Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1881-08-12
Lower Potomac Correspondence.
PRospEcr HILL. CHARLES Co, MD

PRosPEoT HILL, CHARLES Co., MD.
M. Editor :-Contemplating retreat from
the cares and monotony of ordinary life we
were attracted to this region by the cher
ished association of boyhood and the pro-
verbal fame of these waters for bathing,
| fishing, grabbing, oysters and sailing, all OF
which attractions are fully realized and
must be seen and enjoyed to be appreciated
The oysters of the Potomac are, when in
season, very fine, both in size and flavor,
and are sought by dredgers and oyster-men
| from the coasts of New York and New Jer-
sey for planting beds as well as for the di-
rect market. At this time of the year and
during the other months without the II
oysters in these waters are fresh and
lacking flavor, but with little seasoning,
such as pepper, sauce, chow chow, salt, &c,
they are exquisitely delightful as we get
them from the beds and eat them raw.
Most all persons along the river have u
boat and oyster tongues These tongues are
of iron and wood, the jaws are something
like an iron garden rake, with teeth nearly
the same, but the stock is about twice as
long, and the teeth are a little more curved,
to these jaws are rivited shears OF white ash
about twelve feet in length, these are pivoted
abeut two feet from the jaws SO that by
spra ding the shears open at the top the
jaws open in n corresponding manner, and
by vigorously working the tongues down
into the bed the oysters work up into them,
the tongues are then closed and the oysters
broug hit into q boat where they are deposited
upon an open ended tray, which Is placed
across the boat and the mud washed off of
them. Many persons, both black and white,
make very good wages catching oysters in
this way and selling them To the vessels in
the trade, many of which lie at anchor with
the flag at the mast head indicating their
wish To purchase oysters.
The crabs of this region are as fat and fine
in size and flavor as can be found in the
world, and the natives have many different
modes of preparing them and the most at
tractivc and delightful we think being the
crabchOwder or thick soup. To excel in
the preparation of this dish is considered To
be u very great accomplishment by the young
ladies, and many Of them are justly proud
of it. Apropos of crabs, the sailors believe
that the souls of women alter death go into
crabs, and thus they trace in the lines of the
crab shell quite Il distinct outline Of We
man. The crabs are caught on what is
termed Il trot line. This is long line baited
every three feet with II piece OF salted eel,
which is tied to the line by u slip-knot, and
being very tough lasts sometime. The line is
anchored and buoyed, and ilshcd by be-
ing drawn gently over the gun-wale of the
boat the crabs grcedily hanging on, in many
cases three and four to the bait are caught
by hand net being run under them in the
water and the line gently raised To the sur
face when they drop off into the net and
are placed into the boat The fish here are
absolutely boundless, both in numbers and
variety, the iivoritcs being the horse mack
erel, the young blue fish and the drum and
also the shad. The drum is considered II
great delicacy and like the hog-fsh of llamp-
ton Roads, its name is very appropriate from
the habit il has of making IA drumming noise,
not unlike the drumming ola pheasant, while
feeding on the oyster beds. In perfectly calm
weather this noise can be heard Il consder-
bic distance, that is n good many lathoms
of, coming up from the bottom of the river.
The popular sailing boat here is the Phila-
delphia fishing skiif, painted white and green
with single sail, the boat is both safe and
fast and of beautiful model. The water is
of dark emerald in color, neither salt
nor fresh, but too salty to drink A beauti-
FIJI wonder connected with the water is the
mirage, il is an Illusion created by the eX-
cessivc heat and the glass smoothncss of
the water. IL is quite impossible to de-
scribe its full effect, but one of the phc-
nOmena is that vessels at Il distance appear
| TO be upside down, and sometimes one ON
top of another. The river here is from three
to four miles wide, more than half Us far
from shore 10 shore rs from Rockville to
Gathersburg. The passenger boats on the
route are fast and commodious, and daily
round trips are made to "Blackistone's" is
land at the low rate Of fifty cents fare, the
trip including II stop of four hours at Lower
Cedar Point pavilion, where every means
of enjoyment and comfort are provided for
guests. The fast steamer, f. V. Arrowsmith,
leaves wharf foot of Seventh street, Wash
ington, at z! o'clock, A. NJ, daily, and the
trip is the most gratifying.
! August, 1881. RAMBLER.