Evening star., 1896-03-30

In the spring time when there is an early
run Of fish-shad and herring principally
the tempta ttgr to- oast n net in. the river is
so great that aeaae of tdfose- whe hive on dhe
Virginia shore and own nets yield to the
temptation and take E-om the liver thous-
ands Of fish. -
But some of these offenders have been
caught, tried and pum shed, but this fact
does not prevent others from doing the
very same thing m violation of law, and
the officers Of the boat expec. this season
again to apprenend some Of those who vio-
late the law. s, .s... F..
!, These violations are generally committed
uunder cover or darkness. when the police
boat -tss sApsosed to ,be at apclQE., an1 lis
officers of duty. Many morning have the
passengers on the Alexandra trains seen
large seines hanging in the sun to lpy after
having been unlawfuily used over night
and the large catches OF fish are either
brought to this market or sold in Virginia
to the residents of lawless Jackson City.
p But these violators Of law will not have
such an easy thing of 1t this spring If the
officers on the Joe Blackburn" can pre-
vent it. The boat has already gone out at
night with her lights hidden from view,
and it is not likely that the violalors Of the
law will continue in their course unrun-
ished.
Better Boat Needed.
While the present boat has done good SER
vico, and may continue to do SO for some
time to come, Harbormaster Sutton has
asked Congress for an appropriation for
the purchase of boat better suited to the
services required. He wants what is gen.
orally known as fire. police boat, which
Will be built Of material strong enough to
keep open the channel when the ice forms
on the river: Then, too, such a boat will
be able to do Ihe heavy work AS well as
the light work about the wnarves.
The Joe Blackburn" is craft con-
structed OF wood, and in an ice gorge she
would practically be useless In 1884 the
h0ot hr1{1f fv, v1r1r
| chased by the Commissioners two years
| later. Since then the boat has been entire
~ overhauled. She is eightyseven feet
long and has speed of nearly twelve
was purchased by the District Commits
sioners she was all that was required at
| that time, so the officials thought but it
was soon seen that she was not heavy
| largely increased that new boat is now
believed to be an absolute necessity. The
merchants along the river front are ex-
tremely anxious that Congress shall pass
the bill providing funds for the purchase of
| new. boat sts4,
J. r. Sutton Is the present harbormaster,
| and he ia vested with police powers the
same as are the policemen who do street
duty under command of the Heutenants OF
police. The present service Is well man.
aged, and in the matter Of protecting prop
erty and preserving order it is valuable
auxiliary to the shore police. Service has
!
overheard and the recovery of the bodies of
drowned persons. During single year the
members OF the crew were instrumental in
saving thirty persons from watery graves.
This was In 1888 at the time of the George
| town regatta. when sudden storm swept
lives by upsettinA boats.
| The AdmiAl of the Navy.
| Harbormaster iton Is one of the best
known District officials having been con-
nected with the District government since
1873, when he was appointed to position
on the police force. He is not yet fifty
years old: At the time he was appointed
on the police.f force the Office of harbormas-
| ter was not In existence. Affairs about the
riversfronr soon demonstrated the necessity
Tor such an office, and in 1881 Officer SUIT
ton NaS detained. to act in this capacity
| Two years later In act Of Congress estab-
ished tsfe 0Meds0f harbormaster, and OFF,
| Ger Sutton, whose strict attention to duty
| had fitted MN FOR the position. resigned
from the police force and was appointed to
| the new Office
Associated with him on the boat are
| three members Of the police force detailed
| for this work. and the quartet makes q
crew OF excellent officers. One Of them is
Policeman .Silasa Lewis, who Is better
known as Lewis, and when he did
street duty Ia South Washington he. was
feared as much by the rougher element as
he was liked bve-the law-abiding citizens
Fifty-fve years ago he was born in North.
cumberland county, Va; and when but a
young boy he came to this city to live
Soon after he started out In life as news
boy. selling papers. He then found employ
fment about the river front until the be-
ginning Of The war, when he answered the
| nrst cau for volunteers, and served until
the close Of the war. Following this he