The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1899-09-08
EEL lam ON THE DELAWARE.
Hungry Pike Chase Thousan DIS of tho
Lively WriEElers Out of
the Water.


the Water.
Feels caused a jam in the raceway
to the feeder of the Delaware and Rari-
tan canal at Scudder's Falls one day
lately. Chased by a school of Della
ware creek pike, apparently the entire
June hatch of eels at the falls ran up
the swift overflow to escape death in
the sharp jaws of the pike, and clogged
the six-foot stream until it overfowed
into the yard of Edward Harding, adj
joining the so-called raceway.
Thousands of cells were killed in the
jam. thousands were left high and dry
in Harding's yard when the pike re-
treated, and, hundreds of pike were
picked up on land after having jumped
from the stream in their frantic ef-
forts to cross the leaders of their school
and feed on the young cells. .....
The sight of millions of cells damned
in one huge, wriggling mass, struggling
to escape death from their regular July
prosecutors, the pike, while many were
being crushed to death by their fellows
because unable to advance, coupled
with the sight of thousands of shiny,
jumping, frantic, hungry pike, all
packed so tight in swift, shallow cur
rent as to turn the waters over two
foot embankment, was one calculated
to excite the most phlegmatic follower
of the rod and reel. Harding says the
fight for life lasted half an hour.
Although almost too much overcome
by the sight to realize his opportunity
Harding gathered enough pike tc pic
kle for his winters supply, besides
seven bushels to sell, and has enough
young cells in his yard to fertilize his
garden. Had he retained his presence
of mind, Harding says, he could have
caught enough pike with a scoop shovel
in half hour to supply the popula-
ton of the city of Trenton.
''But I was excited, and only got a
bar'l,'' said Harding, sorrowfully. AN
I wouldn't ha' got them, I don't guess,
eff they hadn't ha' jumped in my yard
in their efforts to git at tn eels. Dino
what I'll do with tn cells. They're
June's, an too small fer anythin' 'cept
fertilizer, tho they're pretty good stuff
fer that" he added.
Mr.. Harding has lived beside the
raceway for number of years, anu is
accustomed to seeing the myriads of
cells in the raceway, but he had never
witnessed an attack upon them by the
pike until the other day.
''Old Jim Allerton, who tended the
bridge for a number of years." said
Harding, "once told me about fight
between the cells an the black bass
that was somethin' terrific, but you
know old Jim told some stories what
warn't like some folks would think cor
rect stories. But thinks he war right.
Jim said the bass swope down at the
outlet and sort o. formed themselves
into a circuit round about the cells
afore they could get in the raceway
to protec' themsels, an the slaughter,
us Jim tells tn story, was somethin'
orful. But some folks swoped down
on the bass and driv them off afore
they could finish the feast.''-N. Y. Sun.
The Commodore's sentirents.
It was "ladies' day. at the yacht
club, and a crusty old member who
hates crowd and fuss was watching
one of the club servants paint the .'wel-
come board" He painted a picture OF
a yacht clubman, with broad, happy
grin dividing his face from ear to ear
Then he put these words beneath
''This is pretty big board, but if we
were to tell you how glad we are that
ladies' day has come again we would
need board three times as big as this
one" $3.50.
'Huh!" grunted the crusty member
as the man put the last curleycuc to thu
last letter; what makes you say that p
SWELL, sir, the commodore said we
might as. well tell good one while We
were about it," said the man, touching
his cap.--N.sY. News aseIs