The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-04-03

The Fish Commission is getting ready
for the annual spawn harvest, which be-
gins in the Potomac during the first week
in April and lasts for two months. Hun
dreds of Virginia aud Maryland farmers
and fishermen secure employment during
this period and are quite expert. From
Great Falls to Chesapeake Bay nets are
already down for fish.
The Commission pays $50 per million or
so cents quart for eggs The fish are
worth about Is cents in the market and
are easily sold after the spawn has beer
removed In this way the season is d0u-
bly, profitable to river men. The spawn
is collected every morning and drawn on
into glass jars. where the eggs are hateh-
ed in about ten days. About 10 per cent
of the eggs are saved, and as the little
fish appear they are placed in reservoirs.
Here they are fed until able to care for
themselves, when they are distributed
throughout the country in the special cars
of the Fish Commission. 1t is estimated
that the fish hatchery in the POTOMAC
below this city last year produced 49,
100000 fish.
In no city in the United States are
there so many mutilated or deformed peo-
pie to be seen as in Washington" said
gentleman whose business causes him TO
traverse the country once year. This
may largely be due TO the fact that there
are in Washington so many old soldiers.
marred and battle-searred, who are em-
pIoyed in the different departments under
the Government which extends so pater-
nally its assistance and support to those
who have fought it's battles or who are
here to press claims against the Govern
ment for pensions.
There are one-legged and one-armed
men everywhere, but all are not old SOL
diers. have seen a black bootblack with
one arm and one leg. and his condition
was due TO an explosion, according to his
own account. Another colored bootblack
is minus both legs and he never saw war.
The prevalence of one character of de-
formity has impressed me more than any
thing else. There were never so many
men with short arms as are to be seen in
Washington Arms which are apparently
perfectly formed, and which perform all
or most of the duties of a full-slzed
member. but which are out of proportion
to the torso of the owner. and usually
disproportionate to the other arm. This
deformity is confined to no condition of
life, and ] have observed some of the
most elegantly dressed men so afflicted.
The colored race has always been distin-
guished by the number and popularity OF
their deformed Washington appears to
have more than her full share of these.
There is one little fellow IN the city,
about two and "A half feet high. whose
head just reaches over the top of an or
dinarily high table. But that head would
do credit TO a Colossus of Rhodes. II is
fun heroic size and its owner is CORE
spoudingly shrewd. His sphere in society
is the practice of the profession OF a
waiter and he gets around faster than
men whose legs cover four times as much
ground In one step. and his ability to ex-
tract tips from those he serves also dis
counts that OF others about in the same
proportion.
large wagon containing two enormous
hair mattresses was going down Penn
sylvania Avenue at rapid gait yesterday
when a funny Incident occurred. As a
street car approached Eleventh Street
the wagon made quick turn to avoid a
collision and one of the mattresses was
thrown into the street. Just then
scorcher approached on a bicycle. He
seemed all unconscious of what was be-
fore him and gaZed up at the clock in the
tower. of the postoffice building. Sudden
ly the front wheel of the bicycle struck
the edge of the mattress and the scorcher.
after turning a complete somersault,
big pad 1t all happened so suddenly that
the wheelnan believed himself badly in
jured He lay on his back afraid to move
until helped to his feet Then. with
look OF disgust he remounted his wheel
and proceeded on his journey while the
colored driver. who had refined in his
team. restored the mattress to its place
on his wagon.