The Republican journal., 1915-02-04
Walter NJ. Bracket,
The Noted Artist, 90 Years Old and an
Ardent Fisherman.

the country is Walter M. Bracket of
Boston, the artist painter Of fish, who is
contemplating another journey into the
wilderness of Canada this summer,
whence he has gone each year for near
" so years. There is nothing in the
world of sport that has the lure and the
charm that salmon fishing has for the
venerable painter, who carries his years
lightly and is clear-eyed and robust, as
he must be to withstand the rigors of the
trips he makes in the hunt for the fish
that are by no means easy to land. The
grip of his hand is steady and strong and
he feels that there are good many trips
ahead of him.
The call OF forest and stream is SO COM
polling that MIR. Bracket, the oldest
salmon fisherman in the United States,
would probably answer it if he were
obliged to go on crutches. 1t is no Won
der he is the idol of amateur fisherman,
rs he has long since been of artists.
Up in the top of the building at l54
Boyiston street where he has his studio
and makes his home, a representative of
The Boston Herald found him the other
day smoking a meerschaum pipe that is
just beginning to round out nice color
ing.
''Hello, young fellow, how are your
was the CHEEKY greeting of the dean of
salmon fishermen. Don't mind walk
ing up several flights of stairs, do you?
don't it gives me little exercise, but
some of you young chaps blow pretty
hard when you reach the top landing"
he went on to say with a twinkle in his
eye.
A few minutes chat with the man
who says that he is 80 years make one
feel that he is talking to strong-willed,
strong -lmbed, clear minded and stout
hearted man, who enjoys hearing joke
as much as would 20 yearold.
HAS ONLY ONE REGRET.
Mr.. Bracket says that he has for
years regretted that he did not keep
journal of his wanderings along the
streams and in the forests of Canada, for
he says they would provide mighty inter
esting reading now when hunters and
fishermen travel and live in comparative
luxury
He was the first citizen of the United
States to apply for the lease of river
in Canada for salmon fishing. In 1869 he
made application to the Canadian govern
ment for the lease of the Restigouche
river, the headwaters of Bay Chalure
between the provinces of New Bruins
wick and Quebec. 1t seems that a few
days before the American applied for the
river Sir Alexander Mckenzie, Scotch
man, had put in an application for the
same body of water, and his being filed
in advance, the Scotchman was given the
preference. MIR. Bracket, however, was
given lease of tributary streams of the
Restigouche at rental of 500 year,
and afterward, he says, he was not sorry
for III ho h1l did sol,
having been abundant there. In II days
he killed SO salmon, the average weight
of which was % l-2 pounds. Afterwards
he became very friendly with Alexander
Mckenzie and they fished in each others
waters as much as they desired.
Mr.. Bracket says that lease of those
waters at the present time, fish being
as abundant now as they were then,
would be worth between $40, 900 and
$50 900 year. He subsequently fshed
in the Casquapede river, which, he says,
was one of the finest fishing grounds to
be obtained, the fish there averaging
from % to 80 pounds. He says that in
the early days Indians were allowed by
the Canadian government to spear fish in
certain parts of the Restigouche, which
now is one of favorite places of multi
millionares, many of them being Amer
leans, Mr.. Brackets lease having ex-
pired for fishing in the Casquapede, he
went to the Gaspe for a couple of years,
then to the Marguerite river and there
he has fshed for 40 years, having missed
only two seasons In all that time. He has
a camp on the river bank and the artist
says that it is one of the most beautiful
spots in Canada. He usually spends from
six to eight weeks there and at the pres
N 7 ip1a hhr ,of fCv.
ed from his of several Americans and
some of them are Bostonians.
TURNS EXPLORER FOR WHILE.
One of his liveliest experiences and one
which he likes 10 talk about was that
during the time he held lease of the
tributaries of the Restigouche he want
ed to explore the head waters without
the assis lance of Indian guides. So he
secured large scow, such as were used
by lumbermen, placed his friends and
plenty Of provisions aboard, and two
horses toWed the scow "a miles into
the wilderness. In only two places
were the horses obliged to swim the
waters and he made nearly 20 miles
day. After having arrived at his des-
tination he put the horses on board the
scow and drlfted back from whence he
started and the journey took four weeks.
One OF his red-letter days in camp was
IL years ago, when at 4.30 in the after
noon he said to one of his friends that he
must go out and Kill fish. He said that
he poled up the river, killed eight sal
mon, the combined weight of which was
213 pounds, and returned to his camp in
time to have supper in daylight.
The biggest salmon that Mr.. Bracket
killed weighed Al pounds, and, of course,
he had to have photograph of it. He
has reproduced that fish on canvas many
times. Mr.. Bracket was born in Unity,
Me-, and left his birthplace with his par
ents when 9 years old, and located in
Lynn. His father was an inventor The
sportsman went to Cincinnati in 1887,
and after having passed six years in that
city he came to Boston, living here ever
since. Mr.. Bracket was the second
president of the Massachusetts Fish and
Game Protective Association, the organ
ization that week or SO ago had him as
one of the honored guests and then made
him life member
''And don't forget to say" said the
old fisherman as the newspaper man
arose to depart, that salmon fishing is
the king of sports
100000 HOGS LOST.