Evening star., 1951-12-30
Fishing
Catches Once Made
In Downtown D. 6.
By John CIogett Proctor

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 once stood 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 hand
some stores now stand m 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.
1t is my belief that 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.
St. Potrick's Spring
The stream flowing from this
square flowed southwark, changing
to Southeasterly course where
stands the new Masonic. Temple 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 it's
course to a southwesterly direction.
continuing on to below the Avenue.
where it emptied into the Tiber.
The stream, after leaving Ninth
and F streets, crossed under where
is now the west end Of the Washing
ton Loan & Trust Building. st.
Patrick's spring at various times was
also known as Federal spring, Hotel
spring. Burnes' spring and Caffrey's
spring.
st. Patrick's spring, according to
DR.. Busey, first attracted attention
during the mayoralty of Robert
Brent, Washington's first Mayor.
1802-1812, when its water was COL
lected into a reservoir built Of sand
stone. From that reservoir its water
was conveyed in bored logs to the
corner of Pennsylvania avenue and
Twelfth street.
Some idea Of the volume of St.
Patrick's spring may be had from
what John Sessford says in his AN
nails" for 1924: "Cast-iron pipes have
been laid from north G street to r
and along F to Twelfth; thence down
Twelfth to the Pennsylvania ave-
nue., distance of about 1.700 feet.
with seven additional outlets, besides
throwing an additional supply into
the old line. which ends at Four
teenth street near Williamson 8
Tavern" (site of the Willard HoteD
This spring affords more than two
barrels per minute"
Fish in the Tiber
OF course. there were fish in the
Tiber. for up this stream for some
distance the tide ebbed and flowed.
and before the coming of the white
man the aborigines had one of their
principal fishing grounds where this
stream rounded Capitol Hill.
Few of the present generation
realize Just what sort of a stream
>,
in giving his personal recollections.
writes of it as follows:
II wish it was in my power to give
a correct description of Tiber Creek
as it appeared to me in the year
1900, when first walked along it's
banks in company with my brother
Matthew.
Dat e.
great height and immense quantities
of driftWood were brought down by
the current. All along Water street.
Georgetown. might have been seen
people with their hooks catching
wood. and even on the city side. from
the lower bridge on Rock Greek to
the mouth of the Tiber, and from
that to about where Carusi's salon
now stands. the citizens had collected
for the same purpose. The most Of
the wood, however, lodged on the
south side of the creek.
"A number of the citizens went to
Seventh Street Bridge to catch wood.
My brothers Daniel, Jacob, Matthew
and myself had a small boat, Scow-
fashioned, fastened to tree between
Eleventh and Twelfth streets. With
this we padded across the creek and
Joined others who were catching
driftWood.
1--WE then crossed the Tiber with
our cart at the little old bridge at
Seventh street and went down to
where the wood lay, for the purpose
of carting it away; but just as we
were about putting on the first load
we heard it thunder in a northeast
erly direction and saw the heavy
black clouds whirling along at an
awful rate. We had scarcely time to
get our horse and cart up to old
Jacks house, which was not more
than 200 or 800 yards from where we
were, before the rain came pouring
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