814 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Oct. 14» iSgg. 
My First Trip] tos Tea Creek. 
Tea Creek is the coldest, the clearest, the cleanest 
trotit stream in the mountains of West Virginia. I had 
heard of the rocks as big as a house, of the Falls, and 
the fine trout waiting to be caught. Now that we have 
visited the place and a fall chill is in the air, we will put 
the memories of those swift waters, burnished rocks and 
cool shades, with the "sunlight glimmering througli," 
away until the days are long and the roads hot and dusty. 
Still, those mountains and streams are lovely ra the fall 
days, when men hunt deer in this region. The upper 
slopes of the mountains are timbered with pme, the green 
of which contrasts strangely with the varied hues of the 
lower mountains. • , . ^ 
In July a man came from New York to fish m Green- 
brier River. But the bass seemed to be not at home. 
We suggested a visit to Tea Creek for trotxt. The road 
leads over Laurel Mountain, ten miles away, where_ it 
ends abruptly, and the tourist goes on foot down Will- 
iams River three miles to Tea Creek House. 
This lodge in the wilderness was erected many years 
ago, and a man was stationed there to prevent squatters 
locating on a 50,000-acre tract of valuable timber land. 
It is famous as ii camp, from tlie number of hunting and 
tishing parties Avho have sheltered there for two genera- 
tions. Several vears a.gp some gentlemen had the house 
furnished with camp equipage, including bedsteads and a 
cooking stove, at considerable expense, as these arti- 
cles had to be carried several miles by men or horses. 
Some persons have stolen the lids of the stove and 
burned much of the furniture. 
Sam Gay and his family, the most hospitable people 
in the world, live where the road ends. We left the team- 
at his place and started out afoot, with rather heavy 
packs of camp dutBe, includmg a heavy camera and tri- 
pod, ready to do and dare, and promptly missed the 
trail by about loft. and followed a cattle path into an 
impenetrable jungle of marsh grass high above our heads, 
where we were constantly running into mud ditches 
called "sloos" in the vernacular of the country. The fa- 
mous "dead water" of Williams River is here, and the 
usually clear mountain stream is no better than a low- 
land bog at low water. After a deal of exploring around, 
getting very hot and uncomfortable, and wondering if 
we were to spend the night in that morass, we located 
the road and crawded into it by means of the trunk of a 
fallen pine, my friend losing his spectacles in that bit 
of escalading, which was destined to be the last of this 
little series of misfortunes. He showed real grit during 
the remainder of the toilsome tramp, and while not as- 
suming a boastful tone, remarked that he could stand as 
much of that sort of thing as anybody. 
This delay caused us to reach camp too late to fish 
that evening. We met a depraved looking man diligently 
rubbing snufiE, who was moved to inquire if John T. 
McGraw was represented in the person of either of us. 
(Mr. McGraw is a wealthy land owner who owns vast 
tracts in these mountains.) The Tug wanted to nego- 
tiate for what remained of the furniture of Tea Creek 
House. This moved us to stow away in the woods our 
camp supplies during the next day's fishing. 
Tea Creek is a most peculiar stream, in the color of 
its ViTater, due to a discoloration of its bed, which makes 
the water appear to be of an amber color; but when 
dipped up it is found to be as clear as crystal. Being 
spring water, it is cold, and tumbling down a mountain 
over huge stones, it is most picturesque. The stones 
are scoured and kept spotlessly clean, which is remarka- 
ble when it is considered that there are but few streams 
that do not deposit sediment at low water. 
We saw a stone weighing at least a ton that had been 
shattered by a blow near the center as though by the 
blow of a Titan. Fissures radiated from near the center 
where the force of the blow was spent. In flood the 
stream moves stones of a ton, and one of these had been 
dropped 2ft. or more, with the effect stated. 
Another peculiarity is that the first mile or two is of 
no use for trout at low water, they having retired to the 
pools among the big rocks further up. We did not know 
this, and wasted our hopes and two valuable hours in 
careful fishing where there were no fish. We had grown 
discouraged and sat down for consultation. The camera 
I carried decided us to push on and see the wonders 
beyond, for we had almost given up the idea of fishing. 
