BOO 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[July y, 1891. 



infatuated with these forest nymphs, our stay wag not 

 prolonged. Joe, who had a reputation as a great masher 

 among the dusky-hued maidens, paid them a visit, but as 

 he soon returned to camp I was of the opinion that he 

 failed to create any great sensation in this court of 

 beauty. He, however, made a ptirchase of a knife, for 

 which he paid the munificent sum of 25 cents. 



In the evening quite a mimber of young half-breeds, 

 who live here, gathered around our camp-fire and re- 

 mained till a late hour, chattering in Chippewa and satis- 

 fying their curiosity concerning us. There was but one 

 among them that could talk pigeon English, and he was 

 the brother of the three Hebes. I noticed that nearly all 

 of them had snooded fish hooks in their hat-bands, and 

 ascertained, on inquiry, that they used them especially 

 for trouting. The nightmare of that 18 per cent, pre- 

 mium on the ./ov/imairs again arose in hideous propor- 

 tions. Everywhere along this coast, as far as we had 

 been, he was ruthlessly pursued with all kinds of market- 

 hunting tactics, that fully satisfied me that this beauti- 

 ful game fish would soon be a rarity here. Shame on a 

 Government that will Set idly by, with folded hands, and 

 see such wanton destruction ! 



As we were to break camp in the morning and make a 

 trip of thirty-five or forty miles, we gave orders for the 

 boatmen to arise early, so that we could take advantage 

 of the morning, and soon had the boys aroused, who pre- 

 pared breakfast in short order, and quickly had the entire 

 camp dismantled and ready for the boat. A few minutes 

 stifHced for the loading, and then we were aboard, and 

 out of the river into the gi-eat sparkling lake, with our 

 sails spread to the balmy breeze. The morning was a 

 IDoem of supei-nal beauty, the sky one dense uniTorm rose- 

 color from east to west— soft and shimmering — and when 

 the sun rose over the mountain peaks, the rocks and 

 boulders glittered in opaline tints, while the lake tossed 

 in silver ripples that sprayed from the bow in rainbow 

 tints. It was delightful — thus slipping through the water 

 in such magnificent weather, and Ned, who was always 

 enthused on such occasions, charmed us with bis melodi- 

 ous airs. His repertoire of music, which ran in melodies 

 the most varying, seemed almost inexhaustible and un- 

 wearying. The boys were highly delighted with his vocal 

 strains, and when he rendered one that struck their fancy 

 they invariably requested a repetition, Joe himself 

 finally caught the fever, and when Ned was indulging in 

 the luxury of a smoke he would set his mournful voice to 

 some plaintive air that was entirely too doleful for ad- 

 miration. 



About 10 o'clock the breeze freshened perceptibly, and 

 then Joe declared we would have plenty of wind before 

 we reached a harbor. He set about arranging the freight 

 on the windward side near the stern, so as to have the 

 bow well out of water. Every minute there was a per- 

 ceptible increase, and the water was now tossing from 

 her bow in a white foam, while her lee side was buried 

 up to the rowlocks. Joe said we would make a harbor in 

 about an hour and a half; time enough, Ned thought, 

 to create a gale that would test the capacity of the 

 boat as well as ourselves. No one was alarmed, al- 

 though we all knew what a fickle dame Madame Su- 

 perior was. Many a time have I seen a sea arise here 

 in such a brief time that I have stood in perfet terror 

 upon the rocky shore, gazing upon the mighty billows 

 careering onward as if mad with a wild delight: while 

 a wailing song, mingled with the tramping surf, would 

 ascend to the gloomy sky. 



Ned kept up his bravery of song in unison with the 

 wind, selecting those that suited the occasion to a dot. 

 He now sang: 



"And while the wind Isegan to sweep 

 A music out of sheet and shroud. 

 We steered her toward a crimson cloud 

 That, landlike, slept along the deep." 



We were booming along lively, with the wind whistl- 

 ing a merry tune in our sail, and the harbor of delight 

 miles away. Joe liad her in good sailing trim and direct 

 to the point we were so eager to reach. She was making 

 a splendid race, as we judged by the rocky shore line we 

 were rapidly passing, and on which the waves were now 

 battling furiously. Poor chance for an unfortunate 

 there, we thought, if that were his only means of escape 

 in storm. The crags were rugged and riven and their 

 tops inaccessible. It was not a pleasing picture just then 

 to contemplate, as that of a gravelly beach, and yet at 

 times we go into ecstacies over just such a scene. 



