﻿KErORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  91 
  

  

  body 
  weight 
  of 
  a 
  bouillon 
  culture 
  was 
  negative, 
  the 
  frog 
  showing 
  no 
  

   effects. 
  Trout 
  dead 
  of 
  the 
  disease 
  may 
  be 
  eaten, 
  after 
  ordinary 
  cook- 
  

   ing, 
  without 
  ill 
  effects. 
  A 
  cat 
  has 
  habitually 
  eaten 
  and 
  thrived 
  upon 
  

   the 
  fresh, 
  uncooked 
  bodies 
  of 
  the 
  dead 
  trout, 
  and 
  the 
  organism 
  is 
  prob- 
  

   ably 
  not 
  pathogenic 
  to 
  any 
  warm-blooded 
  animals. 
  Attempts 
  to 
  stain 
  

   flagella 
  have 
  had 
  negative 
  results, 
  and 
  the 
  species 
  is 
  placed 
  in 
  Bacte- 
  

   rium 
  and 
  named 
  tridtse 
  for 
  the 
  group 
  of 
  fishes 
  that 
  apparently 
  con- 
  

   tains 
  its 
  chief 
  hosts. 
  

  

  In 
  February, 
  1903, 
  in 
  response 
  to 
  a 
  request 
  of 
  the 
  Surgeon-General 
  

   of 
  the 
  Public 
  Health 
  and 
  Marine 
  Hospital 
  Service, 
  the 
  Commission 
  

   detailed 
  Mr. 
  F. 
  M. 
  Chamberlain, 
  assistant 
  on 
  the 
  steamer 
  Albatross^ 
  

   then 
  at 
  San 
  Francisco, 
  to 
  cooperate 
  with 
  the 
  representative 
  of 
  the 
  Serv- 
  

   ice 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  health 
  department 
  of 
  San 
  Francisco 
  in 
  a 
  special 
  inquiry 
  

   growing 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  efforts 
  to 
  eradicate 
  the 
  plague 
  from 
  the 
  Chinese 
  

   quarter 
  of 
  San 
  Francisco. 
  It 
  being 
  proposed 
  to 
  bring 
  about 
  a 
  whole- 
  

   sale 
  destruction 
  of 
  rats 
  in 
  the 
  sewers 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  poisons 
  (such 
  as 
  

   arsenic 
  and 
  phosphorus), 
  the 
  authorities 
  desired 
  to 
  have 
  an 
  assistant 
  

   of 
  the 
  Commission 
  keep 
  watch 
  at 
  the 
  outlets 
  of 
  the 
  sewers 
  to 
  note 
  

   the 
  effects 
  of 
  such 
  poisons 
  on 
  the 
  fish 
  life 
  of 
  San 
  Francisco 
  Bay, 
  and 
  

   if 
  it 
  appeared 
  that 
  injury 
  was 
  resulting, 
  to 
  suggest 
  modification 
  in 
  the 
  

   methods 
  of 
  procedure. 
  

  

  EFFECTS 
  OF 
  POLLUTED 
  POTOMAC 
  WATER 
  ON 
  FISHES. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  against 
  a 
  local 
  company, 
  charged 
  

   with 
  violating 
  section 
  901 
  of 
  the 
  code 
  of 
  the 
  District 
  of 
  Columbia, 
  

   this 
  Commission 
  became 
  interested 
  because 
  of 
  the 
  alleged 
  contamina- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  Potomac 
  River 
  by 
  refuse 
  from 
  gas 
  works 
  and 
  the 
  effects 
  

   thereof 
  on 
  fish 
  life. 
  In 
  November, 
  1902, 
  the 
  police 
  authorities 
  sub- 
  

   mitted 
  to 
  the 
  Commission 
  a 
  sample 
  of 
  over 
  20 
  gallons 
  of 
  water 
  from 
  

   the 
  Eastern 
  Branch 
  of 
  the 
  Potomac, 
  with 
  the 
  request 
  that 
  it 
  be 
  exam- 
  

   ined 
  with 
  reference 
  to 
  its 
  effect 
  on 
  fishes, 
  the 
  water 
  having 
  been 
  taken 
  

   from 
  a 
  point 
  near 
  the 
  place 
  where 
  refuse 
  products 
  from 
  gas 
  manufac- 
  

   ture 
  were 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  entering 
  the 
  river. 
  The 
  water 
  was 
  of 
  a 
  very 
  dark 
  

   color, 
  almost 
  black, 
  and 
  full 
  of 
  sediment, 
  a 
  considerable 
  quantity 
  of 
  

   black 
  tarry 
  mud 
  having 
  been 
  introduced; 
  an 
  iridescent 
  scum 
  was 
  

   present, 
  and 
  the 
  odor 
  of 
  coal 
  tar 
  was 
  very 
  marked. 
  

  

  About 
  6 
  gallons 
  of 
  this 
  water 
  immediately 
  poured 
  into 
  a 
  glass 
  

   aquarium 
  jar, 
  artificial 
  aeration 
  was 
  begun, 
  and 
  three 
  large-mouth 
  

   black 
  bass 
  about 
  6 
  inches 
  in 
  length 
  were 
  introduced; 
  these 
  were 
  dead 
  

   at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  forty 
  minutes. 
  A 
  control 
  experiment 
  of 
  three 
  bass 
  of 
  

   the 
  same 
  size 
  in 
  Potomac 
  service 
  water, 
  with 
  aeration, 
  was 
  carried 
  on 
  

   at 
  the 
  same 
  time; 
  the 
  control 
  bass 
  did 
  not 
  suffer. 
  In 
  each 
  experiment 
  

   described 
  a 
  corresponding 
  control 
  continued 
  throughout 
  the 
  experi- 
  

   ment, 
  unless 
  otherwise 
  indicated. 
  

  

  