June 25, 1891.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



459 



CHICAGO AND THE WEST. 



CHICAGO, ni, , June 17.— From this time on it will be 

 illegal in Illinois to take fish through the ice with 

 hook and line. The "ice bill" has passed and is a law. 

 So far as can be learned in the contusion at this date, the 

 Legislature haxing adjourned only last Saturday, the "ice 

 bill" seems to be the only G^h or game bill that got 

 through, although the synopsis of bills passed mentions 

 "No. 202; the fish and game law." 



Now, this "ice bill" has a history. Nobody has heard 

 much abrait it, because very little has been said about it, 

 for obvious reasons. The "ice bill" was a Foeest and 

 Stream bill, and it is now a Forest AxND Stream law. 

 The lli'st of last J anuary an article appeared in Forest 

 AJSTD Stream describing" the butchery of game fish perpe- 

 trated every winter by the ice fishers of the Fox Lnke 

 region, and giving chapter and verse about it. No other 

 paper had ever turned a hand to stop this butchery. The 

 matter was brought up before the Fox Eiver Association. 

 Dr. Bartlett admitted that he had had no idea of the ex- 

 tent of this outrage. Mr. Hertz gave fm-ther details as to 

 the extent of the outrage. The result was that a bill pro- 

 hibiting ice-fi?bing in this State was quietly drafted a 

 little later. No flourish of trumpets was made, but this 

 bill went to Springfield in the right hands. Every mem- 

 ber of the Illinois Legislature had a copy of Forest and 

 Stream in hia hands containing the story of the ice-fithing 

 investigation. Coroner Hertz is an ardent fisherman and 

 sportsman, prominent in Fox River Association always, 

 and unselfishly interested in the protection of fish in the 

 Fox Lake country. He has friends also in the Legislature, 

 and so had other friends of the bill. Senator Knopf and 

 Mr, Wilk, of the House, both labored faithfully for this 

 measure, and as a total result it passed, much to the en- 

 thusiasm of that faithful commissioner Dr. Bartlett. 

 Immediately upon the fact being known, the latter at 

 once wi-ote Mr. Geo. E. Cole, president of the Fox River 

 Association, as follows: 



State of Illinois, 37th Greneral Assembly, House of 

 Representatives, Springfield, June 13.— Friend Cole: Bill 

 No. 202, "Fishing Through the Ice," just passed, and I write 

 this Ironi reporter's gallery. They are now considermg the 

 Chicago threfr mills tax bill, and in great confusion. Net 

 results of season's work, appropriation same as last season 

 and tishing through the ice bill passed. That is all. For 

 past two days it has been very douutful whether general ap- 

 propriation bill, in which our appropriations are, would 

 pass, but after two conferences it finally went through. I 

 will try and be in Chicago on Monday or Tuesday. I must 

 get a day's rest; I have been up night and day for the past 

 week here. Very truly, S. P. Bartlett. 



Here is a case where Forest and Stream scented and 

 located an outrage on good sporting morals in this region, 

 investigated it, and led the way by reforming it by way 

 of the law. After able men have secured the passage of 

 the law, the very existence of the bill having in the 

 meantime been kept a secret, Forest and Stream again 

 takes a hand, and scoops its competitors by publishing 

 the news of the passage of the bill, something no other 

 paper, even the dailies, seems to have dropped on to at 

 all. The history of the Ice bill is no discredit to this 

 paper, especially as this seems the only protective meas- 

 ure passed by the Legislature this year. It's a little 

 tough on the other papers, but aside from that it is rather 

 a matter for congratul ition. 



And now will our friend Geo. Clark, on Lake Maria, 

 and Mr. Paddock, and Mr. Savage, and some others who 

 fish for the market in winter and sell tough accommoda- 

 tions to anglers in the summer, please roU up their lines 

 and listen to law where they wouldn't listen to reason? 

 I hope some of those fellows will fish ahead next winter, 

 for I want to see them jerked galley-wesfc for it, as they 

 will be if they try fishing through the ice again. The 

 lakes will be watched next winter. 