At last Joe announced that the breeze was letting 

 down, and then we all prayed that it might hold till we 

 reached port. Such is human nature, longing for this 

 thing to-day and for that thing to-morrow; to change 

 likings for loathings, and to stand wishing and hankering 

 at venture. Evidently we are as fickle as woman, ay, as 

 the wind. 



We had now crossed that great horseshoe bend of the 

 lake, and were close enough to the rockbound shore to 

 observe the clearing of light among the shadows on the 

 hillside, which made the green of the forest seem like 

 large masses of chenille. The grand scenery that was 

 now unfolding itself with its rocky cliflis, green forests, 

 purple hills and wave-washed shores was woven into 

 splendors of eloquence that excited the most sluggish 

 imagination. What grand material for imagery of some 



Eoetic genius— "imagery sure to be vivid as that shining 

 loom, mystic as the inter blending of those hues, soaring 

 as that granite column, tender and pathetic, too, as that 

 all soothing loving haze." 



Rounding the point which we had so long desired to 

 reach, we soon arrived at Mamainse harbor, which is 

 composed of a lovely cluster of islands near the shore, 

 upon one of which we landed and had a royal spread. 

 The wind had now fallen to a gentle breeze and the bright 

 sunlight which prevailed was turning wood, shore and 

 water into glittering gold. Alex. Starbuck. 



A Chakming Region. — The Milwaukee, Lake Shore & 

 Western R. R. Co. have recently issued two little pamph- 

 lets interesting to sportsmen. One of them describes the 

 attractions of the lake region of northern Wisconsin and 

 Michigan, where we are told deer, trout, muskallonge 

 and bass abound, while the other is devoted to sample 

 scores of fish caught in the lakes and streams of the 

 region. These two pamphlets form interesting reading 

 for the angler. Last autumn the Milwaukee, Lake Shore 

 & Western Railway Co. sent Mr. G. O. Shields up into 

 the State Park region to investigate its possibilities and 

 report on jfc, and these papers are the result pf bis yisit, 



CHICAGO AND THE WEST. 



CHICAGO, 111,, June 30.— This week I have a lot of 

 letters to offer, all bearing on the work in fish pro- 

 tection in this region. Some readers always skip the fine 

 print and the fish protection , but in this case they should 

 not do either. The first letter is from my old friend Col, 

 Bond, the game dealer. It reads: 



I notice in the FOBBST AND Stream that you claim the credit 

 for the bill prohibiting flshing llirouKh ice. Give the devil his 

 due. The game dealers controlled all legislation on game and 

 flsh in the Legislature. Our friends wired me if I wanted ttiebill 

 defeated, in return I wired them to let it pass, which was done. 

 So give the game dealers credit aside from a bill a.« to partridges. 

 The sportsmen did not get a show. Now we are going to hold our 

 meeting for uniform game laws throughout the country.— E. S. 

 Bond. 



I am not sure in my mind but that it was Col. Bond 

 who discovered America. Anyhow, it is discovered. All 

 last winter, wh^n Geo. Clark, and Paddock, and Savage 

 were shipping him black bass caught through the ice in 

 the Fox Lake range, did Col. Bond ever say a word about 

 stopping that practice, by law or any other means? Not 

 that I remember. He just bought the fish. I think it 

 was the general confusion of affairs in the past session 

 as much as the doughty game dealers that kept the 

 sportsmen from "getting a show." Beyond that, so far 

 as the dealers' negative good deeds are concerned. I am 

 willing and anxious to give the dealer his due, but I must 

 confess the worthy Colonel's letter reminds me very much 

 of the school boy's essay on "Pins," It ran to the effect 

 that "pins saved a great many people's lives." His 

 teacher stopped him there and asked, "How?" "By not 

 swoUerin' 'em," replied the boy. Col. Bond has shown 

 great judgment by not swallowing any unnecessary pins, 

 but the credit for the Ice bill belongs just exactly where 

 it was placed in these columns last week. 



