Wilmington daily commercial. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1866-1877, 1875-02-22

yIsIT TO THE OYSTER BOATS AT PORT NAHoS-
The FROZEN OYSTERS AND FEARS OF A THAv-
THROWING THEM ovERBoARD-soMETHISG ABOUT
PORT MAHoS, ITsRLP.
Through the kindness Of George c. Schsich,
proprietor of the Railroad Hotel, at Dover, a
representative Of the COMMERCIAL was on Friday
morning, enabled % pay flying visit to Mahon
landing, on the Delaware, about seven miles east
of Dover, The place appears to be SO fortunate
as to have no less than three names, viz Ma
hons Landing, Mahon's Ditch, and Mahon =
River, and il now somewhat noted as the place
where
GREAT OYSTER GLUT
has occurred, and from which place hundreds Of
tons of oysters have recently been hauled TO
Dover, thence have been shipped by the Della
ware Railroad to Philadelphia, and other points.
The place is dresry one indeed, especially at
this season Of the year. when the Delaware is
full of floating ice.
OVER SIXTY OYSTER BOATS FROZEN UP
in the Mahon river, thousands Of acres of salt
marsh receding back from the shore and no hu-
man habtation in sight except the Mahon light
house and little blacksmith shop, the owner Of.
which hammers away in it all day and sleeps and
eats dear knows where The inactivity usually
prevalent is in strong contrast with the busting
scenes which have been going on there for the
last two weeks, and all oecasoned too, by the
closing of the Delaware river by ice and thus
forcing these oyster boats
TO Run INTO THE MOUTH.
OF the Mahon river as the best thing which could
| be done under the circumstances.
| 1t was somewhat OF novel sight to see from
| sixty TO seventy oyster boats anchored closely
| together, the masts somewhat resembling field
Of bean poles and along the shore from thirty to
| forty wagons with vast congregation OF horses
and mules, all waiting i'll turn to be loaded with
| oysters to be taken overland to Dover.
| The most of these oysters were in a frozen
state, and had to be used in that condition or be
entirely useless hence the hurry in getting them
away
BEFORE A THAw COMMENCED.
Upon the occasion of our visit, there wa
every prospect of a thaw, and some Of the oys-
| termen had already ceased shipping their fro
zen oysters which they feared by the time they
reached Philadelphia would be spoiled. In case
of a thaw the oysters would be thrown over
board. The oysters shipped however we're not
all frozen, for some boats were away out III the
bay three miles distant amongst the oyster fields
catching fresh ones and shipping them oil in
the same manner.
Although the whole Delaware bay from Ma.
hons up to Leipsic creek, and down to Lewes ID
permanently
ADApTED TO RAISING OYSTERS,
that part Of tile bay of from the mouth Of MahoI
river is the only place where the business is car
ried on to any great extent on the Delaware
side.
Mahon river is deep sluggish stream running
through the marsh land about three miles from
where it intersects Herring creek. The only
thing which distinguishes it from other ant
longer creeks is ita depth at the mouth where
VESSELS DRAWING EIGHTEEN FEET
of water can ride at anchor in safety. Some
few years age wharf was erected there which
was considerably used in the shipment OF
peaches by steamers to New York, but now tht
wharf il in ruins and the peaches have beer
shipped by rail. At one time charter wa
granted for Railroad from Dover to Mahon'e
which road waa graded nearly half way, but til,
Delaware Railroad being soon after built tn,
enterprise was abandoned, and naught now re
mains To mark the enterprise but few embank
ment- and cuts here and there.