50 THE SALMON FISHERIES. 
way to the lower falls, which are at low water 19}ft. high, 
and at high water some 5 feet or 6 feet less. Once in a 
way, in extremely high tides, a fish or two would contrive 
to scramble up the broken water on the left-hand side of 
the fall, where there are some broken ledges ; but the fish 
never got past the Collooney, or highest fall. 
“Mr. Cooper, having obtained an Act of Parliament for 
a ‘several’ fishery, and purchased up all the rights which 
could interfere with him, planned three ladders—one at 
the lowest, or Lower Ballisodare, fail; one (the upper 
Ballisodare ladder) at a place some distance above where 
there were a succession of rapids and small falls, which 
were not a very formidable obstruction ; and a third (the 
Collooney ladder) further up, where the falls, though 23 feet 
less than at Ballisodare, were so abrupt as to be quite 
impassable, being 16} feet high. After some failures the 
ladders were completed. Spawning salmon were put up 
above the falls, and the place to a small extent was stocked 
with ova. Smolts appeared, and went down to sea. In 
due time grilse returned, and year by year increased, until 
now the river has become a regular salmon river, and one 
of a most productive character.” In the year 1869 no less 
than 9750 salmon, worth, at one shilling per pound, nearly 
£ 3000, were taken in the weir below the lowest fall. _ 
The accompanying illustration shows the ladder by 
means of which the salmon are enabled to scale the lowest 
falls. The ladder is described by Mr. Francis as being 
divided into twenty stops, the position of which is shown on 
the plan. Its extreme length is 248 feet, so that, with a 
fall of 19} feet to overcome, the ladder shows an incline of 
1 in nearly 13. The side walls of the ladder are built of 
rough-hewn stone 2 feet thick for the most part, for it is an 
exceedingly substantial erection. It is 10 feet wide in the 
