The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-07-19
PAGE THIRTEEN

the same time National and State
Fish Hatcheries on tho Columbia
river. We found. at the mouth Of the
White Salmon creek. an extensive
Indian village. populated with Multno-
mas, Kliokitats and Yakimas, rem
nants Of once mighty tribes; now an.
aggregation Of dirty, lazy, degenerates.
Seated on the bank, wrapped In their
faded blankets, they waited for the
U. 8. Hatchery Crew, to catch and
strip the ash of their spawn, then Civ
ing the fish to Indians, who cleaned
and cut the meat into strips. which
were suspended on poles. to be sun.
cured and fly blown. or hung over
smudge fires and swoked for winter
use. Their camp was overrun with
cur dogs and unsanitary papooses.
Many natives were SO old, their skin
had taken on the appearance Of parch,
ment. Inquiry of a natives age, eli
cited the answer, "Mebbe one hundred,
mebbe two hundred years old" They
certainly looked the part.
Continuously barefooted. the bottom
a dog. An old squaw stepped upon a
live coal of fire, when her attention
was attracted by the smell Of cooking
meat, she slowly moved her foot and
stepped aside. Royal Chinook Sal
mon, ascend the river in countless
numbers, 1mbued with the instinct of
production. Swimming against swift
currents, jumping and leaping over
cascades, to reach a spot where their
eggs can be deposited in fresh water.
Having spawned and milted, both male
and female sicken and die, never re-
turning to salt water. Young salmon
remain in fresh water until four or
five inches In length, at which time
they go out to sea, where they remain
approximately four years, then return
to their native waters to spawn and
die. Females dig their nests in gravel
beds, depositing eggs. which are fer
tilted by the male. who then covers
the nest with gravel. Salmon travel
ing up river. hug shore lines to avoid
again becomes apparent. Scoop or
fish wheels "a Columbia river product)
ARE located near the shore, to be turn
ed and operated by force Of the cur
rent. Fish swim into the submerged
box buckets.sto be raised and automat-
1cally emptied into receptacles. Carl
Shoemaker, State game warden of
Oregon, branded scoop wheels. legal.
when placed a distance Of 900 feet
apart. Those Cascaret wheels. work
ing while one sleeps, are most produc.
tive Of results. At one wheel, seven.
teen ton Of fish were caught, while
an adjacent purse net. accounted for
fifty ton in a single day. At the
mouth Of White Salmon creek, the
Hatchery crew had a swinging gate
fish could ascend through the trap, Blu,
1t was impossible to return. Fish
were then Melted, an incision made in
the belly exposing about two quart.
approximately eight thousand) eggs
about the size Of a pea, Of rich amber
color Stripped into shallow pans. the
ova was fortified with milt OF the
male, taken to the hatchery, where
about s5 percent Of the eggs prove fer
, tile, Matching In about so days. After
, stripping the fish were given to wait
!. ing Indians. Fish do not feed durins
the spawning season, the male be
. comes pugnacious. fighting a buzz saw
, If challenged. Salmon develop mar
.. Vicious strength. stemming the swift
est currents, with little effort.