990 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [2] 



point, I did not see one jump for several minutes. In the meantime 

 all the Indians we met had the same story to tell— that there were no 

 salmon in the river. 



This fact was now not only evident, but it implied that some very 

 unusual agencies were at work on a large scale somewhere below us to 

 prevent the salmon ascending the river. On making inquiries, we 

 were told that there were several thousand Chinamen, variously esti- 

 mated at from 3,000 to 6,000, at work on the California and Oregon Eail- 

 road, on the Sacramento Eiver, eight or ten miles below us, and that 

 these Chinamen were doing a very large business in capturing fish by 

 exploding giant powder in the water. As the McCloud flows into Pit 

 Eiver and the Pit into the Sacramento, the abundance of salmon in the 

 McCloud Eiver was, of course, directly affected by this destruction in 

 the Sacramento. So, if the story about the Chinamen was true, this 

 gave one reason why salmon were so scarce in the McCloud. 



We also heard that the railroad company were putting in very heavy 

 blasts of powder near the river, and it was possible that this heavy 

 blasting kept the salmon back. Acting upon this information I sent a 

 man to the scene of the blasting operations to make an examination and 

 report on the subject. This man, on his return, stated that the Chinamen 

 did kill what fish they could with giant powder, but he also gave such 

 a description of the blasting operations of the railroad company as led 

 me to think that while the Chinamen were doing some mischief killing 

 salmon with giant powder, the heavy blasting on the railroad was the 

 chief agency in keeping the salmon from ascending the river.* 



I immediately telegraphed and wrote to Mr. Joseph D. Eedding, the 

 secretary of the California fish commission, apprising him of the state 

 of affairs, and requesting him to use the influence of the State commis- 

 sion as far as possible to remedy the evil. 



At Mr. Eedding's suggestion the commission sent Mr. Adams to the 

 Chinese camps and the scene of the blasting operations, with directions 

 to make a speedy report on the situation. 



Before Mr. Adams had reported, an Indian came to the fishery and 

 said that some men had a rack across the river several miles below 

 here for the purpose of stopping the salmon, and that they were draw- 

 ing a seine below the rack and selling the salmon to the Chinamen. 



The next morning I sent Mr. Eadcliff* down the river to inquire into 

 the truth of this statement. Mr. Eadcliff found some white men pre- 

 paring a ground for drawing a seine, but did not find any rack or ob- 

 struction in the river. He reported also that in his opinion it was the 

 Chinamen that were keeping the salmon back by exploding giant pow- 

 der in the river, and not the blasting operations of the railroad. I 



* I was told on good authority that two six-horse wagon loads of gunpowder (black 

 powder) were put into one hole for a single blast, and that this blasting was kept up 

 night and day as rapidly as the large force of Chinamen employed could prepare and 

 fire off the blasts. 



