REPORT OF STATK BOARD OF I'ISII COMMISSIONERS. 21 



placed in position, we transferred the baskets of eggs and young fish 

 from the temporary hatchery to the mw Imilding; the remaining troughs 

 were then put in place. 



The troughs are well made, of sugar pine, and painted with two coal 

 of asphalt varnish. A good supply of new hatching baskets, painted 

 with varnish, and covers made for all the troughs. 



The hatchery is well appointed, strongly built, and r ly. 



It was necessary to do all this work as quickly as possible, and, in 

 doing it, there were many vexatious delays. No supplies for the work 

 could be obtained at Tahoe, except lumber in the tree. The shakes for 

 the roof had to be made, the sills had to be hewn from the tree, and, as 

 no teams get in there until the loggers arrive, we were much delayed in 

 hauling the sills and shakes. The lumber had to be sawed and brought 

 over on scows from Glenbrook, then rafted and got inshore as close as 

 possible, then thrown into the water, pushed ashore, dragged out and 

 packed up to the building. 



Lake Tahoe is a very difficult place to collect spawn. The traps are 

 all at distant points. In going to one on the steamer it takes all the 

 next day to get back, as the steamer has to go round the lake to get 

 home. To go to the traps off the regular route of the steamer rowboats 

 must be used, which takes half a day to go the round trip. On many 

 days the lake is so rough that it is not possible to go in a boat. We had 

 a very busy summer's work; all hands were employed every Sunday, as 

 well as through the week days. 



Of the thirteen acres which were bought for the hatchery, the greater 

 part consisted of wet land through which the springs flowed. This 

 naturally produced the best feeding ground for cows. As soon as the 

 grass began to spring up, about two hundred head of cattle were driven 

 into the neighborhood of Tahoe City, and they made our springs their 

 headquarters. They would wade in all through that soft ground among 

 the alders, tramping it up, and the water in the hatchery would be 

 black with mud, covering the eggs and thickly settling on the bottom of 

 the troughs. 



We had to endure this annoyance for weeks, leaving our work in the 

 day time to drive them off, and watching the place till ten o'clock at night, 

 till the wire for fencing ordered from Sacramento arrived, the posts split, 

 the holes dug, and fence put up to protect ourselves from their raids. 



Later in the season, when most of the fish were shipped and more 

 leisure obtained, a line ditch was dug from the reservoir to the main 

 spring, and a strong flume of two-inch planks was laid and covered up. 

 This was to keep the water from getting heated upon a hot day. Also, 

 a new house for quarters for the men was built, sixteen feet by twenty- 

 four feet, w T ith three rooms, boarded and battened outside and close 

 boarded inside, making a strong, w^ell built, and warm house. A new 

 stove and housekeeping articles were bought. Our men did their own 

 cooking after the first of August, the Commission furnishing the supplies, 

 thus saving large board bills at the hotel. 



After I had made a bargain for the land, your honorable Board sent 

 me word that Mr. Dunn, the Controller, said that he had no authority 

 to issue a warrant to pay for land for the Fish Commission. As the 

 buildings were already begun, and as there was no other course to pursue 

 but go ahead, I wrote your honorable Board that I would buy the land 

 myself and rent it to the Commission at a nominal sum. 



