Peninsula Enterprise, January 14, 1888
Untitled
Farmers -- Farmers' organizations
At the recent meeting of the Farmers Assembly in Richmond, John J. Gunter, Benj. W. Mears and Dr. J. E. Mapp attended as delegates from Accomac and Thomas M. Scott, Charles H. Morgan and Dr. A. Brockenbrough as delegates from Northampton.
Untitled
Moral -- Property crime
Mr. Wm. Wigton, Parksley, has recovered his pocket-book and papers but the $90 it contained was appropriated by the finder.
Untitled
Fields -- Livestock - Horses
Mr. Woods Scott, Bayview, Northampton, refused last week an offer of $500 for a Signet colt, 3 years old next spring. He has never been in harness but once and then showed a 4 minute gait.
Untitled
Tourists and sportsmen -- Other recreation - Fraternal orders
At a late meeting of Beacon Lodge, A. O. U. W., Grangeville, the following officers were elected: J. L. Ayres, M. W., T. J. Killmon, Foreman; L. D. Drummond, Overseer; L. C. Mears, Recorder; J. H. Turner, Financier; G. T. Benson, Receiver; J. P. Drummond, Guide, W. E. Bird, I. W., F. T. Stockley, O. W. -- L. J. Hyslop, Representative.
Untitled
Infrastructure -- Public - Government : Life-saving serviceInfrastructure -- Utilities - Water Tourists and sportsmen -- Field sports - LodgesMoral -- VandalismInfrastructure -- Public : Churches
Chincoteague.
Capt. B. S. Rich, paymaster of the Life Saving Stations, dropped quite a neat little sum in our midst on his quarterly round last week. Four of the stations are manned by citizens of Chincoteague, the crews of which received $875 per quarter -- in the aggregate $3,500.
A depth of 200 feet has been reached by Messrs. G. R. Risley & Son, contractors, in boring the artesian well on Assateague and the water so far is as salty as that of the Atlantic ocean.
The club house on upper end of island was burned on last Sunday night. It was built last year by Mr. Stokes, of Berlin, Md., and other sportsmen, to protect them from the weather while gunning here. The fire was evidently the work of some villain jealous of what he considered an invasion of his rights by them. Loss, $1,000.
Our M. P. Church will be dedicated on Sunday 22nd. Services will be held during the entire day, conducted by the pastor, Rev. Benj. Truitt, assisted by Revs. A. D. Melvin of Pocomoke City, J. L. Strong, G. J. Smith, and other prominent ministers. It will be an interesting day to those fond of pulpit oratory.
Untitled
African-Americans -- Racial violenceMoral -- AlcoholForests -- Barrel factories Transportation -- Railroad - Personnel
Hallwood.
The negro riot in Mappsville has stirred up some feeling here. If our white brothers of Seaside want any help, they can count Hallwood in. We are white.
Hallwood, although a local option neighborhood, is far from being dry. -- Mire and clay predominate, and any christian due here would do well to bring a rock to stand on.
In spite of the dampness business booms. A. F. Mears reports immense sales of cod-fish and other luxuries. G. B. Jones' mills are again running at full blast. Mr. Jones has facilities for turning out 1,000 barrels per day.
E. P. Smith, the esteemed track foreman of our subdivision, was tendered a surprise party, Saturday evening, the 7th inst., and was presented with a gold watch and chain. The Hallwood glee club were among the surprisers and rendered several charming songs with grand effect. R. A. Barnes, A. F. Mears' popular clerk, made the presentation address. Robert is an embryo M. C., and will be an addition to that body. The only drawback to the occasion was a premature explosion of a keg of beer which had been frozen.
Mr. Groten while going to bed last p. m., fell through the floor and had to be chiseled out of an iron pot which he says he fell into. Mr. G. is badly bruised. The popular verdict is bug juice. Such is the ups and downs in Hallwood.
Untitled
Transportation -- Water - Boat buildingTransportation -- Road - MaintenanceInfrastructure -- Commercial - Real estate
Leemont.
Our village now looks like a ship yard. Capt. Wm. J. Lewis is building a yacht, in which he will make a tour South in the early spring as far as Florida. -- Mr. Levin Richardson will soon have completed a full rigged clipper which he says is intended as a pleasure boat for the accommodation of Baptist ministers only and Mr. A. J. McCready is the builder of a gunning boat, to be propelled by noiseless wheels, in which he proposes to slaughter wild fowl by the ton.
Some of the roads in the vicinity of Leemont are almost impassable.
Mrs. Susan Mason has sold her farm, located near Parksley, to Miss Elizabeth Chadbourne, of Boston, for $900, and purchased of Mr. Geo. P. Parks real estate near Guilford for $700.
Untitled
Transportation -- Road - MaintenanceInfrastructure -- Commercial - MillineriesWomen -- Work - Outside the home
Wachapreague.
Our roads are in an execrable condition.
Our town still continues to improve -- a handsome millinery store recently completed has been occupied by Mrs. W. F. Hudson.
License Law.
