Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-04-21
Public Opinion on Iowa Subjects
as Reflected in the Iowa
Newspapers.
The News of Iowa From Hun.
dreds Of Different Towns
End Communities.
TRAIN LOADS OF DEAD FISH.

1 ind Communities.
i TRAIN LOADS OF DEAD FISH.
-[Star- Clipper.l
i Train loads of dead fish line the
banks of Hepkers lake just across the
river from Pslo. We say train loads 81
i fish ard that means a great quantity
| but nevertheless the dead fish are there
i to show for themselves. The lake /;
/ between two and one-half and three
\ miles in circumference and dead fish
/ are piled on top of each other the entire
| distance around the lake and the pile
| extends from the edge of the water
back four to six feet the entire distance
around. In places the fish are piled w
over 81 foot high. Just imagine wind
! row from four to six feet high AM
three miles long of dead fish piled on
| top of each other and think of the
thousands of pounds it would make
Every variety of fish found in the wa
| tiers Of the state is represented in this
pile. We saw bass that would weigh
six, seven and eight pounds each, also
buffalo and carp that would tip the
! beam at twenty pounds. Large catfish
croppies, sunfish. suckers, etc, We're
numbered among the dead. The fish
were smothered last winter, on account
of the lake freezing over early in the
winter and remaining closed all thru
the winter. Hepker's lake is not the
only lake that suffered the loss of fish
last winter on account of the same
cause. Every lake or pond with but
two exceptions for miles up and down
boht sides of the river suffered the loss.
~
THOSE APPROPRIATIONS.
Esprit Lake Beacon.l
The legislature recently adjourned
may be kept busy explaining why the
state levy has been increased to a
point SO per cent higher than ever
known in Iowa before. The extraor-
binary demand for extraordinary APP
preparations is only partially explana
tory. Hundreds of thousands had to be
appropriated to replace buildings de-
stroyed by fire. 1t was difficult to turn
down the old soldiers on the mona :.
ment petitions. Reasonable recognition
had to be given the enlarged demands,
upon state institutions. 1t was now or
never with the Louisiana Purchase ex-
position. and Iowa is the gem of this
splendid acquisition. But in view of
these and other demands from which
escape was practically impossible, was
it necessary to put up quarter of a
million for capitol decoration. needed
no more now than ten years ago? Was
it wise to give $4,000 for a stock pa !.
vilion at the state fair grounds? Was
1t timely to hoist SO many salaries so
many points? Was 1t expedient to do
the handsome thing so exceeding hand
some by the educational institutions
all at once? The Beacon believes iE
liherality within the bounds of discre-
ton in legislative dealing. 1t has no
time for the legislator or the agitator
who bowls for economy regardless of
legitimate demand. but in view of all
conditions it really would appear that
the twenty ninth general assembly has
been extraordinarily lavish in it's ex-
traordinary appropriations.
GLAD THE MISTAKE OCCURRED.
[Clinton Herald.l
The people of Iowa, residing along
the Mississippi river, are not sorry that
the Iowa legislature overlooked the APP
preparation of $4,000 for the protection
OF the game and fish Of Iowa. Outside
the salary of the game warden, about
$4,000 will be available, and 1t is hoped
this amount will be sufficient to pro-
tect the game of the state. During thu
PAST few years the commission has
been robbing the inland waters and
many protests have been heard. Now
that there is no appropriation for this
IL fSet, 10 %,lrA f,,o,
the Father of Waters, at least, until
another appropriation is made.
1t must not be inferred that the res
idents along the Mississippi river de.
Sire to see the game of Iowa unpro-
stected, for such is not true, but there is
a desire that the taking of the best
fish from the Mississippi river and car
rying them to the interior of the state
by the thousands be stopped. 1t has
been another instance of "robbing Pc
ter to pay Paul. and the people resid-
ing along the river have been given the
wrong end of the deal.
Anglers complain that since the
warden commenced to remove the fish
from the Mississippi there has been
a scarcity in this vicinity and that if
the practice were continued there
would be fish famine here in few
years.
We would much prefer that Game
Warden Lincoln remain idle for the
next year or two than to have him re-
move the fish from the Mississippi riv-
er.
THE PEARL BUTTON INDUSTRY.
dubuque Times.l
One of the gentlemen connected with
the local pearl button factory, in an in
terview relative to the pearl button in
dustry said:
The pearl hunters have already OPP
ened their season. They got out their
skiffs as soon as the ice went out of
the river. Already a number of fair
sized pearls have been found, and while
the majority of professional pearl
hunters will not arrive on the ground
unilt the last of the month, the people
in the vicinity of the pearl beds are
even now spending the greater part of
their time on the river, and in nearly
every instance their labors have been
rewarded by fairly valuable finds.
Pearl fishing is a lottery, however,
and the novice may be even more sue
cessful than the old fisher who has
spent years On the river For several
years the fishers have been steadily |
coming up the river from Muscatine,
Ia, to Praire du Chen and other points |
BY June / there will be fully 500 peo-
=.