The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-05-20
FISH EXHIBIT AT BUFFALO.
4 fGLI1fPSE BEHIND THE SCENES {f TO-DAY.
How the Fish arc Cared For-Onc Meal
 Day-The Hospital.

Day-The Hospital.
 Many and varied are the guesses of
 visitors to the fisheries exhibit at the
 exposition as to how the bits of ocean.
 lake and brook, with their tenants of
 fish, look behind the scenes. There are two long corridors in the fisheries wing sof the government group, one side of
 each of which is lined with glass-front-
 ed tanks of fish. One corridor is given
 up entirely to fresh water fish. The
 other Is divided between salt and fresh
 water fish. These tanks are from five
 to seven feet long. two one one-half feet ! high, and the bottom is a little above s,the level of an ordinary mans waist.
 They seem set into the wall like pie
 ture in a frame. There has been much
 conjecture by the crowds as to whether
 there is one continuous volume of water
 for each corridor, separated by screens
 so as to prevent the mixing of fish in
 different tanks, or whether each tank is
 complete in itself. Queries are also fre-
 quently made as to how the fish are fed,
 for from the outside they seem to be
 completely boxed in.
 R. J. Conway, who is in charge of the
 exhibit, took a reporter for the Buffalo
 Express behind the scenes yesterday
 afternoon at feeding, which is between
 three and half-past four o'clock. Will
 Paden, an intelligent negro, who has
 been with MT. Conway to many exposi-
 tions, carried the feeding tray. An as-
 cent up few steps took the party be- hind the curtain in the western corridor, and all guessing stopped. Imagine
 semi-circle of stationary tubs, each con-
 rected with network of pipes and
 hoses. The tubs are three feet deep.
 Some are five feet long, others are sey-
 en feet. They are five feet idle at the twop. Two feet of space separates
 them from each other. The back of each slopes in so that the bottom is but two feet wide. The back and sides are of two-inch plank. The front is the plate glass through which the crowds in the corridor below look. The inside of the wooden part of the tub is smeared with asphaltum. Set in ce- Iment on the inside of the back wall of each tub are pieces of rock, artistically arranged so as to represent an uneven surface of the bottom of the sea or lake. On the level bottom gravel is spread. The water comes within an inch of the top of the tank, which Is left uncovered, except in the case of some of the gamy trout. A light netting is then used. Just inside the gallery partition and about foot above the top of each tank, run the supplH pipes, iron for the fresh water and hard rubber for the salt Three soft rubber tubes carry the water to each tank. One, a full-sized stream, flows into the side of the tank just above the bottom. The two others, pin streams, flow into each end at the top. The three keep the water in the tank in circulation. Just below the one and one-half inch supply pipes is a small half-inch iron pipe, containing compressed air A small rubber tube carries air to the bottom of each tank, causing a constant succession of tiny bubbles. The air purifiessthe water. Near the top of each tank, a rubber hose, inserted in the side, carries off the | stale water. The salt water is sent | down to the basement to be filtered and | used again. The fresh water goes into The sewer.
 From the narrow platform running along the back of the tanks one may look down and see the fish playing about in the water But the view is not as clear as from the corridor. An odd | thing about 1t is that one above cannot zee beyond the glass into the corridor. Neither can a person in the corridor see above the surface of the water in the tank. The feed for the fish IS thrown nto the top of each tank, and gradually sinks toward the bottom. Most of 1t is yobbled up before it gets within a foot if the bottom. Few of the fish will eat he feed after 1t strikes bottom. Yes erday afternoons bill of fare for the ish consisted of finely chopped beef liv- 1T, ground beef, chopped beef, small lices of beef an inch long and half an nch square, chopped clans and small tubes of pike perch. No one tank re- ,eives more than one variety.
 MT. Conway himself fed the fish. He )egan with the tank containing the salmon and lake trout. He hrew small handful of chopped beef 0 them. Most of the fish remained azily at the bottom. "They haven't be- ome accustomed to their new quarters 'et, and it's hard to get them to eat" xplained Mr Conway. You won't see my feed strike the bottom of the next anlK." The next tank contained rain- LOW trout, a mountain stream species rom California. About four thilnble- ills of clonned liver were thrown tn he score or so of fish, and not bit of 1t ouched the bottom.
 "Just wait until the water gets lit- le warmer and those trout will throw he spray all over me when they feed" aid MT. Conway.
 After throwing feed into some of the ther tanks, Mr. Conway walked over to
 long wooden trough in corner Here is our hospital" he said. Two or hree white fish, some perch, grayling -out and steel head trout were float lg about in the water. Some bore gly scars on their bodies. They re- aived them accidentally in the tanks. thers were sick. T give some of them alt baths, other alcohol bhths," said IT, Conway. Sometimes INgive salt ub. I save many fish by these simple lethods.'' MT. Conway then returned the regular row of tanks. He threw small handful of liver into the abode the adult brook trout, three years Id and over. Next he fed the year. ng brook trout. "The yearlings are le most ravenous of all said MT Con- ay. The Lochleven trout received ,opDa1 baaf tO oo to tha hot tom bafDra