Peninsula Enterprise, June 27, 1891
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Fields -- Livestock - HorsesTransportation -- Road - Livestock dealers
Mr. Thos. H. Melson returns home to-day from Baltimore, with a drove of horses suitable for farm and road. He proposes to sell them at once at a low margin profit.
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Infrastructure -- Public : Churches
Consecration of the Catholic Church, Cape Charles [City], Va., Sunday, June 28, 1891. Grand Pontifical Mass at 10 a. m. Sermon by an eminent preacher. Grand Pontifical Vespers at 3:30 p. m. Sermon by Bishop Curtis. Choir from Norfolk.
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Moral -- Alcohol
Rev. W. W. Wood delivered an eloquent and impressive temperance lecture in Methodist Church, at Drummondtown, Thursday night. Several persons were convinced it was their duty to join the temperance order at this place.
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African-Americans -- Race relations
Levin Lilliston, colored, a familiar figure in our town, kindly remembered for his obliging manners and usefulness in attending promptly to calls around the offices, churches, stores and hotel, died on Monday last. His funeral on Tuesday was largely attended not only by the colored people but by many of his white friends.
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Tourists and sportsmen -- Other recreation - Boat racing
A bateaux race is announced to come off at Metompkin inlet on the 9th of July, under the auspices of amateur sportsmen of our town. Captains L. James Gunter, Thos. W. Russell, J. Wesley Coleburn and Edward T. Edmonds, will give exhibitions of their skill on the occasion in handling the helms of the boats which admiring friends have named for them. The race is to be for a purse of $10 contributed by them. The
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Infrastructure -- Public - Government : Lighthouse serviceSea -- Fish factoriesSea -- Finfish - Catch : DrumSea -- Shellfish - Oystering : SeasideSea -- Shellfish - Oystering : Law enforcementInfrastructure -- Public - Government : Life-saving service
Chincoteague.
The bricks and cement for oil house on Assateague, has arrived on schooner Palestine.
The fish factory of Capt. Theodore Hall will begin operations next Monday. He will give employment to quite a number of our citizens, and deserves and has the best wishes of our people for success in his enterprise.
A catch of five hundred drum fish or more was made by Capt. Wm. Bunting, member of firm Bunting & Sons, at one haul, a few days ago. They were sold here at 25 cents each, and resold to parties from Atlantic, Va., to Dover, Del.
Mr. E. A. Jeffries, the new oyster inspector, is taking steps to prevent the catching of small oysters in his jurisdiction during the summer months, and our citizens generally approve of his action in the matter.
Every station house in this district is to be renovated and new ones will be built at Ocean City and Fenwick Island. A large boat house will also be built between Assateague and Pope's Island.
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Sea -- Shellfish - Clamming : SeasideSea -- Shellfish - Clamming : Prices
Greenbackville.
The clam market is a little flat just at this writing, clams having declined in price here, from $2.25 down to $1.25 per thousand with but a limited demand at the latter figures.
The schooner Peter J. Hart, Capt. Wm. K. Collins, is overdue here by 8 or 10 days and some little uneasiness is being felt by the people on that account, but it is to be hoped, that the schooner and crew will turn up at the proper time, all right.
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Sea -- Fish factories
Hoffman's Wharf.
The steamers Hawkins and Veasey, of the American Fish Guano Co.'s fleet, left Sunday morning, for Round Pond, Maine, where they will engage in fishing in the waters of the Maine coast.
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Infrastructure -- Public : TownsSea -- Shellfish - Clamming : BaysideSea -- Shellfish - Clamming : Prices
Marsh Market.
A building boom is ours at present -- both in dwellings and boats.
The decline in price has knocked the bottom out of our clam industry for the present. Fish very scarce in our waters.
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Transportation -- Water - Freight
Onancock.
Over 2,00 barrels of Irish potatoes were shipped this week from Onancock.
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Infrastructure -- Commercial - BrickyardsInfrastructure -- Public : ChurchesInfrastructure -- Commercial - Real estate
Parksley.
The Parksley Brick and Tile Co., is burning a large kiln of bricks.
Plans for the Baptist Parsonage have been received from the architect.
The plans for the M. P. Church are in the hands of Dr. A. D. F. Ewell, and bids advertised for.
Parks & Melon have sold their house on Bennett St., to P. W. Parks, and will build another for rent of sale.
County Roads.
Transportation -- Road - Maintenance
EDITOR ENTERPRISE -- Enclosed please find a letter received from Orris A. Browne a few days ago, and as there are many good suggestions in reference to the manner of working the roads contained therein, think probably some of our overseers would be benefitted in reading it, so you will please find space in your paper to publish the same, and oblige
Yours very truly,
Chas. P. Finney.
Finney's wharf, June 19th, 1891.
