Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-12-26
ON THE MVER FRONT
NEW SAND coMPEY PREPARING
FOR BUsxNRs HERE.
Working on FortzMashington Wharf
Barge ColumbianBadly Dam
aged-othersMatters.

The new companysorgunized by Baltimore
capitalists to dig sand EDn the Potomac for
the Washington n1arkef, 1t is Stated viii
certainly be ready for business In the early
spring.. During the coming winter large
machine is to be buile for the digging OF
sand and gravel. 1t is to have a capacity.
of 800 cubic yards per day. and fleet of
scows are also to be built to transport this
material to this city: The work of building
the machine and scows will be started at
Alexandria shortly and Will be pushed to
completion.
The officers of the company are Angus
Cameron, president. and Gen. Riggs, vice
president. both of Baltimore. Capt. Frank
Phillips of this city is the local superin-
'tendent, and'will look after the building OF
the apparatus of the new company. Mr..
Phillips states that within the past six
months he has secured options and leases
on some fine sand-producing property along
tie river, and his machines will have ample
work to do. There are> now in the sand
producing field ON the Potomac two COM
panies operating a large fleet of dredging
machines, ScowS and tugs.
The demand for fresh fish at the 1lth
street wharf market this morning was, as
usual after Christmas, very duh. and the
supply on hand was quite light The re-
turn of cold weather has stiffened prices
AT the oyster wharf business was also
slack, but there was some little demand for
Potomac stock. Prices continue high and
the supply light.
Ducks continue scare, and when from
nearby sources sell readily at high prices.
Oysters were in fair demand for a holi-
day, but the stock on hand continues very
light and is selling at good figures A con-
tinuation of the warmer weather for a day
or two will cause a drop in prices, though
there are no signs of one as yet.
OF General Interest.
"A pi1e-driving machine from Alexandria
is at Fort Washington driving six or
eight punches of piles on each side of the
wharf to protect the structure from the
drifting ice looked for on the river dur
ing the winter. The building of the addi-
ton to the new wharf at Fort Washing
ton will, it is said, be started in the
early spring.
The work of taking down the iron
boiler house on Forsburg & Murray's,
which covered the big marine boiler used
by the naval board in their tests of oil
as a fuel is about completed. The house
is built in sections and was held to-
gether by many hundred bolts. 1t is to
be sent back to Oil City. Pa.
The New York tugboat Albert II. Ellis
has been purchased by parties In Chesa-
peake City, Md, and will be used for
towing on the bay and it's tributaries.
Her work, 1t is understood, will be
mainly confined to the towing Of barges-
The barge Columbia, known here, was
badly damaged in Hampton Roads a few
days ago by fouling the jibboom of a large
schooner. Her pilot house was carried
away and other damage done.
The large yawl-yacht Stranger, is hauled
out on the marine railway at Reagan's
boathouse. at the foot of 18th street south
west
1t Is stated that the new light buoy will
be established on Whitestone point, near
Mount Vernon, early next week
The steam barge Lily and Howard which
has been frozen up in sOccoquan creek for
the past week, was released and has been
brought into port laden with cord wood
She will return to Occoquan in a day or two
for raft of pine piling, for use in the
public work on the ;Ea stern branch
The schooner A. H. Quinby has been
chartered to load at kinsale, and the John
McGuinness on the James river with lum-
Der for this city
Several large flocks sof wild. ducks and
geese have been seen On the river off Four
mile run in thelpast two or three days.