The Penn's Grove record., 1899-01-27

| Shad Fishermen Protective association
The time is fast approaching when
we will don the tarpaulin, the oil suit
and gum boots and.gp forth and try
our luck among the fnny tribe, which
are sporting at this time somewhere
beneath the briny deep. Already we
see a great deal of activity among the
fishermen in the purchase of nets and
other material necessary for the fisher
mems outfit.
AS to whether therf Will be any Leg
islation this winter Id opposition to the
fishing interest remaihs to be seen. l
have been informed that there will be
two bills, at least, introduced in our
Legislature this winter. One bill will
be a close season for rpck fishing, COM
mencing the middle OF February and
| ending middle of August. The other
bill will be against non resident fisher
men locating on Jersey side.
The outlook for the future isn't any
of the brightest for the fishermen of the
Delaware River. Tint worst thing we
have to contend with is the United
States Government. While our gov
eminent has appropriated a few thou
sand dollars to stock II river with
food fish, at the same time she has ap
propriated many millions of dollars in
building i~etties and digging the mud
| from the bottom of TIE river in differ
ent places and dumping it on some of
our best fishing grounds, thereby des-
troying what has beeh in former years
our best ground for catching shad. Els.
p~ecfallv is this true in the following
places. From Raccq on Greek to Old.
mans Greek, which is called Hog Neck
Channel, from Alloway Creek to Stoney
Point; the ietty below Reedy Island, as
well as the ieity below Pennsville. BY
being deprived Of these fishing grounds
it throws the nets very close upon the
grounds that still remains for us to fish
in.
1t looks now as though u great deal
Of our ground we fish over would be-
taken from us in the gear future, as we
learn from the Phila yelphia papers that
the Government haatpother project in
view, or perhaps it would be more cor
rect to say that the merchants aud ship
owners of Philadelphia have Il project
in view, namely, the dredging of u 80
foot channel from Philadelphia to deep
water in the Delaware bay.
Nature has been lavish in her gifts
to this county, especially is this true of
the many beautiful rivers and streams
which flow through cur land and wind
their way to tile ocean. Among them
all none are gIander than Our own no.
Die Delaware River. In the early dawn
of creation, it is evident that nature
did not anticipate the needs Of human
ity at the present age OF the world, 9TH
erwise could she have forseeu the pre-
sent need Of a few hundred people al
ready lici living in the city Of brother
ly love. She would have given to our
noble river a 30 foot depth of water in
stead Of 24-ft. Hence another power
has been called 10 assist nature in her
uucompleted work.
A committee Of euterprising mer-
chants, and Others frtm that beautiful
city bordering on tlS banks Of the Della.
ware, will 60 to Washington and pre-
sent their petition before Congress and
urge upon that august body of Legisla-
tors the necessity of making an appro'
priation of six or eight million dollars
for the purpose Of digging a ditch in
the bottom of the Delaware River, GOO
feet wide and 30 feet deep. to extend
from Philadelphia to deep water in The
bay.
This process of ditohing the Delaware
River by dredging machines has been
in operation for several years. And l
question whether there is any better
average depth of water in the channel
at the present time, than there was be-
fore any dredging was done. 1t appears
to me to be absurd for the Government
to dig mud out Of the river in II place
and dump it back into the river a few
hundred yards, Or miles as the case
may be, in another place, and expect
the place dug out not to fill up again
soon, To Illustrate. The first time
the channel to the westward of Cherry
Island flats was dredged the mud was
taken ashore, AS a result there was
no dredging done there for several
years. The next time it was dug out
the mud was dumped on Cherry Island
flats only a few hutdred yards from
where it was taken out of the river.
lu two or three Yeas it had to be ditch
ed out again. The mud had washed
back into the hole from which it had
been taken
A greater portion Of the mud that
was dumped in Hog Neck Channel the
last two years las washed over into the
channel off of Marcus Hook, and that
channel had to he dredged out the past
summer, a place that never had to be
dredged before mud was dumped in
Hog Neck Channel.
Our government hasn't fully sue.
cesded yet in keeping open u 24-foot
channel and she never will succeed
while the world sLards i'll maintaining
a 3O-toot channel while she follows the
plan she has been working ON Of dig
ging mud out Of the River in one place,
hauling 1t a little way and dumping it
back into the River
In digging a dHcl from 4 to 10 feet
below The natural bid OF the River II
GOO feet wide leaves II hole that soon