REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 49 



Car and Messenger Service (J. F. Ellis, Superintendent). 



In July cars Nos. 2, 3, and 4 "were placed in the shoi^s of the Harlan & 

 Hollingsworth Coraj)any, Wilmington, Del., where theywere repainted, 

 revarnished, and generally overhauled. A new steel range was placed 

 under car 'No. 4, a iiermit having been obtained from the New York 

 Board of Bailroad Commissioners to use a range of that character in 

 the State. In December Allen paper wheels were placed under tins 

 car, as many of the railroads object to hauling a car equipped with iron 

 wheels. During the month of ^N'ovember car No. 1 was thoroughly 

 repaired, painted, varnished, and a new tin roof put on. It was also 

 equipped with a storage tank of GOO gallons capacity, pressure tanks, 

 new boiler and circulating pumps, and connections were made for 

 hatching apparatus. 



Trout, salmon, etc. — The first work undertaken was the continuation 

 from last year of the distribution of fingerling trout from the North ville 

 Station. This was finished by car No. 1, which made two trips, trav- 

 eling 1,100 miles and distributing 6,500 trout, with a loss of 325. The 

 distribution at Green Lake was commenced on October 1 and finished 

 on November IG, the output consisting of 30,023 trout and 53,015 

 landlocked salmon. Car No. 4 made seven trips in carrying tliese fish, 

 traveling 5,318 miles. The number of trout lost was 1,525 and the 

 number of salmon 946. Car No. 3 made the distribution from Leadville, 

 commencing October 27 and finishing December 4, during which time it 

 made five trips, traveling 8,818 miles. The number of trout moved was 

 53,424 and the total loss was 351. The largest number taken on one 

 trii) was 16,000. The trout distribution from Neosho Station was begun 

 December 11 and completed on January 30, the number of fish moved 

 being 63,190, ou which there was a loss of 4,430. The number of trips 

 made was ten and the number of miles traveled 9,8G2. 



Considerable difficulty was experienced, as heretofore, in moving the 

 rainbow trout. Various experiments were made in order to remedy 

 this trouble, but without avail. The car captains received instructions 

 to conduct a series of experiments with the view to determining the 

 best temperature in which to carry them, and to ascertain, if possible, 

 the cause of the large losses. On car No. 3 they were carried in water 

 varying in temperature from 40 to 60^, and on car No. 2 from 35 to 55°. 

 The loss on car No. 3 was the same in all cases, but on No. 2 they did 

 better, apparently, at a temperature varying from 40 to 42^. The dif- 

 erence in loss, however, was too slight to justify the conclusion that 

 the temperature of the water was the cause of. death. Mauy other 

 theories have been advanced, but the evidence furnished is not suffi- 

 cient to account for the loss. 



The trout distribution from Wytheville Station was made by cars 



Nos. 1 and 4, and lasted from December 9 to February 3, 80,460 fish 



being moved, with a loss of 6,358. The number of miles traveled was 



9,026. Between March 26 and June 22, 1,634,000 trout fry were distrib- 



F. E. 95 4 



