The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1891-11-14
Duck Shooting.

the Baltimore sun has the following to
say.
The ducks, that is the desirable ones.
were conspicuous by their absence. But
few redheads and extremely few canvas
backs were seen by the anxious bush
wacker aud sinkbox shooter The day
was all that could have been desired.
The wind was from the north east in the
morning and veeIed around to northwest
in the afternoon. 1t blew just sufficiently
to make the decoys show well and to
allow the ducks to dart easily. Beauti-
full celery and other food grasses were
on the fats and nothing was wanting
except the ducks.
In the rivers between Baltimore and
Havre de Grace there were no signs of
Susquehanna, and they had been feeding
there for sufficient time to make them
fat and plump. They were not the
kind of ducks, however, that the sports
men had learned the art of circumvent-
ing. Bald pates. black ducks and black
heads were in view, but, alas, few
canvas backs and red -heads Such birds
as there were made shooting. The
abundance of grass promised great sport,
but factor that has gradually been
giving concern to sportsmen made !.
bold stand. According to old gunners,
who have been watching the place care
fully, the Susquehanna flats will soon
cease to be a ducking place. Year by
year the river has filled up, until it is
only matter of time, they say, when
the waters now shot over will become
the scene of growing grain and veget
ables. The navigable waters are still
there, but they are only to be found in
spots.
By l O'Clock in the afternoon decoys
and boats were aground in places where
few years ago there was enough water
to float a boat. The flats are the receipt
acles of much of the solid matter which
comes down the river in the spring
freshets. Many of the gunners were
lOlCci " tdho GuolI dbu Bot
their boats into the small channels when
the ebb tide was run, and by 3 o'clock
in the afternoon several sneak boLts
went into Havre de Grace. Low water
on the fats was at about p. m. Most
of the sneak boats were to the westward
and the sink boxes generally were to the
westward. The sink boxes had the
best of what sport there was, but many
of their craft, sloops and scows were
caught by the low tide aud did not reach
Havre de Grace until late at night.
The ducks killed by the sink boxes
ran from thirty to one hundred to box,
and by sneak boats from three to forty
ducks. The majority of the ducks
killed were black heads. Canvas backs,
which were exceedingly scarce, brought
from dealers So so pair, red heads 50,
black heads and bald pates 60 cents,
black ducks so cents and coots so cents
pair. Coots were very scarce. All
the ducks killed were fat and heavy.
The record for duck shooting on the
fats of late years is held by Mr. VIM.
H. Dobson, who killed from a box on the
opening day of 1884 $50 ducks. The
following results, as compiled by Capt.
r. F. McGaw from sportsmen of ability,
give an idea OF the comparative merits
OF this season and that of 1884: VIM.
F. Tatem, Wm. Linthicum, Edward
Colsten and John Hartner, who were in
the steam yacht Reckless, killed 100
OF 80 shots Mr.. Linthicum missed but
1. The sailing yacht Lilly, Capt VIM.
A. Myers, with party of New York
guuuers, killed $50 by 1 p. IN. The
yacht Champion, from which Jesse Pop
lar, his father and son gunued, got 200.
The yacht John A. Russell, Captain
Carver, and Yacht Widgeon, Capt. Geo.
Chamberlain, each had a shooting crowd
and got enough ducks to make a meal.
Frank Henley killed % from his sneak
boat. Hayward and Bartlett, of Balti
more, who went to the flats in their
steamer Comfort and gunner from the
sloop James G. Blaine, killed over 80.
The Spesutia Duck Club, the members
of which are from New York, gunned
from the craft Molle Burns and killed
$50. A few of the members of the clu b
gunned from Capt. John keene's craft
and killed 81 The craft Nautilus, Capt.
John McIlhen, accommodated a lot of
a VIII bai l.
by a. m. and had good shooting the
rest of the day. Thomas Reynolds's
boat Knight of Labor did not fare so
we'll. Wash. Barnes, the veteran, was
accredited with 100
Justice Havern, of Highlandtown, and
James Malone, of Baltimore, who gun
from Darlington shore, had 10 dead ducks
by a. M and killed many more during
the day. They both are crack shots
from a box and would have done better
had not Malone gotten two tight shells,
which put quietus to his shooting.
Philip Spencer killed 81, AZ of them be-
ing red heads. Alfred Murphy brought
in 7, E. Kirby got 20 and John Gross Is.
Mr.. A. Nelson Lewis, of Lewis, killed II
and j. Edward Carpenter, of Philadel-
phia 10. Both shot from a sneak boat.
Mr.. Ward McAllister was expected to ac-
company Mr.. Lewis, but he failed to ap-
pear.
The following officers had control OF
the shooting grounds: Scott Jackson and
Thomas Howard of Cecil county, AMI
William II. Barnes and Il. F. McGaw. of
Hartford county. No arrests were made
Policeman R. F. McGaw started bright
and early to catch vioators, but some one
had stolen his swivels and he had to
wait for the stores to open before he |
could make start. License for shooting
on the flats are $40 for sink boxes and So |
for sneak boats.
"Silver Dollars" Made of Glass.
Counterfeit silver dollars of the issue
of 1890, of which glass is the principal |
component, have been discovered at the |
Unten States Sub Treasury in this city. |
Nearly all of the bogus dollars came |
from the banks. where the receiving |
telers had taken them for genuine. The |
touch and ring are perfect, but they are |
lighter in weight and thicker than the |
genuine dollar They do not have
spurious look, even after short use, but
retain the finish aud lustre of the genu-
inc coin. Some of the coins are of 1883 |