Thus there will be cut off — for this form of lawlessness 

 is easily detected and easily stopped — one of the very 

 greatest and gravest sources of detstruction of fish in the 

 Fox Lake system. The little visit to Lake Maria last 

 January was worth the while. 



So much for p)ractical protection around Chif'ago, and 

 so much for those who cry out against the difiiculty of 

 doing anything in such matters. It is true, the sports- 

 men did not get their game bill through after all their 

 fight with South Water street, but they may win another 

 year, and there ought to be no let up. The sportsmen 

 are gaining ground every year, and they will win their 

 fight. 



It would be almost stereotyped to credit the Fox River 

 Association with the success of the Ice bill, but after all 

 is said, it is there that the credit belongs. Let me add a 

 few letters from their warden. Mr. Buck, to show further 

 what protection can do toward practical protecting. Thp 

 Burton's Bridge seining was reported to the writer, who 

 carried the report to Mr. Cole, who ordered Mr. Back to 

 investigate. The latter wrote as follows: 



Ellgin, 111., June 3, 1891.— Mr. Geo. E. Cole, Chicago: I 

 have jaat got home from up the river and the lakes. 1 heard 

 they were spearing tish and went to see what there was in it 

 They are using grab-hooks at McHenry Bridge, Burton's 

 Bridge and Cary R. R. Bridge, and the men and boys whom 

 I saw using them said they had not seen a spear used or a 

 jacklight on the river this summer. I did not hear of a 

 seine tieing used, and there are lots of men along the river 

 that would tell me if tUey had heard of any seining. The 

 fishermen along the river and at the lakes say there was 

 never as good fishing or as many good fish caught as this 

 year, and give the fisnways the credit of it.— F. L Buck. 



Elgin, June 6, 1891.— Mr. Geo. E. Cole, Chicago: Your let- 

 ter just received. They have the U.shway at So. Elgin done 

 I just returned from there. That tinishes the river. 1 sup- 

 pose you saw my report in regard to Rock Riv^r. At all of 

 the places they agreed to put in fishways jast as soon as the 

 water went down a little so they could go at it. I think from 

 what I hear there has never been as good fishing on Pox 

 Riveras there is novr. There has been some complaint of 

 seining down around Aurora, and I have been down there 

 three times and got no evidence of actual seining. I will go up 

 the river to-night and see what there is to the report of sein- 

 ing at Burton's Bridge.— P. L. Buck. 



Elgin, June 8, 1S91.— Geo. E. Cole, Chicago: Friday I 

 went back up the river and gave the matter of seining a 

 thorough investigation. There has been no one seining in 

 the river, but 1 heard they had been seining in some of the 

 small lakes near the river. One party of four went to Gris- 

 wold's Ijake, which is near Burton's Bridge, and were going 

 to seine it, and -Mi-. Muzzy, who owns most of the land 

 around the lake, made them leave He did not know wny 

 of them, but said they came from Palatine. He said that he 

 had heard they had been at Swan Lake and Diamond Lake, 

 biit that is as far as he liQew, I shall go this week around 



f y W9 }^^^ H^^^l^wif ,«?r ijkf i 90*' J 



will go on horseback and get all the information I can.— F. 

 L. Buck. 



In all this there should be encouragement for those 

 interested in the growth of protection of fish and game, 

 and the more especially for the young Kankakee associa- 

 tion. The latter, for a youngster, is feeling very cocky 

 these days. Next week, in all probability. Dr. Bartlett, 

 Mr. Cole and Warden Buck will ran the Fox and Illinois 

 rivers from top to bottom, inspecting the fish ways. As 

 soon thereafter as Mr. Cole can get away, the Kankakee 

 association's fishway committee will run that slream and 

 see what they can do on that stream to help matters. It 

 will be a pleasm-e to have something to say about all this 

 work, just as it is a pleasure to have something to speak 

 thus cheerfully to-day of the condition of fish protection 

 in tliis region. Out here we believe that wr are doing 

 pretty well on fish matters. On game protection we have 

 not so much to show, but it is probable that the two asso- 

 ciations at present most prominent in this work here, the 

 Fox and Kankakee River associa,tions, will eventually 

 with aid of the Illinois State Sportsmen's Association be 

 able to accomplish a great deal in protecting the game 

 birds. The prott ctive sentiment is gi'owing in this region 

 for some reason or another. 



