The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1895-12-05
| 0 7 :! !. n0R''s MESSAGE
con Mael from Fira, raee.3


4 anu the construction ami maintenance
s9f5 good roads ure earnestly urged. the
OF the Weather Bureau Is
~ fsSented. and the hope expressed that
.:SShes Sstate$sNTcather Service VIII be or
;SEanized and placed upon a firm basis;
$sIhe$Saiue OF sci tests is regarded by the
,$;lfoRId as siea;. and the TX sd OF Il topo-
y SIaphicaf and geographical map Of
sSNirgiGia is considered Imperative.
ssAgss.sa Protection Oh Virginia Waters.
The wealth of yirginid In her waters
could hardly be ovcicStimatcd.
+ According to the Baylor survey there
G are 20l, 2ft.3 acres or natural oyster
sbeds, rocks and shoals, and 100000 acres
n disposable by the Commonwealth fer
1.-The propagation of oysters OF course
ssthe natural rocks cannot be rented, but
1.-THE Immense area outside is iCasable.
4and If. it could he let ut an annual rem
y tai of one dollar, per acre-thc price
3 fixed by statutc-it would yield as
.smuch revenue as is now. realized from
real and personal property of the value
3 of one hundred million dollars, and
+ nearly as much as from all the cities
,sin the State. 1t may be that this vast
eSpanse of oyster ground will never
under and circumstances or condition
4 be leased, but suppose the State can
realize from half of it, how magnificent
will be the return,
But to preserve the value of these
4 propagating grounds we must guard
the seed ground.
How important, then. II is that we
look well TO the protection of the natu.
raj beds from the t!redser at home
end abroad. While we have had some
trouble with resident dredEers. inccs-
SAINT have been our troubles with non
residents in the Tangicr and POGO
lnoMc sounds until recently. So TSr~
sistent and frequent had been these
incursions by non, c3identS that during;
the scs sion Of the last General Assem-
s bly, RECOMMENDED an appropriation for
the purpose OF Strengthening our-oyster
police navy, and the sum OF SlU,50O WIS
Eat apart TO that end. Without cXrcnd-
d Inc all of this appropriation the Beard
on the Chesapeake and It's Tributaries
purchased in TIE city of New York Il
steamer of liEh, draft, yet scaworthy,
and armed, and equipped ler. she was
nnnied ..ccomac," and, with tbs
sohconcrs "Tnngier' and "Pocomoke."
already in service, she was kept on the
State line in the sounds during the
!. oyster season OF 1S9i-'a. AT the end of
that season. to save Nerenses, the "Po-
4 comoke" was retired until the COM
( mencement OF the present season, when
4 she was again placed III commission the
and the '.HanEier." how
!. ever, remaining at their posts during
IS the past summer, and all are now Oh
duty
1t gives me pleasure to state that
since the "1ccomac" was placed on the
Il line no depreciation OF any consequences
has occurred | believe the uppropria-
ton was judicious, and that the
a STRENGTHENING OF our oyster police force
hus had the effect of tletcrring non-ie-
sidents from crossing our line. defyins
Our laws and preyinG upon cur oyster
{ beds, as they had been doing for many
years.
The officers commanding the steamer
< and schooncrs have been vigilant and
faithful, and are worthy of the highest
:. commentator.
Captured Boats.
On the evening OF the 18th day of
4 February, 1924, IL large number OF oys-
N ter boats. owned and manned by citi.
N Zens of Maryland, crossed into Virginia.
Z in Tansier Sound and with arms drove
i the Virginia oyster police schooner
Ss9Tangicr,' from her post in said sound,
and took possession of the valuable
& oyster grounds known as "Old Woman's
m arch" and, in defiance of law, dredg-
Sed thereon for oysters until they were
& driven out by the oyster police steamer,
under orders from me-
Son the night OF February 18th. In the
pursuit of the marauding vessels. the
5 schooner William Il. Price" and the
+ schooner &c. w. Stevenson" belong
ing fespectiyely to BENJAMIN +. Marsh
/. anaik Edward Lowe, residents Of the
State OF Maryland. were taken by tho
1t was alleged that
y these beats had been pursued by the
J3.CncSQpe2KeV INTO Maryland waters
and thsre captured. The General AS
sembiy of the State of Maryland, on
the 2St!l day of February, 1894 passed n
joint resolution declaring that the act
was an INVASION and violation OF thu
the. territory of Maryland. which could
not be passed by without notice and
reputation, and, appointing :; commit.
tee who, in conjunction with the Gov.
4Grrtcr of that State. We're directed tc
call the attention Of the Governor AND
Legislature Of this State to this viola
ton of the territory Of Maryland, ant
1 demand redress and PREPARATION. The
join resolution was laid before me by
the committee, and by me communicat.
ed to the General Assembly of Nir-
ginia: whereupon committee was ap
pointed by a joint resolution adopted
March Cd. 1894, to act Jointly or sepa-
rately with Il like committee TO be ap-
pointed by the General Assembly OF
y Maryland to investigate and ascertain
5sthe facts in connection with the conflict
between the chesapeake" and dredg-
ing vessels, and the capture of the Evil
4 liam T.. Price and &c. w. Stevenson .
and report the facts ascertained, to-
gether With their conclusions, to the
q Governor of this commonwealth. On
the goth day of June, 1894, the said
committee made their report to me,
setting forth that the evidence was
conflicting as to the exact locality of
the. capture of the said vessels. They
reported, further. that it clearly APP
4 peared that The "Chcstlpeake" pur-
Z sued the dredging fleet into Maryland
r wa terS nj n al, RI /,