Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-09-03
GENERAL NEWS GATHERED
ON THE RIVER FRONT

Seven or more vessels laden with prime
watermelons from the patches along the
fappahannock river and over on the east
ern shore of Chesapeake bay arrived at the
oyster wharf yesterday and last night in
| creasing the already large supply there by
about 5000 melons. While the demand has
been excellent and many thousands of mel
ons have been sold each day and taken to
the uptown retail stores to find their way to
the tables of Washington householders it
! Is stated that the supply is in excess of the
demand, and that there has been a fall in
prices. Unless there is some hold-up in the
receipts 1t Is said. prices will go still lower
Yesterday the figures for choice product
ranged about s13. while small melons, with
| meat just red and sweet as the larger
ones, could be bought low as 81 per hun
dred. 1t has been many years the dealers
say, since as fine melons as are now on the
market have been brought here. AS yet no
melons from the lower Potomac are on
sale. but they are looked for daily.
The work of rebuilding the quartermas-
ter's wharf at Fort Washington is ins prog
ress, and three weeks or longer will be re-
CURED to make the improvements proposed
in the structure. Considerable of the pilng
under the wharf Is to be rene wed and new
sill and caps will be placed in position
where needed. The wharf is to be covered
with new planking and will be made strong
SO as to stand the heavy loads that often
pass over IT. Only the older portion of the
wharf is being renewed just now. the part
built about four years ago being in good
order and not needing any extensive repair
work The driving of piles and dredging
for the new wharf at Fort Hunt are in
progress. but several months work remains
to be done to the pie before it is ready to
be used.
Arrived-Schooner Oakland, cord wood
from a river point; f1attie Nettie foundry
iron from the lower Potomac; schooner c.
H. Dagger. cord wood from Machodoc creek;
schooner Silver Star. pine lumber from
Aqua creek: schooner s. l.. Bowen. cord
wood from Wades bay for dealers; United
States lighthouse tender Holly. from a
cruise; schooner Maggie Pearl, watermelons
from the Rappahannock river; bugeye
James o. Wright, cord wood from a Poto-
mae point.
Sailed-Iug Peerless. towing five light
barges from Georgetown for bay, points;
bugeye Levin Woolford. lglN. for river
point to load for this port: schooner Coro-
net. light for the Rappahannock to load
watermelons; Lydia Cox, for bay point
to load back to this city; tug Martin Dali
man. with a tow of scows from a river
point: scow Bush. light, for Marshall Hall
to load cord wood for the dealers here
observation-disclosures F. Z. Finley, now
unloading ice here. has been chartered to
load coal at Newport News for Boston:
schooner Crescent is at Georgetown load
ing coal for a New England port: schooner
Henry L. Peckham has been taken to
Georgetown and will load soft coal there for
Boston or Portland; schooner A. II. Quinby
Is In Nomini creek loading a cargo of cord
wood for the dealers here.
One of the large brick-carrying scows be-
longing to the John Miller Company of this
city. while being brought up the river
sprang leak yesterday and soon became
waterlogged. She was brought up to Ben
nett's marine railway and hauled out there
to locate the leak and to make necessary re-
pairs. The lighter will be out of service
for several days while she is being caulked
from stem to stern.