Evening star., 1908-01-30
GENERAL NEWS GATHERED
ON THE RIVER FRONT

OF the fleet of a hundred or more small
two-masted schooners, fatties and bug
yes which bring cargoes Of lumber, wood
and other material to this city from
points along the river in the boating sea-
son. less than twenty-five are in service
a: this time, in spite Of the fact that
mere has been no ice on the river this
winter that interfered at all with naviga-
ton. When the weather first turned
cold in the latter part of November last,
he boat owners and masters thought
that a freeze was surely coming and
that within a week the river would be
frozen solidly So they sailed their boats
into sheltered coves in creeks tributary
to the Potomac, and, removing their sails.
laid them up for the winter. While
no ice has come, the Vessel owners would
not risk putting their boats in commits
sion again for fear that a freeze would
come. and this has made shortage in
the carrying craft on the river this win
ter. While the vessels are laid up the
owners of them are giving them
horough overhauling, so when they re-
turn to service in the spring they will
be in good order for freight carrying.
1t Is stated that the dredge Gray Eagle.
belonging to parties in Fredericksburg
which left here in tow of the tug Dallman
tor Occoquan, is in that creek preparing
% begin dredging there. A sand bar sew
eral hundred feet wide near the mouth OF
the creek is to be cut away by the dredge.
in order to make a channel seven feet
deep at low water from the mouth of the
creek to the wood and lumber loading
points two or three miles from its mouth
This dredging work was started several
months ago, but the dredge doing it was
found too light for the work.
Arrived-Tug Peerless, light, from Nor
folk. after light barge; barge Lucretia,
coal from Baltimore at Indian Head:
hugeye Nettie May. oysters in the shell
from the Potomac beds; power barge
Louisa, cord wood from a Virginia port
for, the Eastern branch; tug Camilla,
towing S. 0. Co.'s tank barge No. II,
oil in bulk from Baltimore for George
,ne shell from the Potomac beds: scow
Bush, cord wood from the lower Potomac
for the dealers; schooner Martha Avery,
cord wood from river point to Eastern
and bugeye NJ. ]. Stephenson, oysters from
the Potomac beds for the dealers;
schooner A. II. Quinby, wood from the
St. Marys for local dealers: schooner
Graham. oysters in the shell from down.
river point.
Sailed-Barge Worcester light, for Nor
folk in tow of tug Peerless; tug Capt.
Toby, to Mattawoman creek to dock
barge; bugeye Nicholas. for Potomac
eyster beds to load; tug Minerva,
towing a light barge for river point
power schooner Stephen Link. light, for
the Rappahannock river to load for this
city: tug James 0. Carter towing A.
c. Co.'S lighter to Quantico to load sui
acil works; schooner /. X. Stetson, light
| for Baltimore to load coal for a New
England port; schooner Grape Shot, to
Alexandria to discharge oysters. then to
the Rappahannock river to load back to
this city: schooner j. j. Underhill, light
| for the Coan river, to load back to this
| port: bugeye William F. Villas, light, for
| the Potomac oyster beds to load for this
| city.
Observation-Disclosures Lottie Carter is
| in Nomni creek and will load wood for
| the dealers here; schooner Amanda Lewis
| is at river point loading oysters in the
| shell for the market here; schooner Isa-
| belle is under charter to load cord wood
| in Nomini for dealers on the Eastern
| branch; bugeye Halle X. is at a river
poirt loading for this city; schooner Clara
Leonard is in Nomini creek. loading cord
wood for this MARKET, schooner Edith
Verrall Is at Virginia point loading for
| thcs dealers here; schooner Mayf1ower has
| loaded a cargo of lumber in Dogue creek
an1 is waiting favorable weather to come
| to this city; bugeye Volunteer is at a
river point loading oysters for the dealers
1 here.
The condenser of the steamer Queen
Anne is being overhauled under the su-
pervision of Chief Engineer William A.
Moore to have her in readiness for service
| should 1t be necessary for her to take the
place of the route steamers of the Wash
ington and Potomac company. The Queen
1 Anne Is to be given a general overhauling
| this spring. in preparation. for excursion
work on the Potomac during the summer
/ months.
| Dredging Machine No. 2. belonging to
the Columbia National Dredging Company
of this city, which has been lying at Alex
! andria since 1t has been out of service,
was brought up to this city yesterday and
berthed at the wharf foot of 9Th street
| to have her boiler overhauled and other
repai. work done. The dredge is being
made ready to return to service in the
spring.
The bugeye Lydia Vernon, which ar
| rive, here about a week ago with a cargo
of oysters in the shell, sailed yesterday
for the lower river with a portion of her
cargo still aboard. In consequence of
| thc dull oyster market, her master was
unable. to dispose of all the oysters he
| had aboard. and they will be taken down
the river and planted on private, beds
to b. brought back here when the market
| is better.
Tug Fortuna is on her way to this city
with the barges Catherine Mcllvaine and
| Ellen S. Jennings from Philadelphia and
the Paumonkey and Wicomico from Phila-
| delphia.