STONE OVERLAND TRIP WITH LIVING FISHES IN 1879. G39 



in making this enterprise a success, and they are entitled to a large 

 share of whatever credit there may be in introducing lobsters for the 

 first time into the Pacific Ocean. 



The first difficulty to be encountered, viz, the tendency of the ocean 

 water to become foul in the tanks en route, was overcome, as above men- 

 tioned, by letting the water stand long enough to clear itself of animal 

 life. 



The second difficulty of keeping the water cold in the tanks without 

 introducing ice into it, I resolved to meet by using a variety of coolers 

 formed by the mixture of melting ice and salt. I tried three methods of 

 using the freezing mixtures: (1.) Putting the ice and salt in large stone 

 jugs and hanging the jugs in the tanks ; (2.) The regular ice-cream-freezer 

 plan of putting the freezing mixture in a vessel surrounding another 

 vessel containing the water to be cooled; (3.) Filling a large earthen 

 drain tile with the freezing mixture and keeping it in a reserve tank of 

 water from which the water, when cool enough, could be exchanged with 

 the warmer water in the lobster tanks. 



All three varieties worked very well, and were employed for nearly 

 the whole trip, the ice-cream -freezer method, however, being found to 

 work the best in actual practice. 



After completing my preparatory arrangements for the care of the 

 lobsters in transit, I procured some lobsters of Messrs. Johnson, and in 

 order to test the efficacy of my plans I subjected the lobsters for a fort- 

 night, as nearly as practicable, to the very conditions which they would 

 encounter on the journey, and for this purpose I kept men watching 

 them and dipping the water in the tanks every fifteen minutes, night 

 and day, for fourteen days. The result was very encouraging, and gave 

 strong hopes that the lobsters would reach the Pacific Ocean alive. 



For the eels I am indebted to the courtesy of Mr. Seth Green, who pro- 

 cured 3,000 from the Hudson River and delivered them at the Albany 

 depot, charging for them only the cost of getting them and delivering 

 them. They were brought to the depot by Mr. E. L. Marks, to whom 

 our acknowledgments are due for the valuable assistance rendered by 

 him in loading our freight into the New York Central train on the night 

 of the 12th of June. Besides these eels, we took five or six hundred 

 which Mr. Mason brought with him from New Jersey. , 



I ought here to mention that Captain Vinal Edwards, of Wood's Holl, 

 Mass., very kindly consented at my request to furnish eels for the expe- 

 dition or to assist in any way he could, but owing to the eels being other- 

 wise provided for, Captain Edwards was not called upon to supply them. 



The black bass were furnished by Messrs. Stone & Hooper, of the Cold 

 Spring trout-ponds, Charlestown, N. H. 



It was intended to also take scallops and carp, but scallops were out 

 of season and could not be found, and Professor Baird, who was to fur- 

 nish the carp, concluded to send them at a more convenient time of the 

 year. 