Our Chicago friends who do not often get over to the 

 lovely Rock River for fishing will be glad at any rate to 

 hear "that the boom in fish protection is being felt along 

 that stream also. Mr. Cole, who is attending to northern 

 Illinois for thfe State Commission, has the following 

 cheerful letter from a resident angler of that stream: 



RoCKk'OBD, 111., June 27.— Mr. Geo. E. Cole. Pres.: I am very 

 much gratified, speaking for the Winnebago Fish and (rame Club, 

 to know that vou are takins; such active interest in securing fi'^h- 

 ways in the Rock River. Ttie Governor has lately appointed a 

 fiBh warden for this district, Mr. Jas. E. iNIoon, who is a very 

 active and energetic man, and I do not believe that any spearing 

 or seining of fish will take place in any of the adjacent waters 

 while he holds oflice. If there is any done it will be detected and 

 the parties prosecuted and fined. We shall be delighted to hear 

 that you have heard more definitely from Sterling and Dison. I 

 am satisfied that the fish have been greatly benefited in Roei? 

 River above Rockford by the fishway that was placed in our dam 

 over a ve.ar ago. Thanking you for your interest in the matter, I 

 am Gho. S. Roper, 



The main interest in such matters in Chicago just now, 

 however, centers on the first steps of the Kankakee Asso- 

 ciation. The beginning of the work was mentioned last 

 week. Warden Buck's letters about the Momence dams 

 being then the latest news from his trip. I will let Mr. 

 Buck tell the rest in his own words, his letters being the 

 official reports on the work. From Kankakee, next below 

 Momence, he writes as follows: 



Kanicakee, m,, June 25,— Geo. E. Cole: I arrived liere this 

 morning. Found there was a fl'^hway constructed in the same 

 manner and from the same plan as yoxi have, only the ladder is 

 not in the dam but up side of the mill, as per accompanying 

 drawing. Just as soon as the water gets low enough so they can 

 commence work they will put in a wing into deep water, which, I 

 think, will make the fishway all right, I go in the morning to 

 Aroma to see about the dam there and from there to Wilming- 

 ton.— F, L. Buck, State Fish Warden. 



On the next day he reports as follows from Kankakee: 



Kankakee. III., June 26.— I have just returned from Aroma, 

 above here. They had a ladder in there the same as I put in the 

 Pox River. Ir, needs a shute to deep water and then will be all 

 right, and that will be pnt in this week or nest. At the present 

 time there is a break of "Oft. in the middle of the dam and before 

 ihev shut the water off they will fix the fishway. 1 go from here 

 to Wilmington to-day. Your letter and the one in regard to the 

 O. & E. I. R. R. Go,, at Momence. received Just now. I have 

 written to Mr. Lyford, attorney for the C. & E. 1. K. R. Co., in re- 

 gard to the matter and if I go to Lockport to see Gapt. Lyton will 

 go up to Chicago and see him. I don't think there will ho any 

 trouble getting this river all fixed this season, and if thei-p was a 

 patrol of ttie river for a while the law-breakers would quit along it. 



At Wilmington, below Kankakee, the warden struck a 

 whole flock of dams, but his report is not discouraging : 



There are four dams near this place, one of 17ft. about ly^ miles 

 above the town, owned by the Wilmington Water Power Co., 

 Mr. Claflin, Boston, Mass., Pres.; Joel Hill, Boston. Mass., Treas.; 

 G. S. Waters, Holyoke, Mass., Sec'y, Ttie same company own the 

 dam 3 miles below town. That is out in several places and will 

 not be repaired, find there is no use for the upper dam, as the 

 water is only used for ice. There is no one here that has any- 

 thing to do about the dam. there is another dam about a quar- 

 ter of a mile above town OJ^ft. high used by the mills here and 

 owned by H. Stewart, J, and J. Wnitten, American Straw Board 

 Co., S. H. Emery. Manager, Quincy, 111., J. Ray and ,1. Campbell. 

 This dam has a piece on an apron on the north end, so that a fish- 

 way can be made on it, and it will be done just as soon as the 

 water goes down. The next dam is owned by the Wilmington 

 Water Power Co., and Is brolien in several places and will never 

 be fixed. The next dam is the State dam. about one mile below 

 the Wimington Water Power Co. dam. SJ^ft. It has two or three 

 places with slides, and fish can go over at present lime. Mr. 

 Kelly, the watchman, is fish warden, ant says that fish go up at 

 all times when the water runs over, but I shall see Gapt. Leighton 

 and have a fishway put in. 



