The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1886-05-07


ual, dcSultory sort OF way discussing the
/ probabilities OF the next fishing season.
The Shad is dandy fish. lie is an orna-
ment to the fIying-pan, and makes mighty
| good picking for hungry mau-that is, il
| is good picking the meat of his bones
while You cat him, and after that You put
/ in tho time very prOfitably picking the
! bones Of him from between yoirr teeth
after you have got him OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
away in your bread basket. or. to use a
nautical term, IN your hold. Ii We took
| stock i'll the theory Of evolution. We should
| be inclined to think that the shad was
evolved from tine-tO0th comb or Dtce
gerSa, and that Pennsgroge was evolved
| from 4 shad hshcrman's cabin. but truth
! compels Us to state that you would have to
30 u long way back for the resemblance
| in the latter case, for p. G. is booming. and
| for pretty residences, enterprising business
men, good looking girls, and all else that
goes to make life comfortable, stands in
| the front rank Of South Jersey towns. If
| you visit Pennsgrove during the early part
| Of April you will find the population, the
male portion at least, iii a state of mild ex-
element. l}umors have reached them of the
coming of the noble army of shad up the
river, and every other man is overhauling
/ his net, fixing up his boat, laying in 4
stock OF supplies for two months camp
down the bay as soon as the season opens.
! If you stay there you will catch the fever
sure-it is in the very air-and during our
weekly visits to the Pier" this spring, we
were taken bad and nothing would cure us
! but trip to the fishing grounds. Accor-
| dinghy, after one or two disappointments,
we started 4 few days since i'll company with
j. J. Summerill, Esq, for trip on the tug
| Lizzie Crawford" bound in ballast for
the mouth OF Hope Creek, which flows
through tie salt: NASH of Lower Al
| loways Creek township and empties into
| the Delaware about dozen miles below
| Fort Delaware We clambered down the
| slippery logs Of the Pcnnsgrove pier about
| 12 NJ, and took seat in the bow of a fish
ing boat amid Heterogeneous collection of
hams, eggs, Hour, bread and other plumber
consigned To sundry fishermen down the
bay, and waited the arrival of Captain
James Denny, of the Denny Bros,
under whose care we had placed ourselves
| for the day. He soon appeared and we
| pulled out from under tie bow Of the
Susie Mccall and in few minutes were
safe on the deck Of the tug which was
| blowing like a grampus alongside her con-
sort the 'IsenoX which was bound down
| the stream ON the same crrand, but on The
other side the river to Port Penn. The
| Denny brothers are five in number Two
Of them are landsmen and carry on store
| in Pcnnsgrove. Captain jim. Captain
Sam and Zelle $50 BY water, and have
followed that same ior a score of years.
They are part owners of the Susie Mccall,
and are respectively Pilot, Captain and
Engineer Of that stauneh little steamer
that affords communication between Penns-
+l,f ECl1
inc season they run the tug line, max
inc daily trips down the bay to bring up
the shad caught by the fishermen and con-
signed to the commission men and other
buyers, landing their cargoes at Dock
street wharf They are not interested in
the buying or selling OF the fish, but
simply act as carriers 10 the market, and
have been engaged IN the business every
season for twenty years past and are de-
servedly popular with the fishermen. And
now they have lis on their tug and are
carrying us as fast as the propeller can
drive us down the river to new sights.
After minute inspection Of every nook
and Granny OF the tug and pumping Bro.
Summerill with questions until he threat
enod to fire us overheard, We took refuge
from the stiff breeze in the pilot house
where Captain Jim had the wheel. Cap
tain Sam was comfortably stretched out
for an afternoon snoozc, from which he did
not awaken till supper time, and we two
passengers were at liberty to amuse onr-
selves as we CHOSE. Through the glass
sides Of the pilot house we gazed at the
various objects Of interest. Wilmington,
with its beautiful hills and smoky factories
was soon left in the distance Deep Water
Point with the Icing railroad pier on the
opposite side, whence it is rumored the
Is. & O., Will some day send passengers
across the river Oh short route by rail,
to some as yet INDICATED point in South
Jersey: Pennsvillc, hardly discernable on
the low Jersey Shore and New Castle, en-
powered in foliage, came in sight, and dis
appeared like pictures in panorama
Here we passed a long, low, green painted
steamer which the captain pronounced
tramp There, beating against the
Wind was little two masted sloop with
deel; load of lumber from Carolina; yOnder
a neat little steam yacht, bright with
paint and trim rs young girl got up for
her first party, whose name we were I'M
able to make out, although assisted by
glass; over there saucy little tug was
towing Il big lazy schooner, while beyond
a square rugged ship was on her way down
the river, bound for Australia, for all we
shifting, ever interesting picture, which to
the eye of a landsman wearicd with musty
print and constant copy, afforded treat
well worth day off once in year Down
the river we 80, threading our way through
a maze of nets, floats, buoys and fishing
boats. which makes one marvel how shad
as bic as a piece of chalk can possibly run the
gauntlet: for we are on the fishing grounds
which extend all the say from Gloucester
to Port Penn, and perhaps further but
this is about the circuit Of the Salem eoun-
ty fishermen Shall we tell you how they
catch the shad? 4 fishing outfit consists
of boat about twenty feet in length with
a corresponding breadth of beam, net
called a drift net, of suitable mesh, and
knit Of twine not much heavier than ordi-
nary sowing cotton but Of extraordinary
strength The nets vary in length, some
being nearly half u mile long. They are
about twelve or fifteen feet in width. On
one edge are weights or sinkers to keep it
upright in the water, on the other are at
tachcd al suitable Intervals cords about
six feet in length, 60 which arc fastened
the corks or floats, while at each end is at
tached a buoy looking for all the world
like an inverted peach basket, painted red
and black. Two men constitute a boat crew,
one TO handle the boat The other to manage
the net. Taking a favorable state of the
tide, either on the food or ebb as the fish
ermcn wish 60 90 mp or down the stream,
with the net neatly piled in the stern oil