Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1906-08-22
HOW TO KEEP FISH ALIVE.
Germans Discover Way to snip Them
Without Water.

Germans Discover Way to snip mem
Without Water.
Fish alive may now be received at |
any distance from the waters in
which they are captured. In other
words, the salmon of the Columbia,
the trout of Maine, the bass OF
Florida may be shipped to any part
of the United States with as great
facility as a bale of hay or & crate OF
oranges. And when the fish reach
their destination they are as lively
as if they were in their native ele-
ment, although they have not seen
the water since they were taken from
sea or river The possibility OF DO
ing this we owe to the Germans, and
in a recent lcsue Of Der Tag (Berlinl
Hans Dom. mix tells us how it may be
done. Mr.. Dom'nik says:
"A short time ago ! went to the
laboratory of Dr. Eugene Erlwein, and
this gentleman showed ME large
glass case which was filled with
shelves like a bookcase; on the
shelves / saw a large lumber of fish
of eyery variety. There were fat
carp and pink. trout and bass, and
other watery denizens. and they were
all well and happy-they moved their
ellis and fins exactly as il they
we're in the water, although they had
not felt this element for thirty hours.
The manner in which this was &C
complished was soon explained to
me-
Mr.. Dominlk says that the floor OF
the case was covered with a thick
layer OF damp cloth; this kept the
air in the receptacle moist, and the
gills of the fish in consequence never
became dry. But further investiga-
ton showed that the air In the box
was not air at all, but pure oxygen,
beside the case there was large steel
cylinder filed with oxygen. A tube
led from the cylinder to the base of
a jar filled with water, and another
tube led from the neck of the jar in
to the box containing the fish. Says
the writer:
"As | watched the apparatus | saw
the oxygen bubble through the water
of the Jar and then, after being sat
urated with moisture, pass into the
case. Ynt the oxygen in the case
was not stagnant; there was pipe
at one END which allowed the excess
oxygen to escape 1t was now clear
to me how the fish could be kept
alive and happy without water-the
oxygen passed through their wet
gills and into their blood in exactly
the same way as If they were in
water. while the carbonic gas from
their lungs was carried off with the
excess oxygen.
THE afternoon Of ny visit the lsh
were taken from the case and put In
the water For this purpose the
oxygen was cut off, the top of the
case unscrewed, and the fish thrown
| into tubs filled with water. 1t was
at once apparent that the treatment
had IN no wise Injured lhe creatures,
The tench Immediately became lively
and animated: the thick Polish carp
at first seemed a little dazed by the
pure oxygen. but after a few minutes
was thoroughly awake, the pike were
the slowest 10 react After a period
of ten minutes the pike were sun
sluggish. the oxygen tube was there
fore pushed under the water and into
the fishes mouths and when the
gas began to bubble through their
| gins the creatures were at once re
stored"
| Mr.. Domlnik says that in these
4 experiments the case contained three
! hundred-weght of fish, while the case
| itself only weighed one hundred
weight-thus there was only one
fourth dead weight. DR.. Erlwein has,
however, carried his experiments
further along this line, and he has
now patented a epsical FISH car for
use on railroads.; IN this car the above
principle Is used, but with slight
notifications. Thus the fish are
placed in a little water in the car