Year: 1874

| MIR. A. w. CHASE, of the United


States Coast Survey, in recent commu-


nication TO the California Academy of


Sciences "On Fishing by Means of Ex-
plosives," presented the following brief
| description of the method employed in
| this modern mode of sea-fishing Hav-
| ing rowed out in skiff from shore to
where the water was from six to eight
fathoms in depth, and where its clear


ness rendered the bottom plainly visible,


he would drop an explosive cartridge, the
fuse of which had been SO graduated as


to explode at point halfway between


the surface and the bottom. 1.-THE cart


ridge" he states, would slowly sink


generally in spiral-and few bubbles
of air or smoke arise to the surface
When the fire reached the illuminate of


mercury there would be sudden white
| flash, then quick, sharp detonation, the


blow striking the bottom of the skiff as


if some one had struck it with a hammer
Then, in a space of time varying from
eight to ten minutes, every fish within


radius of forty or fifty yards would slow
ly come to the surface. Those within


the immediate vicinity of the explosion


of course were killed by bursting the


bladder and injury to the large intestines,


and had to be speared up from the bot
tom. Those, however, at a greater dis


tance would be simply stunned, and


could be taken in with net. Care had


to be taken to avoid touching those only
slightly stunned until the net was fairly
around them, as the slightest blow
would arouse them from their torpor."


Following this description of the meth


cd is the following statement, for the
truth of which he vouches, and yet
which, according to his own admission,
might well be regarded as a genuine
" fishstory": al had brought up by an
explosion number of yellow bass fish,
weighing about four pounds each. These
are delicious in chowder; and SO, instead
of putting them in alcohol, had them
cleansed, which was done by scaling, re-
moving the intestines and cutting off the
fins and tail. The head, however, still
remained joined to the backbone These
fish, from the time they had been taken
from the water up to the time of clean
ing, remained apparently lifeless. Nor
did the removal of the intestines arouse
them. They were then taken up to the
old barracks, where l was Temporarily
campcd, and hung upon nails driven into
the clapboards. Some little time after
they had been disposed of, one of the
men came in and asked me to go out and
look at the fish. ! did so, and found
every individual bass slapping around in
as lively manner as if he had been
freshly caught and hung up. They had,
in fact, recovered from the explosion and
proceeded to die in the common fashion
took one down and broke the backbon
where it joined the head. Its struggles
ceased instantly, thus showing that the
vital force had been arrested in the nerve
centers and brain at the time of the ex-
plosion; and, when the effect had passed
away, that the fish had resumed gal
vanic life. 1t was probably about half
an hour from the time of explosion when
this occurrence took place. have not
been able since, however, to secure the
same result, although l must state that
the only time since then that have tried
the experiment was on the Oregon coast,
where brought up a school of salmon,
all of which were picked Tor Agassiz.
The fish were, however, too close to the
explosion, as they were killed outright"