Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-10-21
GENERAL NEWS GATHERED
ALONG THE RIVER FRONT

The almost continuous calm weather of
the past four or five days. ever since the
oyster dredging season set in. has pre-
vented the dredgebcats from doing much
work The consequence has been that
the catch So far has been light.
The dredgeboat masters are praying
for good breeZes no matter from what
quarter just SO that they are good Whole
sail breezes. 50 that they can sail about
over the oyster-producing beds at the
mouth of the river dragging the dredS"S
after them and tearing the biValVcS from
their hold On the river bottom
At no time since last Thursday. the hrSt
day of the dredging season, has there
been wind enough to operate both dredges
on vessel at one time. More than hait
the time it has been almost a dead calm.
The boats have been forced TO lie idle ana
drift about with the tides.
On the last trip OF the steamer Harry
Randall. Capt Slye found the dredse-
boats clustered SO thick about Cotton S
wharf that he was unable TO take MS
steamer there to make her regular landing
without risk of sinking dred"eboat
or two and DANA gins his steamer. He
did not land at the wharf.
The sweet potato crop in the counties
Of Maryland and Virginia along the lower
Potomac is unusually large this fall Po-
tatoes are big ard fine. some of them
weighing two and three pounds each. and
the crop generally being away above the
average in size
ing them to this market in large guam
titles consigned to the wholesale dealers.
They are selling al prices ranging tlon
81 TO $50 per bushel
4 river vessel laden with about 400
barrels of yellow sweets arrived here
Monday from a river point, consigned
to a local commission house She is ly-
ing al the wharf foot of 18th street. By
the time she unloads her cargo other yes
sells with potatoes aboard Will be in port
ready to unload. Reports coming from the
tidewater sections of Maryland and Vir
ginia state that the sweet potato crop is
unusually large in those sections.
OF the fleet OF passenger and freight
steamers running out of this city in the
summer time about one-half are out of
commission since the excursion season
closed and are laid up until next spring.
when excursion work will be resumed
Aboard most of the excursion steamers
particularly those with iron hulls. is a
force of hands employed in cleaning the
hulls out and putting them in trim for
the long period OF idleness. Practical
steamboat men say that steamboat de-
teriorates faster when laid up than when
running unless good care is taken of her.
To prevent this the interiors of the boil
ers are being cleaned and oiled and
coat of oil is being applied to the interior
of the hulS
Arrived: SchoonerS Lola Taylor. Eta
and Dawson. oysters in the shell from a
lower Potomac point: schooner Mary
Francis. cord wood from river point for
the dealers: schooner Raymond Oliver.
oysters from the river beds: barges Will
liam A. Smoot and Christina hard coal
from Philadelphia; schooner oakland.
lumber from river point for the dealers.
scow Bush, cord wood from Marshall Hall
Tor GeorSetOwn: power sloop Clarence.
sweet potatoes from lower river point
consigned tn dealefs: schooner William
Zurich. oysters from Pocomoke sound;
schooner Oscar. cord wood from a river
point: tug D. NJ. Key, with tow from,
Quantico.
Sailed-Schooner Z. r. S Dougherty
light. for Pocomoke sound To load oysters
for this market; sailing barge Daniel.
light for lower river point 10 load for
this city; schooner Roger A. Pryor. light
for a down-river point 10 load; schooner
f. p. Evans light, for Potomac point
TO load oysters for this market; tug
Eugenia with u tow of lighters for Pts
Getaway creek: tug Dallman with a tow
for Little Hunting creek: schooner Aleta.
light. for river point To load
Memoranda-SchoonerC Carrie has sailed
from d Virginia port for this city with
a cargo of lumber; schooner Rover has
been chartered 10 load street sweepings
at this city foS Norfolk: steamer Viii
helmna has sailed from a northern port
for Port Tampa to load phosphate rock
Tor this city; schooner Leroy is at
4 Vel pOiiit iOauiii6 loI tllS schooner
Mabel and Ruth has arrived at Edenton
n. c.. to load lumber for this city:
schooner s. Sawyer is at a Virginia
point loading pine lumber for the dealers
here.
The big seagoing barge Patuxent.
which has been lying in Pohick and at
Cherry Hill and other points on the river
taking aboard a cargo of railway ties
for New York. will this week he brought
TO Alexandria To complete her cargo of
about 1900 ties Which. she will carry