Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-05-12

AOOC DOODAL - hEG
WHERE sHAD ARE nArCHED.
A Night NJ the Fish Cousmissieu station
NJ Fort Washingson.
HAULING THE SEINE AND TAXING ruE sPAwS-"BRrxa-
ING UP THE Heas-How ruE HATCHERY n NAN
AGED-rHB INCREASE m THE snAp cArCH-wHEN
THE sHAD COMES BAcx
at is simply an application OF the law OF Rrav-
~" That is what an old scientist remarked 20 Q
STAR reporter as they watched 100, 600 shad eggs
slowly circulating about In the water in a glass
Matching jar. In nearly all the transparent little
glooules. looking like tiny soap bubbles. q close
examination would show two wee black specks
ana the shadowy ghostly outline OF the little shad
euried SO as to form almost complete circle The
little specks were the rudlmentary eyes Of the
embryo shad and they danced about as the little
shad struggled for freedom. Some had already
kicked themselves free and were disporting their
nlmy bodies In the clear water above, each one
from witch it derives sustenance during the first
days OF Life. The shattered egg shells from which
the little shad have escaped lie In feathery layer
al the bottom Of 1 the ,ar ha' cane be seeS
opaque Or ieaden colored giobules that
have settled there in oDes1se 70 the
eggs whose specific gravity draws them to the
bottom and thus sorts them out from the good
Of little shad are sip6oned on into an aquarium.
and are ready TO be shipped away to the points
where they are 70 be deposited or 'planted" In .
easy enough, so simple that a child can UNDER
stand it. but 1t was many years before the work OF
artificial propagation OF shad was brought TO its
present state OF effectiveness. First, the habits
and environments OF the shad had to be studied
and the conditions necessary To the life OF the
young fry. Scientists had TO learn how and when
to take the spawn ana how it should be treated
when taken. Then there was the practical Ques-
ton OF the utensils 70 DO employed, and II was
used was developed. Ten years ago the work Of q
whole season in spawn taking did not amount to
more than that accomplished this year at single
station in two or three days at the height OF the
season. Assistants have become skilled in hand
ling the 1sh, preparing the spawn, and manipu-
iating the Matching tars and the Matching sta
apparatus
THE HArcHNa STATIONS
Before you can hatch young shad you have to
get the egg, so stations are established on the
Delaware, the Susquehanna and the Potomac for
the purpose Of securing shad spawn and Matching
the young shad. The Potomac shad-hatching
station is at Fort Washington. 1t ought, perhaps
to be called spawn-taking station, for the hatch
city. Col Mcdonald, the Commissioner OF Fish
and F1shereS who, for some years prior 10 his APP
pointment as Commissioner, had charge OF the
present stale, picked out Fort Washington as the
site for a hatchery. The place was chosen be
cause 1t Is convenient TO several fishing shores
and the fact that the Government owned the
ground ana buildings made it at once available.
The War Department granted the use OF the
grounds to the Fish Commission for the purpose.
AT THE OLD FORT.
The whole scene might inspire poet to sing
song Of peace. The dismanted fort, with its moat,
Its massive gray walls, and its bridge and great
arched entrance with studded doors like that OF a
mediseval stronghold, frowns down from the sum-
nit OF the slope that rises from the river bank.
AT the foot OF the hill, near the wharf, is row OF
big Rodney guns long since obsolete. To the left
from the wharf grass-grown road and foot
path wind up the hill through the trees to the
plateau, where the barracks and the houses once
used as officers quarters are grouped about the
parade ground, now thickly overgrown with grass.
wild profuson, are lilac bushes all In blossom and
Killing the air with delicious fragrance On a May
morning. one old house oil brick, with spa
c10uS halls and porcheS, Is quite notable
In its way. 1t stood there, 1t is said, a hundred
years ago, and was erected by the original owner
OF the land from bricks brought from England.
