$66 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



I thought best to be sure of some at least, and so staid myself with 

 the fish on the shore for the first time, the men going out alone with an 

 empty tank, ice, and thermometer. As might have been expected, 

 they made a large haul of 139, mostly small, and lost all but twelve be- 

 fore getting back to the wharf. This rather disheartened them, but 

 after considerable argument they were persuaded to try again Thursday, 

 and very fortunately in the first haul we took seventy-five small bass 

 and six large, and succeeded in bringing every one safe to the tanks. 

 The tanks were thoroughly washed and filled with water, half from the 

 river, high tide, and half from a spring, with sea salt added. 



Thursday noon took the train from Red Bank, the tanks being ex- 

 pressed to the Grand Central depot, charge, $15. A large truck, and 

 three men from Adams Express Company, met the train at Jersey City, 

 and at five o'clock the tanks arrived at the Grand Central, and on ex- 

 amination only one dead fish was found. 



Finding that a baggage car was run through to Chicago without 

 change I made arrangements to have the tanks taken in that car, dis- 

 charged the boy I had brought from Red Bank to help, and congratulated 

 myself that I had one hundred and thirty-three small bass, alive and in 

 good condition, thirty-four medium sized bass, and four hundred and 

 fifty, more or less, small eels. The trip to Albany was uneventful, and 

 with the delivery of the fish I gladly relieved myself of the responsi- 

 bility that had weighed rather too heavily for comfort upon me during 

 the ten days of my service. 



As to scallops, Mr. Blackford answering to my telegram that it was 

 " impossible to get scallops," I started Sunday afternoon for Ca- 

 narsie, Long Island, the center of the scallop fishery. I took with me 

 " Uncle Dan," experienced in scallops and scallop-fishing. We arrived 

 at Canarsie about midnight, being obliged to walk the last fiye or six 

 miles. In consideration of a heavy fee, a man was found willing to un- 

 dertake the work of catching the scallop, but, after raking from three 

 until eleven Monday morning, we were obliged to return without as 

 much as seeing a single scallop. I sent a man to the very end of the 

 island to procure the scallop at the Grand Central Depot, Thursday. 

 The trip must have taken at least three days, and as I saw nothing of 

 him there his search must have been unsuccessful. About two weeks 

 earlier the scallop were plenty. 



The difficulty of obtaining the bass, requiring the services of from 

 four to eight men day and night for a week, made the expense of my 

 experiments more than it would have been under more favorable cir- 

 cumstances (as a week later in time), but I did not dare to relinquish 

 in the least particular lest I should lose all I had, and leaving the ac- 

 count to speak for its own necessity I respectfully submit this report of 

 my ten days at Red Bank. 



HARRY W. MASON. 



