Fish, Fishing and Fisheries of Pennsylvania. 27 



" Jonas Jones Saith That in yie month of February, it being Extream 

 Cold, he stroke fast on a fish Dam, and to save his Load of wheat was 

 obliged to leap into ye Eiver to ye middle of his body and with all 

 his Labour and Skill could not get off in less than half an hour, after- 

 wards proceeding on his journey with ye said wet clothes they were 

 frozen stiff on his back, by means whereof he underwent a great deal of 

 misery. 



" Jacob Warren Saith That he with a Canoe loaded with wheat stroke 

 fast on a dam, where he with his partner were forced into ye Eiver, and 

 one with all his might was oblieged to hold ye Canoe whilest ye other 

 digged away ye stones of ye Dam, and with much difficulty got off, 



" Isaac Smally Saith That going down ye said Eiver with 140 bus. of 

 wheat in a Canoe, they stroke fast on a Eack Dam and in order to save 

 ye Load from being all lost, he was much against his mind oblieged to 

 leap into the Eiver, the water being to his Chin frequently dashed into 

 h\& mouth, where between whiles he breathed, and both he and his 

 partner held ye Canoe with great labour; whiles a young man there 

 present ran above a mile to call help to get off. 



" Walter Campbell Saith That he hath stroke fast many times on ye 

 fish dams with his Canoe Loaded with wheat, and been forced to leap 

 into ye Eiver before he could get off. 



"Jonas Yeokam and Eichard Dunklin say, That they got fast on a 

 fish dam with their Canoe loaded with 60 bus. of wheat & ye s'd Kunk- 

 lin's Wife and a Young Child in ye Canoe, and were for more than an 

 hour in great danger of being oversett into ye Eiver, where if they had, 

 undoubtedly ye Woman & Child would have been lost. 



" Barnabas Ehoades Saith That he stoke fast on a fish dam in Schuyl- 

 kill for several hours in ye Cold winter Season, destitute of any help, 

 in which time he underwent a great deal of hardships and at last gott 

 off, during all which time he was in great danger both of his life and 

 Load. And that he has at divers times been fast on ye said Dams and 

 in great danger. 



"George Boone, John Boone, Joseph Boone, James Boone, Samuel 

 Boone, Say that they have been sundry times fast on ye said Fish Dams 

 and Eack Dams, and to preserve the Loads of wheat have been forced 

 several times to leap into ye Eiver, and have very narrowly Escaped 

 with their lives & Loads." 



" In consequence of these and other representations, an act was passed, 

 in 1734, of similar purport with the preceding. In 1735, petitions were 

 presented by both parties, without any change of legislation f but in 

 1736, those who were in favor of the weirs and dams succeeded in 

 getting the Legislature to give them the privilege of erecting their 

 racks in April and May, during the fishing season. This ought, per- 

 haps, to have obviated the objections of the poor fellows who under- 

 went so much misery from being compelled to leap into the river in the 