on the brow OF the hill, at a spot commanding a
grand view, the splendid curve OF the shore at
the foot or the HILL miles and miles OF river, with
vista OF the city or Washington, the central object
being the shaft OF the Washington Monument, Is
a coy cottage, where the garrison OF the fort
lives. The garrison consists OF one man, Sergeant
Joyce, an ordnance sergeant, who Is In charge OF
the property and stores. Mr. Worth, VINO Is In
charge OF the fish commission station, makes his
home in the old brick mansion, and members OF
his force live Ia different houses once used as off,
GERS quarters. For two months In the year the
under the walls OF the imp0tent Old fort The
most important part OF the work, that OF ''bring-
ing up" and developing the shad eggs, Is done In
little building, erected for the PURPOSE beside the
light tower at the wharf. A pumping engine can
be heard pufftng and thrObbing here all day 10 ng
and all night too, for when the work is once begun
II Is not stopped for an hour until the season
closes. There are always eggs to be whirled
about In the jars, and that requires steady now
OF water from the tank, or reservoir. elevated at
one end OF the building, and TO which the pump
raises the water.
THE ORGANIZATION OF THE WORK.
The work at the station, briefly described, is that
OF taking spawn, and developing the eggs to a
point where they can be shipped to Washington
without risk OF loss. The spawn is obtained in
part from the fish caught at the Fort Washington
Shore, by a seine operated under the direction OF
the super1ntenden1of the station, and In part by
the spawn-takers, who visit the neighbOring fish,
ing shores The station is under the direction Mr..
s. u. Worth, the superintendent, who had charge
for several years OF the shad Matching conducted
by the state OF North Carolina on the Al6emarie
sound. The force OF men Is well organized, each
being assigned TO particular division OF the
work. Mr.. VIM II. Morgan Is superintendent OF
the hatchery, where the eggs are developed; Mr..
Is In command OF the expeditions after spawn; Mr..
]. p. Bauer is the principal spawn-taker among
the OILERS. The Fish Commissions own seine op-
Grated by a force OF men under Capt. LG. Harron.
Capt Yeatman is In charge OF the transportation
the from the station to the central station
in this city. VIM. Lynch has charge OF the pump
log engines, Thomas w. Keller keeps the record
OF the station and attends To the clerical work,
and Tim Leonard, as night Waterman, has
charge OF the property when the others sleep The
first step in the work OF course Is that OF getting
the spawn. This is done principally in the early
hours OF the night. The seines are hauled with the
the best results are obtained from the spawn
yielded by the catches made in the evening. The
shad spawn about nightfall, and those caught at
that hour are more likely to be in ''ripe" condi-
ton. Unless the spawn, or eggs taken are so far
matured as to be ready To be delivered In the
sidered waste OF time TO attempt their develop
ment artificially. AS the hours OF the tides vary
SO the hours Of work by the force OF men engaged
keep changing. The whole operation, the catch
ing OF the shad and the taking OF the spawn can
be studied right on the shore at Fort Washington.
HAULING THE SEINE.
The seine hauling at night makes an impressive
scene for q city man who has made the acQuaint-
ance OF shad perhaps, only on the table, or on the
dripping stands In the market stalls When THE
STAR reporter watched the 'haul" the sky was
overcast with clouds that 0bScured the stars Far
on In the distance against the backneSS OF the
night could be seen little groups Of twinkling
lights at shores where other fishermen were haul
ing their seine and occasionally the wind would
bring to the ear the hum OF the distant voices.
The fishermen at Fort washington have put out
In their boat The seine Is heaped up &C the stern
OF the craft, and as the oarsmen pull out-stream
the seine is paid out. The boat soon vanishes in
the darkness but the regular cadence OF the oars
in the row locks can be heard Is the boat slowly
moves over its course.
THE STRANGE STORY OF TIE sHAD FLY.
Then during the minutes that the boat and the
aohorrcop ro ont of SIGHT and almost out nj hear