Evening journal., 1902-05-13


five boats which every day put forth
from The wharf will be tied up, and
the ninety or more fishermen will seek
other employment until the money toI
be made Establishing lures them from
other tasks next spring.
The season has been a poor one, and
already several have given up fishing,
and will go to work in The factories
and shops In Wilmington. All the
fishermen who made New Castle their
headquarters at this time of the year
do not have homes there. Some of
them live in other parts of the State,
and simply live there during the shad
season.
Under ordinary conditions they make
big money for two months work;
enough in fact, to keep them all sum
mer. It is hard work, though, and
none but the hardy could stand it. Not
only is Il hard, but 1t is dangerous.
Every night when they go out they
take their lives in their hands. AL
Though they carry lights on their buOyH
and beats, they do not know when
some river craft may run them down.
TO be 'out in two" that is to have
net cut by a steamer, is a frequent
captains ON the river would have been
dead a long time ago.
Cuss River Captains
These fishermen who draw the Della
ware shad from their home have a
collection of "cuss" words which
they shout forth from lusty
lungs when a net is cut. They can
not be blamed. either, for to have a
net cut means many long hOurs of
hard work before the damage is paid
for.
The river captains are not altogether
to blame. either. At times the nets
are stretched from the Delaware to the
New Jersey shore. and the boats are
so thick THAT it is almost impossible to
get through without running down
skiffs, let alone the nets When the
nets are in this position the good cap
tain picks out a course which will re-
suit in injury to but few nets. Some
times tine owners of these object to be-
dng offered up as a sacrifice for their
more fortunate brothers, and proceed
to say things about the captain to his
face.
Then the captain, if me is a re-
vengeful man. and usually he is. goes
straight ahead, not trying to avoid any
of the nets.
Fleet OF 200 Boats
There are about 200 boats which
fish between Delaware City and Edge
Moor and most of them sell their fish
at New Castle. Many of the fisher
men arr from New Jersey. Pennsgrove,
Pennsville and the other small towns
in this vicinity each furnish share.
There Is not much love lost among
the men Cf the adjoining States. The
Delaware fishermen say the Jerseymen
are hogs. and have no use for them.
Every years there is a clash between
the men from the two States, but this
year they have not come to blows.
Most OF the trouble lis due to the fail
ure of the Jerseymen to observe the
laws.
Long Hours on the Water
New Castles fishermen spend most
of the twenty-four hours on the water
and do most OF their sleeping in then
boats. There are four tides every
twenty-four hours, and the men ain
to get" the high and low water eacf
time. They go as far south as For
Delaware, sometimes a few miles FUR
ther, and as far north as Edge Moor
and at night their positions can b'
! plain discerned by the lights strapped
on the buoys.
, On Saturday a reporter for the Even
: ing Journal spent a day with the sha'
. fishermen, most of the time being oi
the river. Saturday is short tishinl
day, and everyone was astir about tn
wharf early. Many of the boats Una
p went out about daylight returne'
shortly after o'clock, an an hou
later went out again to get the low
( water Those who did not intend so
! ing out again went home for a shor
r sleep, but came back about o'clocb
I counted and disposed Of their hsn
e some through the Fishermen's Protec
4 tive Association, and others to deal
e er on the wharf.
Gave Net a Drink
. The fishermen have many supersti
ltions. One old fellow who was un
/ loading his boat pulled whiskey tias
f from his pocket to take drink. II
first snrinkled some over the net j
the boat That's for luck" he said. '
\ never take drink without giving m
net a drink"
Sturdy Mark Irons
The reporter went out with Mar
T. lIrcns and Thomas Smith to get the lo
l. water. Irons is a muscular young iisl
/ lerman of about 35 years Of age, VII
% has followed the water since he was
: gears old. Somtimes he fishes all Il
p year long. and again he does not
"a winter he frequently goes South, hsl
~ ing in Virginia. the Carolinas al
. Florida. He knows the streams
u those States about as well as he do
like n book. and is one of the best i
the Delaware. He knows the latt
e, formed men on the water For sc
be eral years he has tended bar at Woo
land Beach in the summer Dmn
1.-THE Spanish-American war he was
member of Company II, N. G. d.
Smith is an expert fisherman, but h
had bad luck this year His net b
been cut time and time again, a
nv next week he will go to wo
in rolling mill again.
-. q. -. 20 fboco mon WIN tells II