.. Morgan yesterday.
land i would like to find some fish
sharp who is able to account for IL.
Swarming near the shore. and running
parallel with II only a short distance
out. were to be seen millions OF fish OF
a variety that / never saw In the lake
before. The people up there call them
fresh water herring. and they are about
five inches long, and all precisely the
same size. They resemble a white fish
somewhat, and have a black stripe ex-
tending along the side. l saw schools
of them 30 feet wide and as long as a
railroad train, and they were actually
so thick that one could not see through
them. They ran very rapidly. and dis
turbed the. water so that their course
could be easily followed with the eye
wherever they went. They would not
bite. and were as active as a trout.
saw two men who had a couple OF
bucketsful Of them. and they said they
were fine eating. 1 do not know how
they caught them. but they probably
took them with a seine. II Is impossi-
BILE to describe the numbers OF these
fish. They were as thick as they could
swim. and the water fairly swarmed
with them.
People living there tell me these Ash
appear in the same manner every year.
and run for about ten days, when they
disappear until the next year Not one
of them has ever been seen at any 9TH
er time. and what becomes OF them Is
a mystery that no one Is able to ex-
plain. have caught Ash of every other
variety that inhabits the lake. but
never saw one of this variety before"
There Is a similar run OF fish at the
outlet OF Rock lake In Whitman coun-
ty. early in November each year. They
are a sort OF white fish. and swarm in
the outlet in millions. The farmers
and Indians go there at night and cap
ture them with nets and gunny sacks
in hundreds. and salt them down for
future use. The outlet to the lake flows
into the Palouse river. but fish cannot
pass from the river to the lake. owing
to a perpendicular fall OF about 80 feet
in the outlet a short distance from
where II flows out OF the lake. These
fish are never seen at any other season
OF the year. and where they go has al
ways been a mystery. The Indians have
a superstition that the lake is inhabited
by a great monster that lives in a cave.
and that II devoured several Indians
that ventured on Its surface long years
ago. For this reason. II Is said. no In
dian has ever since been Induced to
disturb It's waters with canoe. The
lake Is bounded by rocky shores. and
great chasms can be seen among the
rocks at the bottom. At some points
II Is claimed. the depth is so great that
no line has ever been found long
enough to reach the bottom.