Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-04-12
NEWS GATHERED
ON THE RIVER FRONT

The big Philadelphia barge Reliance
which unloaded cargo of hard coal at
GEORGETOWN, has been taken to the pier
at the foot of South Capitol street and is
loading q cargo of asphalt paving block
to AL q Norfolk order. This Is the first
cargo Of the paving material to be loaded
at the South Capitol street plant this
spring, but many thousands Of them were
sent in barges to Richmond and Norfolk
last summer and fall. hardly a week pass
ing without a barge loading here and sail
ing for one of the cities named. The
block is being used in street paving and
1t is stated that many of the streets IN
the fine residential portions of Norfolk
are being paved with Washington made
block. The Reliance will complete the
taking aboard of her cargo this week and
will sail in tow of Baltimore tug. sne
will carry away many thousand OF the
block, and other barges are being char
tered to load within the next few weeks
for the Virginia cities.
For the last few weeks the ofnclals AT
the Firth-Sterling steel plant on the river
at Geisboro, D. c., have had workmen
employed in dumping stone and other ma
terial into the river under the new pier
built about year ago for the purpose OF
filling in and making the pier solid. The
point at which the steel plant pier Is To-
Gated is the most exposed in this vicinity.
The sweep of all the currents from the
upper river is directly upon It and II Is
thought that in the years of heavy freezes
the ice coming down. when the thaw sets
in, will pile against the pier and may
seriously damage 1t. Although the ice
last winter was light. It packed against
the pier so heavy at times that the ferry
steamers had much difficulty in getting
to and from the wharf although no dam
age was done it. The plan of filing In Is
to make the wharf more solid and to de-
crease the danger of it being carried
away.
Land, with one exception the only vessel
of the kind in service on Chesapeake bay
and its tributaries, is lying at Alexandra
cargo of .glass-maklng sano
from the Severn river near Annapolis.
The schooner has aboard about 400 tons
of the material, which will be used In the
of milk bottles and masks
of other kinds at one of the Alexandra
glass-making plants. This Is the nrst
visit the Beulah Land has made up the
Potomac in about a year, but previous to
that time she was a frequent visitor here
with cargoes of lumber, hard coal and
other material. She is at the wharf OF
Smoot & Co. discharging her cargo.
Arrived-Pungy Amanda Lewis. oysters
in the shell from the Potomac beds;
schooner Lottie Dayton, lumber from a
Virginia point; tug Camilla, towing two
wood-laden vessels from the lower river;
bugeye Winnie Windsor, oysters in the
shell for the local dealers: schooner Beu-
lah Land, sand from the Severn river at
Alexandria,; schooner Irwan, lumber from
Virginia for dealers here; schooner May
flower. cord wood from a down-river
point: tug Rosalie with a tow of sand
and gravel laden lighters from Piscata-
way creek.
Sailed-Schooner Edith Verrall. light,
from a river point to load back to this
city; schooner Earl Biscoe. for Nomini. to
load cord wood for the dealers here; bug
eye Goldie G.. light. for the lower river,
to load lumber; tug James 0. Carter,
light, for a river point to bring a tow
back to this city; tug D. NJ. Key. with a
tow of scows for a river point.
Observation-Disclosures Mabel and Ruth,
from this city. at Newbern to load lum-
Der for dealers here; barge Majestic is
dischargfng coal at the wharf foot of
14th street: schooner Eleanor Russell is
at a river point loading cord wood for
this city; schooner Nettie is under char
ter to load lumber on the Rappahannock
river for this city; schooner Five Sisters
is in Aqua creek loading for this port.
The northwest gale on the river was
very heavy in the vicinity Of this city,
and sailing vessels were only able to
move with sails reefed to the smallest
showing. The ferry steamer Lackawanna
found 1t difficult to make her regular
landings at the steel plant pier at times
during the day on account of the heavy
flaws holding her on the wharf. The seas
caused by the wind were unusually heavy
and made small boats roll as though they
were In storm at sea.