Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1933-01-08

gentleman who resided for some time at Mount
Vernon after the Revolutionary War and who
afterward wrote:
From Gen. Washingtons house. which
stands on the lofty banks of the Potomac,
have seen for several hours together, in a
Summers evening" hundreds, perhaps / might
say thousands, of sturgeon at a great height
above the water at the same instant. so that
the quantity in the river must have been in
conceivably great"
From another source we find it stated:
"* Sturgeon also abounds in the Po-
tomac and are of enormous size, weighing from
rs to $50 pounds. 1t comes UP the river twice
year, which is in the months of May and Au-
gust-presses up to the very foot of the first
falls and is taken in the greatest quantities with
in the District in times of freshets in the strong
water between Georgetown and those falls
They taken either in floating nets, with
large mesheS, or by an ingeniously contrfved
hook, not baited, but by curious device, pre-
pared to pierce him on the body SO certainly,
and so deeply as to hold him and bring him
in. This latter mode of taking the stur-
geon is believed to be peculiar to the Potomac.
So soon as the sturgeon is hung, he
makes off with great strength and swiftness,
the line is plaid out to give him play, and the
little boat, if before stationary, is cast loose,
so that when the line is out the boat to which
rapidly through the water that her bows are
brought almost under; his speed, however, pres
emily slackens, mis- strength exhausted, and he
yields himself up to be drawn in and hoiSted
on board An instance occurred near the Lit
tie Falls some years ago, of the strength and
power of this fish. A noted fisherman whose
name is well known had incautiously made fast
one end of the line to his leg, and having hung
sturgeon, was dragged overheard and drawn
nf hyy 70 40 -, AI.a
sometimes above and sometimes under water.
but from his intrepidity and skill in swimming.
he was enabled to get through this perilouS
conflict safely, and to conquer the sturgeon and
stow him safely shore without the aid Of
his boat
THE Anacostia River, the Eastern Branch
as it is generally called proved quite profit
able as a fishing ground from the earliest
days OF the city and even as recent as the late
7Os seine hauling was a familiar Spring sight
both above and below the Navy Yard bridge,
particularly on the shores of the Divan, Tai
burtt and Barry farms, opposite Buzzard Point
and the Navy Yard. Giesboro Point also had
valuable fishing rights. Undoubtedly it was
the lay of the land across the Eastern Branch,
and to the southeast of the property to be oc-
cupied by the power company, as wen as the
vast quantities Of fish to be found in the waters
SiooC ny, prompted the NeCOCnCdnk In
dians to settle there, and, no doubt, the vul-
lures frequented this neighborhood to feed upon
the remains of the fish washed upon the shore
and left there to die and because of this it is
logical to assume that the place received the
name Buzzard Point.
After the city was laid out into lots and
squares, and James Greenleaf Robert Morris
and John Nicholson came here and invested
their fortunes, that part of Buzzard Point to
the west of James Greek became generally
known as Greenleaf Point while the point to
the east of the creek retained its original name.
But all did not go smooth with these early
SPECTATORS, and we find, on March "a, 1901
that the first suit growing out of the trouble.
some affairs of these gentlemen was filed a
the new Circuit Court on that date, ana the
press comments as follows:
The opeFationsqof' these gentlsn1eq8 r,1a. AS