The sun., 1908-05-10
CAPT. SHUMP'S HAUL OF SHID
HAVRE DE GRACE STILL HEARS
or THAT GREAT DAY.

EoF FuuF uAyh TIC Wulu drove the FlfA
Into the Captains Five Mile Seine and
No One Knows How Many There Wsr,
Not Less Than : 900 900. Says John
There we're just as many truthful peop.
living in Havre de Graoc, Maryland. in ls2i
as there are now said a native Of tbs,
locality that looks 50 funny on the man.
"and none had better reputation for Va.
racity than Capt. Tom Stump. Capt. Tom
himself isn't at Havre de Grace any mon.
Nobody could we'll make affidavit az N
where be Is, but at the same time nobody
has any doubt that he Is in heaven. Bus
his memory Is ever green In Havre de Graoe.
and 80 Is the memory Of the fish story Ia
left as legacy TO his family and with prids
they tell II. And II Is true.
1t was brought TO my mind by reading
In The Sun a reference 10 the ! 100 shsd
that were caught at one haul at the MI.
ford, Pa, fishery fifty years or so ago
That would be an amazing haul n think
back on II didn't know about that Can't.
Tom Stump haul Of shad. fused 10 70 back
TO Havre de Grace quite often, and every
time went dropped around TO see John
Stump, Capt. Toms son, and would say.
''How was II. again. that Capt Tom oan3
10 knock the price Of shad down from 35
a hundred to a a hundred that time?
why, John would say, when that big
haul Of HE began 70 come in he saw that
there was every chance in the world Of his
having quite some fish left on his hands Il
he kept shad up 10 the ruling price, and 50
he knocked II down to 81 hundred. In
spite Of that tremendous drop, though, b.
couldn't begin TO keep from having a big
stack Of the fish on his hands, for after hs
had sold $50 900 at that price everybody was
stocked up with shad, and he hadn't mado
a hole even in one end Of that haul
April IS, 1897. is the date put down by
Capt, Tom Stump as the one on which he
made this record haul OF shad Shad fishing
was great in the Susquehanna In those yean,
clear up to its headwaters almost, but il
was nearly a total failure on the river every.
where above the Stump fishery at Hayre
de Grace in the season Of 1921 Capt. Tom
Stump was sorry when news OF the shad
famine up river came down that spring,
and he regretted Il 70 his ddylngday
But, OF course, he couldn't help IL.
used 70 say TO his son, John Stump, every
time went back 70 Havre de Grace. He
didn't 20 TO do It, did heY
Lord, no, John would say. My, when
the windlasses were put to the work haul.
ing in the seine that day he said at once
that he knew he was going TO be surprised
when the seine came In. He always told
is that, and lie was surprised. Go TO do iti
Not bit Of itl II wasn't his fault al all.
Il was the wind and water that done it,.
-0f course, a man who insisted on fishing
with a seine five miles long might naturally
expect something TO happen, but Capt
Toms fishery required a seine that long
% be fshed right. The Stump fishery Is
here yet, but not the great Capt. Tom
stump fishery. Hauls Of one hundred thou
and or so were not uncommon at that
ishery, and one Of 100000 wouldn't have
,aused talk. Soon after that big net was
stretched on the night Of April 10, 1927 the
Wind came up 1t kept on coming up until
I was blowing q gale such as even Capt
Toms time had no record of Four days
hat gale prevailed. and the five mile net
tretched across the mouth Of the Susque.
lanna and on down the shore below Havre
le Grace. Of necessity remained undls-
urbed all that time
Must have been a tremendous strain
IN it, used TO say TO John Stump.
Naturally some. John would say. But
hat wasn't the worst Of IT, For four days
10 shad could get past that net, II was
light at the height Of their travelling up
tream for their spawning places, and as
had never turn back when on their way
o spawn they just crowded and pressed
nd jammed In below that seine, and kept
q doing II for four days and nights. Shad
anime in the upper waters that year.
low could II be helped? I've often won.
ered that there was even one shAd left
or seed in Susquehanna waters.
Well On the NTH day the wind changed
nd Capt. Tom ordered the windlasses
ut to work hauling in the seine and II was
hen. as he assured bis family often, that
Q said TO himself that he shouldn't wonder
bit but what he would be surprised when
he net came in. Aud he was, And after
Q had sold 25O, 900 shad out Of the haul as It
anne in. having knocked down the price
rom t25 q hundred 10 81. and they were
Arted away as faat as horses and wagons
ould tote 'em, and he saw the haul still
oming in and not one-quarter made ye,
18th shad acoumulating In heaps like small
on the shore. Capt. Tom became
D entirely convinced that he was going
, have a right smart Of fish left on his
ands that he despatched messengers our
mong the farmers and the towns for miles
nd miles around, inviting everybody -
ome in and load up with shad and to he
uiok about ii, and not to be bashful about
king all they wanted. And people came
ON near and far All that country round
OF only feasted on shad for days but
le whole agricultural area Of Cecil county,
J II was then, and much of adjacent county
nds were fortified that year with tors
nd tons Of the finest shad that ever came
Ut Of the water, as people who lived there
ave handed the record down and as the
apt. Tom Stump family OF HRyre de Grace
ave II in sacred custody.
OF course, used 10 say 10 John STUMP
henever l went back TO Havre de Grace,
Iobody counted the shad in that haul tp
e Just how many Of them there was.
id they, JohnP
Counted 'eml John would say. Why
ON what the captain told as after he
ot time enough and went to figuring IN
ow many shad there must have been In
lat haul II would have taken ten men
Tree months to count 'eml He figured u
lat II there was one shad less than 100000
the haul, then II wasn't so that figures
ont lie
History Of fishing in the susquehanra
liver gives various reasons and causes for
le scarcity Of shad in the upper waters in
27, scarcity that was Of particular notice
cause shad had been in the habit Of almost
loking those waters every epring until
at one, but Capt. Tom Stump knew the
ue reason for II, and his family know Y
this day. So does everybody in the
avTe DE Grace country, and so do /, for
lpt. Tom Stump's son John has told ne