252 EEPOET OF COMMISSIONEE OF FISH AND FISHEEIES. [16] 



house can be. erected not very far above the low-water mark. A small^ 

 current- wheel will therefore be sufficient to raise the water to the hatch-^ 

 ing house, and the adjacent land is so favorable for building on, that 

 the wheel can be placed very near the hatching house, which will ren- 

 der unnecessary the construction of a long flume from the wheel to the 

 hatching house. As the river does not rise till the hatching season isi 

 over, the wheel need not be protected from drift-wood or arranged with 

 reference to the rising and falling of the water. These are great con- 

 veniences, and, oil the whole, it may be said that the water supply may 

 be safely depended upon in every respect. 



The location is also remarkably favorable as to availability. Fortu- 

 nately the adjacent country is still in its primitive state. When I vis-s 

 ited the place in July (1883) many Indians were encamped on the river 

 bottoms, but I saw no white men. It is true some -claims near the rivers 

 have been taken up by white men, but they are not valuable, and couM< 

 be bought without much expense. It is therefore very probable that 

 the site of a salmon-breeding station could be obtained without muchl 

 cost ; and as there are very few settlers up the river, and no towns ori 

 villages, no objection would probably be raised to obstructing th&i 

 ascent of the salmon during the spawning season by a dam across the 

 river. 



The Little Spokane is also of such a character that it would be am 

 easy matter to capture the breeding fish. Indeed, I think a seining) 

 ground could be arranged, so that nearly all the spawning fish thati 

 came up the river could be caught ; and furthermore, it being close to 

 the main Spokane Eiver, it would not be difficult to run two seining; 

 grounds — one in each river — which would undoubtedly somewhat in- 

 crease the yearly catch of breeders. 



It will be a very easy matter to build a dam or salmon-rack acrossJ 

 the river to keep the breeders on or near the seining ground. Indeed,'' 

 the frail structure which we saw Indians successfully erecting across 

 the river shows how easy it would be for white men, with their superior 

 appliances, to put a salmqn-rack across the river, such as would be 

 required to answer the purposes of a salmon-breeding station. There 

 being no drought or freshet on the river during the season's operations 

 at the station — and indeed no natural changes at all in the river— a 

 very simple and easily constructed dam would be perfectly safe. This 

 is a great advantage, as it often proves a very difficult matter in a river 

 subject to freshets in the hatching season to put in an obstruction that 

 is perfectly safe. '^i 



And last, bnt not least, the maximum rise of the river during the 

 year is so inconsiderable that there will never be any danger of the 

 hatching house and other buildings being washed away, even i| 

 they are placed, as it is desirable they should be, close to the river. 



Besides possessing the essential qualifications just enumerated for 

 salmon-breeding station, the Spokane location has many convenienl 



