Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-02-06
ON THE RIVER FRONT
HEAVY NORTHWEST GALE KEEPS
SHIPPING IN PORT.
Deepening the Harbor Channe1-Work
at the Shipyards-General
and Personal Mention.

The northwest gale which blew all day
yesterday was one of the heaviest that has
visited this section in long time, and it
gave the steamboat men much trouble. At
the height Of the gale, between IL and 1
o'clock yesterday, the seas on the river be-
tween this city and Alexandria rolled five
or six feet high, and made a clean sweep
over Shepherds wharf.
The officers Of the ferry steamers state
that the seas broke across their decks and
washed them thoroughly. The force Of the
gale was strong enough to delay the steam
ers. and caused the ferry boats to miss
their midday trips. and the steamer Estelle
Randall was an hour late arriving here
from GlymOnt. No damage to sailing ves-
sells has yet been reported.
The wholesale fish market at the 18th
street wharf was fairly well supplied with
fresh fish, both from the nets in the river
and from Norfolk and the south. The de-
mand was fair and prices are as follows:
dunn rock, Is to 16 cents per pound; boiling
rock, u to 20 cents per pound; jumping
mullet, 2h to 81 cents per pound; Spanish
mackerel, to 10 cents per pound; salmon
to cents per pound; red drum, cents
per pound; sheepshead, to 6 cents per
pound; founders. to cents per pound;
Potomac black bass, 8 to 10 cents per
cents per pound; green pike. 8 to 10 cents
per pound; white perch, II to IL cents per
pound; white perch, small, 80 to 80 cents
per bunch; catfish, large, 80 to 40 cents per
bunch; catfish, small, 20 to % cents per
bunch; yellow perch, 10 to 40 cents per
bunch; carp, Is to 40 cents each; cells, 8
cents each; Florida roe shad, rs cents to
81 each; buck shad, 40 to so cents each, and
herring 3 to cents each.
There were on hand at the oyster wharf
this morning about 5000 bushels of oysters
in ten or twelve vessels, and the colder
weather has caused an advance in prices.
This morning the smaller grades of oysters
were held at 60 cents per bushel, the me-
dunn grades at 20 to so cents per bushel
and the select stock at 81 per bushel. Sew
eral vessels laden with oysters are reported
in the river and should arrive here by to-
morrow evening.
The rains of the past week in the noun
tains at the headwaters Of the Potomac
have caused a heavy current to run from
the upper river, and this morning it was
passing under the Long bridge at a ten
mile-an-hour gait. The absence Of logs and
brush Is noted.
The dredge Alice Vivian, which is EN-
p1oyed In filling up the low ground in the
Washington barracks park with earth
taken from the river channel has dug a
channel twenty-five feet deep and about
100 feet wide, nearly half the length Of the
old arsenal grounds along the harbor
side. When she completes her work the
steamers will have deep channel in which
to enter and leave the harbor.
Several fiocks of ducks have been seen on
the river between this city and Alexandria
In the past two days Many are of the
mal1ard and other choice varieties. They
have been hunted SO persistently that it is
now almost impossible to get a shot at
them
The United States naval tug Triton yes
terday afternoon brought a barge on which
were two railway cars from Indian Head to
this city. Wednesday four guns built at
the navy yard here were taken to Indian
Head to be tested.
Five large cars laden with gas-making
coal for the Washington Gaslight Company
were on the chute at Shepherds landing of
the Baltimore and Ohio railway yesterday,
awaiting the abatement of the gale.
The tug Sunbeam, employed on the Long
bridge work, which is undergoing repairs
at Benefits boat yard, will be launched to-
day and small schooner will be hauled out
on the railway.
The hull Of the large sand and gravel dig
ging machine Of the Columbia Sand Dredg-