June 10, 1893] 
THE PISHING GAZETTE 
435 
THE FISHERIES SECTION AT THE 
WORLD’S FAIR. 
By Our Correspondent in Chicago. 
Other sections of the World’s Fair are more 
extensive, more imposing, far more magnificent 
than that given over to fisheries, but it may well 
be doubted if any section will have more 
enthusiastic visitors, or yield its visitors more 
delight. Since the seas have lapped the earth, 
since the streams have trickled down from the 
hills, there have been fishers. Yet it was fishing, 
as the earliest industry of the Western Hemi¬ 
sphere, which did much to promote the colonisa¬ 
tion of new lands. Accordingly, there is a certain 
appropriateness in the existence of a substantial 
fisheries section in connection with this 
Columbian exposition. Nay, more—Columbus 
himself, although we know little of him, may have 
been an angler, or come of fisher folk. Daring 
his long quest for the shores of a new world how 
many an hour did he occupy, how many a mouth 
§11, by casting a line and a hook for the fishes ? 
It is little matter whether these pretty thoughts 
had anything to to with the decision of the pro¬ 
moters of the World’s Fair that the section for 
fisheries should be a substantial one. The point 
is that, as a result of careful thought, hard work, 
and high capacity, a comprehensive fisheries ex¬ 
hibition is embraced within the immense acres of 
Jackson Park. 
On the day President Cleveland opened the fair, 
a witty American Senator rather made fun of one 
of the buildings, on account of its want of beauty. 
It was not the Fisheries Building he alluded to, 
for, by general admission, it is one of the 
handsomest in the whole exhibition. Mr. 
Henry Ives Cobb, who designed the Fisheries 
Building—by the by, the cost has been about 
£40,000—began with the advantage of a good 
position. It is situated at the north end of 
Jackson Park, where the ground is most pic¬ 
turesque, and it looks on to the main lagoon. If a 
new casting rod has to be tried, one has only to 
step out of doors and down to the edge of the 
lagoon, or, if the lagoon will not satisfy, why, 
Lake Michigan, with its endless stretch of water, 
is not five minutes away. Neither in the lagoon, 
nor, it may be, in the lake at this point, are many 
basketsful likely to be landed. To the enthusiastic 
fisherman that, of course, would be a matter of no 
consequence. Really there are three distinct 
buildings to accommodate the fisheries exhibits. 
First the central structure, which is rectangular 
in form and over 360ft. in breadth. Besides the 
floor space there are galleries, 30ft. wide, running 
the entire length and across both ends. Here, in 
the central structure the space is given up to 
commercial flsheries, scientific investigation, and 
fish culture. Second, lying to the west, comes 
the annexe, where that genial angler and excellent 
fellow. Dr. James A. Henshall, has set out the 
angling exhibits. Third, to the east, is another 
polygonal pavilion, fitted up as an aquarium, for 
the exhibition of live fish. 
These three buildings then, with the stars and 
stripes flying from all, make the Fisheries Build¬ 
ing. The architectural style is Spanish Roman¬ 
esque, and the buildings externally are decorated 
with representations of fish and other inhabi¬ 
tants of the water. Architects somehow in 
decorating a building with any kind of figures, 
rarely typify fishes. Here that was clearly the 
one thing which had to be done at all hazards. 
But artistically—on that one consideration alone 
—the effect is excellent, and it would not be 
surprising if the inhabitant of the waters now 
takes some kind of rank with the architect. The 
extreme length of the Fisheries Building—in¬ 
cluding the arcades leading to the two annexes— 
is something like 1100ft. A visitor interested 
to any extent in fishes, fishing, and fisheries, 
might occupy not one merely but several days in 
going over the place. In the aquarium there is 
a spacious rotunda, having in the centre a pool 
twenty-six feet wide. Rocks covered with moss 
and lichens rear themselves in fantastic shapes 
in this pool, and fishes dive about, now appearing 
with a flash like a glint of sunlight at dawn, now 
disappearing like an arrow shot into the twilight. 
