The morning times., 1896-03-02

The harbor police force is against the
gill net fishers. The fyke-nctters are also
in official disfavor.
1t is prophesied that the conflicting ele-
ments will sometimes conflict and that when
the din of the collision shall have Gained
away, the District will not only have
several vacancies in the harboT police de-
partment to fill, but will also need II
new boat.
The police cruiser Joe Blackburn is
burning soft coal soaked in kerosene and
the Metropolitan mariners are losing sleep
in efforts 10 prevent further fractures OF
the anti-fislling law and To run down the
| piscatorial pirates.
Each night the Joe" as the water front
| contingent of Washington Familiarity speak
| of the District navy, steals ont of her dock.
| Then she makes as much of a cruise as
her pilot, Russell Dean, Will allow. She
| cannot navigate in shoal water, and be-
| tween sunset and sunrise she cannot 20
above the Long Bridge. Navigation of
| the Potomac is INSTRUCTED about twelve
hours out OF the twenty-four by the rail
road.
BRIDGE A BARRIER.
Shipping interests have kicked against
this condition OF affairs till their voices
have been out Of joint. but still, neither
the joe. nor any DtltT craft, HAY pass
the Long Bridge between sunset and sun
rise. This gives The piratical fishermen an
| advantage which they embrace with both
arms.
A good size gill net may be set in half
an hour and taken up i'll less time than
that. This gives the fishermen between
the Aqueduct ana Long Bridge a first
| class opportunity 10 fish. And they fish.
Now when the joe sets her bunkcrs
with black diamonds, fresh picked from
| the Kimbericys of Cumberland, her Alto
whistle shrieks Lines orr in key that
Ellen Yaw would have 10 break a blood
vessel TO initiate. Sometimes when the
raiding expedition is 10 be especially
secret. the whistle is not provoked, every
light on board is eltinguished, and the
Joe" drops away in the darkness. As
she moves up ana down the east ana west
| channels the drag is cast over The stern.
| and any gill net which disputes the right
| of way with the drag hooks is spoiled. The
fishermen. though, have habit OF plac-
| ing their nets in water i'll which the joe
| cannot steam.
When the Long Bridge Is reached Com
modore Sutton sends the rowboat Stella.
which acts as a tender 10 the Joe out
with four men 10 make an exploration above
The bridge.
CLOSED FOR TEN YEARS.
! II is impossible, in single night, for this
craft and crew to explore one hundredth
| part OF the water exposed to the Illegal
fishers.
Now the reason for all this warfare be
! tween police ana fishermen is tina the la "
prohibits net fishing within the District
! for period OF ten years
Harbor Master Sutton contemplatcs the
making of a requisition upon the District
| for a search light % he used on these cruises.
The principal difficulty, though. with
which the narbor police contend. is not the
| gill net, but the fykc net. This device Is
set quite low beneath the water. and the
! stakes. after having been driven down, are
sawed off. 50 thai even a ebb tide the tops
| are not exposed.
II is said that number of these nets
are in opo ra ion between the Aqueduct aud
| Long Bridges. and in that part of the East
| ern Branch between the Pennsylvania Ave
| nue. and AnacoStia Bridges.
The police find untold difficulty in enforc-
| ing the law.