CHAPTER XV.

FISH AND FISHERIES BUILDING.

One of the Greatest of All the Resorts— Magnificent Display of Many Kinds of Fresh and Salt Water
Fish — Minnows and Aligators Under the Same Roof — Some of the Best Known Denizens of the
Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and the Gulf of Mexico are in the Swim — Speckled Trout from New
England Rivers and Dolly Vardens from the Streams of California — Carp and Suckers Move
Lazily About — Perch, Pike and Pickerel in the Same Tank— Bass, Flounders, and Salmon Turn
Up Their Aristocratic Smellers — Gold Fish and Other Gaudy Species Splash Merrily Around
—The Sturgeon and Showbill are Spaciously Quartered— Sketch of Chief Collins.

EN, women and children are alike inevitably drawn to-
ward the Fish and Fisheries Building. The acquaria,
which is the largest but one in the world — that at
Brighton, near London — occupies the entire eastern an-
nex to the main fisheries building. In the center of
the building is an open basin four feet deep with a di-
ameter of twenty-five feet. The tank decorations con-
sist of stalagmites grouped in artistic designs around
the borders of the circumference and in the center,
where a fountain is kept constantly dripping fresh water
into the basin and among the flora at various points.
Surrounding the basin glass tanks complete another circle
equi-distant between the circumference of the basin and the
circular row of tanks along the walls of the building. A six-
foot passage way with ce 2nted floor affords ample walking
space for sight-seers in front of the outer row of tanks and on both sides of the in-
ner circle. The average depth of the tanks when filled with water is five feet. In
length they vary from six feet to sixty feet. Two-thirds of the space is reserved
for fresh-water fish; the remaining space is given up to denizens of the sea. All of
these tanks are decorated in much the same way that the center basin has been
decorated. Calcareous tufa, a limestone formation found in certain springs in To-
ledo, O., has been used profusely in making the decorations which represent minia-
ture submerged mountains, etc. Various bits of vegetable matter coated with lime-
stone form rough, fantastic designs. These have likewise been used for decorative
purposes, and in building the tiny grottoes and reef a dark cement has been used to
unite the tiny stones. In the holes and crannies black earth was deposited, and it
is in this soil that aquatic plants were planted.

The inmates of these tanks swim about as freely as if no glass sides stood

366

HISTORY OF THE WORLD'S FAIR.

between them and freedom. Minnows of all sizes and classes; trout speckled with
delicate brownish black circles, iridescent stripes, and whitefish specked in
dazzling kaleidoscopes of color; goldfishes and flounders, perch, bass, and half a
score of other kinds may always be seen. The water supplied to them is filtered,
and, though of the purest quality, as seen through the glass looks a dull, muddy,
sea green.

In these salt-water tanks all the known fish specimens of the Gulf of Mexico
and the Atlantic and Pacific oceans may be seen.

The central basin contains the showy fishes. To minimize the danger of
failure in transportation and transference of these live specimens, the government

spared no expense. Underneath the floor of the build-
ing a great tank, holding 40,0x20 gallons of water, was
constructed. From the various aquaria the water trickles
into this tank, and from it is forced by a pump back into
the aquaria. This is used, however, only in the case of the
salt-water tanks. In the fresh-water basins pure filtered

water is always used. In-
side the glass walls and
four feet above the water
line is a two-inch pipe, with
small stopcocks about ten
inches apart. Water is fed
through these pipes, with
the flow regulated accord-
ing to the drain pipes
which lead to the sewer.
This water is kept at all
times at a temperature as
near 60 degrees Fahren-
heit as possible. The aquaria is the only place in the Fisheries building where live
fishes are exhibited. The main building is given up mostly to exhibits of the prod-
ucts of the seas and rivers, and the west annex is used for the anglers' display. En-
tering the main building from the north, the first display offered the sightseers is
that of Mexico. Fish propagation is a feature of this exhibit. Passing from there
to the side aisle comes the Russian collection, unique in many ways, with a wealth of
caviare perfectly bewildering. Next to it is Norway's space. Dried cod of the Lofo-
ten Isles and spiced anchovies of Bergen, are displayed. Many full-sized fishing
boats are also shown, among them old Norse and Viking ships. Great Britain is at
the extreme western end of the building. Its display is not large, but very interest-
ing. France, Australia and Canada next follow in line, while the exhibits of Japan
and the Netherlands are located in the northeastern quarter of the building. All of
the odd shaped boats used in the Japanese fisheries, together with the apparatus, im-
plements, and products are displayed with much taste and decorative effect. Can-
ada has a large and exhaustive exhibit. Brazil makes a feature of its fishing-boat

SEAL SWALLOWING A FISH.

