Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-02-13
ON THE RIVER FRONT
ICE DAMAGES SIDEWHEELS OF
RIVER STEAMERS.
Skaters Again on Tidal Basin - New
Wharf at Colonial Beach
Other Matters.

Ice is making every night, and the pre-
dictions of the old steamboat man that the
end of the freeze was in sight when the
thaw came last week will fail of vertical
ton. Ice of varying thickness covers the
Potomac from Alexandria to Maryland
Point, a distance of about fifty miles.
While it does not interfere greatly with
the movements of the propeller steamers
it has again put an end to navigation by
the smaller sidewheel boats. These steam
ers could go through the ice but for the
fact that it tears the wheels to pieces ana
in this way disables them. No attempt
will be made to run the sidewheel steam
ers on the lower river route until the Ice
softens.
Business was rather dull at the whole
sale market at the fish wharf at the FOOT
Of 18th street this morning The recelpts
of fresh fish were light and the demand
was small, but few river-caught fish were
on sale and were in demand at high prices.
Oysters from the lower Potomac are In
fair demand. The stock on hand in the four
vessels brought through the ice earlier In
the week is becoming very small, and
there is no immediate prospect OF an addl-
ton to the supply. Prices this morning
ranged from 20 cents to 81 70 bushel, &C.
cording to grade.
Some few wild ducks were on sale. and
when in good condition brought high
prices. the large portion OF the stun on
hand coming from the south. q
In spite of the efforts of the authorities
to prevent skating on the tidal basin. nifty
or more skaters were on the ice there
yesterday afternoon. The basin is the nat
ural skating ground for the lovers OF the
sport in the city. 1t is entirely land-locked
except for a very narrow entrance into the
river. The breaking of the ice in the ba-
sin by the harbor tug Vigilant has been
ineffective, because there are large areas
he
water
General Port News
Fishermen are having some little sue
cess catching bass in the hole in the ice
near the old boat house at the foot of eth
street Here the discharge pipe from the
Metropolitan railway power house empties
into the harbor and in the warmer water
about the mouth of the pipe the fish con-
preeate to feed and fall an easy victim to
fshermen's bait.
. 1t Is stated that the schooner Elisabeth
g. Doyle. which is unloading cargo or
cement at Georgetown, Will haul out on
the marine railway at Alexandria for mi
nor repairs to hull. The Doyle is the only
one of four large schooners bound to this
city which have been waiting an opportu-
nifty to get here for several weeks that has
succeeded in doing SO.
Capt Henry Davis. master of the tug
Camilla, reports the ice quite Heavy, and
says his tug and the. tug Carter were only
able to bring the pungy Zephyr into port
Thursday because she was hght-draft
boat. and the tugs could pick their way
through the shoal water, avoiding the ice
as much as possible. Capt. Davis thinks
there is little probability Of the tugs being
able to bring the bark Essex and the two
schooners that are in harbor down the
river for several days to come.
Colonial Beach is to have another new
wharf. Last spring the wharf used by the
excursion steamers was rebuilt and now
it has been determined to put up new
pier for the use OF the freight and pas
senger steamers on the regular river lines.
The construction of the wharf will be
started in the early spring. and the struc-
ture' will be ready for use before the busy
summer season on the river sets In.
The owners of the pile-driving machines
here and at Alexandra are putting their
machines in thorough order for effective
work. The large number of wharves which
have been damaged by the ice during this
winter will bring the services Of the pile
drivers into demand, and as soon az the