Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-03
GENERAL NEWS GATHERED
ALONG THE RIVER FRONT

More OF the fleet Of Potomac river
steamers are lying idle at the wharves at
this city than are now In service. This
condition will last until early spring. when
the spring schedules of the various steam
boat companies go into effect.
During the summer months twelve
steamers were employed in running ex-
cursions and upon routes to points along
the river Today, exclusive of the steam
ers to Norfolk and Old Point, there are
but three boats in service. and they are
making but seven trips per week to river
points. Before the winter schedules went
into effect steamers leaving here for lower
Potomac points made twenty-one trips
per week.
Lying at the different wharves with
only caretakers aboard are the steamers
Wakefield and Estelle Randall OF the
Washington and Potomac Steamboat Com
pany fleet the steamer Charles Macales~
ter of the Mount Vernon line. and st.
Johns. Queen Anne. T. V. Arrowsmith
Jamestown Jane Moseley and River
Queen OF the excursion fleet. During the
coming weeks these boats will all be given
thorough overhauling and will be made
ready to resume their routes during the
coming spring and summer.
More Ice made on the river and in the
harbor Friday night than before this win
ter Unless warmer weather comes ii is
will soon make.
Yesterday morning the sheet OF ice was
from quarter to half-inch thick. not
enough to interfere with navigation to
any appreciable extent, although steam
launch employed in towing work about
the harbor hung up in 1t and had to be
broken out by the army tug Lieutenant
AlonZo Gushing.
While the ice is thin It is hard and cuts
the wooden hu!ls of unprotected vessels
a n
into port with oysters and returning to
lower river points are sheathing their
boats with planking to protect the hulls.
Four Mile run and other tributaries or
the river in this vicinity are covered with
ice from an inch to two inches In thick
ness.
during these days when little is thrown
over board from vessels and seagulls and
other aquatic birds are having hard
time to find something to eat the outlet
of the big trunk sewer. short distance
below the Firth Sterling steel plant wharf.
has proven godsend to them.
Yesterday afternoon there was flock
of a hundred or more birds about the
point where the water from the sewer
bubbles up to the surface OF the Potomac.
picking up the kitchen scraps that pass
through the screens at the big sewer
plant and out into the river. This gath
erng of the birds is daily occurrence.
Arrived: Steam lighter Daniel K. Jack
son, lumber from a down-river point for
the dealers; schooners William II. Bixler.
w. H. Whiting and Willie Clarence. oys-
tiers in the shell from lower Potomac
points: tug Camilla. with a tow from the
mouth of the river; schooner Hattie c.
Laird. oysters In the shell from Ches-
apeake Bay point: unnamed scow. cord
wood from Aqua creek; tug Resale. with
a tow of scows for Piscataway creek.
Sailed: Schooner William H. Mcguire.
light for Nomini creek: power yacht Da-
| Gotta. on a cruise to the lower river; bug
eye James o. Wright, light for the Po-
| tomac oyster beds to load back to this
city; tug G. w. Pride, with tow for
Piscataway creek; tug Camilla, with
tow of light vessels for down-river points:
tug Meade. with tow for a down-river
point.
Memoranda: Power barge Louisa is In
Nomini creek loading cord wood: schooner
r. A. Moulton is lying light at the 9th
street wharf waiting orders; bugeye Win
ME Windsor is at river point loading
oysters in the shell for this market; United
States Army steamer Gen. Robert Swart-
won't sailed from Port Adams. Mass, De-
cember 81, for Fort Washington: bugeye
Imperial is at a river point loading for
this city.
Early in the week the bottom timber
for large lighter to be built for local
order will be laid at CumberlandS boat
yard at the foot of 9th street southwest
The lighter is to be 80 feet long and 80
feet beam. making her one OF the largest
V6SSeiS OF neT hlilu tHc II
is expected that with good weather the
construction of the craft will require
about two months or ten weeks. When
completed it will be used for handling
railway ties and cord wood about the
river.
The berth now occupied by the steamer
ST. Johns at the Colonial Beach line wharf
will be occupied by the steamer Wakefield
while the St. Johns is at Baltimore
shipyard being overhauled and made
ready for her summer service. The re-
pair work to the Wakefield will be done at
this berth. and before the st. Johns re-
turns it is expected that the Wakefield will
have gone to a shipya ard for her annual
overhauling of hull under water. Berth
ing room for steamboats, is at a premium
just now in the harbor.