Evening star., 1942-09-27
The Fishing Was Good in Old Washington
BY John Clagett Proctor.

BY John Clagett Proctor.
In the carly days of Washington tho
Potomac River and the streams through
out the District were stocked by Nature
with marvellous quantities of fish, and
as matter of fact, for two or three
decades after this territory was taken
over by the Federal Government, it was
possible-at least in some instances-for
one almost to step out into his back
yard and catch enough fish for his
breakfast.
Indeed, though it might require
stretch of ones imagination to believe
it, this almost could have been done at
Ninth and F streets NV, at least for
while after the city was first settled,
and though the fish may not have been
large, they were fish just the same, and
authorities could be quoted in support
of the statement. And this is not the
only place in the downtown section
where fish might have been caught
many years ago.
DR.. Samuel Clagett Busey, in his
washington in the Past" tells us that
years ago fish in abundance were
caught near where the National Hotel
now stands, and as far up as the Masonic
Temple. corner of Ninth and F streets"
Martins District of Columbia and
Virginia Gazetteer" published in 1885,
tells us that within the memory of many
then living "seines have been hauled
and fish taken where handsome stores
now stand in the part of Pennsylvania
avenue in which most business is now
carried on This probably had refer
ence to that part of the Avenue between
Ninth and Tenth streets NV.
Several Springs
Christian Hines, a pioneer writer on
historic Washington, falls only block
short of F. street when he relates that
when the tides we're high, fish would
come up the little stream as high as E
street, especially the smaller kind, such
as perch, smelts, eels, ETC.
It is the belief of the writer that the
source of, the stream which ran around
Ninth and F streets was in Franklin
Square, between Thirteenth and Four
teenth and I and K streets NV, where
about decade ago, in the middle of
Thirteenth street, was unearthed an old
brick reservoir placed there many years
before There were several springs in
this block and in it's immediate vicinity
which, when their flow was joined to-
gether must have produced good
volume of water.
The stream fed by these springs flowed
southwark, changing to southeasterly
course, where stands the Masonic Tenn
pie, at H and Thirteenth streets, until
it reached Ninth and F streets, near
where it picked up st. Patrick's Spring,
which helped to swell it's volume, and
where it changed its course to south
southwesterly direction, continuing on
to below the Avenue, where it emptied
into Tiber Greek.
An idea of the size of the stream may
be had from the recorded statement of
an old citizen, long since dead, who said
that about 1900 the only place it could
be forded with horse and cart was a
little southeast of the corner of Eleventh
and H streets, where once stood the
Lutheran Church and now stands the
Washington Gas Light Co.'S new building.
The late John B. Larner once told the
writer that the stream referred to, after
leaving Ninth and F streets, crossed
under where is now the west end of
the Washington Loan g. Trust Building
st. Patricks Spring at various times was
also known as Federal Spring, Hotel
Spring, Burnes' Spring and Caffreys
Spring, the last mentioned name being
taken from that of Father Anthony
Caffrey, first pastor of st. Patricks
Catholic Church, then, as now, located
In the same block with the spring, though
not on the original spot.
st. Patrick's Spring, according to Dr.
Busey, first attracted attention during
the administration of Robert Brent,
Washington's first Mayor, 1922, when
its water was collected into a reservoir
built of sandstone From that reservoir
its water was conveyed in bored logs to
the corner of Pennsylvania avenue and
Twelfth street. On the capstone of the
reservoir were inscribed the words,