The Washington times., 1901-09-08
ENTERPRISE OF A WOMAN.
A Potomac River Widow Who
Won Back a Fortune.
Mrs. Waller I'm Charge of the Larg-
est Seine Fishery known The
Business Amounts to n Quarter
OF Million Dollars Annually.

est Seine Fishery Known - The
Business Amounts to n Quarter
! of Million Dollars Annually,
Just below Washington. on the Poto-
| mac. at this season OF the year visitors
| may see in full blast the largest sefns
| fishery In the world. The unique feature
about 1t is that this great enterprise. en-
ploying hundreds Of men and doing a
business that mounts UP into the hun
dreds Of thousands. Is owned and operat-
ed by a woman
This great fishery at Whitewater is not
n new enterprise. but dates back to ante
Revolutionary days 1t has a. ways been
in the hands Of the Waller family. At
the beginning OF the civil war II was
known throughout the country and Ben
Jamin Waller, its owner. was one of the
wealthiest men in the Old Dorninion. but
axe vast majority Of the prominent men
OF his State. he espoused tbs cause Of the
south and when final defeat perehed upon
the Red Cross flag at Appomattox he
found himself colonel. IL is true but his
fine old mansion was In ruins. his broad
acres were but an unprOdnctive waste
and his fishery was but . suggestion of
what II had been
For a few years the brave old colonel
81 NbSitH u menu MS broken IOFruIe3.
but his Losses and wounds and sorrous
proved too much for him and he finally
gave up the struggle and passed to his
last reward. leaving a widow and six
daughters to make their way in the world
as best they could Then It was that Mrs
Waller, sumnoning to her aid all OF the
courage of the Revolutionary ancestors
that was In her veins. began to demon
strate to the world what a woman can do
In her prosperous days she had been a
shy, tiniid little woman, but the pressure
OF necessity stamped all that out, and.
while she has never ceased to be woman
ly and sympathetic, she acquired a decis-
ion and tiraness that were not to be mis-
taken. Very soon there was not an en-
pioye who did not realize that she was
the managing and guiding force In the
business and that her commands, al
though given in a gentle and courteous
voice, must be obeyed without cavil or
question.
Mrs. Waller familiarized herself with
every detail of the business from hauling
in the nets to the market; and in a re-
markably short time her business ability
was amply demonstrated by increasing
demands for the products Of the seines.
Never for day has the business Jagged
since Mrs. Waller took charge of 1t thirty
three years ago. but, on the contrary, 1t
has grown until now she Is at the head OF
a business which this year will involve
over S2oo,o0V 1t is unnecessary to say that
she is a wealthy woman, but for all that
she personally supervises the business
just as she did in the old days when she
was fighting the battle for bread for her
self and the little ones.
In this work Mrs. Waller is assisted by
her pretty granddaughter who wears a
felt hat and occupies the centre of the
group of the Waller family. In the after
noon these women superintend the laying
of the nets, the posting of the scout boats
and the next morning, when the two big
horses begin TO march around that huge
cepstan that is to draw miles Of seine
loaded with tons of fish from the river
they are on hand to that no slip is
made. that no mistakes occur. And when
the seine is in shallow water and count
less wagons are driving in to purchase
fish, with the favorite granddaughter at
the oars. they skim along. apparently out
for a pleasure trip. But now and then
a sharp word of command to one of her
servants will convince all that nothing
escapes the sharp eyes of this brave old
lady During the day they visit the salt
ing watts and the packing houses. and at 5
o clock the two women meet the head
clerk and the manager of the Fredericks-
burg shipping house to go over the busi-
ness of the previous day.
But 1t must not be imagined that be-
cause Mrs. Waller is shrewd business
woman her life is given up to the pursuit
of only wealth, for the truth Is that in
the church and charitable work of her
section she is leader. and never during
the storm and stress of her busy life has
she forgotten the obligations of a mother.
In the old days of poverty she taught her
daughter as best she could until return
governess. Later she sent her girls to
college, two of whom graduated some
years ago at Wellesley. They are all mar
ried nav and the granddaughter. who in
1899 graduated at Bryn Mawr, supplies the
place of her own daughters. Her children
and grandchildren are source of great
pride and comfort to Mrs. Waller and
there is never a time when one or more
of them are not at the fine old mansion
overlooking the beautiful Potomac at
Whitewater.
In the summer Mrs. Waller. her favor
ite granddaughter and frequently several
of her own children always take vaca-
ton, visiting Cape May. Bar Harbor, and
the Adirondacks or the White Mountains.
Last summer, with four of her own
daughters and her granddaughter, she
went abroad, taking in the Paris Exposi-
tion and the Passion Play" at Omeram-
Chronicle,