944 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



loading into the car. The last wagons left the Fishery on Sunday noon, 

 September 24. At midnight of Sunday the eggs were all in the car 

 and everything ready for a start. Soon after this the car was attached 

 to the train, and the salmon-eggs were on their way to their distant des- 

 tinations. Thinking that, as this was the first experiment in transport- 

 ing the eggs in a refrigerator-car, it was more important that I should 

 go with them than to remain at the fishery, 1 accompanied the train that 

 took the car. 



]!^o one who has not gone on such an expedition can know the amount 

 of trouble that conductors and other railroad officials can cause a man 

 who has charge of it. But without enlarging on this topic, which might, 

 however, be made to fill a small book, I will say that at Sacramento, 

 where I received every attention from the Central Pacific officials, I 

 took on four more tons of ice, which was furnished by the Pacific Ice 

 Company at half their usual rates, and I left on the eastern-bound train 

 for Chicago at 3 p. m. on the 25th of September. Although extremely 

 hot at Sacramento, the air soon became cooler as we ascended the Sierra 

 Nevada. The ice in the car kept the eggs cool, and lasted till my arrival 

 at Chicago. We arrived here with the eggs in fine order at 3.45 in 

 the afternoon of Saturday, September 30, This being the most con- 

 venient distributing point for the eggs, I left the car at Chicago and 

 forwarded the eggs from there by express. I had previously tele- 

 graphed to the United States Express Company to meet the car on arri- 

 val with men. teams, and ice, for receiving the crates of eggs and for- 

 warding them on the 5.15 p. m. trains east. 



I take pleasure in saying that the United States Express Company 

 was fully up to the emergency, and although there was only an hour 

 and a half to spare, most of the eastern bound eggs were started on their 

 journey that afternoon. 



Unfortunately, from unforeseen circumstances, a portion of the eggs 

 had to stay in Chicago till the next Monday evening, when they also 

 were shipped to their destinatiocs. The two days that the eggs were 

 at Chicago were, however, fortunately, very cold, and they suffered no 

 damage, and all arrived at their destinations in surprisingly good order, 

 as will be seen by reference to the table &, which gives the number, 

 destination, and condition on arrival of each consignment. 



The work at the McCloud Fishery was left on my departure in charge 

 of Mr. Myron Green. This was no trifling responsibility, as it involved 

 the shipping of the New Zealand eggs, and the balance due at eastern 

 points, the taking to pieces of the bridge and dam, the shoring up of 

 the piers for the winter, the general packing up and getting ready for 

 the rainy season, the hatching and distributing of nearly 2,000,000 sal- 

 mon for the State of California, and various other work. Everything, 

 however, appears to have been well attended to. 



The California eggs were hatched out in fine condition. On the 7th 

 and 8th of October the New Zealand and Sandwich Island eggs, to the 



