Evening star., 1901-01-22
ALONG THE RIVER FRONT
BALD EAGLE CAPTURES A DUCK
AFTER PROTRACTED CONTEST
Prices ut the Fish and Oyster
Wharves-The Passing Craft
Personal Mention.

| The passengers on an afternoon trip OF
| the ferry steamer Columbia for AleXan-
dria recently witnessed contest between
an eagle and a duck. A large bald eagle
was endeavoring to catch a wounded duck
| in the river off the Buena Vista wharf.
! The eagle made several attempts to strike
the duck, but by diving the latter avoided
the blows. Finally, however, the eagle sue
| ceeded in fastening his beak in the duck,
| which dived and got the head of the eagle
| under the water and held 1t there for n
minute two, the eagle seeming to be un-
| able to loosen his hold. 1t was decided by
| the officers of the steamer to endeavor to
pick up the two birds in dip net. but just
| before the boat approached near enough for
! this attempt the eagle broke 4oese and
! flew away. The duck game to the surface
fecbly Tapping it's wings and lay out
| stretched on the water. When the steamer
| had passed the eagle flew out from the
shore again, and picking up the duck new
! away with it. The struggle between the
| two lasted about ten minutes, and for a
while 1t looked as If the duck would drown
| the eagle. 7~"f@ s-.- .... s-.
| During the past summer one of the
| wharves of the American Ice Company be-
| tween 9th and 10th streets southwest was
| broken in by the weight of a pile of lumber
! lying upon it. The wharf remained In that
condition until a few days ago, when the
| ice company started to fill in the broken
part with earth in order that-it could be
| used for the storage of lumber and wood
| cargoes' The work was stopped, however
! by the orders of the. District authorities,
| ard is in an unfinished state. 1t is alleged
| that the District will not put 1t in order and
will not allow the ice company to do 50,
| though the company rs anxious to get the
| use of the wharf
The supply of fish received by the deal
ers at the 11th street wharf since yesterday
| has been extremely small, the Norfolk line
| steamer bringing up but five packages from
| the fisheries about Old Point and Norfolk,
and the river boats bringing four barrels of
| river fish from the nets in the lower river.
| The market this morning was poor, the de-
rland for fish being very light and prices
| down low. Black bass sold at 10 to II cents
| per pound white perch, 10 cents per pound;
| northern yellow perch 4, to cents per
| pound; green pike, cents per pound; blue
| pike, cents per pound; trout & cents per
| pound; haddock, cents per pound; river
yellow perch, 10 to so cents per bunch, and
| catfish, 10 cents per bunch. Southern her
| ring sold at So per 100 and mud shad at
| the same figure.
The market at the oyster wharf today
was fairly brisk. The supply of oysters
! continues quite large and vessels with full
| cargoes continue to arrive. The return of
the warmer weather has caused a slight
| drop in prices from those of yesterday, the
smaller oysters selling a 40 to GO cents per
bushel, and the larger ones. bringing as
| high as so cents per bushel. The recent
arrivals at the wharf are the Ada Ballen-
ger Martin Wagner. Little Esther, Bessie
| tOrU ana ftutn ana Ella, WIFI oysters from
| the Blackstone Island neighborhood The
| Norfolk line steamer and the iron steam
| ers also brought up about forty barrels Of
oysters for the local dealers.
The Freight Handlers.
The Zephyr, Seabele, Nettie May, Mary
| E. Candy and Romeo have all completed
the discharging of their cargoes of oysters
and have recently sailed for the oyster beds
| in the lower river to reload.
| The steamer E. James Tull has arrived
in port and is discharging her cargo of
! cordwood from Nomini for Mr.. Robert Muir
| ply on the Eastern branch.
| The schooner James Judge has been char
| tered to load lumber at Jacksonville, Fla,
| for this port at S525 per thousand feet.
| The tug Stella came into port yesterday
| evening, having in tow & Standard OH Com
pany barge, No. rs The barge was taken
| to Georgetown to discharge part of her
| cargo. This evening she will be brought to
| the Eastern branch to complete unloading.
The steamer Dennis Simmons is in port
| with cargo of G0,OOO feet of lumber from
Newberne, N. c., for Johnson & Wimsatt.
| The schooner Dexter is at the wharf OF
T. w. Riley loading a cargo of fertilizing
material for landing near Norfolk.
The tug NJ NJ Davis arrived in port this
morning with a tow of four oyster-laden
boats from the lower river. ''
The Mary Francis, Mary A. Shea and
| Five Sisters are in port with cargoes of
cordwood for Carter & Clark.
| Inc DnlleO States revenue cutter w lnQOIn
has arrived at Baltimore from cruise on
| Chesapeake bay.
! The schooner Sidonia Curley arrived at
Alexandria yesterday, showing the hard buff
| feting she got from the wind and seas in
the lower river in the gale of last week.
| The Curley sailed from this port on Thurs
| day evening, bound for Norfolk to load
! lumber. Saturday, while off Lower Macho-
| doc, she was struck by the heavy gale and
! had her bowsprit and jibboom carried
away. All her headsails were torn to rib
bons and she was badly strained. Captain
Albert Curley. her commander, as soon as
the wind would allow, put about and came
| to the Alexandria shipyard, where his ves-
| sci will be repaired
The Emma J. Stiles sailed from the fish
| wharf yesterday for a river point to load
oysters for this market. -..-r vr.-.-
| The steamer Estelle Randall still contin-
ues to carry large quantities of pipe, gal
vanized iron fittings and other material to
| Fort Washington, for the new quarters be-
| ing erected there
General Items of Interest.
The United State light house tender
Maple, Capt. Miles, is in port, awaiting Or
ders to sail She has aboard two large gas
| buoys, which have been charged with gas
here, and which will be taken to the Point
| Lookout light station, and there kept to re-
| place buoys that may burn out.
The new mast for the pungy Shining
Light, Capt Kelly, will be placed in the
vessel on her next trip to this port.
| large seine boat is being built by Deane
| at Alexandria for use at one Of the river
| fishing shores
The War Department launch Mercedes
went to Fort Washington yesterday, and
| brought the officers launch from that port
| to this city, where 1t is to be overhauled
| The steam launch Samuel W. Sutton IS
laid up for the winter at the foot Of Wilkes
| street in Alexandria. She will be given an
overhauling before the warm weather comes
again.
Ice plows have been attached to every
tug that is expected to work upon the river
| this winter
The schooner Maggie Elizabeth when she
sank about two weeks ago off Mount Yer
non, had aboard a full cargo of oysters for
this port. The vessel and cargo were under
the water for week, and it was generally
| thought the blvalves would be ruined by
their long immersion in the fresh water. but
when she was raised, and with her cargo
was brought here, 1t was found the oysters
had fattened in the fresh water and were
in prime condition, Oystermen say. the fact
that the water was very cold and at the
same time clear was what. kept the cargo
from being ruined. The Maggie Elizabeth
has sold nearly her entire supply and will
leave in a few days for Seaford, Del, where