I started in to make the best of what I considered hard 
luck, and began to look out for scenes. My friend pushed 
on, and when I caught up in the course of a half hour 
he had three of the prettiest trout I have ever seen, all 
taken from one pool at the foot of a long flat rock, where 
the creek runs in a rift that may be stepped across. 
We found a succession of pools from there on and had 
good sport. For the first time in my life I experienced 
the delights of fly-fishing. I had always heretofore used 
bait, as being most conducive to successful fishing. I 
now believe in the bi-angling doctrine, or the use of fly 
or live bait, as the occasion warrants, indiscriminately. 
I have since caught a number of bass with flies and am 
proud of this accomplishment. 
I cast into a pool beside a big rock. Instantly there 
v-a.s a commotion in the water, but tlie line came in 
empty. The next cast brought a repetition, and presently 
f saw there were two trout hooked — one on each fly! 
They were landed successfully, one gin., the other 7j4in. 
After that I grudged the time to set up tripod and 
camera. 
In places one travels from one big rock to another, 
like walking from one housetop to another. Of course 
there are many fine pools at the base of these rocks. The 
stream appears to have a fall of 200ft. to the mile, more 
or less, and at 2 o'clock in the evening we supposed we 
had passed the falls, when in reality we had only 
come within a half mile of them, as I have since been 
informed. 
There is a wonderful pool below the Falls big enough 
to float a ship, and there the trout have their fortress. 
The trout will make a final stand there, to be found 
when improvident fishing shall have exterminated this 
beautiful fish in waters not so well guarded by nature. 
The beauties associated with "waters that run among the 
hills" will always be found here in a surpassing degree. 
The next morning we fished in Williams River. Big 
trout rose frequently, but were wary. 
Three of the Hammonds, from Bug Run, passed carry- 
ing rifles and knapsacks. They are a tribe of Tugs, 
veritable wild men of the woods, refusing to work, de- 
pending on hunting and fishing for subsistence. 
We returned on the now familiar road to Gay's, where 
we were served with an excellent dinner. After keeping 
our horse two days (during which time he had eaten an 
embroidered pillow-slip off the clothes-liiie, being the 
same horse which has heretofore had honorable mention 
as a polo pony), and extending us every hospitality, Mrs. 
THE CREEK HOUSE. 
Gay refused to accept compensation! This generous 
hospitality is not unusual in some of our mouirtain 
homes. 
Tv/o deer had come into the buckwheat patch near the 
house that morning, a buck and a doe. The buck had a 
big head of horns. 
The house is high on the mountain facing the Black 
Mountain across the Williams River Valley. A breeze 
was stirring continually that July day, and the sun's 
warmth was grateful. The glamour of those high moun- 
tains was on us as we descended old Laurel Mountain a 
thousand feet to the foothills bordering the Greenbrier 
River. Norm-an Price. 
M.\RLINTON, W. Va. 
On Canadian Lakes. 
Early in July I accepted the invitation of a Canadian 
friend to spend a few days with him at his summer home 
on one of a chain of small lakes in Ontario. It was a 
revelation to me; for, though I had heard of the place, I 
had no idea of its beauties and attractions. The lakes 
are about twenty in number, ranging in size from one 
to twelve miles in legth, and from a few rods to three 
miles in width, and most of them filled with small 
islands — one of them having over three hundred — and 
here is the ideal cottage and canoe life. No palaces like 
those of the St. Lawrence, but real cottages in every 
variety of genuine cottage architecture. Quaint and 
pretty in their detail, located on the rocky points and 
islands, they make a picture which seems like the reali- 
zation of an ideal. On one of the islands, in the middle 
of the largest lake, is a pavilion, at which one of the 
Canadian military bands gives frequent evening concerts, 
and at one which we attended more than three hundred 
canoes gathered about the island, each with its one or 
more lanterns, making, with the music, an impression 
on eye and ear that required little to complete one's 
idea of what fairlyland might be — and such canoes and 
canoe handling! The canoes are the perfection of 
the boat building art, and so light, graceful and fine 
lined as to make the Adirondack or St. Lawrence skiff 
look like a freight car, and with the single-blade paddle 
handled with a skill and certainty that seems almost 
marvelous. The gentler sex could not be classed as 
passengers, for the large majority of the Canadian girls 
wield the paddle' with quite as much skill and grace as 
any of the young men, and are as much at ease in a 
canoe as the Yankee maid on a bicycle. 
