Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-02-18
ON THE RIVER FRONT
COAST SURVEY STEAMER ENDEA-
voR SAILS FOR KEY WEST.
Ice Damages Motley Hall Wharf-New
Master for Steamer Pontonier.
-Harbor Notes.

The coast survey steamer Endeavor, on
her way from her station on the Chesa-
peake to Key West, Fla, for special duty
in making soundings about the harbor of
that city, passed out the capes on her way
down the coast Tuesday. The endeavor last
summer was employed on the Kettle Bot
toms in the Potomac and paid frequent Wis
its to this city. The Endeavor was built
by donations made by the women of the
south and was captured at Norfolk before
being launched She served as federal
gunboat through the war, and after that
struggle passed through various hands I'M
til she was purchased In 1867 by the coast
survey service and has done duty since that
time along the entire Atlantic coast Two
years ago her hull was examined and the
timbers were found as firm as when put IN
her forty years ago.
The Lenten season made the demand for
fresh fish of all kinds unusually brisk at
the wholesale fish market at the wharf
this morning, while the stock on hand was
not very large. Shad, herring, jumping
mullets and trout were on sale and brought
good prices. The shad now on the market
are caught in Georgia waters and are as
fine specimens of the finny tribe as ever
seen in this market. Prices for shad ranged
from so cents to S1.25 each. Oysters in the
shell were also in fair demand this morn
ing, but the stock on sale at the fish wharf
per bushel for the poorer stock up to 81
per bushel for the better grades, and the
stock is coming from the vicinity of Nor
folk.
The wharf at Motley Hall, on the Mary
land side of the ricer. short distance be-
low Alexandria, has been added to the list
of those damaged by the drifting ice dur
ing this winter. A few days ago the ice
piled against the pier, and. 1t is stated
took away large section of it. Fully half
the wharves along the river have been more
or less damaged by the ice this winter.
The overhauling of the boiler and machin-
cry of the steamer Wakefield is being
pushed as rapidly as possible, in order to
have the steamer ready for use on the
ferry route between this city and Alexan-
dria Monday next when Washngtons
city. The steamer Harry Randall and other
boats of the Randall line will also be used
as ferry boats on that day
General News Of the Port.
1t is stated that Capt Theodore Keen
of Alexandria will be appointed master of
the U. s. army steamer Pontonier when
she goes into commission in the spring.
The Pontonier is the sectional steamer
which was brought here from Cuba early
in the winter and assigned to duty with
the engineers battalion at the Washington
barracks. The Pontonier is now lying at
the 9th street wharf of the American Ice
Company, with a caretaker looking after
her.
The mechanics employed in doing outside
work to the steamers under repair in the
harbor have been forced to lay off during
the past two or three days in consequence
of the extremely cold weather. and work
on the vessels is being delayed in conse-
Quence.
A bunch of five or six new piles fastened
together with a heavy chain, are reported
IN the ice In midchannel off the Belleyiew
naval ma zine, between this city and AL
exandria. The piles are supposed to have
cinity of the Long bridge, and boatmen will
make an effort to recover them as soon as
conditions in the river will allow
The big block mooring buoy which for
merly foated abreast of the naval magazine
and which was carried away by drifting
ice early in December, was last seen on
Greenway fats, not far from Gunston
wharf, still drifting in the ice The buoy
may be found when the ice leaves the river
but it will be replaced by a new one In the
spring.
In spite of the cold weather of the past
three days, but little ice has formed in the
harbor. and the westerly winds have blown
much of that which has made ashore so
almost free of ice.
The new buildings along the harbor side
of the Washington barracks park have been,
made weather tight to protect their in
ter1ors from the rains and storms of the
winter.
The freezing of the river has kept the
wild ducks from visiting the Potomac in
large numbers this winter, but large flocks
are looked for as soon as the river opens.