The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1904-10-25
F|SHO|STR|BUT|NC
CAR WAS IN CAIRO
Yesterday With a Cargo Of The
Finny Tribe
FISH SENT TO PAOUCAH
AND OTHER TOWNS SURROUND
ING CAIRO, BUT NONE WERE
LEFT MISREPRESENTATION
or THE CAR.

ell States Bureau OF Fisheries ar
rived in the city yesterday morning
and stood on the Illinois Central
tracks below the Halliday hotel for
several hours.
Mr.. William 4. Smith of the United
States Fish station at Bellevue, Iowa
was in charge of the car and kindly
explained to Bulletin reporter the
method of gathering. Matching and
distributing young fish by means OF
these special cars.
Distributing Cars.
There are six of these special cars
now i'm the service of the United
States bureau Of fisheries. The one in
Cairo yesterday was the first ever
constructed for this particular pur
pose, the gathering, Matching and dis.
tribution of young fish, anI went into
commission in the late eighties Since
that time these special cars have be.
come invaluable in the stocking and
distribution of young fish in the lakes,
rivers, bays and inlets of the coun.
try The distributing car is about
the length of tho average Pullman and
carries a crew of three men and
cook. In the front end of the car
is cozy little office, neatly furn.
iehed, and everything necessary Is
convenient. This apartment serves as
an office during the day and bed
nj. "a mn 10
up in the manner of the motern Pull
man sleeper In the rear end Is an
up-to-date kitchen, range OF good
size, and everything arranged In first
class order, the fittings being similar
10 that on the modern dining cars
Immediately adjoining the kitchen
Is the pump and boiler room anthra
cite coal being used in generating the
steam to operate the air and water
pumps.
THE Young Fish"
The middle of the car is most inter
osting. Along the sides are refriger
ators or vaults, in which the fish cans
are kept. One hundred fish cans con
a certain number of fish, and the
greatest care Is taken of them. In
each fish can Is a rubber hose con
nected with the air pump, by means
of pipes running beneath the false
steel floor of the car. On the end OF
the hose is sort of nozzle, with three
or four small holes in II and each one
of these holes is filled with small
wooden plug, about onefourth of an
inch in diameter. The air is pumped
through the air pipes and hose to the
nozzle, which is kept beneath the sur
face of the water in the fish cans
The air is gradually forced through |
the pores in the small wooden pluga |
into the waier and keeps the little |
Ash well supplied. The air pump IL |
kept going night and day to supply |
the fish with air. Were II stopped |
for fifteen minutes and the fish thus
deprived of air, they would all die in
a very short time.
Water and Temperature.
The water i'm the fish cans is
changed twice day, fresh water be
ng pumped in at the same time the
stale water is being removed. by
means of syphons. The temperature
If the water is regulated according to
he season Of the year and the car IL
supplied with pipes for this purpose
)n the present trip the water is kep;
il a temperature of 60 degrees. and
t is therefore necessary 10 keep ice
bout the cans most OF the time
Fish Hatehed En- Rcute.
Sometimes large numbers of fish
ggs are carried and hatche1 en- route
This is generally the case when shad
nd fish of that variety are being dis
ribnted. Underneath the false fioof
( the car is a perfect network of air
nd water pipes used for various pur-
oses
History Of Fish Bureau.
In the early seventies. the United
tates Bureau Of Fisheries was a part z
T the navy department. Later on its
Importance caused it to be designated
s a separate department and the {
niied States fish commissioners :
ere appointed and these officers
Iade a study of the many varieties {
I fish found in the waters IN and
,ntiguous to the United States. The :
apartment grew and developed. ana :
Ie freshwateT lakes and streams and
,dies of salt water contiguous TO the
nited States are nov kept well sup =
led with game fish. There are nov y
relve large government; fsh hatcher u
$ located in different parts Of the .
Iuntry.
The New Department.
About = year ago the government o
lTeau Of fisheries was placed under \
2 new department Of commerce and .
Dor. organized by the president ard u
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