Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1903-05-16
SPLENDID SHAD DINNER
Given BY Fish Commissioner Bow
ers to Martinsburg Friends.
FINE TRIP DOWN The POTOMAC
Genial Host Discourses LearnedIY About am
StuHs His Guests Scientifically With
the Toothsome Sbad


George NJ. Bowers Friday gave a
planked shad dinner to number OF
friends from this and other cities at
the fish station &C Bryan's Point Nd.
The Commissioner private Yacht
blue Wing conveyed the excursion
lists down the Potomac to the hatch
ery Just opposite Mt Vernon. Dis
embarklng. the Commissioner conduct
cd the party through the hatcherles
pointing out the various stages OF the
work, and discoursing upon the SUBJ
iect of ichthyologv in general III
manner that would have done credit
to the most technical scientist OF the
age. Particularly interesting was his
demonstration of the gathering and
Matching the eggs. and the nurture OF
the little fellows-not larger than a
pin head. with caudal apuendage
something after the fashion of a COM
cts tail-until they were distributed
through the various streams OF the
country to grow into wholesome food.
Mr.. Bowers is to be congratulated
upon the splendid showing made in
his department. Under his admins
tration, combining scientific with I'M
adulterated business sense, he thus
brought the commission to higher
state of efficiency and influence that
ii has ever known in its history, and
made it rank as one of the most i'm
portant departments of the general
government. AT Bryan's Point alone,
up to the present time with still two
more weeks of the season ahead. the
record shows a catch of GO, $780, 900
eggs %, 900, 900 more than ever before
taken there in the same time. with a
probability than the total for the
season will reach $4,000, 900 or 100,-
600, 600. The same ratio OF increase
is shown at the other hatcheries scat
tered throughout the United States.
and should make, as it does, Martins
burg feel particularly proud that it
has fallen to the lot of one of her
most highly esteemed ''youngsters"
to make such an enviable record.
The dinner was very jolly and en-
ioyable affair of the stag" variety,
and each member of the party got
away with his shad in good shape.
Those from this place who sat down
to the dinner were: Judge E. Boyd
Faulkner, Col. S. W. Walker, A. @.
Nadenbousch, D. q. Westenhaver, DR..
James McSherry, M. A. Snodgrass,
w. Fl. Crawford. J. W. McKown,
James h. Smith. Colonel King, Post
master Alex Clohan and P. r. Harri-
son. The party numbered II. there
being several gentlemen fiom Wash
ington with the crowd.
Each guest was supplied with and
supposed to surround plank shad OF
the most goodly proportions. There
was no penalty for failure, which act
was duly appreciated by many whose
| capacity for shad was limited to one
! of more moderate dimensions than the
one supplied by the genial host. Post
master Clohan solemnly AYERS that the
fish placed before him was OF the most
terrifying proportions, and bore re-
markable resemblance to the side of
one of the doors at the postoffice. Hav-
ing plentiful supply of pepsin. and
his appetite being somewhat sharp
ened by the ride down the river, he
was not scared to any appreciable ex-
tent by the size of the finny monster.
hut undauntedly waded in. He very
modestly admits that there WASH
much left but bones when he finished
the dinner, and thinks that his capac-
ity was not taxed to the breaking
point.
While many of Mr.. Bowers guests
Experienced some difficulty in getting
hway with the toothsome fish. the real
difficulty seemed to lie in the scarcity
BIZ drinking water. The water in the
Potomac at that point is full of dead.
" microbes, and the gentlemen were
bfraid to drink it. However, one of
he gentlemen from this city. who was
thoughtful enough to prepare for Just
uch an emergency, produced small
bottle of mineral water. and another
ound flask OF Apoliinaris in deer
md hidden pocket. One of the guests
aughingly declares that the company
managed to get along with this small
ppply of "drinkables, although
here was an ample supDly of every.
hing else.
Aside from the information derived
rom such trip. Is social and edu
ational opportunities, there were but
wo incidents of note: first, upor
PACKING Washington and while await
AZ the arrival of one or more belatet
MEMBERS of the party, one of our dis
nguished citizens--a prey to thai
range instinct that impels one to Dc