Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-01-08
SEEMING A SUCCESS.
Over a Thousand Bass Taken From Canal
to River-Some Weighed Five Pound.
Big Break Hole Proves Fish Conven-
tion Place Notes of the Progress
Va shinn-tnr Star

canal and removing the bass and food
fish to the Potomac river was ex-
tremely satisfactory to all the gentle
men sportsmen interested in the pro-
ject. The wading suits of ruber which
were found Sunday to be absolutely
necessary for the seiners, on account
Of the depth OF the water, were sent
up from Washington yesterday morn
ing, arriving here at noon, and the
wisdom of securing them was shown
during the afternoon, when several
holes and pools, which it had been inn
possible 70 seine Sunday were success
fully relieved of their finny denizens.
Particularly gratifying results were
secured at the Big Break hole, a mile
and half above Harper's Ferry. This
pools gets its name from the fact that
the canal broke through its banks at
this point during the great flood some
years ago. and in rebuilding the bank
a great deal of clay was taken out of
| the canal bed for the purpose. This
excavation left deep hole in the canal
which the water collects in when the
canal is otherwise emptied, and fish
ton. When Dr. Massamore and Capt.
Harron went to work here yesterday
evening there was a large crowd pres
ent. Only one haul was made, as the
hour was late, but the catch resulting
was tremendous Over 400 bass were
taken, several of them being of great
size. and three weighed five pounds.
/ These bass were Immediately carried
in the big tin buckets of the United
States fish commission to the Potomac
and released in its waters within five
minutes Of their capture, not being out
of water a minute of that time
A large number of carp were also
caught and destroyed while the suck
erS and catfish were, like the carp, dis
tributed among the crowd, so that fish
suppers and breakfasts were enjoyed
J in probably two-thirds of the houses in
Harpers Ferry and vicinity. Many of
| the carp weighed several pounds. A
/ large quantity of white perch and club
were also put in the Potomac, and min
nOws and sinners, the two chief food
fishes for bass, were transferred in
great numbers. The hole will be SEM
ed again this morning, and it is conf
IDENTIFY expected that thousand more
4 bass will be taken out of it before din
ner.
Mr.. John F. Smith and Mr.. w. B.
| Cross, who know every inch of the
| canal between Point of Rocks and Will
Transport, declare that the best results
will be secured in the vicinity of
! Shepherdstown. The result in the Big
Break hole verified the opinion of Cap
! tain Harron, the United States fish
commission expert, whose assistance
| has been of incalculable value to DR..
| Massamore. Sunday evening Captain
| HarrOn said the hole was full Of bass,
and that he would prove it when the
| wading suits came. He is indefatig
able in the direction of his men and
works as hard as any of them. The
mode followed is we'll adaped to good
| results. The seine is hauled by two
men who hold the poles at either end.
Two other men with pronged sticks
| agitate the water in front of the sein
on either side of its path. Captain
HarrOn wades behind the seine, re-
leasing it when caught by the snag or
rock and frequently running his arm
/ over the cork line into the seine and
pulling out good sized bass that is
/ trying to escape. His men are tireless
workers and obey orders with the alac-
rity of able seamen.
/ DR.. Massamore said last night that
he felt very much encouraged over the
result of the SEEMING so far, and hoped
/ anglers generally would be made &C.
| quainted with the fact that the ex-
penses are heavy, and additional funds
would be necessary to push the project
to final completion. The party which
went in the direction of Washington
had excellent luck in the locks and
pools, and was particularly fortunate
near Weverton. DR.. Massamore, when
he received reports last night, stated
( that at lease 10000 food fish had been
( put in the Potomac during the day. Of
/ which eleven hundred were bass. About
| three hundred carp were destroyed
All these fish except the carp, would
have been killed by the cold or the
| drying up of the canal this winter. 1t
| is estimated that a thousand of the
bass already transferred to the Potomac
will help to swell the population by
/ breeding in the coming spring.
ANOTHER ACCOUNT.
The Baltimore Sun this morning
contains the following special dispatch
from Harper's Ferry, dated yesterday:
The waist boots for the canal seiners
arrived at noon to-day, and the parties
which are transferring the black bass
/ into the Potomac river did wonderful
work this afternoon. Eleven hundred
/ bass were caught, some of which weigh
! ed five pounds each.
Many big carp, weighing from three
| to six pounds, were taken, and there
was great scrambling as they were
thrown on the banks of the canal to
! the crowd. Every locker on went
home laden down with carp, suckers
and catfish. and the boys had a great
| time grabbing for eels.
1t is impossible to estimate the num-
/ Der OF food fish for bass that were put
into the river, but 10000 would be a
/ low estimate. The banner haul was
made in a deep pool mile above here,
where 400 bass were caught. Only one
/ haul was made. covering about half
{ the pool, and it was too late in the day
to make another. 1t is believed that a
/ thousand bass will be taken from it
| tomorrow.
DR.. Massamore saws the scheme will
be a great success if the ground to be
| gone over yields anything near as
many fish as that of to-day did.
The party going south made their
/ best haul about night, just above Wev-
erton. DR.. Massamore is indefatig-
able. and is right in the mud and water
! nnlling in the lead line. nicking up the