Evening star., 1945-04-01
When It's Fishing Time on the Potomac
Star stsn Photo.

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 reference
to that part Of the Avenue between
Ninth and Tenth streets NV.
Christian Hines, a pioneer writer on
historic Washington, falls only block
short of F street when he relates that
when the tides were high fish would
come up the little stream as high as E
street, especially the smaller kind, such
as perch, smelts, eels, etc."
1t is the belief Of the writer tnar
the source of the stream which ran
around Ninth and F streets was In
Franklin Square between Thirteenth
and Fourteenth and I and K streets,
NV, where about decade ago brick
reservoir was unearthed in the middle
of Thirteenth street. There were several
springs in this block and in its lmme-
diate vicinity which, when their now
was joined together, must have pro-
duced a good volume Of water.
An Old Midtown Stream
The stream flowing from this square
flowed southwark, changing to a
southeasterly course where stands the
New Masonic Temple at H and Thir-
teenth streets until it reached Ninth and
F streets, near where it picked up st.
Patrick's spring, which helped to swell
its volume, and where 1t changed
its course to a southwesterly direction,
continuing on to below the Avenue,
where 1t emptied into the I1oer.
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
little southeast of the corner Of Eleventh
and H streets, where formerly stood the
Lutheran Church, but now occupied by
the new building of the Washington Gas
Light Co.
The late John B. Larner once told the
writer that the stream after leaving
Ninth and F streets crossed under where
is now the west end Of the Washington
Loan 81 Trust Building. st. Patricks
spring at various times was known also
as Federal spring, Hotel spring, Burnes
spring and Caf1rey's, 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 always on the
same spot.
Unfortunately. little is known of
Father Caffrey, except that he is be-
lieved to have come to this city from
Ireland about 1892, at the suggestion of
his countryman and friend James Ho-
ban, architect of the White House and
first worshipful master of Federal Lodge
of Masons of this city. Hoban was first
buried in st. Patrick's churchyard, then
in the same block with the church.
When building operations caused the
bodies here inferred to be removed,
Hoban's body was removed to Holmead's
Cemetery, and subsequently found a
final and present resting place in Mount
Olivet Cemetery, on Bladensburg road.
St. Patrick's Spring
st. Patrick's spring, according to DR..
Busey, first attracted attention during
the mayoralty of Robert Brent, WASH
ington's first Mayor, 1802-1812, when its
faJ iv,to
of sandtone. 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,
Erected by the voluntary contributions
of the citizens of Washington during the
mayoralty of Robert Brent"
During the existence Of the Board Of
Public Works, the grade off street in
this vicinity was given q severe cut, as
can be clearly seen by the slopging lawn
along the south side of the old Patent
once Building. Because Of this, 1t is
said, the spring was then abandoned and
the stones Of the reservoir, at the request
of some old citizens, preserved by being
deposited in the Masonic Temple" the
cornerstone of which was laid May 20,
1868.
Some idea of the volume Of st. Pat
rick's spring may be had from what
John Sessford says in his Annals" for
1924: "Cast-iron pipes have been laid
from North G street to F and along F
to Twelfth; thence down Twelfth to
Pennsylvania avenue, distance OF
about 1,700 feet, with seven additional
outlets, besides throwing an additional
supply into the old line, which ends at
Fourteenth street near Williamson's Tav-
ern" (site OF the New Willard. This
spring affords more than two barrels per
minute"
OF course, there were fish in the Tiber,
as up this stream the tide ebbed and
flowed for some distance and before the
coming OF the white man the abo-
rigines had one of their principal fishing
grounds where this stream rounded
Capitol Hill, and here Indian tribes are
said to have made periodical visits~for
the main purpose Of catching fish. From
about Seventh to Fourteenth street,
along Pennsylvania avenue, the same
conditions existed for some years after
the Government departments were
moved here in 1900, and at times when
the tide fell, large numbers of catfish
were caught and carried home by early
residents.
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