The morning times., 1895-08-25
CATCHING THE CRAVFISH
Queer and Exclusive Trade Which
Caters to WaShinStonianS.
DELICACY FOR EPICURES
w here Kearney, the Isaak Walton of
era fish, Lives-How He Catches
the Foxy Crustacean, How They
Are Cooked and Distinguished peo-
pie Who Eat Them.

Pedestrians who have wandered along
the Virginti shore or the Potomac, about
a half mile north OF crime-infested Jack
son City, have suddenly come upon little
wooden structure. which has an interest
ing history.
1t is the headquarters of one OF Wash
ington city'S most novel and exclusive in
dustres. The building is the home Of
middle-agrd white man named Thomas
Eearney and two CoIOred men, who are
engaged in crawfish catching.
The Catchery house is a queer looking af-
fair, representing a style of architecture.
which has long been in vogue among the
poor whites and negroes in the back
woods counties of some of the Southern
States. 1t is situated at point on the
shore nearly opposite the Treasury build
ing, where the yellow sandy beach mcrgcs
and blends into dark green background
of thickct and foliage
The building is OEe-story affair, and
ha: been knocked almost INTO a cooked hat
by the gales OF many years while the
peItlng rain and flying snow have so discol-
ored the structnre that at a distance it re-
sembies a mound of dark earth The house
leans, too, like the famous tower of Pisa
Its attitude is such that young Washing
ton lawyer, while enjoying a river bank
outing with some friends the other day,
was prompted to remark
. That house seems to be leaning sympa-
thetically toward Arlington, the white
city Of the dead"
A QUEER INDUSTRY.
select Washington patronage at the little
catchery across the river, is ali interesting
but tedious task. These little crustaceans,
which have the funny and awkward habit
of walking backwards, are wary game,
and therefore not so easily captured. They
1nhabit the bottom of the river where it
| is shallow and the marine grasses grow
high.
Creeping about with their rears to the
front and their fronts to the rear, they cap
| ture and devour the small water insects
| that move about with such rapidty. A
crawfish will lie perfectly motionIess on the
| bottom OF the stream, with his claws
folded, placidly awaiting the coming OF
| the flighty water beetle. This little in
| sect, mistakiug the gray back OF the crlis-
| tacean for a stone, viii glide close to it,
| Then like flash out goes the south paw of
| the crawfish, and with a snap like the
| closing of a steel trap the beetle is seized
and passed piecemeal into the odd-looking
mouth of its captor.
CrawfiSh also feed upon the spawn of fish
and tadpoles, but the water beetle is their
| favorite food and gives the backslider the
| peculiar flavor which is so much enjoyed
by epicures. In some parts of the country
| the crawfish is known as the crayflsh 1t
| is crustacean of the genus lobster, but
| considerably smaller in size and only found
| in fresh water. =
HOW KEARNEY DOES IT.
Kearney, the owner of the catchery, en-
ploys several methods of capturing the
little delicacies. His most successful one
| is the use of long lines, on which he ties
| punches of water beetles. These lines are
used as travis and dragged gently through
the grass. The crawfish upon seeing the
beetles follows them to the surface and is
| scooped in with a small net and confined
in q wicker basket containing a mass Of
| moist water grasses.
Like other members of the shell fish
family, especially the crab a crawfish
! is worthless for all purpose after it dies.
| They must be cooked while Still alive.
Kearney, the crawfish man, was in .
| talkatiye mood when seen by the reporter
| for The Times yesterday. He sale he had
| been in the business six yesrs and has
perfect monopoly.
"You see," he said, They're such