Evening star., 1896-12-16
Substantial Contributions to the
Evening Star Fund.
WORK WILL Be BEGUN SHORTLY
The Water Will Be Drawn Of
Next Week.


The substantial interest taken by anglers
| in the proposed seining of the Chesapeake
and Ohio canal for the purpose Of saving
! the bass in its waters and destroying the
| destructive carp could not be more forcibly
| illustrated than by the subscriptions being
| sent to The Evening Star to meet the ex-
| penses of the undertaking. The high stand
! ing of the subscribers as gentlemen and
sportsmen Is another feature well worthy
| of remark. and is significant in showing
| what powerful influence will be exerted in
| behalf of the other projects and plans now
on foot to protect the bass by law. When
| man is sufficiently earnest in behalf of a
| movement to give his money he may well
be regarded as a champion Of any meas
ures which have the purpose of protecting
the object of his expenditure So there is
ample ground for qualification on the part
of every true sportsman wherever he may
he.
DIR. Harban's Letter.
AS every one in this vicinity familiar with
field and water sport knows, DR.. w. s.
Harlan is a representative Of the gentle
man sportsman. and is excelled by none as
an expert and ardent angler. Consequent
ly the letter in which he inclosed his con-
tribution to The Star seining fund yester-
cay will be found more than usually inter-
esting. He wrote ITO save the black
bass in the CANAL as outlined in The Star
OF this evening. The scheme is an admir-
able one and will no doubt do much to-
ward increasing the bass in the Potomac
river. 1 am informed from reliable sources
that not less than thousand bass are an
nually caught left to die in each of the
many pools left in the canal after the
water is drawn off in the fall. The trans
fer of so many bass to the waters of the
Potomac means so much to the anglers Of
the District that l am satisfied the call will
meet with ready response from our
anglers.
Drawing OFF the Water.
1t will be only a few days now when
the work of seining the canal will begin,
as the water will be drawn off about De-
cember 20. The gangs Of seine men will
be organized in the next four or five days.
and meantime DR.. George W. Massamore
of Baltimore, who has been so energetic in
organizing and carrying out the project,
and who will manage it, will come over for
consultation with United States Fish
Commissioner Brice, DR.. Harlan and other
gentlemen here who are actively interested
in the affair
The work of actual seining in the pools
and ponds will have to be done very care
fully and slowly not to alarm the
bass and the carp. Hasty action and
noise will have the effect of making the
fish hide by burrowing in the mud and
consequently every precaution will be
taken to assure the best results
Commissioner Brice CO-Operates.
United States Fish Commissioner Brice,
who has shown such ever-raady willingness
to assist in anything that means practical
benefit to American fishes since the no
nient he first took office, today directed
Mr.. Laighton G. Harrow one OF the most
expert assistants connected with the fish
commission, to select three good men, well
acquainted with seining, and get ready to
assist in the work of the canal. He also
ordered that several seiDes of different
leEgths adapted to the work be placed at
the disposal of the gentlemen, u no, under
the leadership of DIR. Massamore, will have
charge OF it.
1t is probable that General Manager
Nicholson will be requested to postpone the
drawing off of the canal water until De
cember . or "a, SO the men can get to
work the day after Christmas and thus be
allowed to enjoy that holiday at home
Hngerstown Anglers to Co-Operate.
1t will be additionally pleasant for local
fishermen to hear that interest in the canal
work is not confined to this city and Bal
timore. Hagerstown Is famous for its
anglers. who are numerous and expert
well. These sportsmen have offered
to cooperate actively in the work, and
have offered to seine the canal in it's entire
course through Washington county, pro-
vided the Woodmont Club will do the same
There Is no doubt that this arrangement
will be made.
The Anglers Associntion.
Mr.. Richard Sylvester's interview in The
Star yesterday In favor of the formation of
an anglers association here for the pur-
pose Of seeing that ish-protective laws
are properly carried out. which follow
the argument of the same tenor by
ex-Internal Revenue Commissioner Mil
Ter, is finding responsive echo among
sportsmen generally, who have been talk
ing it over ever since The Evening Star
originally proposed 1t some time ago A
circular letter is now being prepared,
which will be sent to all anglers In this
city and the officers of the various clubs
here. in Maryland, in Virginia and West
Virginia, and when replies are received or
ganization will at once follow.
That there is some question about the
real necessity of protecting the bass NAV
be seen from the following rumination of
A Doubling Thomas.
They're tawkin' NV tn scassity NV bass
the old man said;
Say they're playin out intire." Here he
shook his whitened head.
II can't make out how that kin be- wen all
tn summer long
/, met them yanglers comm back a never
endin' throng;
Each 18th story, cut an clean. erbout tn
spote he'd had,
An dern ef 1 hev saw one yit whut said
his luck wuZ bad,
One feller swo' he'd ketched a string Nv
forty-seving that
I'D weigh jist twict as many pounds, he'd
bet a bran new hat.
An one said he'd ketched sickty-two In one
day an haff.
An wanted right erway ter fight wen I
give him tn laf.
An so II went-Sick Founders wuz pulled
in so frequentlee,
Accordin' to them stories, that it sholy
seemed ter me
That bass wuz gittin' bigger an mo- num-
berous but now
1 heers them seIf-same feeshermens a rails
In sech row
Erbout tn bass purteckshun that they say
tn law shud give,
| So at tn feesh kin git at leas' a haff a
| chance ter live,
| That it's dern hard ter make experunces