The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1897-07-15
MADE FAMOUS BY BLAINE.
Maine Salmon and the Origin of
Their Reputation

,
Their Reputation.
There are nearly 200 weirs between
Prospect Ferry and the foot of Sears
I Island, eight miles below, and though
some of the well-to-do fishermen in
dulge in the luxury of a salmon dinner
now and then, they always buy canned
fish, because Oregon and Alaska sal
mon sell for ten cents a pound, while
pound of the same species of fish taken
from Penobscot river will bring 30
cents as soon as the fish is caught. For
these reasons the local fishermen sell
all their catch in Boston and cities
further west, receiting large pay for
fish which are no better than fish which
swim in Puget sound.
Though several reasons have been as
signed for this difference in price, the
late James G. Blaine is said to have been
the man who brought Maine salmon
into high repute. In the summer of
1880, short time before the republican
national convention was to assemble
in Chicago a hotel keeper of the Windy
City, knowing that Mr.. Blaine was to be
a leading candidate, wrote to an Au-
gusta fish dealer an order for ton of
Kennebec river salmon, believing that
fish that were caught from this river,
which flowed by Mr.. Blaines home,
would be a popular dish with the sup
porters of the Maine candidate. Though
the Kennebec river has not yielded a
ton of salmon in so years, the Augusta
market man did not see fit to mention
the fact, but came to Bucksport, bought
his fish, put them on ice and sent them
and billed on the menus as "Kennebec
salmon la Blaine.
Senator COnkling, of New York. and
Il few other members of the famous
1900" refused to eat of the dish. but
most of the guests ate it and liked it,
and the reputation of Kennebec sal
mon became national. Every year since
then the Augusta market men have re-
ceived orders for salmon from all parts
of the country, and have had them filled
in Bangor and other places on the
Penobscot; and though Oregon salmon
is equally good, the Maine fish always
brings better prices.
Sixty years ago salmon were so plenty
in the Penobscot that farmers hauled
them on to their land by the cart load
and used them for dressing fer potatoes
and corn. There was no need of weirs
then, for a hedge built out into tide
water from the shore would capture
= I II
weirs take in a season. Mr.. Pierce, an
old citizen of this town, says that he
has seen an acre of mud fats covered
from five to ten fish deep with salmon
caught below one hedge, and when the
water got low on the ebb he has seen
the mud thrown 30 feet in the air by
the struggling fish. Then all the teams
in the neighborhood were kept haul
ing until the tide came back and put a
stop to the work. In 1915 Alvah Page.
of Bucksport, hauled II cart loads of
salmon from his weir in one tide and
thinks there We're as many more dead
ones which he could not get for the
coming tide. Though he did not weigh
them, he believes that he took more
than 30 tons of salmon az that time.
Besides salmon, there were thousands
Of great fat shad and tons and tons of
alewives and porgies.
At present the business is at so low
an ebb that able-bodied men cannot af-
ford to follow it, so most of the work is
done by old men and boys. The average
catch of a Penobscot river weir is two
Or three 15-pound salmon week.
Though few shad are caught now and
then, and though a dozen or more drop
in nearly every tide, the labor of keep
ing night watch, the expense of re-
pairing weirs and boats, and mending
marlin, and the general watchfulness
which are required in order to make the
business a success do not yield sufficient
returns to warrant the erection of new
Weirs.
The best customer for the Penob-
scot salmon fishermen is the United
States fish hatchery at Orland, which
buys 1850 to 1900 salmon year, pay
ing few cents above market price for
live fish. These salmon are kept in
tanks until November, when they are
stripped of their eggs and milt, marked
with a number and dated tag, and
turned loose into the sea. Many fishes
have been caught four and five times,
though none Of them comes back to
the river until the second season after
being liberated. The young fry which
hatch in the winter are kept until the
next fall, when they are shipped to all
parts of the country. Many are sent
abroad in exchange for fish of other
species.-N. y. Sun.
\ Good Bird Dog.
Col. j. W. Barnett, in New Orleans,