HISTORY OF THE WORLD'S FAIR.

367

display; and of the States, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania display prominently the pro-
pagation and culture of fish. Rhode Island shows its menhaden fisheries in full,

fine models showing purse,
mate and strike boats being
a feature of the exhibit. Al-
together the fisheries de-
partment is an interesting
building to visit and affords
a rarely attractive display
even to people whose lives
have been spent away from
the association of rod and
reel. In April last the au-
thor, who met and had a
long conversation with Mar-
shall McDonald, United
States Fish Commissioner,
was informed by that offi-
cial that the exhibit, which
would be nearly complete
by the middle of May, would
be as fine as any in the world,
.and he kept his word. This
is what the Fish Commis-
sioner said:

"This display will be one
of the most interesting on
the grounds, and when it is
complete will contain speci-
mens of all the fish found in
the waters of the American
coast and lakes and rivers.
Salt water specimens will
include sharks, swordfish,
dolphins and porpoises, but
our plan to bring a baby
whale was found to be im-
practicable. We will show
also how these fish are
caught and by statistics
demonstrate the value of the

American fishing industry. The exhibit will come from all our collecting stations
throughout the country. The different sections of the aquaria will be finished to
represent the bottoms of the sea, the lakes and rivers in which the fish are found.

STURGEON OF NEW YORK.

368

HISTORY OF THE WORLD'S FAIR.

GRAND BANKER OF 1741.

i nc tiiiciiiune IOOKS nice a piant
closed, it is, when it
expands its arms
that look like tend-
rils and are of the
most delicate color-
ing, that they are
beautiful.) The grot-
to will be paved with
bits of coral and shells
and sea grasses will
lend their beauty to
the picture. This and
more that is marvel-
ous from the bottom
of the sea we intend
showing. If we can
get a school of por-
poises we may put
them in the lagoon,
as they will not live
in the aquaria. The
exhibit is to be made
geographically, so as
to show in sections
together all the fish
peculiar to the differ-
ent parts of the coun-
rry. The great di-
visions are the New

The salt water fish will be placed in salt water,
seven car loads of which are now on the way
to Chicago. Thirty thousand gallons more
will be made from lake water and-the sea salt
water sent here last winter from Massachusetts
and added to what comes in these cars. The
water for fresh water specimens will be filtered,
so that it may be transparent. Fish will come
here first from the nearest distributing points,
and when they have been put in the aquaria
we will send our cars to the more remote sta-
tions. It is probable that the car will not be
sent to Oregon for the exhibit of salmon be-

fteature of the exhibit will be an anemone grotto.

when opened up. (Shapeless and colorless when

A CLIPPER OF TODAY.

HISTORY OF THE WORLD'S FAIR.

369

England coast, middle Atlantic, gulf district and Pacific coast for the salt water
fish, and the New England states, lake region, Mississippi valley, and the west
for fresh water fish."

All that the Commissioner said, and more, has been faithfully carried out.
And so attractive has been the Fish and Fisheries Building, that the dullest day
has always found it crowded.

Ten of the individual States of the Union show collective exhibits of the
fisheries of their waters. Another interesting feature is the weather-worn fishing

boat used by the famous Ida
Lewis — the American Grace
Darling — in her heroic life-
saving deeds. Approaching
the Fisheries Building from
either front, one is impressed
with its beauty and general
grace of construction. The
tall dome towers high above
the gables of the main struct-
ure, while the small turrets
that adorn the dome and
main entrances appear in
pleasing contrast with the
red-tiled roof, columns and
arches. Flanked on both
the east and west by small
pavilions and connecting ar-
cades, the whole presents an
architectual view that is sur-
passingly unique and beautiful. The infinite detail of fishes and other acquatic
animals with which the columns, arches, and friezes are decorated in bas relief is
gratifying to the eye, and the skill and ingenuity displayed by the ornamentation
are as remarkable for originality as for fitness. The extreme length of the build-
ing is 1,100 feet and its cost was $200,000.

All things considered the Japanese exhibit at the Exposition is the most re-
markable of all. It is remarkable in its comprehensiveness, in its beauty, and in its
peculiarities. The Government of the Mikado was not stingy in preparing for the
display of the prosperity of the advancement of its country. The diet appropri-
ated 630,000 yen, or $500,000, the sum being exceeded only by Germany, France, and
Illinois. Beside the Phcenix Temple on the Wooded Island, the tea-house and the
bazaar on the Plaisance there are exhibits in the Woman's Building and in the De-
partments of Agriculture, Art, Fisheries, Floriculture, Forestry, Liberal Arts, Man-
ufactures, Mines, and Transportation.

