National Republican., 1888-05-20
THE EPICUREs' PARADISE.
How They Eat Plankcd Shad at Glou-
Cester, n. j.
New York Graphic. !

HOW 1hcy Eat Plankcd Shad at Glou-
cester, n. j.
New York Graphic.1
The principal shad fisheries on the Della
ware river are at IIowell's Cove, Gloucester,
n. j., and are owned and operated by VIM.
j. Thompson, who has attained such a ma
tional fame as "Planked shad Thompson"
that he uses the entire catch in supplying
the people who come from far and near to
spread their legs under his hospitable ma
hogany. There are other fisheries lower
down the river, where a seine is used, and
the gill-net fishermen swarm from the Della
ware Breakwater up to Trenton, but the
Howell's Cove fishery can be called the prin-
cipal one on the river.
1t lisa great day when the big seine is cast,
and big sight too. The net requires
eighteen men to handle it-sturdy, deep.
chested fellows, with big biceps and broad
backs. The boat they use to "pay out" the
net is an extraordinarily wide yawl, with a
broad platform at the stern, on which rests
the great mass of NOTED twine. A shore
line makes one end Of the seine fast, and
then the boat is rowed out, taking an ellipt-
ical course, and the net pays out slowly
until 300 fathoms Of mesh, corks, and leads
beneath the surface. The most successful
laul is made In the early part of the ebb
tide, or, as the waterman puts in, on the
'young ebb." The work is tedious while
the net is being put ont. and tho fohoiuf;m
seem listless and uninterested; but rs the
last cork goes overheard and they head for
the shore the waiting throng begins to wake
up.
The two ends of the net are slowly
dragged shoreward, the ''pullers I'M draw
ing the bottom line Of the net under the
surface to prevent the escape of any fish.
AS the "belly' Of the net grows smaller and
smaller and comes nearer land the interest
and excitement increases. Thousands of
shining fish, their scales glistening like
Furnished armor, can be seen struggling
within the meshes. They leap and lash the
water into foam In the vain effort to escape.
These are shad and herring and suntish and
catfish.
Once in while big sturgeon gets in the
net and plays havoc with the work the deft
fingers that have worked all winter knotting
the emeshes. As the struggling massis drawn
ashore the crowd pushes closer and closer
to the fishermen, and II the catch is q big
one there Is usually cheer, and the shad
enthusiasts make great offers to Thompson
to buy the biggest fish IN the net.
The casting of the big seine is interesting,
to be sure, but it does not appeal as strongly
to the palate as the interesting operation of
planking, which follows within an hour
The still quivering fish is taken to the mon
ster kitchen in Thompson's Hotel, and is
there split open longtudinally. If fe-
male. the roe is carefully removed and put
In a tub of cold water to await its turn in
the frying pan.
The split fish is sltillfully nattcned out and
nailed to hickory plank, which is an inch
thick, about thirty inches in length, and
liyta inn has In uil ,,ln
from long service, has been thoroughly sat
urated with creamery butter. When the
ilattened out shad is nailed fast 1t is placed
in front of the open crate of Il peculiarly
constructed stove, in which is burning n
CHEEKY fire Of hard coal. Two big Jumps of
butter are put on the shad and it is con
stantly saturated with spoonful after spoon
| appetizing odor. In less than thirty min.
utes it is cooked through and through and Is
taken to table on the plank. There sliill-
| full carver, with one flip of his long knife,
removes the back bone, and with
it the long ribs. The ilaky, white meat,
steaming In the rich gravy formed by the
butter, is then lifted off and plated and
served with green peas, Bermuda potatoes,
| and bottle of Mumm's extra dry, and II
that isn't Il feast that would make an an
chorite beat his breast and cry for more,
then indeed has the world grown sour and
dyspeptic.
| The most prominent men in the country
have gorged themselves with plauked shad
at Gloucester The late Gen. Hancock was
| there twice In one season. The Justices of
the Supreme Court of the United States
have passed upon the excellence of the
toothsome luxury, and the late Chief jus
tice was an enthusiast on the subject. Sem
| ator Sewcll is Il Irregular during the season.
So is eN-Gov. Albeit, of New Jersey.
| Col Tom Ochiltree prepares for the pleas
ures of planked shad by two days prelim'
mary fast
| Among others who have toasted there
may be named the late Gen. Mcclellan
| GOV, Green, of New Jersey; George NJ
Robson, George Gould, eX-iov. PattisOn
Of Pennsylvania; eX-Gov. Bum, of Idaho
| eX-Attomey General Of Pennsylvania Lewis
| G, Cassidy, the late Benjamin Harris
Brewster, Levi z, Morton, ex-senator
Francis Herman, and hundreds of other.
distinguished in the state and national his
| tory of the country.
The army and navy, the legislatures OF
several of the states, and the mercantile
community OF every city in the Union ar,
regularly represented from the opening OF
the season until the "last run of shad
gives notice that it Is time to cease for tn,
time being, and to worry through the winter
with the hope that the succeeding sprnl
will be q great one for the big seine