The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-05-05
A ROYAL FIGHTING FISH
thoroughly Game Is the Salmon Of
Columbia River.
A Ten Minutes CONTEST with Him nm
exhaustive Experience for His
taptors-Athletic Feats of n Pfscs-
torini King of Northern WATERS

taptors-AthIetic Fenfs of m Pfscp
torini King of Northern Waters.
When the Royal Chinook. the creates, OF
! all food fish, enters the Columbia River
| from the Pacific Ocean at the end Of tho
month OF March the myriad gill nets and
traps stretched from the Oregon 10 the
Washington shore are not the only dan
gers he has to encounter.
On the Washington side. where the 90
iumbia and the Pacific meet. there is a
sharp spur of rock hanked by a beautiful
grove Of pine trees. This Is Fort Candy.
where the United States Government. has
made beautiful army post mt of a will
derness and where several batteries of ar
ttllery are constantly on duty The cliffs.
falling abruptly to the level OF the water.
shelNe OF at the surface and run out
level with II for a hundred feet washed
and left bare alternately bv the tide.
In this floor OF rock are numerous cir
cular holes, many of them four feet deep
and the same distance across With every
receding tide salmon are left nounderin,
and stranded in these holes. and IL You
happen to be sufficiently In the good
graces of the commanding officer of the
POST you can Chamber down the steep
sides of the cliffs when the base Of rock
is awash and enjoy Sport as exciting and
fi0Vei as any hunter might desire
The Royal Chinook often comes into the
Columbia weighing from forty to fifty
pounds. while some of the species reach
twenty pounds more. A strong, gamy fish
at all times, he is at his best when he
first strikes fresh water from the sea.
Even after a swim of hundreds of miles
up the river he is still able to leap straight
INTO the air and jump several feet sur
mounting swirling cascades and plunging
up cataracts as If his fins were wings
w hen he finds himself stranded in one OF
the Fort Candy water holes he has the
strength of a horse and is 10 mean on
poneHt even when his emery is armed
vantage above him.
stripped down to a bathing suit you scan
the holes from the top of the clir as the
1iae goes out, watching eagerly for the
commotion and impotent tail Tapping that
VIII give notice Of a stranded salmon
soon the signs appear, and. eager for the
battle. Tor II is a battle and no. q slaueIi.
Ter; you scramble down the side of the hin
ana pick your way carefully over the sim
perry rock Till you stand beside your fish
BY this time he is lashing himself lrIo a
fury. He sees your shadow and whit
round. faces the new and unknown dan,
ger. quivering along his whole lergth.
Ihen ne dives, using every inch of his
swimming room and seeking safely in con-
slant ana incredibly swift motion The
sandy deposit in the bottom of the hole
aids his purpose, and soon yqu have TO lie
nat on the rock and hang over the Edge of
ms prison to get a glimpse of him at an
Then he curls along the bottom a : oI,iefIv
as he can, and as the water rapidly clears
you see him in full view for the first time
II II you are out for butchery sSn may hack
MN TO pieces with your glff and bring Rim
70 the surface. a poor substitute FOR the
peautlfui and symmetrical creature Cf half
an hour before
But if you care for real sport you will
lay your gait aside within ca sy reach of
your hand, plunge into the water hole and
give him fair fight. To you there are
Two clements OF danger. his fins and giils.
that can rasp the body like saws. and his
tan, blow from which. if delivered with
the full sweep of his body, can knock
any man off his feet
The moment he feels by the displace-
ment OF water that some other body has
entered the trap he leaps straight up in
the air. rising sometimes fully a foot
ABOVE the hole. Once in great while he
fails on the slippery rock, and before you
can scramble out ard get to him with
your gan has beaten and wriggled his
way along to another hole But generally
he VIII come straight back to you again.
ana when he does you must be ready for
For the next ten minutes your
is exciting enough. for he is
never still moment. He does not volun-
tarily attack, but the confined space
makes every struggle for freedom an on
'lduSht. Your hands may grasp him fifty
lines. nut IL you are not expert enough
20 grip MS tail as he slips through your
lalms you cannot hope to kill him.
Uncle Sans artillerymen are for the
most part athletes, pretty well able to
'ide with and serve their guns for many
lol1rs at a stretch have seen more than
me of them so exhausted after a ten
minute fight with a salmon in these wa
er holes that they were pulled out by
heir comrades painting and trembling
ike children.
The Royal Chinook at bay is a wrestler
md boxer combined. His strength is mar
felods and ne is as rapid in his move
nents as an eel If, before exhaustion
'omeS to you, you can clutch and hold
lin long enough to run his head against
he side of the rocky basin and stun him
-ou have compassed his end in what is
considered at Fort Candy the true sport
ng manner All that remains 20 be done
s to throw him out onto the rock above
imp after him, and give him the coup
e grace with the gaff through bis gfIls-
he Chicago Record-Herald