Evening journal., 1904-05-20
SHAD SEASON
A FAILURE
But Three Weeks of Good
Fishing-Men Now Admit
Failure
SNOW FALLS IN MAY WAS LIGHT
New Castle. May 20.

Special to The Evening Journal
The fishermen admit reluctantly that
the shad season Is a failure, notwith-
standing an reports to the contrary.
some Of them win not meet expenses,
practically due to the light catch and
partially to that fact that this has been
am unprecedented year for the destruc-
ton of nets. The presence of "a large
number of new fasts in the river has
kept the men busy repairing their nets,
land to help along the trouble several
nets have been run over by passing
vessels. This combination of disasters
has cost the fishermen several hundred
dollars, yet they keep at work per-
sistently and display a dogged deter
mination to finish the season even if
they lose 10y IL.
There was only about three weeks of
profitable work with the nets. The run
seemed to fan or AN at once. Reports
/ from the bay are to the effect that
there are no shad down there and con-
lsequently there are no more to come up
/ Similar reports come from the Chesa-
lpeake, indicating that the same adverse
conditions confront the fishermen
across the peninsula
As am offset to an this however the
shad run unusually large this season
Oid fishermen say they never saw the
fish as fine as they have been this
spring This was factor which re-
suited in better prices and helped "a
bring up the general total to a con-
siderable extent
In talking on the subject yesterday
one of the fishermen said:
Il believe Col. Rogers was right wher
ne predicted early i'm the season thai
the catch would not yield well. His
prophecy was based on the fact that IN,
fish were large and fine, showing tha
there were few young ones in the river
The government hatcheries have no
been so successful of late as ia formel
years. There are also many more nett
In the river and bay so that the fsl
lare caught much closer each succeed
ing year and are prevented from multi
plying as fast as they would.
Snow Storm in May.
Quite a snow squar passed this cit,
about O'Clock yesterday afternoon.
black cloud came up from the west ant
many persons thought there was goin
to be a heavy thunder gust. Tn
heaviest of it PASSED of TO the soutl
but "a vicious little furry of wind swep
the snow flakes about for several sec
onds much to the establishment of thos
who happened TO be on the street a
the time.
The heaviest part Of the sQuall passe
over I'm the vicinity of the river and IN
most snow was noticed at Front an
Delaware streets. It left the air pei
lceptibly cooler,
Successful Box Social.
About thirty persons from this cit
ATTENDED a box social given by Mi
Lizzie Maloney at the Newliu far
near Delaware city last evening. m
ladies I'm attendance contributed box
of refreshments which We're auctions
off for the benefit Of the building fun
of st. Paurs School at Delaware City.
A pleasant social evening was spe
and much merriment was caused by Z
| selection of supper partners by [
| young men who wore ribbons IN tn
| buttonholes TO correspond with II
| colors on the refrcshment boxes ca
/ gentleman selecting the lady who
II colors he wore
II Received the Reward.
J Robert Lynch, David smith a