﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  PISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  69 
  

  

  CLACKAMAS. 
  

  

  Acting 
  on 
  information 
  contained 
  in 
  the 
  report 
  of 
  Prof. 
  Barton 
  W. 
  

   Evermanu, 
  on 
  liis 
  investigation 
  of 
  the 
  lieadwaters 
  of 
  Columbia 
  River 
  

   Basin, 
  tlie 
  superintendent 
  was 
  iustructed 
  not 
  to 
  attempt 
  collections 
  on 
  

   the 
  Clackamas 
  River, 
  but 
  to 
  arrange 
  for 
  the 
  operation 
  of 
  a 
  field 
  station 
  

   at 
  some 
  point 
  on 
  Snake 
  River 
  in 
  Idaho. 
  Accordingly, 
  a 
  survey 
  of 
  the 
  

   grounds 
  was 
  made 
  during 
  the 
  early 
  summer, 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  decided 
  to 
  

   locate 
  the 
  station 
  near 
  Weiser, 
  as 
  a 
  larger 
  number 
  of 
  iishermen 
  oper- 
  

   ated 
  in 
  that 
  vicinity 
  than 
  at 
  any 
  other 
  point 
  on 
  the 
  river. 
  On 
  August 
  

   12 
  the 
  superintendent 
  transferred 
  the 
  regular 
  force 
  from 
  Clackamas, 
  

   together 
  with 
  the 
  necessary 
  supplies 
  and 
  apjjaratus, 
  and 
  arranged 
  for 
  

   establishing 
  the 
  station 
  on 
  an 
  island 
  in 
  the 
  river 
  7 
  miles 
  below 
  Weiser. 
  

   This 
  island 
  was 
  owned 
  by 
  Mr. 
  T. 
  L. 
  Westlake, 
  who 
  permitted 
  the 
  use 
  

   of 
  the 
  land 
  without 
  charge. 
  A 
  small 
  channel 
  which 
  divided 
  the 
  island 
  

   was 
  inclosed 
  in 
  wire 
  netting 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  jjenning 
  the 
  fish 
  taken, 
  

   and 
  a 
  current 
  wheel 
  was 
  erected 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  supply 
  w<ater 
  for 
  hatching 
  

   operations. 
  Considerable 
  difficulty 
  was 
  experienced 
  in 
  ]>rocuring 
  the 
  

   necessary 
  lumber 
  and 
  other 
  material 
  for 
  erecting 
  the 
  wheel 
  and 
  troughs^ 
  

   owing 
  to 
  the 
  isolated 
  situation 
  of 
  the 
  island, 
  but 
  by 
  August 
  28 
  ten 
  troughs 
  

   12 
  feet 
  long 
  had 
  been 
  constructed 
  and 
  a 
  flume 
  provided 
  for 
  conducting 
  

   the 
  water 
  furnished 
  by 
  the 
  wheel. 
  It 
  was 
  the 
  original 
  intention 
  to 
  use 
  

   tlie 
  wheel 
  simply 
  as 
  motive 
  power 
  for 
  operating 
  a 
  Chinese 
  i)ump, 
  but, 
  as 
  

   til 
  is 
  plan 
  jn'oved 
  to 
  be 
  impracticable, 
  the 
  pump 
  was 
  discarded 
  and 
  the 
  

   water 
  was 
  raised 
  from 
  the 
  river 
  by 
  buckets 
  attached 
  to 
  the 
  i»addles 
  of 
  

   the 
  wheel. 
  

  

  Arrangements 
  were 
  made 
  with 
  the 
  fishermen 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  to 
  pur- 
  

   chase 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  female 
  salmon 
  and 
  an 
  equal 
  number 
  of 
  males 
  at 
  40 
  

   cents 
  each, 
  the 
  fish 
  to 
  be 
  delivered 
  at 
  the 
  station. 
  From 
  the 
  reported 
  

   catch 
  of 
  the 
  previous 
  year 
  it 
  was 
  thought 
  that 
  no 
  difficulty 
  would 
  be 
  

   experienced 
  in 
  obtaining 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  brood 
  fish 
  desired, 
  but 
  as 
  the 
  season 
  

   advanced 
  it 
  became 
  api)arent 
  that, 
  owing 
  to 
  low 
  water 
  in 
  the 
  river, 
  very 
  

   few 
  fish 
  would 
  be 
  caught. 
  Mr. 
  William 
  O'Brien, 
  whose 
  fishery 
  is 
  ou 
  

   the 
  Oregon 
  side 
  about 
  2^ 
  miles 
  above 
  the 
  station, 
  and 
  who 
  expected 
  to 
  

   furnish 
  at 
  least 
  2,000, 
  delivered 
  by 
  September 
  12 
  only 
  50. 
  These 
  were 
  

   transported 
  to 
  the 
  station 
  in 
  live-boxes, 
  and 
  though 
  in 
  good 
  condition 
  

   apparently 
  when 
  received, 
  they 
  soon 
  developed 
  sores 
  and 
  fungus, 
  and 
  

   many 
  of 
  theni 
  became 
  blind. 
  They 
  commenced 
  dying 
  shortly 
  after- 
  

   wards, 
  and 
  by 
  October 
  1 
  forty-one 
  of 
  them 
  had 
  been 
  lost. 
  The 
  water 
  in 
  

   the 
  river 
  at 
  this 
  time 
  was 
  very 
  warm, 
  its 
  temperature 
  at 
  noon 
  ranging 
  

   from 
  70° 
  to 
  80'^ 
  It 
  was 
  then 
  arranged 
  with 
  Mr. 
  O'liricn 
  to 
  pen 
  the 
  fish 
  

   at 
  his 
  fishery, 
  and 
  although 
  they 
  did 
  better 
  at 
  first 
  than 
  those 
  trans- 
  

   ferred 
  to 
  the 
  station, 
  they 
  also 
  became 
  fungussed 
  in 
  a 
  short 
  time 
  and 
  

   many 
  died. 
  Most 
  of 
  the 
  quinnat 
  salmon 
  were 
  taken 
  during 
  September, 
  

   the 
  catch 
  being 
  at 
  its 
  best 
  about 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  month. 
  The 
  total 
  

   number 
  furnished 
  by 
  Mr. 
  O'Brien 
  was 
  IGl, 
  and 
  the 
  majority 
  of 
  tlicm 
  

   were 
  males. 
  During 
  the 
  month 
  of 
  October 
  64,000 
  eggs 
  were 
  secured 
  

  

  