Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1900-04-05
STRANGE ATLANTIC FISH.
Aquatic Specimens That Were SUPP
posed to BE Extinct Again Max
Ing Their Appearance.

Nearly Il years ago, in May, 1879,
Capt. Kirby, of Gloucester, Mass, in
command of the schooner William v.
Hutchins, was almost directly south
OF Nantucket seeking hakej and cod,
when his crew commenced to take
great numbers of "a strange and
handsomely colored fish, With the
conservatism that marks fishermen,
most of these strangers were thrown
overheard, but Capt. Kirby kept few
and cooked them for his own table.
He found it one of the finest fishes
he had ever eaten, and determined
to keep all that were taken there
after, so when the schooner came in
at Gloucester it brought some 1000
pounds of the new fish. Messrs.
Friend & Son bought the lot and dis
posed of their purchase in various
ways. Cnpt. Kirby sent one of the
fish to the National museum, where
DR.. G. Brown Goode md DR.. Tarle-
ton II. Bean examined it and pro-
nounced it a tile fish, but new
genus and species. The fine appear
ance of the new fish, it's delicious
taste and bountiful abundance seemed
to promise a valuable addition to our
food products, and Prof. Baird, then
United States commissioner of fish
and fisheries, was much interested in
this new factor in the resources of
the sea. -.....-'. ~
In 1880 the fish commission steamer
Fish Hawk was completed, and the
scientific exploration of the bottom
life off our coasts was begun with
facilities unattainable before 1t was
found that the coast fell away gradu-
ally until the water was about 100
fathoms deep, and then declined very
suddenly. To use Prof. Verrill's words,
the slope beyond the 1OO-fathom line
is usually as steep as the side of
great mountain chain and about as
high as Mt. Washington" Off the
southern coast of Massachusetts this
slope is very near the gulf stream,
and it has fauna unsurpassed in the
world in scientific interest. The gulf
stream brings stragglers from the
tropics md the cold arctic currents
bring beings whose normal habitat
lies in the polar region, and the re-
suit Isl a naturalist's paradise. The
tile fishes belong in warm water, and
the gulf stream was no doubt re-
sponsible for their being so far north.
For three yenrs the tile fish was a
source of wealth to the fishermen,
and then a sudden catastrophe be-
fell the industry, the exact nature of
which may never be known During
March and April, 1882, vessels enter
ing New York and other Atlantic
ports reported passing great numbers
of dead fish on the northern edge of
the gulf stream. They proved to be
tile fish, md investigation showed
that they covered an area 10 miles
long and % miles wide. The fish COM
mission chartered the schooner Josie
Reeves for an Investigating tour, but
the vessel returned without having
taken single specimen. This unpre-
| cedented destruction of animal life
attracted wide attention among the
| newspapers and scientific journals,
and from the data collected Capt. j.
w. Collins of the fish commission esti-
mated the number of dead fish at
ABS, 900, a number that would be
sufficient to give every man, woman
and child in the country 2SS pounds
of fish, allowing ten pounds to each
fish. Prof.Verrill attributed this de-
struction to very severe storm that
prevailed at that time and probably
drove the icy cold water near shore
into the area usually covered by the
warm water of the outer margin of
the gulf stream. Not single indi-
vidual seemed to have escaped, and
the tile fish was placed Professionally
in the list of extinct animnls.
On February 8, 1897, the 7S-ton
schooner Mabel Remission was over
taken by gale while on Georges
bank and was blown about 100
miles to the westward. The exact
position is not known, but it was
about 140 miles southwest of No
Man's-Land, when haddock travis were
let down in IS fathoms of water.
When these were brought in, 30 tile
fish, weighing from five to fifteen
pounds each, were taken and were
landed in Gloucester few days later.
In 1898 the fish were taken in con-
siderable numbers, and in 1899 they
were almost as abundant as ever,
many young specimens being found.
This latter point is important, as in
dicating that the fish are breeding
on their old. ground and are not mere
stragglers.
The determination and re-establish
ment of the tile fish is Of more than
scientific interest. The fisheries are
n source of great wealth to our coun-
try, and everything that can throw
light on them should be welcomed.
The mysterious destruction of these
fish points to q line of investigation
that should be encouraged, in the
hope that such catastrophe may be
averted in the future.-Boston Tran
script.
Incandcscent Lamps Used.
What is the annual consumption of
incandescent lamps in this country?