Evening star., 1901-03-11
ALONG THE RIVER FRONT
FIRE-FIGHTING FORCE ORGANIZED
AT FORT HUNT.
Provided With Hook and Ladder
Truck-COndftiOn of Market for
Oysters and Fish.

| Oysters and Fish.
| A fire-fighting force has been organized
| among the soldiers at the United States
| artillery station, Fort Hunt, Virginia, and
| today the steamer Estelle Randall carried
| down handsome little hook and ladder
truck to the fort for of the fire fight
ers there If it shall be necessary. The
truck is handsome one, and is equipped
with several thirty-foot ladders, pixies for
showing down burning walls and fences,
| axes, &c. 1t is intended to be drawn to the
scene of the fire by hand, and has hand
| steering tongue and long rope by which to
| haul it.
| Business was extremely dull at the oyster
wharf this morning. Many of the vessels
which have been engaged in the oyster
| traffic throughout the winter will shortly
abandon it to enter into the fish-running
! business. At the wharf this morning there
| were eighteen vessels having cargoes
| amounting amounting in all to about $500
| bushels. Since Saturday morning nine res-
sells have completed the discharging of
their cargoes of oysters and have sailed
| for points on the lower river Prices this
morning ranged from 40 to GO cents per
bushel for the smaller oysters, and from
that to 80 cents per bushel for the larger
stock The only arrival at the wharf since
| Saturday is the schooner Maggie L.
The warmer weather of the past two or
three days has greatly increased the catch
| of fish, and today the supply at the 11th
street wharf was large, the Norfolk line
| steamer having brought up since Saturday
| thirty-five barrels from the fisheries about
| Norfolk and on the North Carolina coast.
| The river boats also brought up twenty
| barrels from the nets on the Potomac and
| fifteen packages, mostly of shad and her
ring, came by express from the south.
| The market today was fairly brisk, and
| fish sold at prices follows: Roe shad, %
RI mol had 10 nfc
| each; herring, S1.75 to $3.50 per hundred; |;
| yellow perch, 10 to % cents per bunch;
catfish, 10 to 90 cents per bunch; rock. -
| to 10 cents per pound; bass, 10 to II cents
| trout, cents per pound; jumping mullets,
8 cents per pound, and croakers, 3 to 4
| cents per pound.
The Freight Handlers.
| The tug Juno took a tow of nine small
vessels to the mouth of the river on Satur-
| day.
| The schooner Dexter has sailed from T.
w. ~Riley's wharf with a cargo of fertiliz-
| ing material for a point on the Elizabeth
| river near Norfolk.
The schooner Clara Leonard has sailed
for the lower Potomac to load cord wood
| back to this port.
The NJ. A. Ballard and Seaben sailed for
| the oyster beds in the lower Potomac yes
| terday and will load back to this market.
| The steamer Wakefield brought up a
| large cargo of fish, oysters, eggs and coun-
try produce from the lower river yester-
| day.
| The schooner Frank T Stinson with q
| cargo of asphalt, from Port of Spain, Is
| land Of Trinidad, for this port, passed in
| TIN ough the capes Of Virginia Sunday
| evening.
The schooner C. H. Dagger is dischargfng
her cargo of lumber at the wharf foot of
| 18th street southwest.
The cargo of wood on the long boat Earl
| Biscoe, which was lying in the stream off
| the 11th street wharf, caught fire yester-
| day evening and some little excitement was
caused before 1t was eXtinguiShed. No
| damage of consequence was done either
| boat cargo.
| The bark Kremin, with a cargo of as
| phalt, is at anchor off Alexandria, await
| Ing orders before coming up to this city.
| The tug Camilla brought the bark up from
the mouth of the Potomac.
| The Mary Rebecca, Raymond Oliver,
| VIM. Turner, Volunteer, Ella, Amanda
Lewis and Zephyr sailed from the oyster
| wharf on Saturday evening for the lower
river to load back to this port
The schooner Belmont has sailed for the
| lower river with cargo of brick and build
| ing material.
The tug Stella, with light Standard Oil
| barge in tow, sailed on Saturday.
The schooner Isabelle, having completed
| the discharging of her cargo of cord wood
| for Robert Murphy, has sailed for river
| port to load back to this city.
General and Personal
| The steam launch Alert, which has been
| out of the water during the winter, was
| Saturday last put overheard and is ready
| for service. DR.. E. L. Rauterberg her
owner, is having her fitted with dynamo
and a small searchlight. She is to be light
ed throughout by electricity.
Passengers arriving on the river boats
| say that the smallpox scare which prevail
| ed In the counties on the Virginia side of
the Potomac during the winter has been
found to have been totally unnecessary, as
| the physicians have discovered that the
! disease was not smallpox, but a form of
| the itch among the colored people.
Large quantities of railway ties and pop
| lar logs are stacked at the wharf at Gly-
mont, Md, awaiting shipment to Balti-
| more and Philadelphia. During the winter
| the farmers on both sides of the river have
| been busiy engaged in cutting railway
| ties and the shipments to the north are
| expected to be very heavy during the COM
| ing summer.
The ice plow of the Glymont mail steam
er Estelle Randall was taken off at her
| former dock, foot of 1th street, Saturday
| evening last. The plows have already been
removed from several of the tugs which
| have been In service throughout the win
| ter, and the others will remove them this
| week.
The tug NJ. NJ. Davis is hauled out on the
marine railway for some necessary repairs
| A few days ago the coal in the bunkers
| of the Davis was discovered to be on fire.
| and when it was extinguished it was found
| that she had been damaged somewhat.
! The repairs will be completed in short
while and she will then return to service
on the river.
| A heavy fog and misty rain covered the
| river almost it's entire length Sunday night
and early yesterday morning and greatly
| interfered with navigation. The Norfolk
| and Washington line steamer, which was
due Sunday morning at Z o'clock, did not
reach her wharf until about pm.
The pipe pontoons running from the har-
Dor dredge to the fats extend across near
| ly the entire channel, and steamers now
have but very narrow passage through
which to get into and out of port
1t is stated that Mr. Theo Ballinger will
today send the bukeye Spray with a fish
ing hoard a he 6Sh hi,,tr