Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-02
ON THE RIVER FRONT
MANY VESSELS PREPARING FOR
WATERMELON TRADE.
Power Launch lola Sold Schooner
Wood Makes Record Run
Personal and General.

But little business is now being done at
the local oyster wharf, but within the next
two or three weeks the wharf will again be
a busy place and will be crowded with ship
ping. This will be when the melon season
opens, and before that is over the oysters
will be again coming in quantities from
down the river and there will be plenty of
life about the wharf until the oyster season
closes next spring.
There are now at Alexandria and at va
rious points along the river forty or fifty
vessels whose owners have taken advan-
tage of the dull season to overhaul them
and put them in order for the watermelon
trade. The first vessels with melons aboard
will come from North Carolina, and usually
arrive here about the middle of July.
They are followed close by melons from
Norfolk. and before August 1 Potomac
grown fruit will be sale in quantity.
The handsome power launch lola, belong
ing to Mr.. Hagenbuckner of this city, one
of the best boats of her class in service on
the Potomac river, has been sold to Mr.. ].
D. Wynne of Queenstown, Md The launch
was one of the fastest vessels of her class
in service on the Potomac and had splendid
accommodations for quite large number of
passengers. The price paid for the boat is
said to have been 81, 100.
The charter of the tug Mitchell Davis OF
the fleet of A. ]. Taylor & Bro. of this city
to tow mud-laden scows for dredges en-
ployed about Newport News has expired
and the tug has gone to baltimore for her
annual inspection. She has been employed
in mud towing for a year and half and
will now return to service in general towing
work on Chesapeake bay and its tributaries.
A Record Trip.
The master of the two-masted schooner
Samuel Wood, hailing from this city, writes
to his owners here that on the last trip OF
his schooner to Philadelphia with cargo
of railway ties she made the run from
Blackstone Island around Point Lookout
and up Chesapeake bay to the entrance to
the canal in thirteen hours. This is a rec
ord run for vessel like the Wood, and is
faster time than is made by many steam
boats
The coast and geodetic survey steamers
Bache and Explorer are to be overhauied
at Baltimore before they sail for the North
Atlantic coast where they are to be en-
ployed In survey work. The repairs to the
Bache will cost the government $1.6O1.99.
and for the Explorer $417S7. The work
will be done at Baltimore and the steam
ers will be ready for service in about ten
days.
The sloop Ethel Earle Is hauled out on
the marine railway at Reagan's boat yard
to nave her hull repaired and to be cleaned
and painted, before going into service on
the river. The sloop Rover, which was
launched from the railway few days ago,
was hauled out again this morning to stop
a leak that was not found when she was
out. Both vessels will be launched again
early In the coming week
Washington fishermen are not able to
catch enough fish i'm the Potomac. SO they
80 s,,;ng 70 ether ri,,ars and tho ,it
af these f.hors are sent r. the ,,.rLe, Sora
Cot a. Ea,,nca is this saa.n, fs,s;r,.
t;aI -, ~, 80, nsns
ple ne. oii wy 'aies iieei anu ne anu ms
ere" NAVE ,uer. quarters On the Aiexandrla
steamer ADA baihnger. capt. Faunce viii
remain the entire summer on the James.