The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-07-24
GREAT SEEMING IN
THE MISSISSIPPI.
Wanton and Illegal Destruction of
Fish Life.
DONE DURING THE NIGHT HOURS
Asa Means of Revenue the Seine Is
Admirable, One of Them Sup
porting Five Families, and
Costs Only Zen Dollars.
DONE DURING THE NIGHT HOURS

iI-kh \ WILLIE, WIS, July 12.-Bathing
IN the dark has many Vaccinations not
possessed by bathing in the daylight
The soft 0usk, the simmer Of stars, The
gentle FLASHING Of the river, half seen only,
Inc cooIheSs that is absent from the day,
the ar OF romance that seems irsepaFab:e
Iron summer nights, all go to make 1t
distinctive and pleasant. Every good
lh4fS that is TO be said of going swim
ming by night is 10 be said OF sGining on
the Mississippi River, and the latter pu1'-
suit has features that are not common TO
other things.
Seining is doI:e after dark in this locality
because of the law which forbids il F4sh
taken In this manner are said 10 be better
food. just as Il stolen watermelon has q
plendtude OF juice and an amount OF
sacchaIire matter not to be found III any
other melon. Those who do the seining
are professional fishermen, assisted by such
visiting amateurs as Ike fun and arc not
prescriptions as TO what does or does
not constitute sport. It is cold work j, the
early spring. for then the water is cooled
by the melted SHOWS above St. Paul and
The ice of Itasca and its sister lakes. but
in July thera is no risk OF chill and no
aftermath of rheumatism. As some Of the
river fish viii measure six feet in length
and weigh a hundred pounds or more the
tniTIe of which the seine is composed must
be of the strongest. Even with the best
and heaviest material some giant swimmer
occasionally breaks through. leaving a hole
a yard square, and through this. with IN
strinctive ability 10 find their way out, the
other fish rush, leaving a water haul.
MEANS OF REV INUE.
AS n means of revenue the seine in the
summertime is an admirable thing. One
Of them total cost. SOD viii support five
families leaving the girls with money
enough 10 buy an occasional new calico
rrrvlo
chase alcohol by The gallon. which they
drink sometimes neat and sometimes with
an adnxture Of - per cant. of water. 1t
Will support them on three hours OF labor
three nights in the week and surely no
independent American could ask for an
easier job. All Of the Northwestern wa
ters Of the United States, whether they
be river or lake. TEEN with fish. and the
Mississippi in this respect is one Of the
richest Of them. i IS not an unusual
thing for single haul Of the seine to pro-
duce 300 pounds Of saiabLe fish al five cents
a pound. There have been instances OF
Inuch larger catches, but that Is a large
haul. The average Of hauls would be
probably in the neighborhood OF flfty
pounds. and rs twenty casts are sometimes
made in a night. The return IS considerable.
The fishermen are put TO no trouble with
their product The take is not c-eaned n
any way. Almost everybody along the
river puts up ice III l4ie MlLlttl LII. ~
I7erryyhle man or woman has good deal
20 contend with in the way of lack OF rapid
transit modern sewerage, electric lights.
fine cookery. churches theatres, and such,
but ice he or she has Tor the asking Ih=
fish are Immediately dumped into one Of the
:cehouses long before daylight. when the
game warden may be proving about.
They are covered a foot deep with sawduSi
and there they lie until the commission
merchant IN Chicago has sent his order
by wire.
DIVIDING THE CATCH.
The method of dividing the catch among
the seiners is peculiar. When the work of
haulinE has been done and Il huge pile OF
filmed things lies upon the bank one or
the members OF the party walks twenty
yards away turns his back and stands in
the dark. silent. Another lifts fish.
holds 1t up and calls ''Whose?" The man
at distance names Tom or Dick or
Harry ana the fish IS placed apart for
that worker This is kept UP until the
entire p lie IS divided. There is no chance
to sw ndle, and the seiners grouped about
the big pile have the added excitement of
gambling with the certain knowledge
that the game IS fair Each of them is
provided with q round pole. a half inch
in diameter and four feet long. These
poles are painted III variety of colorS;
some saltdly. Others showing many hues.
The caiorS Of each man are as well known i
as the colorS of the keene OF the Whitney
stable. The sticks are used 10 mark the
piles OF fish buried under the sawdust IN +
the icehouse 1t is A. matter OF honor, oil :