But the fisheries is probably the most unique exhibit. Inasmuch as Japan is
an insular country it is natural that fishing should be one of the leading occupations

SKELETON OF A WHALE IN FISHERIES BUILDING.

370

HISTORY OF THE WORLD'S FAIR.

of the people, and that fish, seaweed, and other marine products should be common
diet. But the industry of fishing from ancient times down to the opening of Japan
was a simple occupation somewhat limited in its scope. Since, however, the Japa-
nese have learned from other nations to what extent marine industries are capa-
ble of development, fishing has become with them the source of many and varied
lines of business.

The exhibit is in the northeastern part of the Fisheries building. Over the
doorway hangs the Japanese flag above a sort of curtain of nets; and above the
door is a sign with the name Japan made of shells of "awabs" (sea-ear) . Imme-
diately on the left and right of the entrance are piled up cans of fish. This industry
is entirely modern, but is growing rapidly. In ancient times canning was unknown

MODEL OF INDIAN FISHERMAN, MINNESOTA EXHIBIT.

as a method for preserving fish, though the pickling process was employed. Fish
were, and are eaten raw, boiled, and pickled in shell or "shoyn" (soy) . Epicures de-
light in eating fish fresh from the sea or river, and scarcely dead. When the Em-
peror of Japan in 1890 made a visit to Mito he was treated to large live salmon out
of the Naka River. The canned goods in the Japanese exhibit are those of tai, or
perch, wafer cake, "unagi-kaba-yaki," (roast eels) , green turtle, mackerel, lobster,
oyster, "maguro" (tunny), tortoise, salmon, (under the name "saumon," and spring
salmon.)

There are also shells; glass cases of salt-cod, dried anchovy, broiled smelt,
sardines, smoked salmon, bonito, dried flounder, boneless herring, bottles of fish
oils of many kinds, edible sea-weed, oyster sauce, and kegs of similar articles. The
various kinds of apparatus for catching fish are also exhibited; the hooks, the lines,
the bamboo rods, the nets of silk or other materials, the prawn pots.

Smelt fishing by means of cormorants was employed more in olden times but
is kept up somewhat to the present day. The fishermen catch their cormorants by
setting wooden images of the birds in places which they frequent, and then covering

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372 HISTORY OF THE WORLD'S FAIR

the surrounding branches and twigs with bird-lime. One bird thus caught becomes
the decoy for more. These cormorants are so valuable that their owners are said to
provide them with mosquito nets during the summer. Cormorant fishing is always
done at night by torch-light. A skillful fisher can handle as many as twelve cormor-
ants at once, and many catch 155 good-sized fish an hour by each cormorant. Every
bird in a flock has and knows its number, and one of the funniest things about them is
the quick-witted jealously with which they invariably insist, by all that cormorant lan-
guage and pantomime protest can do, on due observance of the recognized rights
belonging to individual numbers. The birds are numbered and named. No. i, or
Ichi, is the senior in years, as well as rank. It is the last to be put into the water and
. the first to be taken out, the first to be fed and the last to enter the baskets, in which
when work is over, the birds are carried from the boats to their domicile. If, hap-
ily, the lawful order of precedence be at any time violated, the rumpus that forth-
with arises in that family is a sight to see and a sound to hear.

The method of getting shellfish called shijimi, a staple article of diet in some
parts, is also novel. The occupants of a boat are usually man and wife, though some-
times only one person manages the whole affair. The boat is tied to a long bam-
boo pole, secured at some distance in the river. The woman manages a wheel, by
which she gradually pulls the boat nearer the pole, while the man, with a basket
attached to another long bamboo pole, scoops up the shells as the boat moves.

There are also in the exhibit in the Fisheries building models representing
the apparatus and furnaces for curing bonito, a sardine press, and the boats used in
catching bonito and cod. The latter, directly in front of the entrance, are one-tenth
of the actual size. The bonito, called "katsuo," is of solid flesh, and is a great
favorite with both natives and foreigners. Especially common in use is kat-suo-
bushi, dried and smoked bonito, cut into thin slices and employed to add flavor to
vegetable dishes. Sardines, "washi," also are common diet, and are sold at the
cheap rate of half a dozen for a cent. Fried, they make as good eating as when
put up in oil.

On the walk of Japan's space are pictures of various scenes connected with
the fishing industry, also a group of gold fishes. On the outside at the left of the
entrance are drawings of many kinds of fish and of oyster-culture grounds.