Little streams of water gurgle up from crevices 
in the rocks and fall back with a splash into the 
pool. ’Tis a capital picture, and the people never 
seem to tire looking into the depths of the pool at 
the sporting fishes and the twining aquatic 
plants. You go round one side of the rotunda 
to see the fresh-water tanks, round the other for 
the salt-water tanks. As would be expected, 
the fresh-water tanks occupy the greater space, 
or in other words, the live specimens of fresh¬ 
water fishes on view are somewhat more numerous 
than the salt-water specimens. 
Taking all the tanks together, they range in 
capacity from eight hundred to twenty-seven 
thousand gallons of water each. Exclusive of 
reservoirs the total water capacity of the whole 
aquaria is stated to be a hundred and forty 
thousand gallons; some forty thousand gallons 
are devoted to the salt water sections—to the 
marine section—and the needful supply was 
brought from a station which the United States 
Fish Commission has at Wood’s Holl, Massa¬ 
chusetts. Evaporation was brought into play 
to make the transport of the salt water to 
Chicago more easy, fresh water from Lake 
Michigan being used to restore it to its proper 
density. By an ingenious system of circulation 
and aeration the salt water is continually kept 
in a pure state. It need hardly be said that 
private exhibitors have no part or place in the 
aquarium, which is, so to speak, an American 
national exhibit—and an uncommonly interesting 
and useful one. As it happens, there is a part 
of the fisheries section—certainly it may be 
described as a part—quite outside the Fisheries 
Building. This is a very fine exhibit organised 
by the United States Fish Commission, which in 
its day has done much excellent work. Where 
the American Government exhibits, it exhibits 
within the walls of the Government Building. 
The Government Building was erected for the 
sole and whole purpose of Government exhibits, 
and it is full from end to end. Well, the north 
end of the building looks upon the Fisheries 
Building—in fact, is only fifty or eighty yards 
distant. Clearly it was the natural thing, if the 
Fish Commission exhibit was to be in the Govern¬ 
ment Building that it should be at the north end, 
near to the Fisheries Building, 
To all intents and purposes therefoi'e, the 
exhibit of the Fish Commission, while separated 
by two walls, a stretch of lagoon, and a few yards 
of green sward from the Fisheries Building, is 
still part and parcel of it. If the visitor wishes 
to prepare for the Fisheries Buildings by looking 
at the Fish Commission exhibit, he has only to 
step across the way, getting a whiff of the breeze 
from off Lake Michigan in so doing. On the 
other hand, if he dines on the fisheries section 
proper first, all he has to do for dessert is to 
walk over to the Government Building and 
there find the Fish Commission exhibit. Experts 
declare the exhibit of the Fish Commission to be 
a thoroughly good one. On that declaration 
alone it may be assumed to be a good one, since, 
curiously enough, an exhibit emanating from a 
Government is invariably subjected to a stream 
of criticism which, in the case of private indi¬ 
viduals, would be regarded as too severe. For 
many things in the Fish Commission exhibit the 
National Museum at Washington has been drawn 
upon. People who examined America’s exhibit 
at the Fisheries Exhibition in London, will see 
here a few at all events of the exhibits which 
were then on view. But much, very much, of the 
Fish Commission exhibit has been specially 
prepared for the World’s Fair. That is one of the 
reasons which make for the goodness of the 
exhibit as a whole, and its general acceptance 
as being thoroughly good. Captain J. W. 
Collins, who is the excellent head of the whole 
Fisheries Department, has arranged the Com¬ 
mission exhibit as representing the Commis¬ 
sion. To go into a single word of detail, the 
exhibit is divided into three sub-sections—rather 
the exhibits are arranged in three categories. 
Sub section 1 deals with scientific inquiry, and 
the scientific aspect of fisheries generally. Sub¬ 
section 2 treats of fisheries from a commercial 
and statistical standpoint. Sub-section 3 has 
reference to fish culture. What in the Fish 
Commission exhibit pertains to angling is taken 
in by sub-section 2. A good deal there is, too, 
pertaining to angling—to angling as it was 
practised by the barbarian man of the American 
Continent, onward and ujjward to its practice 
with splendid tackle to-day in the fruitful streams 
and thickly populated lakes of America. The 
evolutionary series of fishing tackle shown, in 
itself makes a show over which Izaak Walton if 
he could arise might gloat in marvel and delight 
for hours on end. 
