Evening star., 1947-04-13

ing up the Potomac to spawn,
- and then the rocks In the river
and around Little Falls will be
crowded with amateur fishermen
bent upon snagging their share.
But, however large may be the
quantity of fish caught today, the
huge numbers caught in the Poto-
mac River in the early days Of the
city is almost unbelievable. Then,
at one time, there we're $50 fish,
cries on this river, employing $500
laborers, and the number Of YES
sells engaged were $50, with 1850
men used to navigate them. AL
though the season lasted but about
six weeks, as many as 22,500, 900
shad were taken and 10000, 600
herring caught. For curing the fish
that were to be kept for any length
of time, 995, 900 bushels of salt were
used and an equal number Of bar
rels.
Rock and Sturgeon Caught.
Rock fish also were plentiful in
the Potomac at an early period. On
one occasion, about 3 miles below
Washington, $50 rock, averaging 60
pounds each, were taken at one
haul.
Indeed, less than a hundred years
ago, sturgeon also was plentiful as
far up the river as Little Falls.
These were taken In floating nets
or by an 'ingeniously contrived
hook, not baited, but by curious
device, prepared to pierce him IN
the body so certainly and so deeply
as to hold him and bring him In,
for it is said that as soon as a
sturgeon is hung, he makes of with
great strength and swiftness."
In this connection an instance Is
related that occurred many years
ago, when 1t is said a noted fisher
man of that day, having hung a
sturgeon, made fast one end OF the
line to his leg and was, in conse-
quence, dragged overheard, but as
the story goes: From his intrepidlty
and skill In swimming he was able
to get through this perilous con-
fiict safely and to conquer the stur-
peon and stow him safely on shore,
without the aid of his boat"
An early writer, speaking OF the
surgeons peculiar habit OF occa-
sionally throwing itself out Of the
water, makes this interesting COM
ment: Another singular habit be-
longed peculiarly to this fish, that
of occasionally throwing itself to
a considerable distance above water,
to the height of at least or 10
feet, so that in the pause between
the ascent and descent, the whole
ash is seen suspended in a hori-
zontal position, for a moment, In
the air.
Fatally Injured by Fish.
"They have sometimes fallen In
this way, very much to the discom-
future of those on board, into the
boats plying at the ferry IN George
town, in this district, and an un-
fortunate occurrence took place dur
ing the Revolutionary War, pro-
ductive of a most serious accident
on the North River. A sturgeon
came down from one of these leaps
into ferry boat and on the lap OF
an American officer who was pass
enger and sitting in the stern, ana
with such violence as to break his
thigh and occasion his death
And yet, as remarkable as it may
seem, even the smaller streams that
ran through Washington at times
supplied our grandparents tables
with piscatorial delicacies. And, be-
lieve it or not, DR.. Samuel Clagett
Busey, a perfectly reliable authority,
tells us in his Washington in the
Past" that years ago f1sh 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
The National Hotel then stood on
the northeast corner of Pennsyl-
vania avenue and Sixth street.
Martins District of Columbia and
Virginia Gazette, published in 1885,
tells us that within the memory OF
many then living "seines have been
hauled and fish taken where hand
some 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.
Perch and Smelts on E Street.
Christian Hines, a pioneer writer
on historic Washington, falls only a
block short of F street when he re-
lates 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 that
the source of the stream which ran
around Ninth and F streets was IN
Franklin Square between Thirteenth
and Fourteenth and and K streets
NV, where, in the middle of Thir-
teenth street, was unearthed an Ole
brick reservoir placed there many
years ago. There were several
springs in this block and in its I'M
mediate vicinity, which, when their
flow was joined together. must have
produced a good volume of water.
The stream flowing from this
square flowed southwark, changing
to q southeasterly course where
stands the New Masonic Temple al
H and Thirteenth streets until il
reached Ninth and F streets, neal
where 1t picked up st. Patrick:
spring, which helped to swell it
volume, and where it changed its
course to a southwesterly direction
continuing on to below the Avenue
where it emptied into the Tiber.
An idea of the size of the stream
may be had from the recorded
statement Of an old citizen, Ions
since dead. who said that about the
gear 1900 the only place it could be
forded with a horse and cart was
near the southwest corner Of Elev-
enth and II streets, where stands the
gas Office.
The late John B. Larner once tolc
the writer that the stream, after
leaving Ninth and F streets, crossed