Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-07-19

why, CQe SCOFy VI IHc SdlAilOA 10 hA
epic in ITSELF You know they live
cycle Of four years, no more, always
returning to the waters of their nativ.
ity to die; and l have heard 1t said
that during one of those four years
they disappear, no one knows where,
reappearing out of the mysterious
depths of the sea as II at signal
They come by the legion, In countless
scores of thousands; and when once
they have tasted the waters of thsir
birth they never touch food again,
never cease their onward rush until
they become bruised and battered
wrecks, drifting down from the
spawning beds. When the call OF
nature Is answered and the spawn is
laid they die. They never seek the
salt sea again, but carpet the rivers
with their bones. When they feel the
homing impulse they come from tho
remotest depths, heading unerringly
for the particular parent stream
whence they originated. If sand bars
should block their course in dry sen
sons or obstacles intercept them, they
will hurl themselves out OF the water
in an endeavor to get across. They
may disregard thousand rivers, one
by one; but when they finally taste
the sweet currents which flow from
their birthplaces their whole nature
changes, and even their physical
features alter: they grow thin, and
the head takes on the sinister curve
of the preying bird"
II had no idea they acted that
way" said Boyd you paint vivid
picture"
That's because they interest me.
AS a matter of fact, these fisheries are
more fascinating than any place I've
ever seen. Why, you just ought to
witness the run These empty waters
become suddenly crowded, and the
fish come in great silver horde,
which races up, up, up toward deatn
and obliteration. They come with the
violence of a summer storm; like
prodigious cleaning army they swarm
and bend forward, eager, undertaking,
one purpcsed. It's quite impossible to
describe 1t that great silver
horde. They are entirely de-
fenseless Of course, and almost
every living thing preys upon them.
The birds congregate in millions, the
four footed beasts come down from
the hills, the Apaches Of the sea
harry them in dense droves, and even
man appears from distant coasts to
take his toll; but still they press
bravely on. The clank Of machinery
makes the hills rumble, the hiss OF
steam and the signs of the soldering
furnaces are like the complaint OF
some giant overgorgihg himself. The
river swarms with the fleets Of fish
boats, which skim outward with the
dawn to fit homeward again at twi-
light and settle like vast brood OF
white winged gulls. Men let the hours
go by UNDECIDED, and forget to sleep.
what sort of men do they hfre?
"Chinese, Japs, and Italians mainly
It's like foreign country here, only
there are no women. The bunk
rooms are filled with opium fumes and
noisy with clacking tongues. On one
side OF the village streets the
Orientals burn incense to their Joss,
across the way the Latins worship
the Virgin They work side by side
all day until they are ready to drop.
then mass In the street and knife
each other over their rival gods"
How long does it all last?"
"Only about six weeks; then the
furnace fires die out, the ships are
loaded the men go to sleep and the
breezes watt them out into the Aug
ust haze, after which Kalvik says
back into it's ten months coma, be-
coming as you see it now, q dead, de-
serted village. Stunned by man.
"Jove! you has a graphic tongue"
said Boyd, approximately. But / don't
see how those huge plants can pay
for their upkeep with such short
run"
well, they do; and. what's more,
they pay tremendously; sometimes q
hundred per cent year or more"
"Impossible! Emerson was now
thoroughly aroused, and Cherry con-
tinued:
"Two years ago a ship sailed into
port in early May loaded with an army
Of men, with machinery, lumber. coal
and SO forth. They landed, built the
plant, and had it ready to operate by
the time the run started. They made
their catch, and sailed away again in
August with enough salmon in the
hold to pay twice over for the whole
thing. Willis Marsh did even better
than that the year before, but OF