The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-06-04
FISHING IN UPTOWN STREET.
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Need HaIt One Fisherman autleied.
Fishing In Manhattan avsnue. Harlem.
yesterday morning was fine. There wae
n good run n white perch and few black
haas. Neither Tho perch nor the haas would
rise 20 n Ny, and live bait didn't attract
them, but straw hats we're killing tackle.
For instance, twelve-year-old Johnny
Drake, fishing with his hat from the side
walk at iisth street, caught six good mes
and a spanking besides. Compared with
the size Of the spanking the hsh weren't
very large, bat taken alone they made q
pretty good showing in the Drake family
frying pan.
Tn Manhattan avenue fishing ground
opered about II O'Clock In the morning.
That was when employees OF the water
supply depar m mt tool the ca ps OF two
hydrants in the avenue. one at 10th and
the other at l1sth street. Fish began to
pop FRI m them from the start. Some of
them were eight inches long and the average
was over six. They came from zach Of the
hydrant nozzles like a jack out Of the box,
in many instances c~leating the stream
altogether and landing on their noses on
the dry asphalt. Most Of these which landed
high and dry managed to flop back into
the gutter stream. and after the hydrants
had been running for a few minutes they
had good swimming on both sides Of the
avenue, the water being up even with the
sidewalk.
That was about the time the news Of
the fish began to spread In the neighbor-
hood. Mrs. Gretsinger, the janitress in
No. AL, was the first to appreciate the
practical value of the opportunity. She
had been surprised by an eight inch white
perch which jumped between the gratings
Of the basement window and landed flop
ping at her feet. Out on the sidewalk
she saw three or four others turning hand
springs, while more were jumping from
the gutter.
The light evidently hurt their eyes, and
it is a question in Mrs. Gretsinger d mind
whether they weren't blind. for they didn't
water. Anyway. the janitress hied her
self to the areaway, where, holding her
gingham apron outstretched, she got
enough for a mess in less than five minutes.
The Gretsinger family cat took to the
areaway and ate herself full.
Boys rushed from the apartments on
both sides of the street. Johnny Drake
was n of the first out with his straw hat.
He set the example for the others, holding
his hat against the current at the sewer
opening at llsth street until he felt one OF
the fishes hit it. Before long there was a
straw hat Sc inc across the sewer opening,
and not many OF the fish got through.
Johnny had six when his fond parent APP
spanking. He didn't mind that so much,
but it was pretty tough to have to 60 back
and study a Sunday school lesson about
the parable Of the leaves and the fishes,
Joe Dugan was probably the only really
expert, fisherman who appeared on the
ground. He was a %janitor, and before he
left the other side he had learned how to
"guddle." So he was right at home when
the fish stream broke.
All the greenhorns who were wading
nape Of the neck as they would a kitten or
q puppy weren't in 1t with him. He simply |
drove them gently over against the curb
and then running his hand carefully under
water licked them on the belly. That's
horns said that the fish in the gutter when
Dugan guddled them would actually turn
over on their sides in his hand, 80 that it
wac a perfect .cinoh for him to toss them
over on the sidewalk.
Next to Dugan the drug clerk from the
corner store at llsth street probably did
best. He couldn't help catching the fish,
though. Persons who were there say that
the fish actually followed him. 1t was dis
covered later what the reason was. He
had been putting up a bottle Of oil of anise
Just before the stream came down and had
spilled some on his fingers.
All told, about fifty fish were taken In the
fifteen minutes that the flow continued.
The only explanation which the water
people could give was that one OF
the screens in a reservoir had broken and
let the fish in. The employees of the de-
partment were called to Manhattan ave-
nue. by some of the tenants who com.
planned tina, they couldn't get water.
The water was very roily at first, and
OF the people along the avenue
are complaining that the water tastes
fishy.
Those two hydrants were the most popu-
lar spots for boys in Harlem yesterday.
They stood about them most Of the day
for another chance, and the police
on post had to keep his eye out to
them from tampering with them.