﻿18 
  WATER-POWER 
  DEVELOPMENT 
  IN 
  THE 
  MISSISSIPPI. 
  

  

  As 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  observation, 
  fish 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  lock. 
  When 
  the 
  

   lock 
  is 
  emptied 
  a 
  few 
  fish 
  are 
  often 
  seen 
  stranded 
  on 
  the 
  broad 
  top 
  of 
  

   the 
  wall 
  at 
  the 
  upper 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  lock. 
  More 
  often, 
  perhaps 
  invariably, 
  

   some 
  are 
  caught 
  between 
  the 
  rails 
  on 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  submerged 
  gate 
  

   when 
  this 
  is 
  raised. 
  The 
  space 
  between 
  these 
  rails 
  is 
  about 
  8 
  by 
  

   110 
  feet 
  or 
  880 
  square 
  feet. 
  Only 
  a 
  few 
  fish 
  were 
  thus 
  taken 
  under 
  

   my 
  observation, 
  but 
  I 
  was 
  informed 
  that 
  as 
  many 
  as 
  50 
  to 
  100 
  had 
  

   been 
  caught 
  in 
  this 
  way 
  at 
  one 
  time. 
  We 
  do 
  not 
  know 
  whether 
  these 
  

   fish 
  were 
  going 
  into 
  or 
  coming 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  lock. 
  It 
  is 
  possible 
  that 
  the 
  

   lock 
  acts 
  as 
  a 
  sort 
  of 
  fish 
  trap 
  into 
  which 
  fish 
  of 
  the 
  immediate 
  vicin- 
  

   ity 
  stray, 
  and 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  which 
  some 
  of 
  these 
  fish 
  are 
  transferred 
  

   infrequently 
  from 
  pool 
  to 
  river, 
  or 
  vice 
  versa, 
  without 
  reference 
  to 
  

   migratory 
  movement. 
  The 
  lock 
  chamber 
  is 
  a 
  little 
  over 
  an 
  acre 
  in 
  

   extent 
  (44,000 
  square 
  feet) 
  and 
  such 
  an 
  area 
  in 
  nature 
  will 
  accom- 
  

   modate 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  fish 
  without 
  indicating 
  any 
  special 
  assem- 
  

   blage 
  of 
  fish 
  seeking 
  a 
  passage 
  in 
  a 
  definite 
  direction. 
  The 
  actual 
  

   fact, 
  and 
  the 
  significance 
  of 
  the 
  facts, 
  may 
  be 
  determined 
  only 
  by 
  

   systematic 
  observations 
  judiciously 
  interpreted. 
  

  

  THE 
  QUESTION 
  OF 
  A 
  PRACTICAL 
  AND 
  EFFECTIVE 
  FISHWAY. 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  outset 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  stated 
  that 
  an 
  ideal 
  fishway 
  is 
  afforded 
  

   only 
  by 
  the 
  free 
  channel 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  itself. 
  We 
  can 
  not 
  have 
  water 
  

   powers 
  in 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  stream, 
  without 
  some 
  sacrifice 
  of 
  the 
  free 
  

   movements 
  of 
  fishes. 
  Ai-tificial 
  fishways 
  may, 
  however, 
  be 
  practi- 
  

   cally 
  effective, 
  and 
  locks 
  are 
  sometimes 
  accepted 
  as 
  proper 
  fishways, 
  

   especially 
  where 
  occurring 
  in 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  canals 
  or 
  narrow 
  streams. 
  

   It 
  does 
  not 
  follow 
  that 
  a 
  lock 
  will 
  be 
  effective 
  in 
  aU 
  situations. 
  Some 
  

   features 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  case 
  will 
  first 
  be 
  recapitulated. 
  

  

  (1) 
  The 
  position 
  of 
  the 
  lock 
  is 
  near 
  the 
  Iowa 
  shore, 
  from 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  

   separated 
  only 
  by 
  the 
  dry 
  dock 
  and 
  the 
  Government 
  reservation 
  on 
  

   filled 
  ground 
  built 
  out 
  from 
  the 
  shore, 
  (PL 
  i.) 
  

  

  (2) 
  The 
  width 
  of 
  the 
  lock 
  openmg 
  is 
  110 
  feet, 
  as 
  compared 
  with 
  

   the 
  approximately 
  three-fourths 
  of 
  a 
  mile 
  breadth 
  of 
  the 
  river. 
  Its 
  

   opening 
  is 
  perhaps 
  one-thirtieth 
  of 
  the 
  width 
  of 
  the 
  river. 
  

  

  (3) 
  The 
  location 
  of 
  the 
  lock 
  is 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  principal 
  currents, 
  though 
  

   not 
  far 
  removed 
  from 
  the 
  important 
  tail-race. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  certain, 
  

   therefore, 
  that 
  even 
  a 
  proportion 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  equal 
  to 
  the 
  ratio 
  of 
  the 
  

   width 
  of 
  the 
  lock 
  to 
  the 
  width 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  would 
  find 
  entrance 
  to 
  the 
  

   lake 
  through 
  this 
  chamber. 
  That 
  a 
  considerable 
  number 
  of 
  fish 
  

   should 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  lock 
  is 
  not 
  inconsistent 
  with 
  this 
  statement. 
  

  

  (4) 
  The 
  filling 
  and 
  emptyuig 
  of 
  the 
  lock 
  is 
  accomplished 
  by 
  meth- 
  

   ods 
  which 
  do 
  not 
  encourage 
  the 
  entrance 
  or 
  exit 
  of 
  migratory 
  fishes 
  

   during 
  these 
  processes. 
  Fish 
  may 
  freely 
  enter 
  from 
  below 
  when 
  the 
  

   lower 
  gates 
  are 
  open 
  and, 
  by 
  rising 
  toward 
  the 
  surface, 
  may 
  leave 
  for 
  

   the 
  lake 
  when 
  the 
  gate 
  at 
  the 
  head 
  is 
  opened; 
  but 
  at 
  these 
  times 
  the 
  

  

  