Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1907-08-23

| SNS'iOn' II hdS iCS disadvantages, Tor
1t is almost impossible to hire labor for
farming purposes in this Northern
Neck, every negro being engaged to
some extent in catching oysters, or fish,
or both--oysters in winter; fish in
summer.
"A very large industry is the menha-
den fishery. There is located here a
large factory, called a ''fish factory. 4"
not that they make fish, but destroy
them. The menhaden is a fish belong
ing, believe, to the herring tribe, and
full of oil. The fish are caught in the
SEINE, taken to the factory, boiled
down to get the oil, which is sold for
mixing paints. The solid matter left
is converted into fertilizer. One fisher
man tells me that last year he had bad
luck, catching only 10000, 600 fish.
Down here we are in the heart of Old
Virginia. Certainly we are where the
Vlrginian of the olden time made his
lair, and just across the creek from
where l sit stood the home of king
Carter, famous in the annals of Lam
caster, when this and the counties
ad)acent were one big county,
reaching from the Great Falls to the
mouth of the James. The ancestral
mansion was burned long ago, but there
still stands the house of the overseer, a
quaint old structure, with its many
chlmneys suggestive of the day of wide
hreplaces and generous hickory logs
What legends linger about these old
fireplaces
Along the Rappahannock are many
canning factories, where tomatoes,
green peas, corn and such like are
preserved. / wish l could remember
the millions of cans that am told are
, each summer packed here, or how
many millions OF bushels of oysters.
but they are many.
But for quiet, restful place COM
mend me to Irvington. AS stated at
the outset, l know no place where one
may take things easier, with no hurly-
burly of street cars to molest, and no
dirty locomotives to disturb. Picture
to yourself a wide, deep river, dotted
here and there with the white sails of
the fishing vessels, or the broader sails
of the schooner. The gentle swash of
the infiowing tide sounds sleepily, and
the boy sitting on the wharf with rod
in hand, mods over his amusement.
Away in the distance one sees the
smoke of the steamer, and from its
deck, only eight miles away, stretches
the broad Chesapeake. We
watch the slow moving boat as it
creeps into the mouth of the creek.
here only a few yards wide, but sud-
denly expanding into quite respecta-
bic harbor within. Winding a mile in
land, and curving more than once, the
boat is steered into the water at the
foot of the town and made fast to the
wharf. Here a crowd always collects,
for the arrival of the boat is an event
like unto the arrival of the daily mail
at Manassas. Delightful leisure seems
to pervade the atmosphere, the only hur-
rying folks seemingly being the deck
hands, who hustle to get the freight
aboard and deck-load ashore. But there
is lots of business for all the apparent
leisure. In the busy season-the summer
months-no less than a dozen boats a
week come and go, some to Baltimore,
some to Norfolk, which last named
city is bidding for the trade of this
great valley, a trade seemingly legiti-
mately belonging to Virginia, and
others to Fredericksburg. There are
some thirty-five wharves between the
mouth of the river and Fredericksburg,
about one for every three miles. Bear
ing in mind that from the Rappahan-
mock to the Potomac the distance aver
ages only about fifteen or twenty
miles, it is seen that water transpor-
tation is convenient.
Irvington, as 1 have stated, is on
Carter's Creek. A queer water, with
many branches reaching into the
country, some several miles long, and
most of them planted with oysters.
The town itself is somewhat recent
affair, but the place itself historic, in
deed. The people here seem in COM
Portable plight, with good houses.
The place is exceptionally healthy,
as will be seen by the fact that with a
population of over LOO there is only
one doctor, and he does not seem to be
especially busy; and there is no drug
store. Malarial diseases are not
common, and typhoid almost unknown;
and have seen or felt more mosquitoes
IN Manassas than here. The place has
become of late quite health resort.
The hotel here (and my friend
Mitchell keeps good one) is crowded
all summer long, he having to find
quarters for his patrons outside of his
hotel among the homes of the people.
The water for drinking is splendid; tho
sea-breeze cool and refreshing, the foo6
exec llent, and best of ali the people
seem to strive to make all comers
welcome.
There is one thing forgot, that i.
} the gasoline launches. Everybody who
can afford it has one of these cleve,
, little boats, the automobile of the water
and they are skimming about the creel
in all directions. All excursions, pic
MICS and enjoyments of that sort ar,
made on the water. The gondolas Of
. Venice could not be more delightful
What a place for counting couples
Your top buggy is nothing to it.
l