The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1903-09-18
Big Fish Story.

MI. Levi Hauden has Just return
ed from lengthy visit among his
children in Astoria, Oregon. Levi
has good reputatis for trnth and
veraclty In everything except fish
stories, but he comes back fortified
this time with numerous clippings
from the local papers which con
tain bigger stories than ever Levi
could dream of.
We give below one of the most
moderate ones. We do this for
Lewis protection, He is likely to
be mobbed for some of his big fish
stories unless he can be confirmed
in some manner. We have been
accustomed to hear fish estim ated
by the pound, but when it comes to
estimating catch by the ton and
hundred tons we are out of the
game.
"Several cannerymen,y yesterday dis
cussing the immense run Of salmon iD
the Lower Columbia, and the amount
caught last Saturday, ended by try
ng to figure up how many salmon
here W r. in the school which came
nto the Columbia in mass. asst
Thursday or thereabouts.
This first great haul was made on
| Friday. but still greater haul was
made Saturday, when 1t is figured
that at least 300 tons of salmon wee
taken between the mouth of the
river and Pillar Rock.
The combination cannery at. AS
toria, made up of four or i've Gamer
les united, took care of 100 tons of the
fish. most Of which were caught IN
the traps at Ilwaco, the remainder by
few seiners and gillnet men.
The catch by those supplying Pillar
Rock cannery amounted to fully 100
tons, not all of which could, however,
be taken care of. OF this amount, 40
IONS were taken by the Miller'S Sands
seines; 80 tons were taken at the
oliver Sands, 13 tons at TaylUr's
Sands, and Andrew .Peterson's seine
caught seven tons. There were two
>eines no: EsaJl from. aud aioug the
river were strung 100 giIInet men, who
captured Saturday all the way from
800 to 300 pounds each, which could
not be taken 10 at Pillar Rock can
merry, but went to the other Gamer
les scattered along the river. or
| these there are ii or 10 altogether.
several new ones haying been put In
this year. All of these got all the
salmon they could take care of, which
makes 1000 cases of can salmon per
day, requiring 80 to 30 tons of fish,
and besides all these, the cUld-stOrage
people at Astoria took care of a lot.
1t is estimated that 450 Tons Of sal
mon were caught out of the big school
Saturday, and therefore there must
have been thousands of tons In the
school. Such slaughter Of salmon
in one day was never known on the
Columbia, and certainly never on any
other river Most Of these fish, prac-
tically all were hatched at the hatch
cry on the Clackamas, and the poor
innOcents for some unknown reason
have been backing and filling off the
mouth of the river for month, and
then came In with rush, TO be
slaughtered as stated. l. must be un-
! derstood that this immense school Of
thousands of tons uf salmon consist
almost entirely of chinook, the best
kind Of salmon, all in the best posi-
condition.
AS speciman Of their quality, it
may be said that at Miller's Sands,
where 40 tons were caught Saturday
In four hands of a 6OO-fathom or 5000
foot seine, at one of the hauls Is tons
were taken, all first class salmon ex-
cept about ton of steel.heads, there
being no small young salmon or shad
in the lot. The chinooks ranged from
20 to 40 pounds In weight and aver
aged about 25 pounds each.
Before, about 100 or $50 shad per
day were caught, and few small
sturgeon, which we're thrown back
into the river, but when the great
main school Of chinooks came In
other fish got out Of the way.
After figuring up the catch Satur-
day at 450 tons and estimating the
school at thousands of tonsP the
cannerymen mentioned began to fig
ure what would have been the result
II all the school could have proceeded
in safety to their spawning grounds,
Each of the females would have de-
posted her 5000 eggs, this being the
number which the spawn Of a salmon
contains. II fair average of them,