Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-19
GENERAL NEWS GATHERED
ALONG THE RIVER FRONT

Several dealers at the 18th street wharf
who handle watermelons on commission
have sent power launches down river to
look out for vessels coming to this city
with melons aboard.
It is the duty of the launches to hail
such vessels and II their cargoes are not
consigned to particular dealers to con-
vince the owners of the melons their en-
ployers can handle their fruit to best adj
vantage. This accomplished. the vessel Is
taken in tow and brought to market.
One enterprising Washington melon
commission man started working the
launch drummer scheme early in the sea-
son. He got the bulk of the melons COM
ing to this market.
Then other dealers caught an and they,
too, started launches. Now there are four
or five drumming up trade.
At first the launches lay in wait for the
vessels between this city and Alexandria,
Recently they have been going 70 FORT
Washington and below.
The big fleet of ice-laden vessels lying
here for the past two weeks Is gradually
unloading and the vessels are sailing Tor
bay points to load coal for New England.
One ice-laden vessel was brought into
port and two sailed yesterday. This
morning there were but three big four
masters lying at the piers OF the Ameri-
can Ice Company. A big four-master
laden with ice for this city is in Chesa-
peake bay 1t is thought she will be
picked up by tug and will arrive here
this evening or tomorrow
Three or four other ice-laden vessels are
loading or on their way to this city from
Maine points. They will all be In port
here by the end of this month or early In
September.
Since the shipment Of ice from the
Maine fields to. this city was started. SIX
weeks ago. over fifty thousand tons of the
in1 hoe HA0
at the piers of the American Ice Com
pany and the big storage plants on the 9th
and 10th street wharves and at George
town. The bulk of this ice has been re-
ceived in the past two weeks.
The owners of the schooner A. ii.
Quinby. hung up on the old piles just
north of Alexandria. have secured a sand
pumping machine and EFFORTS are being
made to free the vessel Of water, so that
she can be worked off.
Augustus Dean of Alexandria, who has
the contract for floating the boat. has de-
vised a plan to get her off without using
pile drivers to lift the bow free Of the
OBTAINING piles. AS soon as the Quinby
is free Of water the work Of getting her
off the obstruction will be started.
To what extent the vessel is injured is
not known. 1t is thought her hull is
considerably damaged. as the water in it
is rising and falling with the tides.
Arrived: Schooner Frank B. Stinson, ice
from a Maine port for this city: tug
James O. Carter. light from Indian Head.
where she delivered two coal-laden
barges; schooner Beulah Land. with lum-
Der from a Virginia port for dealers:
schooner Maggie. with watermelons from
a river point for the local market: tug
Meade with a tow of sand and gravel
laden lighters from Greenway fats: tug
D. NJ Key. with lighter from a down
river point.
Sailed: Schooner NJ. E. Colburn. light
for Newport News. in tow of tug Yerkes.
to load coal for Boston: bugeye Goldie c..
light for a Potomac river point to load
back to this city: schooner r. B. Spedden,
light for bay port to load lumber for
this market: scow Fannie. light for
river point to load for this city: bugeye
Ella. light for a river point to load back
in tow. for a river point; bugeye Levin
Woolford. light for a Potomac point to
load.
Memoranda: Schooner Clarence H. Ven
ner. laden with ice for this city. passed
in the capes yesterday and is on her way
to this port: tug Southern is on her way
to this city with q tow OF coal-laden
barges: schooner Grace G. Bennett. from
this city arrived at Newbern. N. c. 18th
instant: schooner Cunningham is at a
river point loading for this city: schooner
Belmont is at a river point loading for
the dealers here.
The supply Of watermelons on sale at
the nth street wharf market continues
loads her cargo and sails another comes
into port to take her place. so that all
the available berthing room at the 18th
street wharf is constantly filled. Melons
are selling today at prices ranging from
81 to SIS per hundred according to size
and quality wanted.
The big four masted schooner Margaret
Thomas. which yesterday completed the
unloading of a cargo of ice at the 10th
street wharf. was yesterday afternoon
taken by the tug Camilla to Georgetown
to load coal for Boston. The Thomas
will load about 600 tons Of the fuel and
will sail early in the coming week.
The coal-laden barges Potomac from
Baltimore and Celestine McNally from