Telegram-herald., 1889-05-18
THE GREATEST CATCH OF SHAD.
An Old Time Seine That Captured 16,Ooo.-
900 at = single HAUL

OOo at y Single hhuL
"There are not as many shad caught now
adays in all the fisheries on the Susquehanua
river in an entire season as were caught In
one single haul of seine that Capt. Tom
Stump made at his Havre de Grace fishery
in the spring Of 1927" said an old Susque-
hanna fisherman. 1T ISN'T likely that the
size of that haul will ba believed by any one
who hears Of it, but Capt. Stump's son John
lives at that same spot today, and he VIII
substantiate all l say about it That fishery,
In the days OF its first owner, was the largest
shad fishery in the United States. Enormous
catches OF shad at a single haul were com
mon TO IL, but the particular haul refer TO
was something simply without parallel
Capt. Stump used a seine at least five
miles long IL was stretched across tho
mouth OF the Susquehanna, and extended
down the shoro below Havre de Grace. One
day in the middle OF April, 1927, after this
immense net had been stretched, terrible
gale began blowing, and for four days and
nights IT was impossible TO do anything to-
ward pulling the seine in, as al the power
that could have been put on the windlaSses
couldn't have dra en- tho net against the tide
that the storm kept rushing down against it.
But no shad could get past that net, and
when on the fourth day the wind changed
and blew up the bay, and tho windlasses
were put TO work hauling in tho seine, 10 be-
came evident at once that II was burdened
with such a collection Of shad as had never
got together In one net before.
"In those days the farmers OF lower Ian
caster aud Chester counties used 70 go oil the
way down 70 Stump's fishery with wagons 10
fetch back shad. which they peddled around
the country and also sslted down in large
quantities for winter use. The news that the
big seine at Havre de Grace had been staked
by the gale spread through the region, and
on the day the fishermen began TO haul IL in
there were hundreds Of wagons lining the
shores, waiting for what the farmers felt
would be an amazing haul, out Of which they
could get their supplies Of shai at a very low
price. Usually they had paid from so TO
s25 hundred for the fish. When the first
installnents Of the big catch began 10 come
In Capt Stump sold the shad, thousand after
thousand, for s. hundred, but ns the noun
tains Of fish begnn 10 accumulate on the
shores. be was glad 10 give them away by
the wagon load to all who would come and
take them OF his hands. He sent messengers
out through ell the surrounding counties,
notifying the farmers Of the situation and
soliciting them to como and cart the fish
away. The whole agricultural area Of Cecil
and other counties was fertilized that year
with loads Of "a fine shad as ever came out of
water. Besides the shad there were herring.
rock fish and SEA bass By the ton The lowest
esti:uats that WAS made of the number Of
shai that were taken in that great haul has
placed IL at 100000
1T doesn't seem 80 long 10 when that haul
was made. and yet today there are no shad
caught On that shore. There ia no shad flsh-
ing IN the Susquehsnn. above Columbia any
more 70 speak of- Tie dam across the river
at this place, built - carry the Pennsylvania
canal s-ross 20 the York county side. de-
stroyed the fisheries above Il City years and
n,ors ago. as the sbad could not get above il.
After years of effort on the part q tbe people
living along TIE river above Columbia. a fish
var was built in the dam few Years ago.
but as sei1es are srread erross th> dam iust
above the hshvaT ss soo1 ss shsd b~Ein n
run in Tia spring. snd are sept there az
through the s-ason. tle darn might iust So
va havs ben EFF - II was, f7r it Is very
few slad inaeed thst rru .he gsuutlet q tba
seines and give the - PIE above Columbia a
f chanoe AZ thesn- \ can remember When thera
wss prosperous sisod fisaeTT every mile -
s'afrrx the river from Columbia almost ~
F the Nev York STATE In, 20 miles above 80
f mouth Z the SasquehsRna The s~e-ar.
+ catch q these fsheries vss not lsss than 30 !
daT sc-fs Z The urp~r fsheries we're re
gsrtiad ss not doing wei z they did rsos vie..s
F iG1o psT day Anavsrsgs sess5n v-osii s~s
+ at east ATTY fishing dayS- There vers e;
iesst % ashe-ses, - thas hzfors the C1iun
F "a lam ard otbsr darls tkat too srate cans.
required n shs Ssss1sehan1s wars bu4lt. ~,
F aecTls siorg th@ stream il this stats ws--
during t~o z1ouths n th@ vesr shte - tsE.
lss .to saaa. Thich were a-rta q ths--
Ss7Aeso soch tiainE a. shsl Is not kEao-sr
n tie uppsr Ssz~q Seh srEs r-zton to5av. sns
never VII . sxsin untii The antt11s -4d sas
comparatively useless can& dauzs ar t5~r
oEs. -Coluznais Pa Cor New York Saa