One of the inducements to go was the promise of good 
black bass fishing, and I soon found that the lakes are 
swarming with great lusty, hard-fighting fellows, who 
make it extremely interesting for light tackle. The mo- 
ment they are struck they come raging out of the water, 
and unless the hook is well fastened it comes back 
empty the next instant; but if it holds, the individual 
with the rod is bound to be kept busy for the next few 
minutes, and be entertained with an exhibition of rushes 
and leaps, contesting for every inch of line, until the 
fighter has exhausted the last ounce of strength and is 
drawn to the landing net, where he is almost sure to 
make one more supreme effort; and many 'a one parts 
company with the angler right then and there, leaving 
him with a very tired wrist and an opportunity to 
make some forcible remarks, while his opinion of the 
fighting qualities of the black bass rises several points. 
In these lakes a sib. bass is no rare fish, and our host 
made a practice of keeping nothing under albs., returning 
all smaller ones to the water, for a chance to grow and 
become of some account, as all self-respecting bass 
should be ambitious to do. The programme was often 
varied by the vicious strike of a 'lunge, as he pounced 
upon the bait, and many a bass rig came to grief when 
this occurred, for the 'lunge has a trick of his own that 
clean cuts anything in the line of leaders except such 
as are made of wire; but if through good fortune the 
tackle holds, there is a battle royal on hand for the 
fisherman, and I know of no sport more exciting than 
the combination of a lolb. muscalonge with a 70Z. fly- 
rod. It is a proposition in which the chances of victory 
and defeat are about equal, and no rest for either party 
until fought to a finish. 
The Canadian game laws are good, and if respected 
and enforced will preserve these wonderfully stocked 
waters against depletion for all time; but there's the 
vub— the "observance and enforcement of the statute. It 
requires every non-resident of the Province to take a 
license for fishing, for which a fee of $10 is to be paid. 
This provision is waived on condition that the visitors 
employ Canadian boatmen or are guests of a Canadian 
house. It also limits the catch to fish of over loin. 
length, and not more than twelve bass to be taken by 
each fisherman each day. It would seem that in consid- 
eration of waiving the legal license fee the spirit of fair- 
ness alone would prompt the strict keeping within the 
limit of the number prescribed. A dozen good-sized 
bass each day certainly should be enough to satisfy 
any fisherman. On our way up we stopped for a few 
minutes at a small hotel just at the time when a party 
of its guests came in after the day's fishing and spread 
the day's catch on the lawn in front of the house. 
