Evening star., 1908-02-04
GENERAL NEWS GATHERED
ON THE RIVER FRONT

The tug Camilla OF the Taylor n0ef OF
this city was yesterday fitted with her
ice-breaking plow at Benefits railway.
and she will. it is stated. leave here to-
day for the st. Mary and Wicomico rivers
i'm Maryland TO bring back several OYSTER
laden vessels reported ice bound in those
streams. The tugs Carter and D. M. Key
will today, it is stated. be fitted with
their plows in preparation for towing
work about the harbor. The tugs owned
in Georgetown which are now in service
are being fitted with plows, but OF the
fleet of twelve or fifteen towboats which
are ordinarily in service less than half
dozen are now In commission and will
-ema!n laid up until business picks up on
the river. The big naval tugs Triton.
Tecumseh and Choctaw which run to the
naval proving grounds at Indian Head
and the army tug Lieut.. Alonzo Gushing.
the tender to the artillery stations on the
Potomac. will be kept in service through
the ice without plows. depending upon
their steel hulls and powerful engines to
crush a way through ice several inches
thick.
The officers Of the steamer Harry Ran
dali on one of the recent trips report
having seen a large school of white perch
SO benumbed by the cold water as not
to be able to swim, and a number of men
were out in boats scooping the fisl up
in nets for the market. The incident
occurred off Riverside wharf few days
ago. For a mile o. more the surface or
the water was covered thickiy with the
fish, which had been caught by A sud-
den change in the temperature OF the
water and SO chilled that they could
make no effort to escape. When one was
taken from the water and held In the
hand for a half minute the warmth OF
the hand put life in it and as soon as it
was dropped into the water again II
quickly disappeared. II IL stated that
over twenty-five barrels OF the fish were
caught and the bulk Of them were sent
to this market.
Arrived-A. c. Company lighter with
sulphur ore from Quantico for the Alex
andria sulphuric acid plant: tugs Carter
point: United States naval tug Triton
towing a barge from the naval proving
grounds at Indian Head. Md
Memoranda-The sloop Addte and the
sailing scow Daniel are in Mattawoman
creek laden with cord wood for this city:
schooner John McGinnis has arrived at
West Point. Va. with cargo or hard
coal for Baltimore. and will load iun1-
Der back to Baltimore; schooner Lottie
cargo of wood aboard waiting. an OPP
portunity to come up the river: schooner
Mary Rebecca Is at river point loading
oysters In the shell for this market
ginia oyster police navy is cruising over
the oyster grounds along. the lower
Potomac on the lookout for vfoiationsVof
the oyster laws. Last Sunday she was
in Nomini creek. Under the direction OF
the Virginia state board Of fisheries the
laws fo- the protection of the oyster are
being vigorously enforced in all the waters
OF the state, and a number of arrests for
illegal dredging have been made recently.
The ice in the river has made II dimcult
to raise the steam hosting machine of the
Smoot Sand Company which sank in the
river near the south end Of the new rail-
way bridge across the Potomac last week.
Several scows and sand dredges were
working about the sunken machines yes
terday and they were covered with ice
from the spray and condensed steam that
had frozen on them. As soon as the ma
chine Is fioated an effort will be made to
get it to a point where can be re-
paired.
The tug Bohemia of the Southern Trans
DO. tation Company fleet has sailed from
Baltimore for this city with the barge
AppomattOx In tow. She Will go to
Hampton roads before coming here. The
barges are laden with hard coal for the
dealers.