June 15.— The Fred Taylor party mentioned earlier 

 have returned from the Little Oconto. They are said to 

 have taken between 3,00u and 3 000 trout. 



From a Wisconsin paper that "a party consisting of 

 Vet Graves of Appleton, Otto Kuemstead and F. C. 

 Charlesworth cauaht 2.u8l trout during a week's fishing 

 in a stream near Kaukauna." 



A gentleman connected with the Big Four road came 

 down last week with a box of trout that curled everbody's 

 hair that looked at them. There were several which 

 weighed over Sibs, each and the total average was away 

 above lib. This box of trout has caused trouble in the 

 minds of two well-known railroad men of this town, and 

 to-night or to-morrow these tw^o will head north after 

 some of those big trout. They will not divulge the 

 locality, but say if I wish to go along I can do so. It 

 seems that the first railroad man told everybody but his 

 fellow railroad men that he got these trout about 1,000 

 miles from where he really did catch them. 



Last week Messrs. Gammon, NichoUs, Cribben, Thomp- 

 son and Gowenlock got back from their muscallonge trip 

 to Lake Vieux Desert. Th. y report the best time they 

 ever had. They got seven muscallonge, one running as 

 heavy as 2v^lbs. Charlie G immon got one 58in. long and 

 thinks it weighed ovei SOlbs. They brought home over 

 9001bs. of fish, the bass, wall-eyed iiike and pickerel being 

 very abundant. They had bad weather. 



Yesterday two heavy muscallonge, I should think over 

 201bs. each,' were on exhibition in front of the Wisconsin 

 Central city ticket offices. They were caught in Fifield 

 Lake, where no 'lunge had been known to exist. 



E, Hough. 



NOTES FROM SYRACUSE. 



Editor' Forest and Stream: 



The glory of the New York State Sportsmen's Associa- 

 tion for the Prott ction of Fish and Gime si ems to have 

 departed. It is now nothing mere than an organization 

 for trap shooting. In its betf> r d-iys it exerted much in- 

 fluenc? in the work of protecting fish and game, and now 

 that it has many children throughout the State who are 

 doing excellent vrork, it ought to be stronger than ever. 

 The father has deserted the children, and the only hope 

 now for the procuring and enforcing game laws is in the 

 children. Thp State A^8ociation is worthless. Ought not 

 a new association to be organized, with the one purpose in 

 view of protecting fish and game and to aid in prop-iga- 

 tion? Ought there not to be a general head, with local 

 associations as auxiliaries? Thus a very strong organiza- 

 tion could be made, and inestimable good accomplished. 



But it m ly be that the n* w president of the Association, 

 Horace White, of this city, will reorg^inize it and restore 

 ic to oldtime usefulness. He is a youug man, energetic 

 and pf^rsevering, and knows the necessity which exists 

 forgiving the Associatim new life. 



There is now excellent fishing in the vicinity of Syra- 

 cuse. Game protectors have of late rendered faithful 

 service, and anglers bless them for it. Oneida Lake, 

 twelve miles to the northeast, has no superior and but 

 few equals for breeding. Large catches of pike, pick- 

 erel, perch and occasionally a muscalonge and other fish, 

 are made. Indeed, the fishing has not been so good in 

 many years. Skaneateles Lake, twelve miles to the 

 southwest, 500ft. above the city, has yi^lded up many 

 fine salmon trout. This lake is sixteen miles long, with 

 an average width of about a mile, »nd very deep— OOOfc. 

 at one placv? of measurement. The southern end of it 

 lies between high and precipitous rocks. The water is 

 very clear and cold, a tic home for the trout family. 



