Evening star., 1903-09-16
On THE RIVER FRONT
HARBOR POLICE BOAT VIGnANT
AGAIN IN SERVICE.
Changes in Randall Line Oficers@At
the Local Boat Yards-Gen-
era1 Marine News.

The repairs to the broken machinery of
the harbor police boat Vigilant were not
completed yesterday. az was expected, but
Will be completed today. The tug will re-
turn to the service this evening. While
out Of service the crew Of the boat were
called upon to drag for two drowned per-
sons and the boat used in the work was
transported to the scene Of the drownings
on the wagon recently built for the purpose
by Capt. Dean and Officer Pessano. This
piece of apparatus has been found very use-
ful. and Is called into service several times
each week.
The launch Bess is hauled out at Reagan's 8
boat yards for the overhauling of her hull
and for painting. preparatory to making
hunting trips on the river
The fish market on the wharf was a busy
place this morning. in consequence Of the
ember days Of this week. and the demand
FOR fresh fish OF all kinds was quite heavy.
The stock on hand was ample to meet all
demands.
Hard crabs are very scarce and have
Deen so through the entire season. They
are now selling at $3.50 to So so per barrel,
with good demand. This price is about
double that at which the crabs ordinarily
sell.
The supply Of oysters in the shell at the
wharf this morning was not large, and
the receipts have been light since yester-
day. The demand was good. and prices
range from 80 to go cents per bushel.
For watermelons from 81 to $50 per hun
dred Is being charged, with a fair demand
The season for melons will come to an end
in about a week or ten days.
Barge No. 7, of the Consolidation Coal
Company. completed loading a cargo Of
about 1000 tons of Cumberland coal at
Georgetown yesterday, and sailed in tow
of the tug Camilla for the mouth of the
Potomac, where seagoing tug of the coal
company will take her in tow for Boston,
The sloop Daisy is still running a freight
line between Alexandria and points on Pts
Getaway creek to Pennington, Md, making
three round trips each week. 1t is on this
route the little steamer Harry Lodor for
merly ran until she became unfit for ser
vice and was broken up for junk. This was
ABOUT two years ago, and since that time
there has been considerable talk of an
other small light draft steamer being pur-
chased and placed on the route, but moth
Ing has yet been done.
The laying-up of the River View and
Colonial Beach excursion steamers has
made number of changes in the personnel
OF the officers on the Randall line steamers
Capt. Theodore Keene of the steamer Kent
has been transferred to the steamer Wake
field on the Wirts wharf route as first Off
Ger. Capt. Harry Randall has taken COM
mand of the steamer Kent on the Glymont
route. with Capt George Cook, from the
steamer Wakefield as pilot and Mr. Will
Davis from the steamer Pentz as mate
Soldiers Return to Fort Washington
Company 81. Coast Artillery, which has
been engaged in the army drill at a north
ern post, returned to this city yesterday
afternoon and were taken to Fort Wash
ington, where they are stationed, on the
United States army quartermaster's de-
partment lighter Kearney. Capt Davis.
The outer block buoy marking the Cedar
Point shoal in the river is reported missing.
The matter will be brought to the attention
of the lighthouse authorities at once.
The two-masted schooner C. G.. Wheeler
which unloaded a cargo Of shingles at
Alexandria. has been taken to the Aiexan-.
dria shipyard and hauled out on the marine
railway there for general oyerhauling be-
fore sailing for a Chesapeake bay port
The schooner Edith g. Verrall, which has
been hauled out on the marine railway at
Benefits boat yard for several days past
put overheard today, and the long boat
Osceola will be hauled out in her place for
minor repair work.
General Matters.
small ark, used by fishing and hunting
parties, Is reported sunk in the river near
River View. The owner of the ark was
drowned few days ago while hunting near
the mouth of Broad creek.
Reports from the river below this CITY
state that reed birds are quite plentiful in
the marshes, but they are very shy and 1t is
difficult to get near enough to them for a
shot
Messrs. Dean & Son at Alexandria have
at their boat yard several small pleasure
craft owned In this city to be overhauled
and put in trim for service on the river
during the hunting season. They have also
on the ways ready to be launched q new
fn-keel boat built for parties here.
The two-masted schooner Annie & Belle
has arrived in port with a full cargo of
lumber from Virginia lumber port for the
local dealers.
The bugeye Julia Adaline arrived in port
last night laden with watermelons for the
local market
The schooner s. ]. Walker laden with
fertilizer material. has arrived at Alexan-
dria. and is unloading at the wharf of VIM.
A. Smoot & Co.
The tug George w. Pride brought five
scows laden with gravel into port yesterday
for the National Sand Dredging Company,