The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-01-29
WILD DUCKS DIE
IN WHOLE FLOCKS
Mysterious MaIady Affecting
Game Birds at Mouth of
Jordan River.
STORY IS FULLY CONFIRMED
TESTS BEING MADE TO FIND
CAUSE OF TROUBLE.

Thousands Of ducks have recently per-
ished at the mouth Of the Jordan river.
Thousands of ducks are dying daily and
acres and acres OF these birds are now
waddling about I'm a helpless condition.
with nothing but death before them.
Rumors to this effect were received in
Salt Lake on Saturday. and yesterday an
investigation on the part Of the local
sportsmen revealed that the rumors were
not only true. but the conditions were
even worse than had been first reported.
Director Hofling OF the New State Gun
club, in company with Steve IRE warden
at the club, who first brought In the re-
port. made the trip out there yesterday
morning, and when they returned about
noon they had six dead ducks and box
of twenty live ones which were fast near
ing the dying stage.
The story told by Hofing is one OF the
most remarkable and pathetic ever re
lated in the history of wild game in this
state.
Dying by Thousands.
eff all the liars in the state were TO
| come forward and tell weird tales OF the
! dying of ducks at the mouth of the river,
! they could not cOncOct a story that would
approximate the true conditions out
there. said Mr.. HOning.
! Il saw acres and acres OF ducks Wad-
ding helplessly about hardly able to walk
and not able TO fly
! Looking in every direction the banks
of the river and some distance inland.
! the snow was covered with dead ducks.
] On our approach the ducks would try TO
/ fly. Some would get a few yards and
others would drop dead after going few
/ feet
Opening box brought back with him.
/ he continued:
See for yourself could have just as
4 well brought I'm a thousand as these
/ twenty. Going down the center OF the
/ rix- xva oh
| boats and picked these ducks out OF the
water with our hands and I could have
filled the boat with them IN five min
utes."
Ducks of every Observation-Disclosures,
teal. pinheads, greenheads and all the diff
feTent kinds Of ducks known TO Utah-are
ito be found, and they all appear TO be sur
fering from the same cause. Those
brought into the city acted as If half
paralyzed otherwise appearing TO be in
the best Of condition
The news that the ducks had been
brought into the Western Arms and
Sporting Goods company's store quickly
drew crowd of SDOrtsmen and for the
remainder Of the day an effort was MADE
TO solve the mystery. Men who have
hunted ducks ali their lives i'm Utah wa
tiers and know their habits were utterly
at a loss to give a reason for the scondl-
ton which could be accepted by all
Sharp Says Starvation.
Uncle John Sharp. state fish and game
; warden. was sent for and said the ducks
were starving 10 death de said he had
seen the same thing happen at Fish
His diagnosis of the case was immedi-
ately disputed, some claiming 1t was ar
senic or copper in the river from the Bing-
ham mines and shelters
Others said it was the fumes from the
smelter smoke.
Still others asserted that the ducks were
! freezing to death, while not few claimed
ffs
Game Warden Sharp declared that none
Of these conditions prevailed at Fish
Springs, and yet the same thing happened
out there
such sportsmen as Cal Callison. w. II.
Parker and Captain 1. n. Barratt would
? not for minute accept the starvation
theory. These men claimed a ducks nat
r ural instinct would make him leave FOR
better feeding grounds and that the ducks
. would fly to the waters OF the Cur o.
Mexico if necessary, to get food
An examination Of the ducks brought in
! showed that some OF them were so poor
} their breast-bones could be used as 2
paper knife. while others were as fat and
: plump as any bro Killed IN me niloule g, ol
> the season. Feeding those brought TO Tho
city was then tried. Some of the ducks
would eagerly grab the food put before
them and others would not touch H.
ure Says Plenty Of Feed
Steve IRE. warden at the club declares
il is not starvation, as there is plenty Of
food He says that he placed some wheat
! out near his residence at the club and fol
four DAYS two of the ducks slowly wad
died over and ate heartily. The fourth
day a large greenhead started for the food
t and got within about ten feet Of II, wher
[ he suddenly tOppled over and died.
, Those who hold 10 the starvation theory
! claim that as the duck law in Idaho
: wyoming and Colorado has not expired
I vet. the ducks OF these states are flock
e ing to Utah They are not mOlested here
{ at the present time, as the season CLOSED
= on Jan. l and the large flocks have dev
{ astated the feeding grounds.
Against this argument is one that Il Il
only at the mouth OF the river where tn
ducks are dying.
Mr.. Rudy, OF the Rudy Sloughs Duel
= club. heard Of the trouble and came I,
e the city yesterday. He said there wer
. lots of ducks at his place. but that the!
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