There were five of our countrymen in the party, and 
tliey displayed 150 bass, and stated that they had fished 
every day, except Sundays, for three weeks, and this 
was the smallest lot they had brought in. Many of them 
were handsome fish of 3 to 4lbs., but the large majority 
were under lib.! Think of it! over 3,000 fish taken from 
this one little lake by one party. It seemed hardly pos- 
sible; and when I asked what became of so many fish 
I Was told that they were nearly all given to the oars- 
men, who either sent or took them to the markets of - 
the nearby towns, where they were sold. Another party 
.of six more Yankees (as we are called) arrived at 
this house on the following day. The strange part of it 
is that the boatmen, who make a part of their living by 
rowing and paddling the visitors, seem to be as en- 
thusiastic as their employers in the effort to catch all of 
the fish in the lakes, and a strong rivalry is evident as 
to which boat brings in the largest number. A kind 
Providence, however, interfered with the slaughter, for 
after two or three days more of such great fishing the 
water of all the lakes began to bloom, and became so 
thick with a marine pollen that it was impossible to 
see into it more than a few inches, and consequently the 
taking of a fish soon became a rarity, and if enough were 
caught for the luncheon each day it was unusual good 
luck. It surely is a blessing that nature interferes to 
some extent to preserve the fish; but how long will they 
last at sitch a rate of destruction, and why is it that men 
who are noted for their far-sightedness in other re- 
spects, who are regarded as intelligent thinking men- 
why is it that they seem to throw aside all of these 
qualities when they find themselves in water that af- 
fords them such glorious sport, and immediately engage 
in a contest among themselves to demonstrate which 
can do the most to destroy it? What satisfaction is 
there in killing small fish after they have given all the 
sport in their little power, when by returning them to 
the water thev will not only perpetuate the species, but 
afford a deal better fight when they have attained a bet- 
ter size? If the law, restricting the number is to be dis- 
regarded and "count" is the main object, why not go a 
step further, and laying aside the rod and reel, take a 
net? 
Riparian Rights. 
William H. Townsend' was the owner some years ago 
of a lot at Milton, N. Y., on a stream, emptying into the 
Hudson River. Winslow M. BeU and A. E. Bell at the 
same time owned and occupied lands upon the stream 
just above Mr. Townsend, having a mill for the manu- 
facture of plush. There was a discharge from the mill 
into the stream twice a day of water used m dyeing 
cloths. Dift'erent colors, pink, red and green, appeared. 
A suit by Mr. Townsend in the Supreme Court to restrain 
the continuance of such use of the stream was first tried in 
1891. A dismissal of the complaint was reversed by the 
late General Term, which ordered a new trial. The case 
came before the General Term a second time, when it ap- 
peared the trial judge had refused to find whether or not 
the use of the water of the stream in question by the 
defendants was a reasonable one. On the third trial the 
complaint was again dismissed. The Third Appellate 
Division recently ordered a reversal of that decision with 
a new trial, holding, in an opinion by Justice Putnam, 
that the discharge of this colored water constituted an 
unreasonable and improper use of the streani, which en- 
titled the lower riparian owner to an injunction restram- 
ing its continuance.— New York Times, 
San Francisco Fly-Casting Cluh. 
The medal contests of the San Francisco Fly-Casting 
Club for the season of 1899 practically closed with the re-' 
entries on Sept. 30 and Oct. i. 
The club medals will be awarded as follows : 
Long- Distance (single-handed rods, length limited to 
lift.) —Championship medal, W. D. Mansfield; first-class 
medal, A. E. Lovett; second-class medal, T. W. Brother- 
Accuracy. —Championship medal, C. G. Young; first- 
class medal, Chas. Huyck. , , r 
F H. Reed, with the highest score in the first class 
in accuracy on Saturday, and Chas. Huyck with the 
highest score in the first class in accuracy on Sunday, cast 
off yesterday for the first-class accuracy medal. On the 
first trial they tied; on the next trial Huyck won by a 
small margin. , ■, .-xxr -^ir c u j 
Delicacy.— Championship medal, W. D. Mansfield and 
C. G. Young; first-class medal, H. F. Muller and A. E. 
"lure-Castinc— Championship medal, W. D. Mansfield 
and T. W. Brotherton. -^^ 
The general average medal was won by W. D. Mans- 
field, with a total of 496 points (about 10 per cent.) over 
the next highest contestant. 
The Smyth medal for the greatest improvement in 
any one of the fly-casting events will go to T. W. 
Brotherton on improvement in long-distance. 
The race between T. W. Brotherton and E. Everett 
for this medal was very close. At the time the classifica- 
tion scores were completed, it seemed almost certain that 
Everett w'ould win, but the wonderful strides made by 
Brotherton in long-distance during the last five contests 
raised his average improvement in long-distance over 
34ft. Everett's average improvement was about 16ft. 
