246 
FOREST AND STREAM 
Moore Replies to Flint Regarding 
Eagle Lake Dam 
“Editor Forest and Stream : Several of my 
friends have read Mr. Flint’s long article in 
reference to the destruction of Eagle Lake dam, 
and expressed their astonishment that this struc¬ 
ture could be torn down and the directions of the 
Conservation Commission defied,” said Commis¬ 
sioner John D. Moore. 
“Inasmuch as I knew that this dam was about 
twelve feet long and four feet high, I was a 
good deal more astonished than they were at 
reading what Mr. Flint had to say. 
“I am sorry the dam has been destroyed. I 
am sorry that the level of Eagle Lake has been 
lowered and boat houses and cottages left high 
and dry. If the fishing in Eagle Lake has been 
injured I am sorry for that, too. If all these 
things have happened they have been brought 
about simply because a citizen of the State of 
New York has availed himself of the rights and 
privileges which our Constitution and laws ap¬ 
pear to give him. 
“This tiny dam was on private property. It 
was unsafe. After much difficulty we learned 
who owned it, and our chief engineer advised 
the owner that, since the old dam was unsafe, a 
new one should be constructed; and a copy of 
that portion of the Conservation Law which re¬ 
fers to dams was sent for the owner’s informa¬ 
tion. Then the owner tore the dam down. Our 
counsel advises that he had a perfect right to 
tear it down, and that there is no power in 
the State which can compel him to build a new 
dam in place of the old one. 
“Here is a perfectly fair comparison which 
will be apparent to the city man: Under the 
New York Charter and ordinances the Building 
Department has the power to condemn unsafe 
buildings and compel the owner to make them 
safe, and in special cases to remove them. No 
one will contend that any city authority can com¬ 
pel a man to erect a new building in place of the 
one which he has torn down. No more can the 
Conservation Commission compel a private owner 
to replace an old dam with a new one. The 
commission can declare the dam unsafe and order 
the owner ‘to remove or reconstruct the dam.’ 
Under the law he can pursue either course he 
likes, just as the owner of a New York building 
can. 
“As a matter of fact, the commission never 
issued any order whatever to the owner of this 
dam. As I have said before, we made certain 
suggestions in regard to reconstruction, which 
the owner chose to disregard, and in so doing 
exercised what seems to be an inalienable right. 
“Mr. Flint and his friends naturally objected 
to the lowering of the lake level and the conse¬ 
quent inconvenience and loss of beauty to the 
surroundings. They forget that they have been 
able to enjoy the higher level and the accus¬ 
tomed beauty of the lake solely because of the 
existence of a dam which another man built and 
paid for; and I have yet to learn that they made 
any effort to cooperate with the dam owner. I 
understand that they have expressed to this com¬ 
mission a willingness to bear part of the ex¬ 
penses of a new dam, but I have yet to hear 
that this information has been conveyed to the 
owner, who holds the key to the situation. 
“In brief, a great tumult has been raised over 
a tiny dam, when it is altogether likely that by 
neighborly advances an arrangement with the 
proper owners could have been made with little 
difficulty and less expense.” 
John D. Moore, 
Conservation Commissioner. 
EXTERMINATION OF PASSENGER PIGEONS. 
Editor Forest and Stream : I am wondering if 
it has ever occurred to the readers of your paper 
what a great variety of reasons have been given 
from time to time for the extermination of the 
passenger pigeon, some of which are still fresh 
in the memory of most of us. 
One man told of a great storm that swept over 
the Great Lakes when thousands of pigeons were 
caught in their flight and buffeted about until the 
lake was full of dead birds. This no doubt was 
true, but the area on either side of the lakes is 
so great that what few were caught in this way 
would mean but a small per cent, of the whole. 
Another man gave it as his belief that they 
didn’t nest in colonies large enough to stand the 
ravages of hawks, owls and other enemies. As 
they grew fewer and fewer their colonies would 
dwindle in the same proportion as their numbers. 
As for owls and hawks I presume they did kill 
more or less. But hawks and owls are no recent 
invention, so 1 do not see how they can have 
had much to do with it. 
Some real nice man will hold up his hands and 
exclaim how wicked it is to shoot all those beau¬ 
tiful birds just for the mere sake of killing some¬ 
thing. Now, my friends, I shot a few pigeons 
when I was a small boy, and I enjoyed the sport 
as much as any shooting I have ever done. I 
remember there were a lot of red-tailed hawks 
that would swoop down at the pigeons as they 
sat on an old dry tree. They appeared to be keen 
and alert, and when the hawks got almost to 
them, away they would all go, with the hawks 
after them. I do not remember ever having 
seen a hawk catch one. After he had driven 
them off he would usually fly back and light on 
the same dry tree. Then I would give him a 
charge of number six shot and my tree was ready 
for more pigeons, when my friend drove them 
off of his dry tree on the other side of the 
pasture. 