Onondaga Lake, north uf and near the city, will soon 

 afford excellent bass fishing. It empties into the Seneca 

 River, through the waters of Seneca and Cayuga Lake 

 pass to Lake Ontario. Perhaj^s no bettt-r bass fishing can 

 be found any wnere than this river affoids. Chief Justice 

 Puger, Jusiices Andrews and Vann, of the Coui't of Ap- 

 peals, and County Judge JNorthrup think so, and none 

 know its choice plnces better tuan they. 



The trout brooks of central New York have been more 

 than ordinardy prolific. In fact, it is a season of sur- 

 prising "mck" for anglers in all waters. 



As the season of vacation approaches, it is apparent 

 that an unu^uady large number ot Syraousana will go to 

 the Adirondacks, not alone for pleasure, but for the 

 healthful benefit to be had there. Nature olTers every 

 inducement to partake of the health and strength-restor- 

 ing remedies so pleasantly and freely offered there. The 

 season thus far — and the most promising part of the sea- 

 son is over— does not ofl'er unusual inducements to the 

 angler. It has been very dry, and the streams, rivers 

 and lakes reached their minimum depths very quickly, 

 and became warm so speedily that trout seemed to lose 

 their bearings and failed to spend the usual time near and 

 upon rapids, where they are always looked for during a 

 few days in the spring. The black flies are there just the 

 same, however, and will hold possession until early in 

 July, when their number will rapidly lessen daily. How 

 that great forest will be thronged with people in August ! 

 And as they contemplate their surioundmgs, how they 

 will wonder that people can be content at Saratoga and 

 other places where dress is of thw first necessity. 



Of course, the St. Lawrence River is a favorite resort 

 py Syraowpp, It is l)p lony jiotirg dist^t Wje rail- 



road fare is cheap. But the fishing is not now what it 

 once was. Last season fish were scarce where years ago 

 they were most plentiful — and there will continue to be a 

 scarcity so long as net fishing is allowed. The great 

 hotels along the river are anticipating the coming of 

 more people than ever before. Since the New York Cen- 

 tral m ana gem en t possessed itself of the Rome & Water- 

 town R. R. attention has been paid to making time tables 

 for the convenience of the public. During July and 

 August and a part of September a vestibule train is to be 

 run direct betw^een New York and the Thousand Islands. 

 ' Such a train will also be run between Buffalo and the 

 Islands, via Syracuse, The St. Lawrence River is un- 

 usually low for this season of the year. Do you believe 

 in the theory that more water runs underground from 

 L ike Ontario to the ocean than that which passes through 

 the St. Lawrence? It is said that this theory is made a 

 fact by estimating the quantity of water which Lake 

 Ontario receives and calculating the quantity which the 

 river discharges. The differ^ nee is made tlie basis for 

 estimating the dimensions of the mbteranean channel. I 

 have never seen this channel, therefore I do nrt atB^rm the 

 truth of this scientific theory. The most striking proofs 

 which I have seen of scientific averments in relation 

 to the river is the effect of supposed glacier action 

 upon the rocks which constitute the foundation in the 

 water of nearly all of the it-lar ds. These show unmistak- 

 able signs of smoothness, which comes from both he^vy 

 pressure and movement, as of a glacier sliding slowly 

 along. And still another theory may be inteiposed. We 

 are told that time was when the water of that river was 

 two hundred or more feet higher than it is now; so high 

 that there was no Niagara Falls, perhaps; at a time in the 

 long gone past when there was a mountain barrier at 

 Little Falls, that interesting place on the Central and 

 West Shore railroads, a few miles east of Utica; at a time 

 when the present site of Syracuse was 150ft. lower than 

 at present, as shown by the discovery of a cedar log at 

 that depth while putting down a fait well. But I am 

 trenching upon a subject to which there is no end. 



The drought experienced throughout the State, and 

 particidarly in c^ntral New York, has been disastrous in 

 almost every way, incidentally to hunters and yachtsmen, 

 neither of whom have had their usual sport. Until 

 within a day or two, the entire rainfall since April 1 was 

 not a quarter of an inch. Farmers have suffered severely, 

 and discomforts because of a want of rainwater in the 

 household have been widely experienced. But if "one 

 extreme follows another," what shall we anticipate for 

 July and August? Daci. 

