STORAGE AND PASSES 281 



not be used. Within these few years, however, the 

 dam has been carefully worked at its fullest capacity, 

 and has been a complete success. The angling 

 tenants built a second dam at Loch An Ruathair, 

 and in 1905 enlarged the Badanloch dam by raising 

 the wall 2 feet ; these measures increased the storage 

 capacity about 50 per cent. The Badanloch dam 

 covers 2000 acres. The water level was raised 6 feet, 

 and the quantity stored is 3,300,000,000 gallons. 

 The Loch An Ruathair dam is about 500 acres in 

 extent. The water level has been raised 4 feet, and 

 the storage is 600,000,000 gallons. The cost of 

 Badanloch dam was =700; that of Loch An Ruathair 

 dam, ,4)50. 



The tenants sought to induce a run from the 

 sea, and hoped that the salmon would be distributed 

 throughout the waters of the district. Before the 

 dams were built the only fishing on the Helms- 

 dale was early in the spring. Generally it was over 

 between the middle and the end of April, by which 

 time the river had run so low that sport was im- 

 possible. The design towards improvement has 

 been abundantly successful. The season of 1905 

 was one of the driest experienced in Sutherland for 

 some years, the Brora and other streams dwindling 

 away to mere trickles ; but the Helmsdale, regulated 

 by the dam, afforded good sport until the middle of 

 August. The Torrish rod alone had nearly fifty 

 salmon during the shooting season. 



There are on the Helmsdale two hatcheries built 

 on modern principles; and these now provide for 



