454 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



■wrong billing of the crates could be rectified at Omaha, but matters were 

 worse from that point onward. The condition of things was as follows : 

 There were seven crates ; two of them (for Newcastle, Canada, and for 

 Bandolph, N. Y.,) I was to send from Chicago by northern routes 

 direct to their destination; the others, for Marietta, Penn., New Hope, 

 Penn., Baltimore, Md., Middletown, Conn., and Providence, E. I., I was 

 to take with me over more southern routes from Chicago, and send the 

 Baltimore and Marietta crates to Harrisburg, Penn., the New Hope 

 crate from Philadelphia, and go on with the Middletown and Providence 

 crates to New York, from whence I should send them to their respective 

 cities. This was the only plan which could be carried out with success. 

 Mr. Tracy, the Wells, Fargo & Co's. agent at Sacramento, billed some 

 of the crates locally, i. e., to be rebilled at every change of railroad or 

 express company, and some he billed through to New York City. The 

 billing, though he emphatically assured me it was right, was apparently 

 indiscriminate. One of those which I wished to send from Chicago was 

 locally, and one through billed ; three of those which were to go over 

 the southern routes were through, and two of them locally billed. Those 

 through-billed must all go to New York City by northern routes, and then 

 come around to Baltimore and their other destinations. This is because 

 the southern routes from Chicago are run by the Adams Express Com- 

 pany, and the northern by the United States and American Express Com- 

 panies ; as the Adams runs only from Chicago, the other two receive the 

 express at Omaha, and carry it by their own northern routes. I must, in 

 some way, have all together with me, that I might attend to them. They 

 could not all go by the northern routes, because the Baltimore, New 

 Hope, and Marietta eggs would surely perish before getting to New York 

 City over northern routes and around again to Maryland and Pennsyl- 

 vania. There was only one way to do : they must all go the south- 

 ern route from Chicago, billed or unbilled ! The route from Omaha to 

 Chicago was also quite doubtful. The United States and the American 

 Express Companies both run into Omaha, and receive, from the Union 

 Pacific, express alternately, one receiving the locally and the other the 

 through-billed express." 



"The temperatures of the crates Saturday evening were 42° to 50°. 

 The night was going to be very cold and I had much ice in the car. The 

 messenger was willing kindly to go without a fire for me, using my blank- 

 ets in addition to his own. An accident late at night delayed us five 

 and a half hours near Sidney, Neb., at which I had some thought of 

 telegraphing to Mr. Tracy, at Sacramento. Sunday morning, October 

 18th, the temperatures of the crates were between 40° and 4S°. 



" The crates were now kept full of broken ice. As this broken ice 

 rapidly melted, and the crates needed to be replenished often, I decided 

 that should the crates be obliged to leave me in divisions, it would be 

 much better for them to be packed with hay. The hay would keep them 

 much cooler and more moist, and hold the moisture from the meltiug 



