786 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



a rack had beeu built across the river, aud the dwelliog-house had been 

 begun. 



A large amount of work had beeu doue also toward obtaining a water 

 supply by placing a dam across Clear Creek, 100 rods from its mouth. 

 The original intention was to lay the foundation of the dam on bed-rock, 

 and then to build up to the height required to convey water to the 

 hatching-troughs. ' 



It soon became evident, however, that the bed rock lay deeper than 

 was supposed. Two gangs of twenty men each — a day gang and a night 

 gang — were put on the work, aud a great efibrt was made to reach the 

 bedrock, but without success, and on the 18th of August it was found 

 necessary to abandon the place altogether and to resort to some other 

 method of raising the water. 



On the 29th of August, Mr. Adair, president, Mr. J. W. Cook, vice- 

 president, and Mr. Megler, secretarj'^ of the Oregon and Washington 

 Fish Propagating Company, visited the place, and authorized the build- 

 ing of a dam by contract aud the purchase of steam-pumps to furnish a 

 reserve supply of water in case of emergency. It was ultimately found, 

 however, that these could not be furnished for less than $5,275, and 

 such an expenditure not seeming to be warranted by the circumstances, 

 I was then authorized to raise the water by a current-wheel. Work 

 was immediately begun on the wheel, which was finished on the 22d of 

 September. It was several days before the elevator and shore attach- 

 ment were completed, so that it was not till the 25th of September that 

 the wheel-work was complete, and a permanent supply of water fur- 

 nished for the hatching-house. In the mean time, work on the other de- 

 partments had been prosecuted with energy; the hatching-house was 

 fitted up with eight lines of troughs and wire baskets, each line having 

 a hatching capacity of a million eggs. A substantial flume had been 

 built from the wheel to the hatching house, aud everything put in 

 readiness for the transfer of the salmon-eggs from their temporary po- 

 sition in the river to the regular hatching-trays. 



We will now go back to the middle of August, iu order to get a 

 thorough comprehension of the progress of the season in regard to the 

 salmon and salmon eggs, which, of course, are the central objects of 

 the whole work. Up to that time no salmon of any consequence had 

 made their appearance in the river in the vicinity of the hatching- 

 works. Occasionally a straggler had beeu seen below the rack, aud 

 that was all j but after this time more and more ajipeared every day, 

 though still iu very small numbers. There were, nevertheless, enough 

 to show that the movement of the salmon which immediately precedes 

 the spawning-season had begun. Accordingly, on the 1st of September 

 we made a haul with the seine a short distance below the rack. A few 

 salmon were caught, but they appeared to lack a week or two yet of 

 being ripe. The salmon caught at intervals during the next ten days 

 presented the same appearance, though we, of course, naturally enough 



