Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-11
ON THE RIVER FRONT
DIAMOND SHOAL LIGHTSHIPS TO
HAVE WIRELESS.
Potomac Traders as Pineapple Run
ners-Building at River Resorts
Matters Around Harbor.

DIAMOND Sfloal NO. q, IS at q
Baltimore shipyard, being fitted with a
wireless telegraph outfit preparatory to
taking her place on the Diamond Shoal
station OF the North Carolina coast and
relieving No. Il, now on the station. This
change will be made about June 1. When
the wireless service is installed aboard
lightship No. 10 both the Diamond Shoai
vessels will have the service. No. IL having
been equipped just before she took her
place on the station early in the spring
Until the crew of the vessel becomes &C
quainted with the workings Of the wireless
system two or more expert telegraphers
Will be added to the crew OF the vessel, and
on them will devove the duty OF keeping
up communication with the shore and with
passing vessels.
The wholesale fish market on the nth
street wharf was fairly active this morn
ing, the demand being fair and the supply
being amply large to meet the demand. All
varieties OF both salt water and river
caught fish Were on sale but shad and her.
ring were scarce. This morning only about
200 shad and 10000 herring were on sale.
On the oyster wharf only Norfolk stock
was on sale. the last of the Potomac stock
having been disposed of day or two ago.
Prices this morning ranged about 81 per
bushel, with a fair demand.
Hard-shelled crabs from the vicinity Of
Norfolk were on sale this morning, but soft
crabs were scarce. The demand was good.
CLAIMS are plentiful and the demand for
them Is good at GO to Go cents per hundred.
Twelve or fifteen small two-masted
schooners, Chesapeake bay traders are this
season employed in running pneapples
from the Bahama Islands to Baltimore. TO
supply the Baltimore market and the mar
ket here with the luscious fruit. These
little vessels are fast and give excellent
service, though small. and will each make
two three trips before the season is
over They sailed for the Bahamas about
ten days ago, and the first cargoes are
about due in the Chesapeake. Among the
pineapple fleet are the schooners Flora Kir.
wan. Hester 4. Waters. Kate Darlington,
Bill Nye. Clemmie Travers, Richard Cron1-
well. Carrie L. Levi b. Phillips and Venus
all well-known visitors to this port
The big four-masted schooner II. Starr
Jones. which is lying al Alexandria loading
cargo of railway ties will take away the
largest cargo of the kind that has left the
Virginia city for several years. II is stated
she will load about 600 ties and will Ia ks
them to New England port. As has been
stated, the shipping OF ties from the Poto-
mac has grown enormously in the past
three or four years, and many thousands
or dollars are invested in the business. Tho
vessels not only load hit Alexandria but at
the wharves down thd river as we'll
The tug A. j. Hoold came into port YES
terday afternoon with two coal barses
laden with sand and gravel In tow con-
signed to the Chesapeake Sand and Gravel
company or this ethyl The tug and barEes
nave but recently rlived here from New
York, and this Is ther first trip 10 this
city with A cargo aboard The sand aud
gravel with which tht barges were load ed
came from the vicinity of Colonial Beach.
General River Matters.
Building operations continue very active
at all the resorts along the river. as Wash
ington people are putting up summer
homes Hardly a day passes but that a
vessel or two laden with building material
river resorts. Although Il Is early IN the
season, the tide Of travel has started down
the river, but will not reach its height
until about July /.
launch Inspector is launched from the ma
the railway at Benefits boatyard one
of the big clay-carrying scows belonging to
the Miller Company Will be hauled out for
calking Of hull and for other repair work.
1t Is expected that the coast survey launch
will be put overheard this week
The U. s. army tug Gibbon, tender to
the forts on the Potomac, was in port Tues
day afternoon for the first time since
she returned from Baltimore, where she
was overhauled The tug is now painted
white, but will shortly put on the army
transport service colors, black hull, white
house and yellow smolsestack. The Gibbon
will take part in the coming army end
navy exercises on the Potomac In this
vicinity during the coming summer
Plans are being prepared for the rebuild
ing of the wharf foot of Sth street as soon
as a piledriving machine can be had to
do the work. During the summer most OF
the old wharves on the river front Will
be put in good order. The greatest i'm
provement, however, about the harbor will
be the rebuilding of the ferry line house
and slip, the work on which is rapidly
going ahead.
The schooner PLUME E. Smith is In the
harbor laden with railroad ties from q river
point for the dealers
The schooner Carrie c. Pinto has arrived
laden with pine lumber from the lower Po-
tomac for the local market.
Five vessels with cord wood aboard have
arrived within the past twenty-four hours.
They are the schooners A. K. Dukes, r,
Mason, Mary Francis, Silver Star and
Julia and Annie.
The schooner Chesapeake is among the
recent arrivals here with lumber aboard
from Virginia lumber ports. She brings a
cargo of about $1,000 feet.
The bugeye Lemuel Kirwtn is at the 1lth
street wharf unloading a cargo of boards
from a down river port.
The schooner Nettie and Matte is In port
laden with lumber from the Rappahannock
river for the commission dealers.
OFFICERS CHOSEN.