Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-02-19
ON THE RIVER 'FRONT.'
POTOMAC RIVER FROZEN FROM
SOURCE TO MOUTH.
Changes in Command of Naval Tug
Buoys Badly Damaged-Per-
sonal and General.

For the first time this winter the Poto-
mac river from Cumberland to Chesa-
peake bay was yesterday morning covered
with ice it's entire length, and chesapeake
bay was frozen over for many miles. The
steamers of the Norfolk line report run
ming into ice off the mouth of the Kappa
hammock river and coming through 1t to
this city Wednesday night and again last
night. The steamers are keeping up their
regular trips and are the only boats to do
SO of those running on Chesapeake bay.
When the steamer Estelle Randall re-
turned from a trip to Fort washington
Yesterday afternoon she was Withdrawn
from service, while repairs are being made
to the broken iron on her hull She Will
resume as soon as the ice softens. :,
The demand for fresh fish OF all kinds
was very good at the 18th street wharf
market this morning, while the supply was
very light, only about fifteen packages OF
fish being received by the dealers from
all sources this morning. The scarcity OF
fish and the heavy demand due to the
Lenten season has made prices high, ana
this morning they were as follows: For
trout, II and IL cents per pound; horse
mackerel, cents per pound; winter shad,
So so per box; jumping mullets. $3.50 to
$3.50 per box, and Florida herring, y to
s. so per hundred.
oysters from the vicinity of Norfolk were
on sale at the wharf market this morning
at prices varying from 80 cents 10 LAO per
bushel. Shucked oysters are selling at prices
ranging about $1.30 per gallon. The de-
mand for the bivalves is excellent and
keeps prices up to the prevailing high fig
! ures.
Boatswain Mahoney, u s. N. who has
been in charge Of the United States naval
tug Tecumseh, running between the navy
yard here and Indian Head, Nd, has been
detached from that service and ordered to
duty on the United States fish commits
sion steamer Albatross, In Pacific waters.
- IL .ta xxxskl fl,<,
best wishes of all Potomac steamboat men
for his success. He has been succeeded on
the Tecumseh by Boatswain Clancy.
The supplies of cord wood in the whole
sale yards along the river are now lower
than they have been in a long time, and
all the supplies have to come by rail. Or
dinarily the river is not frozen for more
than three weeks during the winter, and
the wood-laden craft are able to bring car
goes here, but it has been nearly three.
months since the last cargo of cord wood
was brought here by-a sailing vessel.
Along the Wharves.
The work of building new sand-digging
machine and several scows for the new
company that is to take UP the sand and
gravel business in this city In the spring
has, It is stated been started at Alexan-
dria, on the ground just south of the old
Pioneer mills. The work is being done un-
der the supervision Of Capt. Frank Phil
lips, and Will De puSheu IN ordef 70 nave
The outfit ready for service in May.
There Is hardly buoy on the Potomac
river from Washington to its mouth that
has not been cut and battered by the
heavy ice so that they are unfit for use.
The buoy tenders will have a busy time in
the spring taking up the damaged buoys
and replacing them with channel marks
that the rivermen can see.
4 The owners of the shores along the
river who haul winter seine are becoming
very blue over the continued freeze. AT
several of the shores large crews of men
are on pay, but are unable to put the nets
overheard owing to the ice. 1t is said the
shore owners seriously contemplate the
closing down of the shores and the aban-
donment of the winter work.
E 1t is stated that the drifting ice has
carried away portion of the old wharf
at Buena Vista, on the south side of the
eastern branch. and on a short distance
below this city.
Chief Engineer Michael Dugan, formerly
in charge of the War Department launch