Evening journal., 1901-03-05
PASSING AWAY Oh
THE WILD DUCK
Also Of Nhite Oak Trees in
Dorchester
Eject Of SIaUghter Logging Camps
aud Use Of White Oak Timber
for Building Siaunch Ships


ducks have almost ceased to frequent
the waters of the Choptank river. IL is
net many years since the extensive
flats in the broad bays that sweep from
Cambridge to Cooks Point afforded
some of the finest duck shooting IN
the Chesapeake region. Beginning
with Hambrooks bay, fronting what
IS now known as West Cambridge the
hunter had a choice of shooting
grounds that extended fifteen miles
westward to the Chesapeake
In those days such estates as Ham
brooks, Sandy HILL Horns Point Cas-
tie Haven and Cooks Point wera al
most international in their fame as
shooting boxes But il is doubtful II
the most sklful duck hunter could
in these days secure enough birds to
his gun TO make the sloIt w0i.hy ui
attention. Where there used to be
countless thousands Of ducks and
many geese feeding throughout the en-
tire shooting season, enc can scarce
ly count a dozen in q week
The oyster business Is responsible fer
driving wild ducks out of Choptank
waters. The drddgers and scrapcrs
have destroyed the feeding grounds
ducks have sought other places The
sea gun Is about the only aquatic bird
that remains with us in Winter. The
writer made it a point about one month
ago to count all the ducks in sight dur
ing one whole day-weather just right
for ducks-and only saw three little
dippers The situation was in the
very heart of the old feeding grounds.
DORCHESTER WHITE OAKS.
An old citizen of Dorchester county
recently remarked the fact that the
white oak timber, which was one of
the boasts Of old Dorset lang syne. has
very nearly disappeared. Invostiga-
tion proves him to be correct. AT the
beginning Of the century just closed
Dorchester was perhaps the most rich
ly endowed with timber OF any county
on the Eastern Shore. IL was particu-
larly rich in a variety of white oak es-
pecially adapted to shipbuilding. Hence
it was much sought by builders. an
over the Atlantic coast. Baltimore
built her famous clippers mainly from
timber cut in our forests The coffee
barks of the Monumental City had ribs
of Dorchester oak set over lleels hewn
from giants grown here. The ship
building industry was for nearly a
century large and profitable in the
country. Vessels OF great dimensions
in their day, were built and launchd on
the rivers of Dorchester, affording en-
ployment to many men and support
ing prosperous, busy villages that are
now sleepy communities.
SLAUGHTER LOGGING CAMPS.
lot h. ItI
could have continued to supply any
thing like a normal demand for white
oak timber until ths present time, and
still be rich in this valuable product
Of the forest. But the civil war Gre
ated such a demand for ship timber
of the first-class that the eyes OF the
whole shipbuiiding fraternity seemed
directed this way. Prospectors swarm
ed all over the county looking for
tracks of white oak land and paying
big prices even for the timber privi-
leges. This inaugurated a period OF
slaughter Logging camps were estab-
lished in our forests and thousands OF
men engaged in cutting down and
carrying away what is now known tC
have been the most valuable asset IN
the county The GespOlers came from
every shipbuilding point on the At
lantic coast from Maine to Baltimore
The slaughter continued for many
years after the war until the supply
was nearly exhausted. There is moi
much white oak left in the county now
and IL is not possible TO find large
tracts of it anywhere, Still the fame
of Dorchester oak is such that it i.
still sought by builders who crave su
periOr timber. and there lis always som,
movement here in it for ships tha
are TO be built way down East II
Maine. The builders of that Eastern
State seem to be very constant in thei
faith i'm our white oak for when oni
hears Of a demand for a ships framl
inquiry generally reveals the fact tha
II is wanted in that commonwealth
PINE FORESTS OF THE PAST.
While Dorchester did not possess a
much wealth in pine, as some cthe
counties in the State. II was
great pine country. The original pine
here grew tall and stately and possess
I'D grain and fiber much esteemed b
those in want of great spars Henc
both timber and masts for vessels wer
cut here for a hundred years or NOR
and considered about the best tina
could be secured. In the old days b,
fcre the war. and during that unhapp
period too, there was a slaughter gC
ing on In the pine forests. First growt
timber was cut and marketed for fir.
wood as a regular business Men VIII
owned large tracts Of land cut dow
virgin forests and sold the wood
Baltimore and Philadelphia with
careless disregard of the future. Fort
years ago Light street wharf. i'm Bait
more, was mainly devoted to woo
huckstering.' and large percentage
the wood sold there was cut in III
county.
SMALL LUNBER BUSINESS.
The lumber business seems never
have been a large one in Dorcheste
With a great supply of magniiicei
frst-growth pine available there we
comparatively few saw mills i'm q
county at any PERIOD. Now. here Is
curious fact in connection with tn
subject, namely; the county Is at pre-
cnt dotted with saw mills manufactu
ing lumber out Of second and thi