The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1906-08-18

i GESIEl
Norfolk, Va AuE5 ia Though
Norfolk Is widely known as q local
Ep6int where eight railroad lines with
Ian aggregate Of twenty thousand
Emiles of track meet eight lines OF
river and coast steamers and i've lines
Of deep-sea steamers, and its harbor
lis famous all, over the world, compar
atiYe1y little is known Of the city as
Ian important center of the fishing
1trade. Yet this port. today a center
of International Interests because Of
1.-THE jamestown Ter-C Centennial Expo
sitlon to be held in 19O7on the nearby
shores Of Hampton Roads, keeps In
commission all the year a feet Of
NEARLY three hundred fishing boats.
cottagers residing on the shores of
Hampton Roads, near the site of the
Jamestown Exposition, can go a few
hundred yards out from shore and in
few moments with the most simple
Equipment catch dozen varieties Of
edible fish. Boys often may be seen
pushing skins around the mud fats
of the harbor at low tide, stopping
here and there to pick stranded crabs
of the harbor bottom, from which the
water has receded. If Norfolk were to
be placed in a state of Siege without
notice the besieger would find 1t first
necessary to eftect the stupendous and
well nigh impossible task of closing
Yorw and James rivers, Hampton
Roads, Elizabeth river, the Dismal
Swamp and Albermarle and Currituck
Sounds to Norfolk fishermen before
he could hope to stave the city into
submission.
The Norfolk fishing fleet comprises
almost every kind of small craft
known in this country. The favorite
style of fishing boat is the 'fbugeys."
This carries two leg-o-mutton sails
on raking masts and a jbsail. The
tbugeye" is not long, but very wide
and shallow. 1t is. pointed at both
ends and is an exceptionally good
boat for work around rivers and har-
bors and where the water Is shallow.
Though small, it is a good heavy
weather boat and can stand an in
credible amount of plunderIng Shops
land schooners of from FIVE to one
hundred tons burden carrying from
six to dozen men are also numerous
in the fishing trade There are few
large steamers in the fishing fleet
and a great number of small craft
driven by gasoline engines, These
have their fishing grounds in the lower
Chesapeake Bay, in Hampton Roads,
in CUrrituck and ALTERNATE Sounds,
reached from Norfolk through the
Dismal Swamp canals, and in the. open
sea where the finest of deepwater
fish, the b1uefish turks. ready to fur
nish the liyelfest sports the fisherman
can and.
In addition to the great fleet that
makes Norfolk its permanent head
quarters goodly number Of fishing
boats come to this city every year
from New York and Philadelphia and
make Norfolk their headquarters
during the summer fishing season.
During the past year the oyster
boats brought oysters into Norfolk to
the value of nearly four million dol
lars. Most of these were the famous
Lynnhavens oysters, considered by
many to be superior to the much-priz-
ed Blue Point oysters of Long Island.
Next to the Lynnhayens In the favor
of the public are the Chincoteague
oysters and Horn Harbor crustaceans.
There are a half dozen other varie-
ties not so we'll known. NorfoIk's
oyster trade is constantly growing.
every year round dozen OF boats are
added to the oyster fleet.
shad fishing is an important feat
ure in Norfolks commerce. Last
year, however, was an unusually bad
one for shad all along the Atlantic
coast, and the figures for shad show
up as large as for other fish in the to-
tails Of the fishing business, Large
quantities of porgies, founders and
sheepshead are sold every day in Nor
folk for local consumption. Among
the hlghly.prfzed game fish to be
bought in Norfolk markets are the
black bass, striped bass, salmon.
trout. Spanish bluefsh and spotted
trout. These are among the finest
food fish to be found anywhere and
are much sought after by those who
Seeks to maintain the table Of an ep-
icure. There are also to be found
in great quantities in the waters that
surround Norfolk perch, hogash and
pickerel These are popular food fish.