﻿132 
  REPORT 
  of 
  commissioner 
  of 
  fish 
  and 
  fisheries. 
  [2] 
  

  

  great 
  trees, 
  root 
  and 
  branch, 
  are 
  passing 
  every 
  minute. 
  The 
  creek 
  runs 
  

   through 
  one 
  corner 
  of 
  the 
  hatching-house. 
  We 
  have 
  not 
  shut 
  our 
  eyes 
  

   for 
  two 
  days 
  and 
  nights, 
  and 
  to-night 
  will 
  be 
  much 
  the 
  worst 
  of 
  any 
  yet. 
  

   We 
  — 
  my 
  brother, 
  myself, 
  and 
  two 
  men 
  — 
  have 
  been 
  out 
  in 
  the 
  pouring 
  rain 
  

   all 
  day, 
  and 
  this 
  afternoon, 
  as 
  I 
  write, 
  at 
  3 
  o'clock, 
  have 
  managed 
  to 
  

   save 
  everything, 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  one 
  trap 
  and 
  perhaps 
  one 
  boat. 
  

   The 
  traps 
  are 
  all 
  some 
  ten 
  feet 
  under 
  water, 
  but, 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  I 
  can 
  see, 
  

   are 
  still 
  there. 
  There 
  is 
  also 
  one 
  boat 
  — 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  small 
  ones 
  — 
  that 
  we 
  

   cannot 
  get 
  to. 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  know 
  whether 
  it 
  is 
  gone 
  or 
  not. 
  It 
  is 
  very 
  

   dangerous 
  crossing 
  the 
  creeks, 
  especially 
  after 
  dark. 
  The 
  water 
  comes 
  

   into 
  the 
  pond 
  thick 
  with 
  mud 
  ; 
  the 
  fish 
  all 
  seem 
  very 
  uneasy, 
  and 
  are 
  jump- 
  

   ing 
  continually, 
  but 
  I 
  think 
  they 
  are 
  all 
  right 
  as 
  yet. 
  One 
  of 
  our 
  best 
  

   dogs 
  attempted 
  to 
  cross 
  the 
  creek 
  this 
  afternoon 
  on 
  a 
  log, 
  but 
  for 
  some 
  

   reason 
  slipped 
  off 
  and 
  fell 
  into 
  the 
  water, 
  when 
  he 
  was 
  immediately 
  taken 
  

   under 
  and 
  carried 
  to 
  the 
  river. 
  He 
  kept 
  his 
  head 
  up 
  for 
  about 
  a 
  mile. 
  

   We 
  started 
  down 
  the 
  bank 
  as 
  fast 
  as 
  we 
  could 
  run, 
  but 
  could 
  not 
  keep 
  

   in 
  sight 
  of 
  him, 
  and 
  the 
  last 
  we 
  saw 
  he 
  was 
  sinking. 
  Should 
  the 
  rain 
  

   continue 
  hard 
  until 
  to-morrow 
  morning, 
  it 
  will 
  reach 
  the 
  high 
  mark 
  made 
  

   in 
  1881. 
  Since 
  commencing 
  this 
  letter 
  the 
  river 
  has 
  risen 
  a 
  foot. 
  I 
  will 
  

   write 
  more 
  in 
  the 
  morning. 
  Expect 
  a 
  very 
  severe 
  night, 
  as 
  the 
  ponds 
  

   require 
  our 
  constant 
  attention. 
  

  

  "Later 
  (midnight). 
  — 
  It 
  is 
  still 
  raining, 
  but 
  not 
  so 
  hard. 
  The 
  water 
  

   has 
  been 
  at 
  a 
  standstill 
  since 
  10 
  p. 
  m. 
  The 
  water 
  in 
  the 
  ponds 
  is 
  thick 
  

   with 
  mud, 
  and 
  the 
  fish 
  are 
  all 
  gathered 
  under 
  the 
  fall 
  where 
  it 
  pours 
  in. 
  

   I 
  am 
  running 
  as 
  little 
  water 
  through 
  the 
  ponds 
  as 
  possible 
  to-night, 
  so 
  

   as 
  to 
  keep 
  out 
  all 
  the 
  mud 
  I 
  can. 
  The 
  creek 
  is 
  fearfully 
  high, 
  but 
  as 
  

   yet 
  I 
  think 
  the 
  trap 
  is 
  safe, 
  although 
  it 
  is 
  impossible 
  to 
  be 
  sure. 
  I 
  have 
  

   never 
  seen 
  the 
  McOloud 
  so 
  high 
  except 
  once 
  before, 
  and 
  that 
  was 
  in 
  the 
  

   flood 
  of 
  1881. 
  

  

  "Later 
  (December 
  26,9 
  a. 
  m.). 
  — 
  It 
  began 
  raining 
  harder 
  about 
  2 
  a. 
  

   m., 
  and 
  continued 
  until 
  nearly 
  daylight 
  j 
  but 
  since 
  light, 
  although 
  it 
  

   has 
  been 
  very 
  dark 
  and 
  cloudy, 
  it 
  has 
  not 
  rained. 
  The 
  creek 
  keeps 
  

   about 
  the 
  same, 
  but 
  the 
  water 
  in 
  the 
  river 
  has 
  fallen 
  two 
  feet 
  or 
  more, 
  

   so 
  I 
  think 
  the 
  danger 
  of 
  a 
  flood 
  is 
  passed. 
  The 
  ponds 
  are 
  about 
  six 
  

   inches 
  deep 
  with 
  mud, 
  and 
  we 
  are 
  now 
  busy 
  getting 
  it 
  out. 
  Some 
  eight 
  

   or 
  ten 
  trout 
  have 
  died, 
  but 
  the 
  rest 
  look 
  well, 
  and 
  just 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  

   water 
  gets 
  clear 
  I 
  shall 
  take 
  some 
  eggs. 
  Should 
  have 
  overhauled 
  the 
  

   fish 
  before 
  this 
  had 
  the 
  weather 
  been 
  good 
  ; 
  but 
  being 
  as 
  it 
  was, 
  I 
  dared 
  

   not 
  take 
  eggs, 
  for 
  they 
  would 
  all 
  have 
  died 
  at 
  once 
  when 
  the 
  mud 
  

   struck 
  them. 
  We 
  shall 
  get 
  no 
  mail 
  now 
  for 
  several 
  days, 
  as 
  no 
  boats 
  

   can 
  cross 
  the 
  river." 
  

  

  The 
  worst 
  of 
  the 
  storm 
  was 
  over 
  by 
  the 
  next 
  day, 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  day 
  fol- 
  

   lowing 
  (December 
  27) 
  the 
  spawning 
  season 
  began 
  with 
  the 
  taking 
  of 
  

   15,000 
  eggs. 
  This 
  storm 
  was 
  succeeded 
  by 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  driest 
  winters 
  

   ever 
  known 
  in 
  Northern 
  California. 
  This 
  was 
  unfavorable 
  to 
  the 
  tak- 
  

   ing 
  of 
  eggs, 
  because 
  it 
  kept 
  the 
  river 
  trout 
  from 
  running 
  up 
  the 
  creeks 
  

  

  