On Monday, June 29, Warden Buck came up to the 

 city, and reported that he had only two more dams to see 

 about, the one at Wilmington and one unvisited at Mar- 

 seilles, the latter the lowest dam on the stream. Momence 

 dam he had all right, provided the C. & E. I. R.R. would re- 

 lease on their injunction against changing the dams. 

 Warden Buck called on Mr. Lyford, the C. & E. I. solici- 

 tor, who by the way is a very reasonable and pleasant 

 gentleman, and came away with the foUovping valuable 

 paper, which simply means that the C, & E, T, will do all 

 it can to help along the work which will so plainly benefit 

 the attractions of their fishing country: 



la the Circuit Court of 

 Kankakee County. 



State of Illinois. I „. 



Kankakee Cocnty, \ 

 Chicago & Eastern Railroad Co. , 



m. Y Stipulation. 



William R. Shelby et nl. \ 



It is hereby stipulated and agreed by and between the parties to 

 the above entitled cause, that the defendantsmay construct in the 

 dams which are described in the original bill herein, fish ways, 

 under the supervision of the State Fish Commissioners, a« pro- 

 vided in the law of 1889; provided, that said flshways shall noc in 

 anv way destroy the efficiencv cf said dams or lower the wa'er 

 above the dams. W. H. Lyfohd, Sohoitor for Complainant. 



Warden Buck explained that the fishway would only 

 need Vi X 13in, total voluine of water, and thus cleared 

 the way to the above stipulation, which doubtless will be 

 signed by defense also. This should obviate all difficulty 

 i» regard to the iHpin^pe dajffis. Mr. Buck left for 



Marseilles last night, and before going confidently re- 

 marked, "If the high water goes down, we will have the 

 flshways in every dam on the Kankakee within 30 days." 

 Now, if that i.=i not a good showing for the first field week 

 of the afsociation, I don't know anything about it. lb 

 will go through, I believe, without a single lawsuit. It is 

 not a hard thing to do, this protective work, When 

 things are steadily let alone they don't get done, but the 

 difficulties melt before energetic and systematic work. 

 It is early in the day to talk, but we do believe here that 

 the outlook for the Kankakee is highly encouraging. One 

 of the most encouraging tokens thereof is the hearty dis- 

 position to help the association evinced by men resident 

 along the stream. Warden Buck wanted a lot of blanks 

 to take with him, and said that at Momence Mr. Durham 

 told bim they would get together a good membership. 

 At Kankakee'^town, the gun club and the fish club both 

 promised aid, and at Wilmington also they would raise 

 some money for the work. The scheme of this work, 

 which I have tried to show in these columns from its 

 first inception, is very simple. And the purpose is too 

 good to allow the thought of failure. 



July Z,— One more letter about the Kankakee Associ- 

 ation,' this time from Mr. Durham, a well-known Momence 

 man. The outlook at that town certainly seems good: 



MoMBKCB, III., June 30.— Wm. P. Mussev, Treas.: I hand you 

 draft for $.30, for which kindly mail annual cards for parties 

 whose names are marked pakl. Ttie rest are good and will collect 

 in a day or two. 1 will raise SIO more anyway, and perhaps more, 

 as there are a number of my fishing friends who have not put in 

 an appearance. By the way, the G. & E. I. R. R. ought to con- 

 tribute, as they have had quite an income at this point for a good 

 many years. Oor boys will most heartily join m any thing that 

 will help along the fisbir.g here. Would be pleased to see any of 

 the cltrb at any time.— W. M. Dub ham. 



A strongly signed petition comes up from Momence 

 asking for the appointment of Chas. Heimbau^h of that 

 I)lace as game warden for the Kankakee Association, and 

 it is likely that the committee on protection will appoint 

 him. Mr. Heimbaugh has a steam launch of his own 

 and can get about the river well. State Warden Back is 

 much in favor of Heimbaugh's selection. 



The ways and means committee of the Association meet 

 to-morrow night, and will appoint solicitittg committees 

 for work in the different Chicago clubs. Tfiis will bring 

 in more money. 



The market-shooters at Water Valley, on the Kanka- 

 kee, have been shooting woodcock for the past week and 

 holding them on ice for the opening of the season, to-day. 