My Dear Sir: -- In reply to your request, received through the letter of Mr. Spencer F. Rogers, that I give you my experience in working county roads. I do so with pleasure, and believe, if you adopt it, you will see good results. Make a road bed 18 feet wide down the centre of the road and no more; if wider, the work is increased to no advantage. Roads want looking after often; you should therefore divide your men into lots of five, and call on five and no more at one time. The most important work is to cut the water off the road, as soon as it stops raining. Water on the road does all the harm; no hole can be made in our roads without water to help make it; no wheel, no matter how much weight is on it, can make a hole in the roads without water to soften the spot. After the water is run out of the hole and while the bottom is quite moist or wet, fill it with clay or other suitable soil: and it will unite with the sides of the hole, forming one mass, and if very sticky on top a little sand, say one inch deep will repair that hole for all time to come, if brought to the proper level. If you attempt to fill dry holes, the walls of which are hard, by constant rubbing of wheels, the dirt you put in will not unite with the sides of the holes, and it will soon be thrown out again, leaving the hole just as it was before you worked on it. Go on your road as you often as you can, especially in wet weather, and farmers can best spare this time. The work on our roads need not be laborious, but they need attention often; the old adage of "a stitch in time, saves nine;" you will find fully verified in road work. If you should attempt to fill holes when dry, the walls of them will have to be dug up and the whole mass throughly mixed, or it will be thrown out by the wheels. The modes I pursue are, for repairing, and keeping in order any kind of roads; as you improve your roads, the less work will have to be done, but the frequency of repairs will not diminish. You will understand that I have treated this road question only from the standpoint of a road surveyor or overseer, under the law as it now stands, because nothing better is provided for you to work with. The most economical means of making roads by machinery, I have said nothing of, because it is not practical in your case. I make my roads now, with a road machine (I have two of them) and can repair five miles of road in one day, with one man and four mules on a road machine; you see the cost is very little to do it this way, about one dollar per mile, and if done four times a year, they will be in excellent condition. The cost therefore would be four dollars per mile, per year, or twelve hundred dollars per mile a year to keep all the roads in Accomack county, in order. This refers to keeping in repairs; the making of road would cost more; but I am sure the roads can be put in fine condition with machinery, if the system was once introduced and resolutely pushed forward.
Good roads on the Eastern Shore will be of more value to the people than all other material benefits of National, State or County governments for the past ten years. To have them is easy, if properly sought, and expense will be light; less than the present plan of spending the money -- which seldom gets down on the ground. Well equipped team and good practical sense at the head of it, who shall be well paid, and devote all of his time to the work will accomplish the desired results. Road making should be second to no other work, but the first importance with those in charge of the work. If these views are worth anything to you, it will be a pleasure to me to have written this letter.
Yours very truly,
Orris A. Browne.
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fields -- Crops - White potatoes : Pricesfields -- Crops - White potatoes : Quality control
The extract below from "price current" of Gordon & Wilson, commission merchants, New York, under date of 20th inst., is published for the benefit of the shippers of potatoes from the Eastern Shore, who continue to "rush" them to market to the detriment not only of themselves but of all our people. It is humiliating to us, that the glut of a market should be attributed to the folly of our people and the burden becomes a galling one when the loss is taken into consideration. Past losses, present depression in the market due to their haste in forwarding their potatoes, and the daily counsel of commission merchants to them to hold their potatoes until ripe, seem to have no influence, however, with our shippers but despite the evidence, of folly of our people, we venture the advice once again, so often repeated by us and which common sense teaches us is right, if your potatoes are ripe, send them to market, if not, have a proper regard for your own as well as the interests of others and hold them until they are:
Shipments from Charleston and Savannah, have fallen off materially and the season for these is now about over but from N.C. and Va., we have had heavy supplies, of irregular quality, the Eastern Shore district sending a very large quantity, most of which has been small, immature stock, very poorly culled or not culled at all. Prices have fallen heavily and the market closes in pretty bad shape, chiefly owing to the effect of a glut of theses small green Eastern Shore potatoes. Much better results would have certainly been obtained had growers left their potatoes in the ground until well grown. Prices opened on Monday at $5.00 @ 5.50 for prime Norfolk and N. C. Rose, Savannah and Charleston lots going at about the same range. There was no material change in the market on Tuesday, arrivals being moderate, but on Wednesday, there was decided weakness and while a few of the fanciest marks of Rose were placed up to $5.25 early in the day the bulk of business was at $4.50 @ 5.00, and for Eastern Shore receipts $4.00 @ 4.75 was the ruling range. Prices continued to ease off on Thursday, and to-day (Friday) under very heavy receipts the market is dragging heavily at decidedly lower figures, largely owing to a glut of common qualities. At the close about the best lines of Norfolk and N.C. Rose can be bought at $3.50 @ 4.00 and of Chili Red at $3.50 @ 3.75. A few marks of Eastern Shore stock are good enough to reach $3.50, but the price is extreme, the great bulk of the stock going at about $3.00 with many lots of very small and green offering down to $2.50.
In this connection, a book recently published by S. H. & E. H. Frost, well known commission merchants of New York, entitled "Farmer's Friend", is commended to the shippers of the Eastern Shore. The small sum of twenty-five cents only is charged for it, and it is full of useful suggestions as to the manner of putting up, marking and shipping produce to market. Some idea of its value may be inferred from the following extract, very appropriate in this connection, in reference to the shipment of potatoes:
Assort with care, sending only those that are large, smooth, sound and as uniform in size as possible. Small potatoes mixed with large ones do not increase their bulk much, but add to the weight, and damage the sale, so that they bring no return, and actually depreciate the value of the full-sized ones with which they are mixed. Use strong sound, uniform-sized barrels. Shake down very thoroughly, and fill so full that the head will press very tightly upon the potatoes.