﻿42 
  

  

  however, 
  may 
  he 
  said 
  to 
  extend 
  from 
  the 
  old 
  wooden 
  city 
  

   bridge 
  — 
  whica 
  connects 
  the 
  city 
  with 
  the 
  country 
  lying 
  

   N. 
  E. 
  of 
  t'lc 
  river— 
  down 
  the 
  river 
  for 
  two 
  or 
  more 
  miles 
  ; 
  

   very 
  little, 
  if 
  any 
  fishing 
  being, 
  done 
  abo\'e 
  the 
  bridge, 
  on 
  

   account 
  partially 
  of 
  the 
  little 
  depth 
  of 
  water, 
  partially 
  because 
  

   the 
  Smelt 
  appear 
  to 
  pass 
  down 
  the 
  river 
  again, 
  after 
  being 
  

   impeded 
  in 
  their 
  onward 
  course 
  by 
  the 
  dam 
  The 
  Smelt 
  arc 
  

   caught 
  entirely 
  with 
  seines, 
  Avhich 
  include 
  in 
  their 
  sweep, 
  

   nearly 
  the 
  entire 
  breadth 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  averaging 
  about 
  30 
  

   rods 
  . 
  

  

  The 
  seines 
  vary 
  from 
  30 
  to 
  60 
  fathoms 
  in 
  lengtli, 
  ISO 
  to 
  360 
  

   feet, 
  and 
  are 
  about 
  15 
  feet 
  in 
  breadth, 
  with 
  meshes 
  one-half 
  

   inch 
  square. 
  The 
  time 
  of 
  working 
  the 
  seines 
  depends 
  much 
  

   upon 
  the 
  state 
  of 
  the 
  weather 
  and 
  tlie 
  water, 
  but 
  as 
  a 
  rule, 
  

   the 
  fishermen 
  were 
  engaged 
  early 
  in 
  the 
  morning 
  and 
  again 
  

   in 
  the 
  afternoon. 
  

  

  The 
  catch 
  of 
  Smelt 
  from 
  the 
  llaritan 
  was 
  very 
  small 
  the 
  

   past 
  season 
  — 
  18V7 
  — 
  the 
  fish 
  seeming 
  to 
  decrease 
  in 
  numbers 
  

   every 
  year. 
  This 
  is 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  wondered 
  at, 
  considering 
  the 
  

   rapacity 
  of 
  the 
  seiners, 
  and 
  their 
  little 
  sympathy, 
  with 
  some 
  

   rai'c 
  exceptions, 
  with 
  all 
  efforts 
  at 
  increasing 
  the 
  supply 
  by 
  

   means 
  of 
  artificial 
  propagation. 
  The 
  small 
  and 
  rather 
  irreg- 
  

   ular 
  catch 
  of 
  Smelt 
  impeded, 
  to 
  a 
  great 
  extent, 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  

   the 
  Commission, 
  since 
  at 
  many 
  hauls 
  there 
  were 
  so 
  few 
  fish, 
  

   that 
  if 
  ripe 
  spawn 
  was 
  obtained, 
  it 
  was 
  impossibh; 
  to 
  get 
  

   ripe 
  males 
  to 
  fertilize 
  the 
  spawn, 
  and 
  vice-versa. 
  

  

  And 
  many 
  hauls 
  were 
  entirely 
  fruitless, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  ripe 
  fish 
  

   were 
  concerned. 
  

  

  The 
  Commission 
  began 
  its 
  work 
  upon 
  the 
  Karitan 
  on 
  the 
  

   od 
  day 
  of 
  March, 
  by 
  taking 
  possession 
  of 
  a 
  small 
  room 
  in 
  

   the 
  N. 
  E. 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  bridge-keeper's 
  house, 
  at 
  the 
  bridge 
  

   entrance 
  upon 
  the 
  S. 
  W. 
  bank 
  of 
  the 
  Earitan, 
  and 
  separated 
  

   from 
  the 
  river 
  merely 
  by 
  the 
  Raritan 
  and 
  Delaware 
  canal. 
  

  

  In 
  this 
  room 
  the 
  apparatus 
  was 
  erected. 
  

  

  