XXIII.—REPORT ON THE PROPAGATION OF PENOBSCOT SALMON 
IN 1880-81. 
By CHARLES G. ATKINS. 
1. IMPROVED FIXTURES. 
The disaster of August, 1879, whereby we lost nearly all our breeding 
salmon, had taught by a severe lesson that nothing less than a very sub- 
stantial structure could be relied upon to withstand the force of such 
floods as occasionally swell the volume of even so small a stream as 
Dead Brook. Accordingly, the first business of 1880 was to construct 
two stout barriers to our inclosure, one at the upper and one at the lower 
end. Heavy piling was driven across the stream to secure against un- 
dermining, and this, cut off at the proper depth below the surface to 
avoid impeding the current, formed the foundation of a superstructure 
of stout sawed slats, which were inclined to the stream and surmounted 
by a walk on which workmen could pass constantly to and fro to clear 
the rack of rubbish. The lower’barrier had, in addition, a capacious 
swinging gate for the passage of loaded boats, and was secured by a 
heavy ballasted pier in mid-stream and a pavement of heavy boulders 
on the muddy bottom on the lower side to prevent washing away, and 
though the substratum is so soft that piles driven into it 20 feet rise 
with their own buoyancy as if from thin porridge, unless ballasted, 
there is good reason to believe that a far greater freshet than that of 
1879 will now assail our works in vain. 
This was about the only important improvement that was made dur- 
ing the year in the inclosures or at the hatching house, though there 
was, as ever, many a little job to be done to increase the efficiency of the 
works, such as traps for catching the fish at the spawning season, ceil- 
ing up the walls of the hatching house, relaying the floor, adding new 
troughs and hatching fixtures, improving the water conduits, &c. The 
towing cars received considerable attention; improvements were made 
in their fittings and new ones added of models that it is hoped will prove 
better than the old. 
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