Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-02-04
BORINGS IN RIVER BOTTOM
Location of Piers for New Bridge
Across Eastern Branch-Re-
pairs to River Craft.

|
five miles long and that operated at
| Windmill point by Capt. Faunce. with
shore lines. is about four miles long. and
requires a crew of thirty-fvc or forty
men to handle it. though the actual
bringing ashore of the net is done with
steam power
| The Windmill point net alone is 1000
| fathoms, about a mile and third. long.
and when it is laid out in the river
ready to be hauled ashore it looks as If 1t
| could not help catching many thousand
| fish. But the fish are often not within
the sweep of the net and instead of
catching them by the thousands the fish
| crmen are pleased to see them by the
hundreds. Another large net is being
fished at the Gums shore, but 1t is moth
| ing like as large as that at Windmill
point.
To Sound Eastern Branch.
To be used in making soundings in the
| bottom of the Eastern branch, to deter
mine the character of the ground on
which the piers of the new railroad
| bridge will have to be built. large light
err was yesterday taken up the branch to
the site of the bridge and boring machin
cry was installed, but the Indictment
weather prevented operations Yesterday:
Deep holes will be bored through the
soft mud of the branch into the hard
ground underneath and by this method 1t
will be ascertaned whether clay, rock
sand or what underlies the mud and II
piles will have to be driven to give
solid foundation for. the heavy stone
piers the steel structure will rest upon
1t Is stated that several days will be re-
quired for the work and that dozen or
more holes will be sunk in the waterway
To fit her for service, the pile-driving
machine purchased last week from the
| United States Army engineers office by
| Clarke & Winston of this city was yes
| terday taken possession of by her pur-
| chasers and is lying at the wharf foot
| of 10th street southwest. Some little deck
repairs will have to be made to the ma
| chine before it Is ready for service, but
, by the end Of the week it will be ready
to be used where wanted. 1t is stated
| that it will be employed upon the rebuild
| ing Of the electric railway trestle over
| Little Hunting creek and from there 1t
| will be brought to the navy yard to work
| upon the quay walls in process or con-
struction. The engineers service, 1t Is
said. will build new pile driver in the
spring for work in the District.
New Engine on Yacht.
The new engine belonging to the power
yacht Idlewilde. which is on the railway
at Benefits boatyard, has been hoisted
| in position aboard the vessel and is being
connected up and made ready for service.
Unless calculations fail, the yacht will be
ready to be put overheard in the latter
part of this week early in the coming
| week, and 1t Is stated that the owners or
the boat will take a. cruise on her
soon after she Is put overheard. 1t is
also stated that with the new engine,
which will develop fifty horsepower, the
Idlewilde is expected to develop cOnsd-
| erably more speed and to be more availa-
BILE for long-distance cruising. The Idle
wilde is one of the largest vessels OF her
biS oft
| Fishermen who operate trap nets in the
| tributaries Of the Potomac, as well as out
on the main river. are preparing to set
out stakes for the traps, and If no ice
comes within the next week or ten days
the rigging of the nets on the stakes will
be started. The fishermen have been
holding back in putting out nets for fear
of ice coming and carrying them away
when it breaks up, but they are now
| ready to start work as soon as satisfied
| that the chances for a heavy freeze are
slim. Yellow perch should begin to make
their appearance in the river and 1t is
| expected the river will be full of them by
the time the nets are out and that they
will be shipped daily to the market here
by the thousands.
Steamer Has New Boiler.
| Unless considerable cold and bad wealth
er prevetn work aboard the steamer
Daniel X Jackson Capt Owens. her
| owner and master, expects 10 nave Het
| in service by the middle OF this month.
| The Jackson has been laid up at the II
| street wharf snceearly in the fall, and
has had old boiler removed and re-
placed by new and larger one. This is
now being connected up and within few
days will be ready to have steam made
| upon it. AS the boiler is somewhat larger
than the one removed from the steam
er, it is expected that she will be found
| to be faster and more efficient in handling
thon cha hoC
| the increased steam her engine will re-
fceive. The boat will be used for freight
ing on the river when ready for work.
| Capt. Theodore Keen, master of the
| steam yacht GiavOta, belonging to John
| r. Dos Passos of New York. is making
repairs to his vessel to keep her in read
mess for service at any time her owner
may desire to make trip TO his coun-
! try place on the lower Potomac, in West
mOreland county, Va.
! In spite of the coming of colder wealth
er. the looked-for increase in the demand
for oysters in the shell at the 18th street
wharf market has SO far failed to ma
terialize to any great extent Since Satur-
| day night thre or four vessels, with BIZ
valves aboard. have arrived from lower
river points for the local market.
Arrivals.
| Schooners John English, Copia and j.
T. White, oysters in the shell from the
/ lower river UeOS, dt 11tH street WndrT
| for the market; power boat Neddie at
| Alexandria, to load merchandise for
| Potomac point.
| Departures.
Schooner Clara Leonard, light, for
Nomini creek to load lumber or cord
wood back to this city; schooner Grace
G. Bennett. light. for Newbern. N. c..
via Norfolk. to load lumber for the deal
ers here; schooner D. P. milford, from
| Alexandria for river point to load;
schooner Romer. light, from 18th street
wharf to load oysters for the market
here: power boat Neddie from Alexandria
| for Virginia point.
Memoranda.
Schooner Grace G.. Bennett is char
| tered to load merchandise at Norfolk for
Newbern and other points in North Caro-
| lima; schooner Rather is on her way to
| river point to load back to this city;
| schooner Elizabeth Carter has sailed
from Nomini creek for this city with cord
| wood; schooner Belmont is at a Maryland