 Sybacdse, June. 20. 



CANADA'S TAX ON AMERICANS. 



ROCHESTER, N. Y., June 20.— Editor Forest and 

 Stream: I have just returned from a week's maska- 

 longe fishing in Rice Lake, Canada, and noting Mr. H. 

 S. Chandler's communication in a late i?8ue on duties 

 on rods and guns, I would mention that I had a long 

 talk with one of Canada's customs oificers, a.nd there is 

 no duty on rods, especially as there were at least a dozen 

 rods on the same boat with us and there was no n( tice 

 taken of them by the officers. There is, however, a duty 

 on guns and ammunition of 15 per cent., and this officer 

 said he had never known of a case where the amount had 

 been refunded. There is also a charge of §5 for each rod 

 before allowed to fish in any of the inland waters. The 

 one I have reads t^us, "The holder of this permit is 

 allowed to fish in Rice Lake .and tributaries from l6th of 

 June to end of season (Jan. 1, 1892). Not transferable." 

 Signed Charles Gilchrist. 



I would say that this permit was $3 per rod (or man) 

 up to 1889. Last year and this year it is $5. 



Dee Arr Ess. 



St. Louis Notes.— A St, Louis fisherman recpntly 

 caught a 6lb. carp in the Mississippi River. The United 

 States Fish Commi-^sion some time ago stocked the river, 

 and the recent catch is the result of that effort. The late 

 Illinois Legislature pasFed a bill providing for the punish- 

 ment of any pei-.^on hunting upon the premises of others 

 without leave. St. Louis sporfemen should beware of the 

 irate farmers who had the bill passed. Word comes from 

 our ne-ghboring town of Springfii-'ld, 111., that the Spring ' 

 L-ike Shooting and Pishing Aspnciation has purcha'^ed at 

 tax s^le 5,900 acres of land for $3,000 twelve miles south 

 of Pekin, 111., and w ill buy 9,000 acres at private sales to 

 make the grounds 15,000 acres in extent. This is the 

 same venture I no*^ed some weeks ago. Heavy rains and 

 high waters have prevented any nugling for the past two 

 weeks with rod or line.— Aberdeen. 



North Woods News.— North Woods, N. Y., June 33. 

 More large trout have been caught this year than for 

 years before, while trout from 1 tooLn. long can be dipped 

 up in a landing net, so numerous are "they. Several 

 broods of young partridges are in the woods near this 

 place. Eight or ten deer have been seen loafing around 

 iiere. One was seen within ten rods of Harris Odit's 

 house. Two bears were killed by the Fiaasburg boys 

 durmg the last six weeks. The rain of a few days ago 

 put out several foret-t fires, which threatened a number 

 of square miles of hardwood forest. There is a deal of 

 hard feeding against the Adirondack League by the 

 natives of this country for prohibiting hunting or fishing 

 on League lands. — Woodchuck. 



Pike County, Pa., Notes.— Under date of .June 16, 

 Hon. Henry C. Ford, president of the Pennsylvania 

 Fish Commission, has written that the trout streams 

 of Pike county arc all too low for good fishing, owing to 

 the drought. Black bass are not y-i bitint; fi-pely, and 

 will not do so until after July 10. Mr Ford caught two 

 in one day, weighing 3 and 24ibs., and one of 41b-', on 

 another day. The u^jper Dela 'vare is alive with shad, 

 which have ascended as far as Hancock. N. Y. Erery 

 pool in the river is full of them, and Mr. Ford has seen 

 them disporting hy hundreds. Mr. Van Gordon saw them 

 in the river above Port J.-rvi8. 



Pleasant TaAm?..— Editor Forest and Stream: In the 

 article on Pleasant Lake, N. H.. in M^y 20 issue, the 

 number of trout fry placed at 45,000 should have been 

 25,000, the error being due to a misunderstanding on the 

 part of your correspondent from his informant. In justice 

 to Commissioner Hodge the corrpotjon is resoectfuDv 

 pbmi^tecl,— Byron^ ' - 