Taking the fisheries section in its entirety. Dr. 
James Henshall pronounces it good—-thoroughly 
good. Of course it has its weak parts, as every¬ 
thing under the sun has; but, generally, it 
represents fishing and fisheries with a complete¬ 
ness not before attained where the subject was 
merely a part of a great exposition. For an 
example of what is contained in all the groups, 
let us a take a rough and ready, but official, sum¬ 
mary of what the fresh-water angling group 
contains—what it amounts to. Thus :— 
History and literature of angling, Waltonian litera¬ 
ture, folk-lore, anglers’ trophies, salmon nets and 
fixed appliances for catching Salmonidw in all their 
varieties. Salmon rods, reels, lines, artificial flies and 
baits, gaffs, spears, creels, &o. Bass, pike, perch rods, 
reels, and tackle, artificial spinning baits, &c. Traps, 
nets, bucks, wheels, and all kinds of apparatus for 
catching eels, lampreys, &c. Anglers’ apparel of every 
description. The angler’s camp and its outfit. Illus¬ 
trations of special fresh-water fishery. Shad and alewife, 
sturgeon, eel, salmon, whiteflsh, the Great Lake 
fisheries, &o. 
Still, while the fisherie.s section is a creditable 
one, while all the space is occupied, there is not to 
the fore as great a number of exhibits as had 
been expected—even so great a number of Ameri¬ 
can exhibits as had been expected. If there had 
been more, the exhibition people, as their way has 
been, would simply have built another annexe. 
Great Britain, it must be said, takes but little part 
in the fisheries section. For instance, there are no 
British rods in the angling group ; only hooks, 
and not such a very large show of them. Ameri¬ 
can tackle makers claim to be able to give Great 
Britain a lead in the making of rods and reels. 
But, however that may be, no American angler 
thinks of disputing that the English hook is far 
the best. It has a finish, a delicacy, a reliability 
which American-made hooks—the irons, that is 
to say—do not attain. So thei’e is the more sur¬ 
prise that English hook makers—the world- 
famous firms of Redditch—have not sent more 
cases of hooks for exhibit. Among foreign 
countries Norway takes the lead in the Fisheries 
Building ; she is first very considerably. 
The Norwegian exhibit is at once a tasteful 
and complete representation of the fisheries of 
the country. Canada is second, and New South 
Wales third, so that if the Mother Country has 
been slow, two of her daughters have been the 
reverse. France makes a large display of canned 
sardines, and Germany and Holland have small 
exhibits. The Russian exhibit got delayed on 
the way, and so is behindhand in preparation. 
Greece illustrates the sponge fishery in the Medi¬ 
terranean, and Mexico the scientific aspect of the 
Mexican fisheries. Japan—that new England of 
another hemisphere—has a more than a creditable 
exhibit, and Brazil makes an appearance. 
Speaking of the programmes for the angling 
section during the summer. Dr. Henshall said 
there are to be a variety of angling tournaments. 
On August 9, the anniversary of Izaak Walton’s 
death, an event put down in the official calendar 
of the World’s Fair, there is to be a special 
tournament. Every day old Izaak will be in 
evidence near the Fisheries Building by the repro¬ 
duction of the Walton cottage on the River Dove, 
which the Chicago Fly Casting Club have under¬ 
taken. The Walton cottage is to be the head¬ 
quarters of the angling tournaments, and many 
a pleasant party is it likely to see gathered 
together. Yffiat would Samuel Phillippee, a man 
of Eastern Pennsylvania, the maker of the first 
split cane rod, say to the rods that will be tried, 
if he could only walk out of his picture-frame in 
Dr. Henshall’s cosy office 'if 
' A LARGE salmon, scaling 52.ilb„ was caught in 
the inshore bag net in Carnoustie Bay, j ust below 
the station. This is the heaviest weight got in 
this locality for many years. 
Capture of a Seal in the Solway. —On 
Satur' ay afternoon a very fine specimen of the 
seal was caught in the salmon stake nets on the 
Newbie Shore, near Annan. The animal weighed 
about 20st., and measured fully five feet in 
length. Much interest has been attached to the 
capture by naturalists. The seal was consigned 
to London the same evening. 
