Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-17
GENERAL NEWS GATHERED
ON THE RIVER FRONT

Although Christmas is still more than d
week off the Christmas travel to points;
along the lower river in Maryland and
Virginia has already started and will con-
tinue to increase this week. On the steam
CTS leaving here Monday and Tuesday
next large crowds are expected to go to
the. down-river points. The river counties
of Maryland and Virginia have contrib
uted a large proportion of their popula-
ton to that of this city. and many of the
Marylanders and Virginians always go
down home,'' as they call their former
residences in the country. to spend Christ
mas day, and to eat their Christmas din
nsr with their parents. brothers and sis
ters. Each year the pilgrimage to the
river landings starts few days before
Christmas and keeps moving down river
ward until the day before the holiday.
All during the week after Christmas the
homegoers come struggling back to this
city and it is generally after the new
year before the travel is over. This year
the Christmas travel promises to be quite
heavy.
Arrived: Schooner Earl Biscoe. cord
wood from Occoquan for dealers here: tug
Joseph NJ. Clark. light. to tow light barge
from this city to Norfolk: schooners W.
H. Bixler and Amanda Lewis, oysters
from the Potomac beds; tug Camilla, tow
ing Standard Oil Company tank barge No.
II. laden with oil in bulk for Georgetown:
schooner Mary Chaplin. oysters from the
beds in Chesapeake bay for this market:
schooner John P. Robinson, cord wood
from Upper Machodoc creek for local
dealers: tug J. T. Selectman. with a tow
of sand and gravel laden barges from the
digging machines down the river: bugeye
Grape Shot. oysters in the shell from the
Potomac beds: schooner Belmont, pine
lumber from Aqua creek for dealers here;
tug .JampS O. Carter with a tow from the
lower river.
Sailed: Bugeye Fair American. for a
river point to load back to this city: tug
Camilla. towing barge No. u, light, for
more: schooner Matte Lee. light. for the
Potomac oyster beds to load back to this
city: schooner ]. P. Robinson, light, for
Machodoc creek to load cord weed for
dealers here: tug Marion Cameron, with
a tow of light scows for Monkeys point
a river point to load wood for this mar
ket; tug Rosalie. towing several light
scows to be loaded with sand and gravel
by digging machines at work on the river
below Fort Washington.
Memoranda: Schooner John McGnnis
has been chartered to load lumber on the
Rappahannock river for this city; schoon-
er |. X. Stetson has sailed from New
Brunswick port laden with laths for this
port: schooner Sidonia Curley Is on her
river with a cargo of lumber schooner
Charles H. Dagger is at a river point
loading for this city: schooner NJ. ]. Ste
venson is loading oysters for this market
in the Wicomico river: schooner Cunning
ham is at a river point loading railway
ties for the dealers here.
The roads in the river counties of Mary
land and Virginia are reported to be in
such bad condition, in consequence of the
repeated rains. that the farmers cannot
get to the wharves to ship their
products, consequently the freights be-
ing brought to this city are very light,
but a rush of business on the river is
looked for next week.
The big houseboat belonging to CharleA
X. Heath, which was anchored off Alex
andria and was used for games of chance
until the combination of the Maryland
and Virginia authorities stopped them. has
been laid up for the winter in the cove
between the mouth of the old James creek
canal and Buzzards point, on the Eastern
branch. A Waterman is aboard the craft.
A stone crusher has been erected In the
southern end of the Washington barracks
park, near the new Army War College
building. and will be used to crush the
old brick and stone taken from the build
ings torn down at the park in the past
three months. The crushed material will,
it is stated, be used in road work about
the park