 Dick Turtle has gone for his regular woodcock hunt in 

 that country, and it is hoped he can get some evidence 

 against these market-shooters. A warden is sadly needed 

 along that part of the stream. I hear that English Lake 

 Club has a patrol out. Mak-saw-ba Club this fall will try 

 to procure State Fish Warden Buck for a month or so of 

 the duck season . 



As mentioned last week, four boats floated the Kanka- 

 kee from Mak-sav.'-ba to English Lake. The party got 

 back Monkay morning. They caught about 30 bass and 

 vfall-eyes, nearly all out of one hole, near Skunk Hill, 

 four miles below Mak-saw-ba. This was in the evening, 

 and the fish, wall-eyed pike and small-mouth bass, were 

 taken on the frog, surface fi.shing, which seems a rather 

 singular state of affairs. The water in the Kankakee is 

 high just now, 



Messrs. Fannin,White, Burbridge and Higgins, who had 

 left for Madison lakes, should meet good luck, for the fish 

 have been biting weU there of late. 



We must chronicle another cheap and pleasant angling, 

 trip out of Chicago, this time one of which my friend 

 Mr. J. M. Clark tells me. In early June Mr. Clark, Mr. 

 Geo. Morell and Mr. Harry Babcock took Mr. Clark's can- 

 vas boat and camping outfit, and started in at Burling- 

 ton, Wis., to float down the Fox River to the main lake, 

 IBurlington is on the Wisconsin Central Ry, , 85 miles 

 above Fox Lake. This distance the party made in two days, 

 but they say that is not time enough, and that three or 

 four days would be better. For a two days' trip it would 

 be better to stop at Wilmot, and take a take a train over 

 to Camp Lake station. The trip from Burlington to Sil- 

 ver Lake can be made in one day, but it is too far to go 

 and enjoy good fishing. This party stopped for the night 

 abotit iO miles below Burlington. They found the best 

 fishing near Bundy's bridge. This point can be reached 

 by wagon, about three miles from Silver Lake, The latter 

 lake is sometimes good for some bass also. Mr. Clark 

 says they found the river about 125ft. wide, a very pretty 

 stream. ' The best baits seemed minnows and the .«poon. 

 They caught 37 small-mouthed bass, 7 big-mouths and a 

 number of wall-eyed pike and pickerel, the latter being 

 very abundant. I should think this must be a very pleas- 

 ant trip, though better if one has his own boat and camp 

 outfit. It seems strange that Loon Lake, near Antioch, 

 does not get fished out. Mr. lioth, whose 80 bass there I 

 mentioned earlier, was up one Saturday with two friends, 

 Messrs. Bond and Forney, and in one day they caught 38 

 bass, all big-mouths, of course. They say the bass were 

 simply ferocions after the frogs, often going clear out of 

 the water in striking. 



There is a great lot of good fishing lakps in that Fox 

 Lake country, a,nd on the banks of many of them there 

 dwell human sharks who make their living by running 

 summer resorts in the summer and fishing through the 

 ice in the winter. Last January I went up into that 

 country, and took great pleasure in "turning over" some 

 of these summer resort men. It may be remembei'ed 

 that I later published a statement from Col. Bond, the 

 game dealer, to the effect that shipments of fish from 

 those points in the winter were "very light." Well, to- 

 day I saw Billy Farmer, the boy who first brought down 

 the story of this ice fishing, and who goes regularly to 

 Geo. Clark's place on Lake Maria. Young Farmer told 

 me that on the last two days of the ice-fishing this spring 

 Geo. Clark caught 98 black bass. He further said that he 

 had seen a bill for over $100 for fish shipped to Bond & 

 Whitcomb, of this city, in one lot. Mr. Farmer is sincere 

 in this, and could not well be wrong; so that the actual 

 destruction of game fish by this one man Geo. Clark may 

 be judged. The fish brought an average of a cents a 

 pound, I am told, the bass selling for more than that. 

 Now, what I want to ask is, Who wants to go up to Geo. 

 Clark's summer resort place this summer, now that the 

 fishing season has begun, and pay such a natural robber 

 his money for board and boats? What real good sports- 

 man will do that? Better go to Ed Howard's, or to Clarke 

 & Neltnor's, or some place run by a sportsman and a man 

 above this ice- fishing butchery. 



The Cleveland party of eight, Mr, 0. W. Burrows and 

 his frientis, mejationed earlier as en route for the muscal- 



