﻿24 
  WATER-POWEK 
  DEVELOPMENT 
  IN 
  THE 
  MISSISSIPPI. 
  

  

  extinction 
  of 
  the 
  eel 
  in 
  the 
  upper 
  river 
  and 
  its 
  tributaries, 
  while 
  we 
  

   would 
  look 
  for 
  a 
  relative 
  abundance 
  of 
  young 
  eels 
  below 
  the 
  dam, 
  

   particularly 
  during 
  the 
  next 
  few 
  years. 
  This 
  is 
  a 
  problem 
  that 
  may 
  

   lend 
  itself 
  to 
  concrete 
  observation. 
  

  

  A 
  question 
  that 
  raises 
  itself 
  in 
  regard 
  to 
  purely 
  migratory 
  fishes, 
  

   that 
  is, 
  those 
  that 
  move 
  down 
  the 
  river 
  in 
  the 
  fall 
  and 
  up 
  in 
  the 
  spring, 
  

   is, 
  to 
  what 
  extent 
  will 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  the 
  large 
  body 
  of 
  deep 
  water 
  

   above 
  the 
  dam 
  remove 
  the 
  necessity, 
  or 
  inliibit 
  the 
  tendency, 
  of 
  the 
  

   fishes 
  to 
  proceed 
  farther 
  in 
  their 
  downstream 
  coui-se 
  ? 
  

  

  The 
  destiny 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  that 
  are 
  interrupted 
  in 
  their 
  upward 
  journey 
  

   upon' 
  reaching 
  Keokuk 
  introduces 
  a 
  new 
  problem. 
  What 
  becomes 
  of 
  

   these 
  fish 
  ? 
  Will 
  they 
  remain 
  there 
  all 
  the 
  summer 
  ? 
  Will 
  they 
  turn 
  

   back 
  and 
  work 
  down 
  the 
  river 
  or 
  find 
  tributary 
  streams 
  ? 
  To 
  answer 
  

   such 
  questions 
  would 
  require 
  close 
  and 
  continuous 
  attention 
  during 
  

   the 
  spring, 
  and, 
  since 
  the 
  fish 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  watched 
  by 
  the 
  eye, 
  a 
  good 
  

   deal 
  of 
  systematic 
  trapping 
  and 
  seining 
  at 
  various 
  points. 
  In 
  this 
  

   connection 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  mentioned 
  that 
  reports 
  were 
  current 
  to 
  the 
  

   effect 
  that 
  the 
  Keokuk 
  dam 
  had 
  turned 
  imiumerable 
  fishes 
  up 
  the 
  

   Des 
  Moines 
  River, 
  which 
  discharges 
  into 
  the 
  Mississippi 
  only 
  3 
  miles 
  

   below 
  the 
  dam. 
  It 
  was 
  said 
  that 
  more 
  fish 
  were 
  being 
  taken 
  at 
  

   Ottumwa 
  than 
  could 
  be 
  disposed 
  of. 
  Both 
  Ottumwa 
  and 
  Eldon 
  

   were 
  visited 
  by 
  the 
  writer 
  in 
  September, 
  and 
  the 
  most 
  careful 
  inquiries 
  

   made. 
  It 
  was 
  fomid 
  that 
  the 
  reports 
  had 
  no 
  foundation, 
  other 
  than 
  

   the 
  hope 
  and 
  belief 
  that 
  the 
  dam 
  would 
  deflect 
  the 
  fish 
  into 
  the 
  Des 
  

   Moines 
  River 
  as 
  the 
  first 
  opening 
  below 
  Keokuk. 
  Some 
  local 
  per- 
  

   sons 
  who 
  did 
  not 
  fish 
  offered 
  some 
  supposed 
  confirmation 
  of 
  the 
  

   reports, 
  but 
  every 
  one 
  of 
  a 
  considerable 
  number 
  of 
  persons 
  inter- 
  

   viewed 
  who 
  fished 
  either 
  as 
  a 
  profession 
  or 
  for 
  sport, 
  agreed 
  in 
  stating 
  

   that 
  the 
  fishing 
  had 
  been 
  unusually 
  poor 
  during 
  this 
  season, 
  and 
  this 
  

   condition 
  was 
  attributed 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  river 
  had 
  been 
  too 
  low 
  

   aU 
  the 
  season 
  for 
  fish 
  to 
  ascend. 
  There 
  was 
  some 
  testimony 
  that 
  

   there 
  had 
  been 
  an 
  unusual 
  run 
  of 
  very 
  small 
  channel 
  cats 
  and 
  carp 
  of 
  

   6 
  or 
  7 
  inch 
  length 
  — 
  almost 
  too 
  small 
  to 
  use* 
  — 
  but 
  it 
  did 
  not 
  appear 
  

   that 
  this 
  had 
  been 
  unprecedented; 
  also 
  there 
  was 
  complaint 
  of 
  an 
  

   increasing 
  number 
  of 
  gars. 
  

  

  The 
  sudden 
  creation 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  lake 
  intervening 
  in 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  a 
  

   great 
  river 
  with 
  the 
  submergence 
  of 
  islands 
  and 
  shore 
  land, 
  thousands 
  

   of 
  acres 
  in 
  extent, 
  offers 
  an 
  unrivaled 
  opportunity 
  for 
  investigations 
  

   of 
  material 
  value. 
  Upon 
  this 
  subject 
  we 
  are 
  at 
  liberty 
  to 
  some 
  extent 
  

   to 
  draw 
  conclusions 
  a 
  priori, 
  as 
  has 
  been 
  done, 
  but 
  there 
  is 
  none 
  the 
  

   less 
  the 
  privilege 
  and 
  the 
  responsibility 
  for 
  more 
  detailed 
  inquiry 
  and 
  

   exact 
  survey 
  which, 
  if 
  completed, 
  would 
  furnish 
  invaluable 
  data 
  for 
  

   interpretation 
  of 
  the 
  conditions 
  of 
  fish 
  life 
  and 
  the 
  determination 
  of 
  

   the 
  ultimate 
  requirements 
  for 
  the 
  maximum 
  development 
  of 
  fishery 
  

   resources. 
  

  

  