﻿LXX 
  REPORT 
  OP 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  resulting 
  from 
  tbern 
  appeared 
  strong 
  and 
  liealiby 
  until 
  they 
  were 
  about 
  

   two 
  weeks 
  old, 
  when 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  them 
  were 
  affected 
  by 
  a 
  disease 
  

   which 
  had 
  never 
  occurred 
  at 
  the 
  station 
  before. 
  Its 
  first 
  indication 
  

   was 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  a 
  small 
  white 
  spot 
  on 
  the 
  yolk-sac, 
  followed 
  by 
  

   an 
  unnatural 
  position 
  of 
  the 
  tish 
  in 
  swimming, 
  the 
  body 
  being 
  held 
  

   perpendicular 
  with 
  the 
  head 
  near 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  water. 
  As 
  soon 
  as 
  

   death 
  resulted 
  the 
  yolk-sac 
  would 
  burst. 
  All 
  the 
  fish 
  aifected 
  in 
  this 
  

   way 
  were 
  liberated 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  possible. 
  

  

  About 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  December 
  a 
  consignment 
  of 
  3,000,000 
  salmon 
  eggs 
  

   was 
  transferred 
  from 
  Battle 
  Creek, 
  California, 
  being 
  shipped 
  by 
  rail 
  to 
  

   Oregon 
  City 
  and 
  thence 
  to 
  the 
  station 
  by 
  wagon. 
  The 
  eggs 
  arrived 
  in 
  

   excellent 
  condition, 
  and 
  by 
  January 
  25 
  they 
  had 
  finished 
  hatching. 
  All 
  

   but 
  500,000 
  of 
  the 
  fry 
  were 
  liberated, 
  just 
  before 
  the 
  absorption 
  of 
  the 
  

   sac, 
  in 
  Clear 
  Creek 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  natural 
  spawning-grounds 
  of 
  the 
  salmon 
  

   in 
  the 
  Clackamas 
  River, 
  within 
  a 
  range 
  of 
  2 
  miles 
  up 
  and 
  down 
  stream. 
  

   Those 
  retained 
  at 
  the 
  station 
  were 
  fed 
  on 
  finely 
  chopped 
  beef 
  liver 
  and 
  

   on 
  chopped 
  fish 
  when 
  liver 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  obtained. 
  The 
  rate 
  of 
  growth 
  

   was 
  rapid. 
  On 
  March 
  10 
  the 
  total 
  weight 
  of 
  1,000 
  of 
  them 
  was 
  1^ 
  

   pounds, 
  and 
  on 
  May 
  31, 
  when 
  the 
  last 
  of 
  them 
  were 
  planted, 
  the 
  weight 
  

   of 
  the 
  same 
  number 
  was 
  3 
  pounds. 
  They 
  were 
  liberated 
  in 
  small 
  lots 
  

   from 
  time 
  to 
  time 
  during 
  the 
  month 
  of 
  May, 
  and 
  the 
  total 
  loss 
  on 
  the 
  

   500,000 
  retained 
  amounted 
  to 
  11,400. 
  

  

  The 
  only 
  serious 
  loss 
  in 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  mortality 
  resulting 
  from 
  the 
  

   disease 
  referred 
  to 
  above 
  occurred 
  on 
  November 
  26. 
  There 
  were 
  in 
  

   the 
  hatchery 
  at 
  that 
  time 
  600,000 
  fry 
  in 
  excellent 
  condition 
  when 
  the 
  

   watchman 
  left 
  the 
  building 
  at 
  5 
  p. 
  m. 
  On 
  the 
  arrival 
  of 
  the 
  superin- 
  

   tendent 
  two 
  hours 
  later 
  all 
  of 
  them 
  were 
  dead. 
  As 
  no 
  one 
  had 
  access 
  

   to 
  the 
  building 
  and 
  as 
  the 
  water 
  supply 
  was 
  in 
  free 
  operation 
  it 
  was 
  

   evident 
  that 
  some 
  poisonous 
  substance 
  had 
  been 
  introduced 
  into 
  the 
  

   water 
  before 
  it 
  entered 
  the 
  hatchery, 
  by 
  some 
  ill-disposed 
  person. 
  

  

  Specimens 
  of 
  the 
  dead 
  fish 
  examined 
  by 
  a 
  chemist 
  in 
  Portland 
  showed 
  

   the 
  presence 
  of 
  lime 
  and 
  salt. 
  Salt, 
  except 
  in 
  large 
  quantities, 
  is 
  not 
  

   injurious 
  to 
  fry, 
  but 
  experiments 
  by 
  the 
  superintendent 
  proved 
  that 
  

   young 
  salmon 
  in 
  flowing 
  water 
  can 
  be 
  killed 
  in 
  a 
  very 
  short 
  time 
  by 
  

   the 
  introduction 
  of 
  limewater 
  or 
  small 
  pieces 
  of 
  fresh 
  lime. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  spring 
  the 
  wagon 
  bridge 
  across 
  Clear 
  Creek 
  was 
  rebuilt, 
  

   and 
  the 
  mess-house 
  and 
  fences, 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  damaged 
  by 
  high 
  water 
  

   during 
  the 
  previous 
  winter, 
  were 
  repaired. 
  

  

  Salmon 
  River 
  Station. 
  

  

  The 
  site 
  selected 
  for 
  the 
  establishment 
  of 
  the 
  auxiliary 
  station 
  was 
  

   on 
  a 
  small 
  island 
  in 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  Salmon 
  River, 
  about 
  35 
  miles 
  

   from 
  Clackamas 
  Station 
  by 
  wagon 
  road. 
  As 
  the 
  salmon 
  spawn 
  in 
  that 
  

   river 
  much 
  earlier 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  Clackamas, 
  the 
  rack 
  was 
  put 
  in 
  during 
  

   the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  June 
  and 
  arrangements 
  were 
  made 
  with 
  Mr. 
  J. 
  J. 
  

   Pankey 
  to 
  furnish 
  ripe 
  salmon 
  at 
  50 
  cents 
  each. 
  Immediately 
  after 
  

   the 
  completion 
  of 
  the 
  rack 
  an 
  open 
  shed 
  was 
  erected, 
  the 
  necessary 
  

  

  