The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1882-05-13
How Shad are Caught.

The working of the great net was de-
cidedly interesting, and was witnessed
by some three hundred people. The
first drift was made on the flood tide,
soon after twelve o'clock. Forty stall
wart, big-armed fellows, nearly all of
them darkies, wearing rubber boots
reaching to, their hips, began, with
merry song and banter, to get the 400
fathom net on board twenty-five cared
barge about eleven o'clock. The boat,
built especially for the purpose, is broad
of beam, and in the stern is wide plat
form, on which the net was neatly coiled.
with the floats and sinkers on either side.
A land line, leading from the extreme
upper part of the net, was then made
fast to a capstan, and the dusky crew
were ready to make the first venture.
Captain Stewart, a veteran fisherman,
who has entire charge of the Howell
fishery, took his place at the tiller and
gave the order to go, and, as the rowers
bent to their work, they reminded one,
with their long oars and shining faces,
of Cleopatra's barge, with a good-na-
tured. weather beaten Marc Anthony
seated in the place of honor.
A stiff nor northwest breeze was
blowing, and the water was ''choppy,"
but the strong arms sent the boat stead
lily forward to the northwest. AS she
moved the net was paid out over q roller
in the stern, the sinkers went to the bot
tom of the river, and the floats bobbed
on the waves. Three hundred yards out
and the experienced tillerman began
gradually changing the barge's course.
Her head was turned down stream and
then shoreward, describing an irregular
half circle. As she neared the beach the
man jumped into the water and carried
a line, attached to the other end of the
net, ashore. A stout draft horse was
hitched to this, the land line was unfast-
ened from the capstan and hitched to
another horse, and the hauling in began.
As the floats approached the shore six
teen men stood ready at each end of the
net to seize it, and as they did so the
horses were taken off, and the men
wading out. nearly waist-deep, slowly
dragged the great multitude of meshes
toward the land.
Eight men pulled in the bottom of the
the top. This part of the task probably
required the greatest exertion for the
fishermen, each with a loop of rope over
his left shoulder, with the bottom of it
pinned to the upper rope of the net,
bent back and pulled with might and
main. AS the ''belly'' of the. net grew
smaller and came nearer the interest of
the spectators increased. They crowded
close to the water, all anxious to catch
the first glimpse of the struggling cap
tives. Then the market boat, deep
hulled affair, used to receive the catch,
was rowed in close to shore, and the fish
ermen gradually brought the net nearer
and nearer to the shallow water. A sort
of semicircle was formed, and as the
floundering mass came into sight the
darkies began crying: ''Shad! shad!
shad! o! shad! o! O-o-o-o, shad, o.!
Whether this peculiar cry, chanted in a
solemn. lugubrious tone, awed the fish
or not, is uncertain, but they certainly
stopped ioundering, apparently in utter
establishment. After the ubiquitous
small boy had secured all the small fish
he could crowd into his collective pockets
the crowd slowly dispersed, apparently
well satisfied that the Inauguration of
the season had been tishy success. A
second drift was made on the 'young
ebb," the result being nearly two hun
dred shad. The hauls will now go on
regularly FIVE times during every
twenty-four hours. Philadelphia Press.