After exhausting all our theories I fully be¬ 
lieve we shall have to come to one conclusion,— 
that it must have been some disease, and not the 
work of human beings, hawks, or owls. 
G. F. B. 
THE COLUMBUS ANGLERS CLUB. 
Of which Forest and Stream is official organ. 
Columbus, Ohio, Feb. n, 1914. 
The Columbus Anglers tried out a new plan 
for this section of the country on the night of 
Jan. 20th by attempting a bait and fly casting 
tournament indoors. We had a large attendance 
both spectators and contestants. Of course our 
scores were low, as we were not accustomed to 
the light, but this did not seem to keep the in¬ 
terest down. 
ACCURACY FLY. 
P. Ct. 
J. F. Hays . 992-9 
W. J. Savage . 984-9 
F. F. Atwood .. 98 3-9 
E. E. Beck . 98 
Frank Allen . 97 3-9 
Wm. Behnen . 972-9 
J. Edward Orr.. 971-9 
Paul Thomson . 97 i-§ 
Harry Robinson . 97 
G. G. Tinkham . 96 5-9 
R. E. Cliff . 96 
N. L. Bulkley .... 95 7-9 
A. E. Shatford . 95 5-9 
Harry Davidson . 95 2-9 
Dr. Wells . 952-9 
M. F. Gibson . 95 
ACCURACY y 2 OZ. BAIT. 
P. Ct. 
G. G. Tinkham .. 97 8-15 
N. L. Bulkley . 9611-15 
F. M. Brooks . 96 3-15 
A. E. Shatford . 95 8-15 
Dr. S. A. Robb . 95 4-15 
Dr. S. S. Wilcox . 95 1-15 
J. F. Atwood . 9413-15 
P. M. Minshall . 9411-15 
Dr. L. E. Day. 94 3-15 
Second Winter Indoor Bait and Fly Casting 
Tournament was held Feb. 10th at the City Hall. 
The scores were in general better than our for¬ 
mer contest, showing what an angler can do with 
a little practice: 
FLY ACCURACY. 
P. Ct. 
J. F. Hays . 987-9 
J. Edward Orr . 984-9 
V. D. Reese . 982-9 
M. F. Gibson ... 98 1-9 
J. F. Atwood . 98 
Harry Robinson . 97 6-9 
R. E. Cliff . 976-9 
Wm. Behnen . 976-9 
W. J. Savage .. 97 5-9 
G. G. Tinkham . 97 4-9 
A. E. Shatford . 97 2-9 
Harry Davidson .. 96 
E. E. Beck . 95 8-9 
N. L. Bulkley .. 95 4‘9 
% OZ. BAIT CASTING. 
P. Ct. 
F. M. Brooks .. 97 11-15 
A. E. Shatford . 97 9-15 
N. L. Bulkley . 9614-15 
G. G. Tinkham.. 96 2-15 
Dr. L. E. Day . 95 n-15 
Dr. S. A. Robb . 90 9-U 
NELSON L. BULKLEY, 
Secretary. 
POISONING PRAIRIE DOGS. 
Carbon bisulphid and strychnine mixed with 
heavy oats has been effective in exterminating 
400,000 prairie dogs in the Cochetopa and Dike 
national forests in Colorado, and in the Tusayan 
and Conino forests in Arizona, since the De¬ 
partment of Agriculture opened war against the 
rodents. The cost of the work, about $12,000, 
is said to be but a trifle compared with the value 
of the forage destroyed by the animals. The 
hides of the prairie dogs are practically worthless 
in this country," according to the department. 
American and English furriers obtain better skins 
from Siberia for 5 cents a piece, and glovemakers 
say that the skins are too small to be worked up 
economically. As a result, the department says, 
no market for the skins has been found. 
WEST BRANCH ANGLERS ORGANIZE. 
Two hundred sportsmen met at Williamsport, 
Pa., on February 3, and organized the West 
Branch Valley Anglers’ Association, whose pur¬ 
pose is to protect the fishing streams of the com¬ 
munity. W. H. Spencer is president, J. M. Rook 
vice-president, and Harry E. Eckenstein secre¬ 
tary-treasurer. The membership includes repre¬ 
sentatives from Renovo, Shintown, Galeton, Cedar 
Run, Blackwells, Cammal, Lock Haven, Jersey 
Shore, Ralston, Trout Run, Muncy and Milton. 
