Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1904-08-11
Personal In nvesiisation OF Courier
Proprietor Shows That Sal
mon are Passing Dam.

quiyering in every nerve are thousands
Of lordly salmon working their way
uI through the rapid waters of Rogue
river, now and then meeting obstruc-
tions bat never loug delayed. At the
dam Of the Condor Water & Power Co.
at Gold Ray, they are to be seen IN
black masses congIegated in schools
until the river current is literally
packed with fish, at times their jag
ged fins protruding from the water
resembling a miniature mosquito fleet
with blackened sails. Here they lie
for hours and sometimes for DAYS
swimming back and forth studying
the situation before making final
dash to regain the higher water above
the dam. Many of them make frantic
leaps upward in vain endeavor to
rise above the 20 feet Of falling water
as it flows over the brink of the dam
only to fall backward and seek another
way over.
These fish are plainly seen from the
passing overland trains and many are
the remarks passed back and
forth among the passengers as to the
probabilities of the salmon ever pass
ing the dam. Many commented on
the awful destruction of salmon and
predicted speedy determination OF
all food and game fish in Rogue river
aud Others reported them dying by the
thousand
Having heard many tales of the de-
struction Of fish and read of the thous-
ands that are were dying at this dam,
and with a feeling of hostility TO-
ward corporation that would ruin
the fishing industry OF Rogue river
and deprive sportsmtn who come from
all over the country to cast their flies
in the RIFLES, of their sport, the Courier
proprietor made a trip to Gold Ray to
satisfy himself ON the fish question.
and spent the entire day there watch
ing the great big fellows lying at the
bed OF the river or crowding up under
the falls. All day long the fish were
there-just as many at night as were
there in the morning. A temporary
lishway or ladder is placed at the north
end of the dam and there was the in
teresting point. Salmon of all sizes,
many of them three and four feet in !
length were working their way upward |
through the swift water flowing over
the rocks and then entered tho ladder, |
an inclined trough o. fiume about four
feet wide and reaching from the top
Of the dam to pool of water below.
Within the fiume are crosspieces or
rests above which the salmon can stop
aud rest If necessary in their upward
way. In the early hours Of the morn
ing the fish can be seen emerging from
the upper end of the fishway at the
rate of from 100 to 200 per hour. This
continues until the heat Of the day
when the salmon run in fewer num-
bers. The place of those that go to
up the ladder is filled by the continu-
ous stream which comes up from be-
low. The greater number of fish go
up the regular fish way which is fed
by the water flowing through the
power canal aud mingles with the
waters of the river at 600 or 800 feet be-
low the dam. Here the fish have been
300 an hour going up the
canal During the early days of the
salmon run the fish kept pushing
up the main stream and on
past the regular fish ladder and would
not turn back. A picket fence was
built in the water at the entrance of
the iishway to compel them to turn
aside aud ascend the regular place pro- !
1ided for them. Something then, of
curse, had to be done for the fish al :
ready past this point, and men wefe |
Employed to scoop them up with dip
let and carry them up over the dam. =
This is hard work and | can testify 4,
hat salmon which when dead will /
weigh 80 pounds, will when caught in
net plunge about until his weight O
Gems double or treble. This process
vas also too slow and an extra 6sh :
adder was constructed for temporary s
lso. The company il now engaged in j
blasting out tishway in the bedrock Z
which will lead mp to the wooden. fish
adder and this will be replaced with :,
oncrete work. v
Everything possible has been done /
o assist the salmon in their journey a
o the spawning grounds and that the q
oports that fish are dying are circu. n
ltd by either people who pass by ON q
he trains and see the schools of sal.
non or by fishermen who have desire
o retaliate because they are made to .
bserve the law prohibiting fishing
within 600 fert of dam.
Any hostility | might have had tow. n
rd the company was changed to admi. V
alton for the enterprise they have ex st
ibiicd aud the splendid work they G
ave done. The dam which has taken ;
wo yc rs to complete, is u handsome h,
iyce Of work aud as solii and abiding Il
s the historic table rock which over. Ia
ladows IT, The dam is about 100 feet IN
D length, built in semi.circle with :
he bow extending up stream aud is 4
oustruotod Of solid concrete masonry
nd logs holted to the bedrock. The
ptcr falls over the iron covered brink
the dam in u solid mass 20 feet tail A
ma is churned into foam as It dashes
gainst the rocks below. From the n,
orth side Of the dam runs a canal 80 m
'ct wide with solid rock for Que side G
nd six foot concrete masonry wall
R fh. ytV.n .t.4. l..t ] 4