Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-03-05
HAULING IN THE SHAO
How the Biggest Net in the
World is Handled.
IT'S TWO MILES LONG
SEVENTY FIVE MEN AND EIGHT
HORSES ARE EMPLOYED.
Experts Are Predicting an Unusually
Large Catch This
Season.
IT'S TWO MILES LONG
Written for The Evening Star.

Written for The Evening Star.
Ever since the middle of February the
shad fishermen have been preparing for the
oIening of the season on the Delaware.
While the river was full of ice the veteran
fisherman, Capt. Rice had his men a work
getting the immense net ready, caulking
the boats and repairing the houses in which
the little army of shad fishermen are shell
tered during the season. AS soon as the
river sufficiently clear of ice the pre-
lin inarT and all important work of clean
ing up the fiotsam and jetsam SO as to
leave the fishing ground free for the net
was begun.
1t takes weeks of hard work to clear up
the debris of winter. The Delaware shad
fishing grounds are the graveyard of all
tie floating wreckage, old junk and mis-
cellaneous rubbish that finds its way dowl
The river. and the shad fishermen have
CHASTITY time of it during the cleaning-up
period. Every foot of the river has to be
gone over. The process of cleaning up
brings to the surface broken benches from
some of the riverside parks, sofas without
legs and legs without sofas, chairs with
ouS backs and backs without chairs diapi-
dated tables, packing boxes ,nnumerable.
empty bottles by the thousand. plaEiss
studded with jagged nails remnants OF
baskets. odds and ends of sodden wearing
apparel and sometimes an unTecogn,zabIe
body that has lain at the bottom of the
river all the winter hiding the story of a
murder or suicide.
A Picturesque Sight
When the river is cleared of the rubbish
50 that the big net can be cast without
fear Of it being ripped 10 pieces during the
process of hauling in. the shad fishermen
are ready to begin work. The sight is 50
picturesque that hundreds go down to
Gloucester to see the net cast. to the great
qualification OF the proprietor of a picnic
II uund who would probably be seeking his
fortune elsewhere but for the attraction Of
the shad fishing. Capt Rice, the veteran
shdd fisherman, employs the services OF
seVenty-hve men. and these are assisted by
no less than eight horses during the haul
ing of the nets. Two casts are made daily.
Ii takes so long TO cast the net and draw
il. in that it is impossible to make more
tEan two casts a day.
The huge net, the biggest in the world,
IS two miles long. That is TO say. the net
Itself is a mile long and the ropes that sup
port it are another mile in length, half
mile on either side OF the net proper. So
that the operations of the fishermen cover
a distance of not less than two miles every
time the net is cast. In the middle the
net is thirty feet deep. tapering to ten feet
at other parts. After the net has been
properly cast, il requires the united eXer-
tons OF the men and the eight horses for
one perspiring hour before the haul is
brought near shore 1t is the hauling in
that presents the most interesting sight
The casting is done too far from the banks
for the spectators to see much of it. A
huge boat with a double row of oarsmen
IS the craft used TO take the net out for
the casting. Great care has to be exercised
in loading the great net on the boat for If
the strands are entaugled the cast will be
a failure.
Casting the Net
When the experienced men have loaded
the net on the boat, the captain of the
casters directs the oarsmen where to row
for the attempt. and having selected his
ground he throws the end of the net over
board and pays it out as the men row away
When every foot is thrown from the boat.
the signal is given to the haulers and the
work of dragging in the net is begun
The haulers stand thigh deep sometimes
waist deep IN the waters OF the Delaware
II the center of the two Ines stands Capt
Rice. directing the men. Inch by inch foot
by foot. with the aid of the horses the
men haul in the net Capt. Rice encourages
them with a mopotonous sing song that
runs something like this:
"A little stronger pull on the left Now.
all together. Here she comes Bring her
in boys. ALL t-O-g-e-t-h-e-~ now bows"
and sOa on.
Hauling 1t In.
After an almost intermfnable amount of
pulling Mt an apparently endless rope the
network begins to show itself on the sur
face OF the water. BY and by the men get
hold % the rope that holds the net and
then the Delaware begins To look like
Tive- rufiied by tremendous hail storm.
The surface is churned into, foam by the
frantic efforts of thousands Of fish TO break
through the net The smaller fish are able
10 get away through the wide meshes of
the. net. Some of the shad even escona NJ
furdping bodily out of the water and got
ting into safe water oyer The top Of the
net.
Slowly the net neass- the shore with its
struggling mass of silvery shad, and Cant.