1124 EEPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [4] 



not think it necessary to examine tlie fish or change the water until 

 we reached Saint Louis, where all the cans and buckets were overhauled 

 and the water changed except in the c'ra.tes containing 400 fish each, 

 which were left undisturbed until we reached Texarkaua. The fish were 

 all found to be in good condition and the change was made rather as a 

 precaution than as a necessity. At Washington I had placed 100 fish 

 in a 0-quart bucket as an extreme test. At Saint Louis these carp 

 showed signs of sufi'ering and were turned over to Dr. Steedman. From 

 Saint Louis seven buckets of fish were forwarded by express, to ap- 

 plicants in the first Congressional district of Iowa, who had been over- 

 looked in the previous distribution. They reached their destniation 

 safely, though two days en route and in very severe weather. 



On the 5th of January at 9 p. m. the car left Saint Louis by the Iron 

 Mountain route and reached Texarkaua the next day. On the way fish 

 were delivered to all applicants in Arkansas who were accessible, postal 

 notifications having been previously sent from Washington directing 

 them when and where to meet us. At Texarkaua a complete change of 

 water was made on all the fish. The three crates of 1,200 fish which 

 had not been touched since leaving Washington were found to be in fair 

 condition, though a few were dead and the remainder apparently weak. 

 They had traveled three and a half days Avithout any change of water. 

 The rise in temperature as we proceeded south made it prudent to 

 take measures looking to refrigeration. Application to the railroad 

 authorities procured a ton of ice, which was placed in the ice-chests, and 

 the refrigerator portion of the car maintained at a temperature of 50© 

 from that time onward until the distribution was completed. 



At Texarkaua I detached Mr. Moore with a supply of fish for Shreve- 

 port, Western Louisiana, and for such applicants in Texas as he could 

 reach conveniently by the route he traveled. Mr. Simmons was sent 

 with a supply for applicants along the narrow-guage road between Tex- 

 arkaua and Waco. 



After remaining at Texarkaua twenty-four hours in order to rest the 

 fish and to give due notice of our coming, we started Sunday morning, 

 January 8, for Sherman, Tex., delivering fish on the way to all appli- 

 cants in that section of the State. Moore rejoined the car at Dallas, 

 and Simmons at Fort Worth, while I proceeded from Sherman to the 

 Indian Territory to supply applicants in the Choctaw Nation, and re- 

 turned via Sherman to Dallas. 



Dallas being the point to which the express shipments were to be sent, 

 I had arranged to rendezvous the car and all the messengers there, and 

 thought it best to await the arrival of all the express shipments, as it 

 would be safer to transport the fish south in the car than to trust to 

 their being forwarded by express. The first lot forwarded from Wash- 

 ington came as far as Saint Louis in charge of Messenger Donnelly; 

 there the water was changed, and the fish expressed to Dallas. Don- 

 nelly remained at Saint Louis to re-ship subsequent lots, which followed 



