The Newtown bee., 1908-04-03
SHAD FISHING.


 Many people delight in catching shad, especially when they can catch enough to pay them for their trouble. The way shad are caught is this:- The fishermen make a seine about as long as the river is wide, and about as wide as the river is deep, with wooden corks strung on rope on one end of the seine, designed for the upper edge, to keep it on top of the water, and iron ones on the other edge to keep that on the bottom. A short rope is at ;ached to one end of the seine, called the foot rope, and long one to the other end, called the hand warp. The seine, whe n not in use, is kept on large reel, near the edge of the river. It takes four men to fish for shad with seine. Che man holds the foot rope, another man iddles the seine, and the other two men row the boat. They commence their operations by taking the seine from the reel and placing it on plat form, built on one end of the boat called a deck. The man who is to hold the foot rope, now draws thesboat up the river, as far as it's bed is clear of Instructions. He then takes hold of the foot rope, and two other men row the boat across the river, while the other man throws the seine into the river. This is called fiddling the seine. M Men then drag the seine down the riv- CT, the boat keeping in advance of the foot rope, until they get about oppo- site the fish house, which is situated down the river, nearly as far as the fishing grounds extends. They here strike across the river again, thus go- ing completely around the fish. When they get about half way they let out the hand warp and row the boat ashore. as quickly as possible. They then jump out, and commence to haul in the hand warp.
 About this time. the man with the foot opesgets it down, within about two-thirds of the length of the seine from where the boat came ashore, when he fastens it to a post. He then proceeds to help the other man haul in. They soon get the seine ashore with its contents, catching from nothing to a hundred.
 Shad are caught but about three months in year, from April to July. There are generally four sets of fisher men to each fishing ground, each set in turn, fishing one night and day. They then divide their shad and start for home.
 William G. Hard.
 Note. Men were shad fishing on the Housatonic River at Hanover, at the time of writing the above article. The fish house was on the east bank of the river and a good fishing place it was, until the dam was built at Shel- ton. That stopped the running of shad above the dam.-[ E. L. J.
 EPISCOPAL VISITATION.
 On Sunday, April IT, 1853, the Rt Rev John Williams, D. D., Assistant Bishop of the Diocese of Connecticut, visited Trinity church, Newtown, preached and confirmed thirty-nine per sons. The prospects for the future of this ancient parish are most encourag- ing and hopeful.
 In the afternoon at St James church, ZOar, preached and confirmed eleven persons. The little flock which gathers here have struggled through many difficulties, but it is now hoped they may secure the entire services of pastor. and so be built up into strong and stable parish.
 Editors.
 Rev Daniel Burhans, D. D., who was for 30 years rector of Trinity church in this town, spent Sunday, August 4, 1853, in this place. He preached in the afternoon. Dr Bur hans IS probably the oldest Episcopal clergyman in America, being now in