The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-03-19

Saturday orders we're given to begin
! draining the upper lake, and Il was
thought that by Monday afternoon at ?
o'clock the water would have passed away.
except what was held in the lower depth
| right in the CENTER and that when the
| park commissioners went out at that hour
all they would have to do would be to cut
hole In the ice and rake out the fish.
| For this purpose they each went armed
| with a last years garden rake and a bas-
ket The first on the ground was Mr..
| Turkey.
What Is this?" he calculated, as he
| found lake from which the ice had
| dropped a distance of eight feet and was
Of the deep place" in the middle. where
are the fish?"
IAN under the ice, sir" respectfully re-
piled the landscape gardener touching his
cap to the park potentate.
That's queer" MIR. Turkey muttered,
What do you suppose they stayed out
there for? l thought when the water was
let out they would swim down to this
hn.e''
Fish always swim against the current,
SIR" responded the gardener.
1t was too true. When the water began
to go down every fish in the puddle began
making brave effort to get to the top
and the result was that between 100000
and 10000 fish were left high and dry on
the bottom around the edges of the pond
and the ice fell on them and killed them.
Fifteen minutes after Mr.. Turkey had
made his discovery the rest of The board
put in an appearance over the hill each
man carrying mis- garden rake and FISH
basket. They were speedily informed of
the way their plans had gone wrong. and
! the board stepped gingerly upon the ice
| and began making remarks.
May" said Mr.. Wharton, ''this Is all
your fault. You should have told us the
fish would swim up stream"
How did l know what your Omaha
wildcat and Dutch croppies would do?
growled Lew May, the state fish commits
sioner. "All can say is that If 1t had
been down at the state fisheries they
wouldn't have acted that way. My fish
are better trained and have better sense"
Then 1t must have been Adams fault"
and Mr.. Turkey glared at the inoffensiye
park superintendent who at that moment
| came sliding down the bank with a scoop
net in his hand. Here, Adams, this is
pretty kettle of fish you've got us into
What do you mean by such doings?"
The park superintendent dipped his net
in the pool and twisted it around a few
times before replying. but the only result
was the "riling' of the water and the
bringing to the surface of mud turtle.
Then he looked across the pavilion, then
took survey of the treetops of the park.
and at last, finding no other way out OF
IL, replied:
How under the sun would know that
the measly ice would cave in this way?"
Please, SIR said the landscape gar
dener, approaching and touching his hat
IT you will excuse me for taking the lib
erty of asking what do you wish me TO do
with the fish?'
I'VE were going to give them to the hos
pitfalls, weren't WEI" queried Mr. Whar-
ton of the other members of the board
Each man nodded an assent. No one car
ed to talk much then.
Then, sir,'f said Mr. Wharton, address,
ing the landscape gardener, "go TO the
corner drug store and telephone the hos
pitfalls of the city to come and get their
fish,"
park helper came along lust then
with an ak and began cutting away a hole
In the ice. The ice wasn't as tough as
cordwood, and in a few seconds he had
several yards of lake bottom exposed 10
sight. The board gathered around the
hole and peered into H. There were half
ton of bass and carp frozen fast in the
ice and mud.
"Its a regular Klondike" came from
the lips of every one present, and with one
accord they began turning over cakes of
ice along the edge and picking up the fish
lying beneath.
There Is one" said Lew May, picking
up ten-pound German carp, that put
in this lake myself three years ago. rec
Ognize IL by that spot on It's left shoulder.
And when / brought It here 1t was not
more than an inch long. How the chill
dren must have fed these fish during the
summer"
The carp was handled fondly by each
member Of the board, but as all could not
have IL. they decided to make present of
Il TO the reporter. Mr.. Wharton offered
to carry It as far as the car, bur when they
got to the edge of the lake decided that he
had to go another way and laid IL down.
The reporter then tried 1t awhile, but he
didn't seem to be very anxious about fish
just then, and as a last resort small boy
was given a nickel to carry 1t up to the
car for the crowd.
There is about an acre Of ground out
in that lake which Is covered with fish and
the fish covered with ice. The fish are in
fine state OF preservation. owing to hav-
ing frozen solid, and the park board gives
this notice 10 the public that all poor peo-
pie of Omaha who want mess OF fish can
have them by going with an ak and digging
them up. Attendants viii be on hand to
SEQ TO Il that no one carries away more
than enough for one family. The desire
Is to have the fish distributed among those
who need them. A man can secure any
number in a few minutes as ali he will
have TO do will be to cut a chunk Of ice
and pick up the fish.