Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-02-18

passage on a canal boat for the Great Fails OF
the Potomac Iha; 10, Ferris and did. Hood
and HAYES had previously taken passage on the
! tovpaih, which is quite expeditions and
almost a. comfortable. But they left the bait
buckets and the minnow seine with us
There are Sax locks at the Great Falls and the
canal boat which we had taken tied up for the
night about quarter Of a mile from the uppcr-
! most lock Of the six There were several other
hosts below. and very interesting medley Of
mules. feeding troughs, TOW lines and dogs along
the tvopath. ! carrying the some two
rods bait buckle: and my tsckle satchel. Ferris
was behind me, similarly laden. Out OF the
darkness appeared az overflow: on the canal side
/ two feet Of water on tie lower side a fall Of ten
+ feet and n narrow plank crossing. said did
not believe could cross. To which Pegris
sponded: You have got 90. and did.
/ Then. when We arrived a. the Fslis Hotel How'd
! and Hayes informed Ne that thew had q corner
( upon all the wet good. there vas in The house.
| Next day was beautiful autumn day. We
fshed IL the Whitewater OF the canal and caught
| two or three small bass. We had sent our catch
! OF the previous two DAYS by the mail wagon,
with the understanding that the driver should
meet Ne and take US 20 Washington. II. C. The
driver left our fish the club house At the foot
OF the Whitewater aud went of without u.s.
Then Ferris law down in the middle Of the
road and swore he would lie there and rot. or
words % that effect. before he would walk q
step. He also remarked upon the character Of
the driver OF the mail wagon in eloquent Lam
guage. Then we all gathered up our belong
inCs and started along the Conduit road, which
is built upon the aqueduct that supplies the
| national capital with water from above the
Great Falls of the Potomac. Four miles we
| tramped from the Whitewater to tho Seven
Locks, also famous fishing ground. Then we
got q team 20 take us home
In May, 1859, a serious calamity befeu the
| South Mountain Fishing Club, IN common With
| all other fishermen who frequent the upper
Potomac. The same protracted and violent
rains which caused the terrible disaster at
| Johnstown, Pa, raised the Potomac 70
hoard-of height. The food broke the Chesa-
peake and Ohio canal in hundred places and
when the water subsidized canal boats were left
stranded at almost every lock and along every
level That year we. did but little fishing on
the Potomac on account OF the muddy water.
Some OF went to Squirrel island, near
Boothbay llarbor. Me. at the invitation o, Mr..
Charles Il. Gray. then representing the Cali
fornia Associated Press. We wanted to try
deep-sea fishing for cod and halibut OF the
famous Monhegan Island, about twelve miles
southeast Of PemaquId Point.
But We got a barrel full or fsh-cod. hake
cusk, pollock, rock cod. cunners, not 10 men,
tion the dog fish which We threw away and the
other dog fish who snapped off our ground
tackle and made US wonder why the 200 feet Of
line. with two-pound sinkers on, came up 40
easily. When we brought our catch home we
had more than our party could use. We Of
fered 10 give them TO the keeper OF one OF the
. hotcAS. but Nut udll4t udIl was 700 WHY 20 nc
cept gifts from strangers He said he would
buy the fish at the price he paid 20 profess
} sional tshermen-2 cents a pound, dressed. SO
! when we settled up the expense account We had
10 cents assets TO apply upon the captains bill
OF $40 for two days use OF the yacht
| In 1890 the session OF Congress lasted until
October. The South Mountain Fishing Club
had been surfeited with silver legislation. the
Mckinley bill and politics. and its members
longed TO get away from the world. Tom
H.. IL
first district Of North Carolina. lad given US
such glowing accounts of the sport 20 be had
in the North Carolina sounds that made up
our minds TO go there. From Mr.. J. b. Bracket
of Elizabeth City. y. c.. we chartered the 10
ton schooner Roxana, Capt. c. c. Heath. The
crew of the Roxana consisted of the captain
and his mate and Enoch. the cook. who was
equal to any emergency. The charter price
for the schooner, including pay Of the crew,
was 1913 a day. The members Of the club
who cruised in the Roxana were Hood, Miller
Steretf, Ferris and the writer.
When sailed our first objective point was
Nays Head. which is a small settlement on the
spit of sand extending from Norfolk. Va. 20
Oregon inlet. and inclosing Currituck sound.
We arrived there about daylight the next morn
ing. and after catching a mess Of spots and
croakers for breakfast took our guns and hand
, lines and went across to the ocean TO shoot
beach birds and fish for weak fish. drum aud
, blue fish through the breakers. We shot as
many pirus as we needed 10 eat, caught ABOUT
dozen weak fish and drum and one shark.
We are all enthusiastic fishermen. but Col W.
u. Sterett was lndefstigabie. Even at night he
insisted upon Keeping his line out as long AZ he
was awake, and many a time. " ben il was has
turn to open jack pot, his reel would whir-r,
and he would say, walt minute till see
what We got.
At New inlet we found most hospitable life
saving crew. under command of Capt l.. H..
Midget Jr., and the prettiest sea fishing that
ever was seem
Tho Roxana was moored close 70 shore in ten
feet OF water. clear as crystal. We fished with
black bass rods, reels and lines. with an ounce
sinker at the bottom, and two hooks above, on
gimp OF wire snoods. casting from the bank
II weak hsh, drum or blue fish failed TO take
the bait near the surface as soon as the bait
struck the bottom founder seized it In two
day nsnlng We caught al that we could eat,
ana all that the crew had salt TO cure or casks
TO pack In, ana then We stopped and sailed Tor
Nag Head again