REPORT ON SHAD-HATCHING OPERATIONS. 415 



water. The Laramie reserve bad a temperature of 02°, and the night 

 being very cold, the water in the cans dropped down to 60°. We built 

 a hot fire, howev'er, in the stove of the express car, and kept the tem- 

 perature from going any lower. We obtained a small supply of water at 

 Evanston, Utah, and as we descended Weber CaQon, approaching Ogden, 

 the weather grew warm again, and the anxiety we felt about the water 

 getting too cold was removed. We reached Ogden at 5.30 p. in., Mon- 

 day, June 30, and laid in a large reserve of water from Weber River, 

 which was very good, though roily. Here we left 5,000 of the shad in 

 charge of Mr. Kockwood, of Salt Lake City, for the benefit of Great Salt 

 Lake. 



We had previously passed through very cold w^eather, and at Bryan, 

 on the Rocky Mountains, there was even a slight flurry of snow, but on 

 leaving Ogden Monday evening the air grew still colder, the tempera- 

 ture of the cans dropped to 65°, and there was no stove in the car to 

 warm the air or heat water with. The air grew colder and colder, and 

 it soon became obvious that some unusual means must be resorted to to 

 keep up the temperaiure of the water in the cans. By telegraphing 

 ahead for hot water, and by heating an iron in the engine furnace, and 

 plunging it into a vessel of water, we managed, by incessant labor all 

 night, to keep the cans from going below 62°, but it was a close strug- 

 gle. The secret of the difiliculty was, that the warm water which we 

 obtained we could not depend on sufilicieutly to introduce it into the 

 cans, and only ventured to utilize its heat by placing a smaller vessel of 

 good water in the large pail of hot water, and letting it remain till it 

 became warm. Daylight and the warmer atmosphere that followed 

 were never more welcome than they were on Tuesday morning as we 

 emerged into then), finding ourselves about fifty miles over the iS'evada 

 line, with the shad in fine order, and now only five hundred and fifty 

 miles from Sacramento. We had been changing the water a little 

 oftener than every two hours night and day up to this time. We now 

 began to change the water almost every hour, and felt quite hopeful of 

 success. By utilizing the hot water which we obtained in various ways, 

 and by constant exertion, we were enabled from this time to keep the 

 temperature of the cans at a safe distance from the minimum limit of 

 safety, and taking on another large reserve, both of hot and cold water, 

 at Humboldt, at 7 o'clock Tuesday evening, July 1, we passed the night 

 safely, and found ourselves the next morning within the limits of Cali- 

 fornia, on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada, with all the shad in 

 first-rate condition, and only seven hours' run to Sacramento City. At 

 9 o'clock Wednesday morning we took on a small supply of water at 

 Alta, Cal., and reached Sacramento City four hours and a half after- 

 ward, with the shad as fresh and lively as when they were taken from 

 the shad-hatching boxes on the Hudson. At Sacramento City we met 

 S. R. Throckmorton, esq., chairman of the California State fish commis- 

 sion, and Mr. John G. Woodbury, the State fish-warden, Avho expressed 

 themselves wholly satisfied with the appearance of the young fish. We 



