Evening star., 1909-01-24
GENERAL NEWS GATHERED
ALONG THE RIVER FRONT

A small mountain of oyster shells, the
residue from the oyster-shucking plants
on the 1lth street wharf back of the fish
and oyster houses on the east side of the
pier. is slowly growing. Judging from
the size of the pile. many thousand bush
els OF oysters have been brought to and
shucked at the wharf since the opening
of the oyster season last fall.
These shells do not show all the oysters
that have been handled at the oyster
wharf this season. Possibly half of the
total receipts have been sold to uptown
dealers and have been taken away to be
shucked and sold. The pile does show.
however, that oysters have been plentiful
this season and that the people of Wash
ington are fond of them. and that they
appear on tables in Washington with con-
siderable frequency.
This shell pile will be considerably re-
duced in size during the spring and sum-
mer by the vessel loads that will be taken
down the river to replenish worked-out
beds and by the quantities that will be
used In road building and for. other pur-
poses Shells scattered thickly over de-
pleted oyster beds are soon covered with
seed oysters that in three or four years
become of a marketable size.
The army tug Gen. Warren, attached 10
the engineers Office at this city, is now at
West Point Va, looking after improve
The York, with the Potomac, Rappahan-
mock and other navigable tributaries of
Chesapeake bay in Virginia. is under the
jurisdiction of Col. j. J. Morrow. Engi-
neer Corps.
The Warren often has to make trips
down the bay with officials of the ensi-
neers' office aboard. Her headquarters
are at this city, but she has spent con-
siderable time in other sections OF the
| district in the past six or eight months.
ha infa fisher
men II there is no ice before the first
| of the month it Is probable that trap
| nets will be set out and that the hshing
| industry on the river will start opera
| tions. Two or three years ago the catches
| of perch. cats, bass. mullets. carp and
! other varieties of fresh-water fish were
| heavy In the upper waters OF the river.
For the past year or two the nsh seem 10
have deserted the Potomac. FISHERMEN
| have been receiving but little return for
hard labor.
| Indications all point to a good season
| this winter and spring. Along the river
net operators are putting their outfits In
| good trim for the seasons work. Within
| the next two weeks several boats with
| winter fishing crews aboard Will leave
here for the lower part OF the Potomac.
| Arrived Schooner Blanch Hayward,
| oysters in the shell from a lower river
| point: tug Camilla with a tow from Point
| Lookout; tug Meade, towing sand and
gravel laden scows for Georgetown: bug
eve Nettie May oysters from Potomac
bed for this market.
| Sailed Schooner William trich, light,
| for a bay point to load back to this city;
tug James o. Carter. with a tow for
Point Lookout: schooner ]. 7. Brenner.
| light, for down-river point to load:
tug Pride with tow for Piscataway
| creek; bugeyes Pollard and Shining
| Light, light, for the Potomac oyster beds
| to load back to this port.
Memoranda: Schooner A. III. Quinby
has been chartered to load lumber on
the Rappahsnnock for this port: barge
Laura V. Grove has arrived light at Nor
| folk from this city: barges Potomac.
| Nansemond and Totuskey are at Balti-
more from this port: schooner Cheribum
has sailed from Baltimore for the James
river to load lumber: schooner Advocate
| is at Baltimore from Potomac point
with lumber aboard.
| The three asted schooner Annie
| Grace, which unloaded a cargo OF lumber
| at Georgetown. is being overhauled and
| fitted with a new mast al Baltimore
shipyard preparatory to loading coal for
| a southern port.
| The steam barge Lily & Howard which
| was sold about two weeks ago by Carter
e. Clark of this city to parties in New
| York has been docked at Baltimore, SO
! that the steamboat inspectors could eX-
| anime her hull Should any repairs be
! found necessary they will be made be-
fore the vessel resumes her trip to New
York.