The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1908-06-13
sHAp RY TEE MILLION


York Gazette.
Last week will 90 down In the history Of the
susquehanna river as the "Great Slaughter"
because at McCall's Ferry more shad were taken
than In any similar period I'm modern history.
Shad were not only caught but they were slaugh-
tered. How many thousands were taken from
the river around McCall's Ferry will never be
known because every resident of lower York
and Lancaster counties and many from distant
points caught all the shad they wanted or could
cart home. and there was no way in which
census Of the catch could be taken.
The catch was so enormous on account of the
dam which the Mccall Ferry Power Company is
building. 1.-THE thousands of shad which every
spring come up the river and heretofore have
gone on up as far as Sunbury are penned in a
small area of one mile just below the dam, where
the river is very narrow. That throws all the
schools of shad that have come up the river from
early spring at the mercy of the fishermen.
The shad, as is well known. will never give up.
They swim up to the breast of the dam and try
and try again to go over the ramparts. Then
they are scooped in.
Some idea of the slaughter can be gained by a
rehearsal Of the story of John Woods, an old and
experienced fisherman. He said:
81 have fished for great many years, but last
week was the first time ever caught too many
shad. caught shad until was sick Of the sight
of them. and left the rocks on Thursday morn
ing when they were scooping in shad by the
thousands. 1t seems incredible that fisherman
would get too many fish, but it is the truth.
There was no sale for the fish and it was shame
to catch them and allow them to spoil"
Fishermen declare that the water during the
past week was blue with shad. They say that
shad could be taken in great numbers any place
fisherman could get bow in the water. Sew
eral fishermen declared that it did not make any
difference whether the bows were drawn up the
river, down the river, crosswse or at angles the
result was always the same-shad, shad, shad
The reason for this was that the shad after buck
ing the turbulent waters at the dam until they
were exhausted. swan aimlessly about in the
river In the placid waters from half to a mile
below the dam. Then the fishermen, from every
rock. from boats anchored, with floating gill
seines. and every other old way, gathered
them in.
The catch was SO large that shad on Friday
went begging at 10 cents apiece. and hundreds
were dumped overheard, spoiled. On Rock
Island, narrow ledge of rocks, with two dips
on Thursday more than 800 were caught and
they weighed near two tons.
On Saturday the concrete bridge which crosses
the river just below the dam was lined with
fishermen. They 1shed from the bridge and
| gathered in the shad as they tried to swim uE
between the piers.
| Farmers for ten and fifteen miles out in the
country in all directions heard the news and
dropped their work and went to McCall's Ferry
A nights fishing gave them all they could hau
home and enough to furnish the entire family
with sailed shad for the whole summer.
The reason why so many spoiled was because
the fish were taken by individuals with hant
bows. 1t was new thing to the fishermen an(
they did not have barrels and ice at hand to pacl
and ship their fish.
Whether the present week will see continu
ance of the slaughter no one will venture guess
The shad are in the river, however. They cam
get over the dam. 1t is not yet time for them t.
head for the bay. And the indications are the,
will swim around until every last one has beer
scooped in by fishermen. who not only see nj
future ahead, but they feel that they must ge
them all, as the days of the shad are numbered
onaccount of the coming of the electrical dam.