REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 125 
\obtained from Mr. W. D. Rea, of Edenton, who had captured the fish 
between April 15 and 20. 
~ On June 9, fishing operations being concluded, the equipment was 
‘returned. The Commission is indebted to Messrs. J. K. Rea & Bros. 
‘for courtesies. As these parties are on the lookout for a recurrence of 
‘schools of spawning fish it is believed that data may yet be obtained 
\as a result of the inquiry. 
| DISTRIBUTION. 
| In addition to the regular work of distribution, the special cars were 
‘more or less engaged in transferring live material, marine and fresh- 
water, to the World’s Fair, Chicago, Ill., for fish-cultural and aquarial 
exhibits made by the United States Fish Commission. In obtaining 
this material the several stations of the Commission and the steamer 
|Fish Hawk were drawn upon, salt-water specimens being secured on 
the Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific coasts. The special cars, each having a 
‘crew of 5 men, were as follows: Car No. 1, T.C. Pearce in charge; 
No. 2, G. H. Lambson in charge; No.3, R.S. Johnson in charge; No. 
4, ¥. P. Hagen and F.C. James in charge. 
During the year the car service was enlarged in efficiency by the 
purchase of a new baggage car, afterwards equipped with a special view 
to the character of work to be performed. The demand for this increase 
arose from the fact that there had been a large growth in the number 
of hatching-stations, while transportation facilities had remained the 
same. Car No. 4 was purchased from the Harlan & Hollingsworth 
Company, Wilmington, Del., March 1, 1893; its length is 55 feet 7 inches, 
its width 9 feet 9 inches. Its entire cost with the special equipment 
was about $4,500. It was fitted with new approved couplers, conform- 
ing to regulations of the railway service. The special equipment for 
moving fishes consisted of four cedar tanks, each 4 feet in diameter, and 
two others of the same material 8 feet in diameter, all being about 2 
feet in depth. These tanks were bolted to the bottom of the car, and 
provided, at first, with canvas covers to prevent the wasting of water 
and undue agitation from which fish would receive injuries. Subse- 
quently the canvas was removed and in place of it gratings of wood 
provided. The gratings were made with narrow openings about oune- 
fourth inch wide, and were held in position by wedges supported on 
cleats. When the tanks were filled the surface water was just even 
with upper surface of gratings. By means of this appliance the water 
was not only restrained from wasting and from violent agitation, but 
was also aérated. After the tanks had been placed in position they 
were sterilized by means of steam. 
The steam plant consisted of an upright boiler and duplex air pump, 
the latter from the New York Air Brake Company. The aération of 
water in the tanks was effected by air circulation, the first application 
to the transportation service, derived from the air pump and introduced 
into tanks by means of rubber tubing attached to iron piping. The 
Separation of the air current into minute bubbles was effected by forcing 
; _ 