The occupation of a fisherman, though arduous, is not entirely prosaic. It
is attended, of course, with dangers sufficient to make it exciting, and it brings with
it in success incomparable exultation. One of the most exhilarating sights in Japan
is the return home of the fishing smacks in the afternoon. The beautiful sight of
the sea dotted with white sails has appealed so strongly to the esthetic sense of the
Japanese that it is 'included along with "the autumn moon," "the evening snow,"
"the night rain," "the temple bell," "the evening glow," in the "eight beauties" of a
province. The boats as they approach the shore take in sail and are propelled by
sturdy rowers much in the fashion of old Roman galleys. As there is no wharf, they
are beached stern foremost, so that they are a_ll ready the next morning at 3 or 4
o'clock to be pushed off easily.

HISTORY OF THE WORLD'S FAIR. 373

A dozen or so fishermen consider 800 fish a good catch for a day, and if each
one realizes, besides fish for his own household, 20 or 25 cents for his labor, he
deems himself fortunate. That sum is ample to keep up a bare existence in wretched
huts. But the Japanese fisherman can be made satisfied and contented with only
a little, and never murmurs or complains at his hard luck, and never envies the bet-
ter fortune of others.

The fishermen of Japan, as a class, are ignorant and superstitious. They be-
lieve that if a man while going to fish, meets a bonze (Buddhist priest) on the road,
he will catch no fish, as the bonzes eat no fish. Worship at a Shinto temple is sup-
posed to aid in securing a large catch; and thanksgiving offerings of old anchors
or parts of the vessels or of fish will naturally serve to propitiate the anger of the
sea god. Shipwrecked mariners, rescued from impending death, are accustomed
to hang up votive tablets in temples, and to offer to the gods any relic which also
may have escaped the sea.

When the great Japanese hero, Yamato-Dake, who probably is only a myth-
ological personage, was waging war against the enemies of his country, he reached
Yedo Bay, and, looking across the comparatively narrow passage, thought it no
difficult matter to get to the other side. But after he embarked, the sea god, to
punish his insulting arrogance, aroused a great storm which threatened to over-
whelm the boat. Then Tachibona Hime, the wife of the hero, bidding her lord
farewell, leaped into the waters as a victim to appease the sea god's wrath. Later
Yamato-Dake chanced to find on the shore his wife's wooden comb, and, erecting
an altar, he dedicated the relic to the gods. On the same spot still stands a Shinto
shrine, where the spirits of the hero and the heroine are yet worshiped by fisher-
men and sailors.

"Fish are prolific," said an official connected with the United States Fish
Commissioner's exhibit to the author one day. "Huxley has .said that if all the
eggs of one mackerel were hatched and if all the eggs of the next two generations
also were hatched the space now occupied by the ocean would be filled solidly with
mackerel."

"Where is the need, then, for a Fish Commissioner?"

"The Fish Commission is needed on account of one kind of fish eating an-
other kind. Some kinds of fish feed on young fish, and so do many kinds of birds.
Indeed the spawn of some fish is the regular food of other fish. Perhaps it is a good
thing, on the whole, that the breeding of fish is restricted in this way; but the re-
striction has been overdone so far as the fish that are most useful to mankind are
concerned."

"What was the origin of the Fish Commissioner?"

"It originated with the appointment of Prof. Spencer F. Baird by Congress
in ,1872, to investigate the cause of the decline in the fisheries of the United States.
At that time there was an alarming disappearance of the best food fish from some
of the waters of the country. They had simply been destroyed by other fish and
caught by the fishermen. What would have been our condition now if nothing had
been done it is hard to tell. However, the result of Prof. Baird's investigations

HISTORY OF THE WORLD'S FAIR. 375

and recommendations was that in the same year the United States Fish Commis-
sion was instituted, with him as the first Commissioner."

"What has been accomplished since then?"

"In brief, hatching and rearing stations have been established at Grand
Lake Stream, Green Lake, and Craigs' Brook, Me.; Gloucester and Wood's Holl,
Mass.; Havre de Grace and Bryan's Point, Md.; Central Station and Fish Pond,
Washington, D. D.; Wytheville, Va.; Duluth, Minn.; Alpena and Northville, Mich.;
Put-in-Bay, Quincy, 111.; Neosha, Mo.; Leadville, Colorado.; Blackamas, Ore., and
Fort Gaston and Baird Station, Cal. Appropriations have been made for stations
in Vermont, Montana, and Texas. The result is that an immense quantity of use-
ful fish have been hatched and the waters of the country stocked with them. Since
1872 the commission has hatched and distributed i, 500,287,409 whitefish, 968,643,350
shad, 332,046,700 yellow perch, 178,241,500 cod, 98,101,446 salmon, 3,005,054 rainbow
troutj 2,027,028 brook trout, and other kinds of fish by the millions."

