Evening star., 1902-01-31
ALONG THE RIVER FRONT
THE LOCAL FRRnH SERVICE TO BE
IMPWDvED.
Purchase of News boat Probable-In
clement Weatazer Likely to In
terfere unn Navigation.


determined to put the line in good condi-
tion. 1t is stated 'tsat they are now ne
gotiating for the1 purchase Of a double-end
ferry boat in New York, and will have it
here for service searIy in the spring, when
the steamer Be7e Haven will be retired.
The boat which will be purchased, while
small for New York harbor, will be suffi-
ciently large to accommodate the travel,
and Is a speedy craft
The steamer Columbia is now being thor
oughly overhauled at Baltimore. and when
she returns to the route will be in thorough
order. With two speedy sdouble-end boats
running, schedule providing for large
number OF additional trips will be arranged,
with only short waits at each end, and
trips will be made at night for the con-
yenience Of those wishing to attend the
theaters here
The supply of fish at the fish wharf this
morning was not very large though ample
to meet the demands. But few changes are
to be noted and prices are as follows: For
pan rock, 12c. per lb.; medium rock. 16c.
per h.; boiling rock, 20 to &c. per 10; drum
1Oc. per h.; black bass, 10 to lac. per lb.;
white perch. to 12c. per h.; sheepshead,
8 to &c. per lb; carp, to -4c. per h.; jump
ing mullets, to &c. per h.; white catnsh,
to &c. per lb; black catfish, 10 to 20c.
per bunch; yellow perch. Is to 25c. per
bunch; river mullets 15 to zoe. per bunch,
and winter shad; $3.50 to 81 per hundred
There were about 5000 bushels OF oysters
on hand in vessels at the wharf this morn
Ing. The demand continues brisk and a
slight advance is to be noted In prices, the
smaller oysters selling at from 55c. to 6oc.
per bushe1 and the larger ones at from sue.
to 81 per bushel.
A large number of the members of the
National Association Of Merchant Tadlors
from Philadelphia, New York, Boston and
other points north will arrive in this city
Saturday and Sunday and will take the
steamer Of the Norfolk and Washington
line Sunday evening for Old Point. Where
their annual meeting will be held. Inc
party will number a hundred or more, and
on their way home many of them viii stop
in the city for several days to visit the
points of interest.
The steam yacht Gretchen. Captain
James Richardson. which has been lying
at the Old wharf Of the Clyde line for sew
eral weeks past, will shortly be taken to
Alexandria to be hauled out on the marine
railway there to have her shaft lined up
and to have some minor repair work done.
The Gretchen Is owned by Mr.. j.. c. Rey-
burn of New York, and always winters in
the Potomac
AS soon as all danger Of ice is over the
big ships of the Norfolk and Washington
their hulls repainted, running through the
ice having scraped them as clean as If
done by hand.
improvement at Fort FOOte.
1t is understood that when the engineer
corps Of the United States army takes pos
session of the government reservation al
Fort Foote, Md, the first work in the way
of Improvement will be the construction of
a new landing wharf for the reception of
material which willebe used in new build
ings there.
In consequence of the bad weather work
in the stone quarries on the Virginia side
of the river above Georgetown has been
temporarily discontinued and the tugs and
barges which have been used to transport
the broken stone are now at the George
town wharves.
The greater portion Of the snow which
fell on the river remained the surface
without melting and the cold weather of
the last two nights has solidified it. In
places ice three and four inches thick has
been formed. Yesterday the officers of the
steamer Estelle Randall reported the ice
very heavy about River View and Marshall
Hall and trouble was had going in to both
wharves. The ice is also reported quite
heavy from Patsy Mann to the magazine
between this city and Alexandria Fears
are expressed that sudden fall in the
temperature will make ice thick enough to
completely close the river to all except
propeller steamers.
1t is stated that Stiffs wharf. King
George county, Va, which was nearly de-
stroyed by the running ice a day or two
before Christmas, is to be rebuilt in more
substantial manner in the early spring.
Commodore John r. Sutton, harbormas-
ter. was the victim of painful accident
Wednesday morning last. AS he was going
into the yard Of his residence, 1919 Sth
street northwest, he stepped upon a snow
covered sewer trap and, slipping, fell heayi-
ly to the ground, badly cutting both knees
and otherwise bruising himself He is still
on duty, however. though unable to navi-
gate without the aid of canes
Mr.. Bush Grigsby, well-known old river
man, Is confined to his home In M street
southwest by illness.
The tug Camilla will sail today with a
tow of several light vessels for river points
The schooners Grace Bennett and Magic,
laden with lumber for this city, are at Nor
folk awaiting an opportunity to come up
the Potomac.
The schooner James M. Hill will COM
plete the loading of her cargo of fertilizer
today and will sail for a point on the
Nansemond river, near Norfolk
Mr.. F. H. Ainsworth has been transferred
from the coast survey schooner Eager to
the steamer photographer as executive
officer.
Capitol Hill Branch.