The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-01-16
THE SALMoN'S LEAP.
A Spring of Eighteen Feet Recorded
by One Observer.

From Forest and Stream.
\ few years ago i'm iishermau's
nook in London we were discussing
the height to which a salmon could
leap, and an Englishman stated that
he had known salmon to make clean
leap of twenty feet perpendiCularly.
This was questioned by Il SCotchman
present who said that he had been on
many a salmon river, and had never
yet seen the salmon that could clear
ten feet perpcndicularly. Several diff
ferent views were expressed Upon the
subject, and since that time | have
taken occasion to measure falls in sew
eral rivers where salmon were leaping,
for the purpose of dete rmining how far
a salmon can leap.
The question allows of some elabora-
ton, and several important factors
must be taken into consideration. First,
the Characterization of the "take-On,"
or, i'm other words, the water from
which the salmon starts below the falls.
If he can start from quiet. deep pool
or eddy just below the falls, he can
make a much higher leap than if he
must start from broken water or shall
low water. In some rivers salmon are
much longer and slenderer than in 9TH
crs, and the slender salmon make much
higher leaps chan the more robust ones.
A fresh run salmon may be so fat that
he is clumsy, and not able to do his
best at leapirg, but after three or four
weeks spent in the river he may per-
form some remarkable acrobatic feats.
In the Washecootai river / have seen
salmon thrown back time and again
for leap Of about six feet, and do not
remember ever having seen a salmon
make more than an eight-fOOt leap in
that river on the Olomana ri'E'r
have seen salmon thrown back repeat
edly from a leap of ten feet, hut haV-
ing been foiled several times i'm sue
cession these fish jumped approximate
lY fourteen feet on two occasions and
sixteen feet in one Instance, while |
was watching them On the Kegashka
river | have seen salmon leap about
twelve feet, but in this could measure
the height of the chosen spot. ON the
Coal river, in Newfoundland. salmon
seem to have difficulty i'm clearing eight
feet of the fall, and this is due prob
ably to the character Of the rocks be-
meath the fall. but as the water from
NHlCI tHcy lSdpeu WAS Nnlle water |
could not see the character of the
"take-Off." On the north branch of
the Humber river salmon were Ieaping
very much higher with ease over falls
similar in character to those of the
Coal river.
The highest leaping that | have ever
| seen was on the first falls of the White
Bear river, in Labrador. The salmon
| in this river are not large, and the
| adult fish weigh quite uniformly from
! eight to ten pounds; but they are very
| slender and have tremendous broad
| tails. A photograph Of one of those
salmon OF ten pounds weight placed
| by the side Of sea trout of four and
a half pounds weight shows the breadth
| of tail and the more graceful outlines
| Of the salmon of this river. / meas,
ured the height TO which the salmon
| were leaping, approximately, by stand
| ing above the falls and letting my line
| run from the top Of the falls into the
| pool below, and this line was marked
| with knots three feet apart, so thai
while the distances were not measured
| accurately, / was able to determine
| that most of the salmon leaping in the
| falls at this point were making a lear
| Of about twelve feet. Salmon would
| occasionally leap far past this chosen
| spot into another chosen spot, which