"What has been the effect on the fish supply?"

"Beneficial, of course. The catch of shad has been doubled, and the disap-
pearance of the whitefish has been arrested. Numberless rivers and lakes from
which fish had disappeared have been stocked, and certain kinds of fish have been
made to thrive where they were never known before. The Pacific slope has
probably been benefited more than any other part of the country."

"What was the origin of the artificial propagation of fish?"

"That is a long story. The first man who accomplished it was J. L. Jacoby,
of Westphalia. This was in 1872, though two Frenchmen, named Remy and
Ghazin, discovered the art independently in 1840. The first person who hatched
fish artificially in this country was Theodosius Garlick, of Cleveland, O., in 1853.
The process is simple, but it has improved materially since first discovered. These
exhibits that you see scattered around in this part of the building are intended as
an object-lesson in the history and progress of pisciculture. Fish could be hatched
artificially for a long time before it was understood how to do it without having
them attacked and killed at once by fungi."

"What is the process, in brief?"

"The first operation is illustrated in that boat that you see there with two fisher-
men in it. The man standing is catching shad in a net, and passing them to the
man sitting behind him, who is pressing the eggs out of the fish into a large pan.
The milky fluid from the male fish is pressed out into the same pan, in the same
way. The fish are not only not injured but are sold and eaten. The eggs, which are
by the process fertilized, are carried to the hatchery to be hatched out. One cod
fish will yield 250,000 eggs and one shad from 30,000 to 120,000.

"What is done next?"

"Fish eggs are hatched by the movement of water over them, and con-
sequently they are divided into three classes. The first class is the buoyant, such
as perch eggs; the second is semi-buoyant, such as shad and whitefish eggs; and
the third class is heavy, such as salmon and trout eggs. Buoyant eggs are hatched
by an imitation of a tide. They are put into a box in which the water is made to

376

HISTORY OF THE WORLD'S FAIR.

alternately rise and subside. The semi-buoyant eggs are hatched by passing water
up between them from below. You see them in those glass jars, where water is
let in at the bottom and runs over at the top. The heavy eggs must be hatched
by depositing them in trays and having the water pass over them, as you see done
in the long narrow boxes. If you will scrutinize the eggs in the glass jars you will
see the fish in the eggs, and as soon as they are hatched they pass off with the
water and are put into tanks to be fed and reared. All this is illustrated in the ap-
paratus of the exhibit. Great, isn't it?"

Captain Joseph W. Collins, chief of the fish and fisheries department, was ap-
pointed to that position Feb. 18,1891. He was born at Ilesboro, Waldo County,
Maine, Aug. 8, 1839. His boyhood was spent as a fisher lad, and in the winter

months he attended the county school of his
native village, where he received his pri-
mary education. His latter education was
obtained on ship-board, where he perfected
himself in mathematics and navigation. Cap-
tain Collins began his career in 1862, when
he was appointed captain of a fishing vessel
running out of Gloucester, Mass. In 1879 he
became connected with the United States
Fish Commission. His first work was a sta-
tistical inquiry into the fisheries of New Eng-
land, for the Tenth Census. In 1880 he was
appointed on the staff of the United States
Commissioner to the International Fischerei
Austelling at Berlin. In 1880 he went to
London to represent this country and to as-
sist in arranging the United States exhibit
at the Great International Fisheries Exposi-
tion. In 1886 he invented a new type of
fishing vessel, which was adopted by Profes-
sor Spencer F. Baird, then United States Fish Commissioner. In the winter of
1887-88 he was called to Washington for consultation by the International Fish
Commission, which was then negotiating the fishery treaty with Canada. In
1888 he was appointed in charge of the division of fisheries of the United States
Fish Commission, and has since had charge of that work. In the same year
he was also appointed as representative of the Fish Commission to prepare its
work at the Centennial Exposition of the Ohio Valley and Central States, held at
Cincinnati. In 1889, at the solicitation of the Hon. Robt. P. Porter, Superintendent
of the Census, he accepted the position of special agent of the Eleventh Census, in
charge of the section of fisheries; and in 1890 he was nominated by the United
States Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries, the Hon. Marshall McDonald, to rep-
resent that bureau on the government board of management and control at the

CHIEF COLLINS.

HISTORY OF THE WORLD'S FAIR.

377

World's Columbian Exposition. Captain Collins not only prepared the fish com-
mission's exhibit at the Fair, but he has contributed largely to the fish and fish-
culture literature of the country, and is a member of many scientific societies at
home and abroad.

HISTORY OF THE WORLD'S FAIR. 37V