The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-04-29

Accidental Discovery of EIectricfty's
Effect on water DenIzens.

Effect ON water Denlzens.
Copyright 1900 by r. L. Jones.
The use of a short section of the big
river as the path Of the return current by
those who laid ont a trolley liue on the
Upper Mississippi produced certain unex-
pected results that may lead to the regular
employment of electricity in commercial
fishing. 1t seems possible. even. that it
may yet be used in deep sea fishing thus
revolutionizing vast industries Soon
after the return current was first sent
through the river large numbers Of sup
posedly dead fish were seen floating on the
surface of the water. They attracted
some attention because Of their number
but for no other reason, since IL was not
then noticed that they were all within the
influence of the mystic current. Later 1t
was sent through portion of the river
further down, and again large numbers
of floating fish were seen. This time II
was noticed that as they floated down
stream and out of the electric influence,
they revived and swan away, apparently
as lively as ever This led 10 a series Of
experiments.
In the course of the experiments tte
electrical current was applied and then CUT
pearing at the surface of the water when
the electrical current was conducted
through the stream and only at such
times Some OF the fish were gathered.
and being taken out of the electrified wa
ter they revived almost instantly. Some
were made captives in small pools ani
kept, TO see If the effect of the electricity
was lasting at the end of a months cap
tivity they seemed to be as healthy and
active as ever 1t was as If the currsnt
anyway affecting them permanently
All Water Denizens Affected.
At the power house of the Inter-Urban
Traction Company of Minneapolis, two
large iron plates. each measuring about
six feet square, were submerged In the
stream. To one was fastened the positive
wire of a circuit, and to. the other the neg
alive wire, The plates were stationed
about fifteen feet apart. A current of 500
volts was allowed to pass between them
through the intervening water, and, as be-
fore, numerous fish came to the surface.
Moreover, frogs, muskTats, and all sorts
of living water deniZens made their APP
pearance on the surface in paralyzed
condition. but all revived, as the fish had
done, as soon they fioated away from
the electrical influence.
A later experiment on a larger scale
brought to the surface a 30-pound stur-
geon. The operators Of these experiments
| that were were captured In this opera
| ton Is was discovered that although the
electrical current had a paralyzing effect
| upon all water creatures, 1t did not have
| the least effect upon the human BODY.
| A hand was first put In the water eau
| tiously; there was not the slightest un-
| pleasant sensation. Bolder investigations
| when Ii was found that q man could swim
| in the stream and among the fish, col
| lecting them at will and yet surfer no
| shock whatever. This is believed TO pc
| due to the greater resistance of the cleo
| trio current furnished by the body of
| fish That the fish should be affected so
strongly is still little remarkable since
| by actual test It has been shown that
the body OF a fish has greater electrical
resistance than water.
Still the experiments mentioned hardly
| made electrical fishing practical, since
| fisherman can scarcely be expected to car
| nv around with him either a dynamo or
| power house. Certain experiments on
| NIlnnehaha creek have been more satisfac-
| tory from a practical view point. These
1 were made without power house or dyna-
| mo connection. A bank of five powerful
| gaiyanfc cells, and an induction coil were
| used These were connected to two small
| plates set about eight feet apart In the
| water, and every fish passing between
1 these plates came promptly to the sur
| face This same apparatus was tried
| later on small lake near Minneapolis.
| The fishing was done from two boats and
| It was found that the current worked sue
| cessfully with a range Of thirty feet be-
/ tween the plates, nearly sixty pounds OF
| fine lake fish being gathered in about
ten minutes time.
Very recently some experiments OF
| much large scale than any Of these made
| near Minneapolis have been made near the
works of the Westinghouse Company at
/ Pittsburg. On the Monongahela river
| current of 1000 volts was carried across
the stream, The result of this experiment
| was new in that II yielded the mud fish
| ond the animals that live in the bottom
| OF the river An immense muskailonge
was among the victims that were brought
| to the surface.
l. Deep Sen Fishing.
cit IS more than possible that deep sea
fishing may be carried on by this method
| much more easily and extensively than Vt
Now is., said Westinghouse engineer
] to the writer the other day. IF fishing
| boat were fitted out with the electrical
equipment that is supplied to any one OF
the big ships In the American navy, cleo
| trio fishing could be carried on very easily
at any place on the high seas. The wires
could be carried some little distance
from the boat and held In their place by
| floats, and the plates could be lowered
4 90 any desired depth"
II the fish of the very deep water were
| sought the effect of the electrical cur
rent would possibly be partly lost by the
time the fish reached the surface OF the
water. But even in such cases the fish
ing nets and sednes now in use could not
be applied. The FISH would be brought Oh
rectly to the fishermen, and the long wait
ins< which now makes deep sea fishing ex-
persive would no longer have 10 be en-
| dured.
Where extensive fisheries are now con-
Quoted along the coast. electrical fishing
could be carried on by extending live wires
from some power house at the nearest
town 10 the shore. The wires coud he
carried by boat to the pools were the fish
school and the plates submerged there.
BY such means the fisheries could be made
to yield meny times their present output
and the market price of fish would be
greatly reduced with as much profit as 1T
present 10 the fisherman.
i Such fishing is not now prohibited by