The true Democrat., 1899-11-04

collecting and refining Gods liys
Acw having Its busy season, say
Philadelphia Times. Lofoten Is
brated the world over as point
which tourists may witness the
night sun, and because here also
be found that wonderful whi
which Poe made famous In his
scent Into the Maelstrom. .
the scandinayians the place Ia +,
ed chiefly because within rae "a
a few miles OF the Islands are ca
ell OF the goldfish from which m
OF gallons OF cod liver oil are
and sent all over the world to
OF building up innumerable run
Town" human constitutions. The cod
bsh arrive on the coast Of Norway dur
Ing January aud February and the run
continues until the cad OF April. The
Humber Of fish rivals that of the great
salmon runs on our own northwest
coast. Over 10000, 100000 eodazh are
estimated to have crowded into one
ford recently. Yet this was only one
sheal In hundreds. The average sea!
sons catch at Lofotea alone ranges
from 1e,o00,0 200 to S0,eoo 600, depending
not on the supply Of fsh but on the
variable weather conditions. II Is
probably the advantageous formation
Of the land that causes the fish to
come to Lofoten every year. The Lo-
fotep islands extend in a rocky chain
aleng the northwest coast Of Norway.
The arm OF the sea which divides them
from the coast Is called the Vestftora.
The islands themselves are separated
from one another by narrow channels
through which the sea rusbes with the
force CT torrent every time the tide
rises and falls. There are o few inlets
or small fjords which run inland from
the Vestfjord. 1t Is in these waters
that the. Goldfish come every year to
spawn. The fish generally swarm on
the banks surrounding the island, but
sometimes a shoal will wander into one
Of the inlets and then 1t is that ths
terrific crowding mentioned above oc'
:urs. The Ostnoesfjcrd Is an inlet nine
miles in length and one mile In width
The 10000, 100000 fish mentioned
crowded themselves into this narrow
strait and because Of lack of swimming
space were compelled to stay there
nearly three weeks. Between the deptl
Of sixteen and forty fathoms the asl
were packed together SO closely a.
to leave barely sufficient room to NOV
and the crews Of $500 boats were con
stantly at work hauling fish away
There may have been more than 10,
0o0,0oo,Q00 fish present, as this esti
mato is based on the assumption tina
each fish would monQpo!,zs ten time
It's bulk of water in WHICH to swim
although reliable witnesses state tia
none Of the fish could have had thi
amount at Its disposal. Thirteen mil
lion fish we're captured In the inle
before the school wes able to loosen Il
SELF from between the wedge forns
by the shores Of the inlat- and scusr
of to the deep sea. Meantime, how
eyer, hundreds of other fishing boat
were at work eapturing the cod, whic
were swimming in numerous schoo,
out by the islands. From this SON
estimate OF the remarkable Quantit
Of fish which come annually to Lofote
may be formed. One Of the remaTl
able features Of these fishing oper.
tlous IS that while the cod are ru
? ming no other fsh can be found on Il
coast. Whether they know enous
by instinct to leave before the cod al
pear or whether the school In its proi
ress .devours everything that comes
/. It's way Is not easily determined, b
: 1t Is Q fact that even the herring use
0 by the tishermea as bait have to |
: imported from distance. The col
dition, however. is very fortuna
one for the cod-liver oil manufactu
; eEs,