Moral -- Alcohol
The following petition now being circulated for signatures will be presented to our General Assembly:
To the General Assembly of Virginia:
The undersigned citizens of the county of Accomac, respectfully petition your Honorable Body, to so amend and re-enact chap. II of chap. 150 of Acts of Assembly 1883 -- 4. providing for the mode of obtaining license for the sale of ardent spirits so as to embody the following features:
1. That No. 5 and No. 6 of chap. II of chap. 150 of Acts of Assembly 1883-4 referring to bar room license be repealed.
2. That license to sell by the drink, wine, spiritous or malt liquors, or any mixture of them, to be drunk in or at the place of sale, shall only be granted to keepers of licensed ordinaries, and that any party obtaining such license, shall enter into a bond in the penalty of five hundred dollars ($500), and as his sureties the court shall require at least twelve freeholders and heads of families, residing within _____ miles of the house to be licensed.
3. That upon conviction of any violation of the license law, by a party so licensed, the court shall immediately declare forfeited the license of such party, and such license shall not be again granted said person, or to any person at said house, so long as the party convicted shall live therein, or control the same.
License to sell liquor by retail, otherwise than by the drink, shall be granted in accordance with the laws now in force, but no person having a license to sell liquor by the drink, shall have a license to sell otherwise than by the drink, and vice versa.
The amount of the license in both cases to be fixed at such an amount as will in the opinion of your Honorable Body, place the sale of liquor in the hands of reliable men.
Public School Notice.
Infrastructure -- Public - Government : School administration
Number of schools in operation, 69; No. of pupils enrolled, 3,766; No. of pupils in average daily attendance, 2,819; No. of schools visited by Supt., 19; No. of tax receivable warrants issued by Supt., 69; amount of said warrants, $2,129.60. Teachers are actively engaged and interested in their work, and are being co-operated with by the trustees and patrons of the various schools, and children are showing marked progress in their studies.
Untitled
Sea -- Finfish - Methods : Hand lineSea -- Finfish - Methods : Pound-netSea -- Finfish - Catch : MackeralSea -- Finfish - Catch : Shad and herringNatural resources -- Conservation - ResourcesSea -- Finfish - Legislation
MR. EDITOR. -- Having learned that a petition to be presented to our Legislature is being circulated for signatures, "To stop fishing with pound nets, fykes, &c., in the Chesapeake and its tributaries, within the bounds of Accomac and Northampton," beg leave through the columns of the ENTERPRISE to place a few facts in connection with the business before the people, believing that but few signatures can be obtained if the matter is thoroughly understood.
1. The business is a great source of revenue to these two counties, yielding each season from $75,000 to $100,000 which is distributed among about 800 men, the larger portion of it for labor, the balance to our merchants for provisions, etc.
2. A certain class of the men who are engaged in the business are almost and in many instances entirely dependent upon it for a support for themselves and their families, and another class of men have a large amount of money invested in boats, nets and other fixtures necessary to the business. The injury, therefore, which would result to both classes if the law was repealed, can be readily seen. In this connection, it should be noted too, that the men thus employed are watermen, who could not be induced to work on the farm, and who if deprived of this means of livelihood, would seek other homes or make a very poor living at best.
3. There has been a larger quantity of many kinds of fish in the Chesapeake bay in the last two years, than in the 25 years preceding them, despite the declarations made by some that they would be destroyed if the manner of catching them in question was to continue. It was prophesied a few years ago for instance, that herring would become extinct if the manner of catching them as indicated above was permitted, but on the contrary, the quantity caught in the last two years has made them of so little value that the fishermen frequently turn them out after catching them -- and the same is equally true of other kind of fish, the herring being mentioned because there are so many used for salting purposes, it is therefore a staple in the markets. In this connection it should be noted that fish of all kinds nearly are migratory and in their passage up the coast in the spring, whether they enter the bay or not depends upon the wind and weather so that to protect the fish it would be necessary to prevent fishing from Maine to the Gulf of Mexico. As our Legislature cannot enact such a law to prevent the fish from moving, why deprive our people of the privilege of catching them? Again the fact should be taken into consideration that there are about 60 miles of the Chesapeake bay in Virginia, the balance 130 miles being Maryland. If it were possible for the petitioners to the Legislature to stand on the line and say to the fish, this far shalt thou go and no further, then there might be some show of protection for the time being, by preventing fishing in our part of the bay, but as that is impossible -- the fact being that nearly all varieties of fish, taylors, mackerel, sheephead, indeed, all the best varieties pass up the bay into Maryland as far as the Patapsco, many as far as the Susquehanna, would not the repeal of the fish law in question be discriminating against our citizens, in favor of the citizens of Maryland, inasmuch as fishing in the latter State is permitted during the entire season? Would not the heavier catch, which they would therefore, make be a gross injustice to our citizens?
4. The complaint made about the destruction of small fish by pounds needs no refutation, the fact being too well known to be disputed, that the sharks, bonitos and other worthless fish caught in the pounds and killed, destroy more small fish than twice the number of pounds now on the bay could do.
5. Equally trifling is the charge that the mode of fishing in question injures the hook and line fishing. The testimony of some of the oldest inhabitants is to the effect, that they never had better fishing in that way than for the last two years, and if that is not true, it can not be disputed that fish can now be bought at half the cost it would take to catch them, with hook and line. Again, Spanish mackerel are the most profitable fish caught in the pounds, and we would like to know how many of the citizens of the Eastern Shore ever heard of them being caught with a hook and line. The writer knows of but one and that was caught in the wrong end. If there is any difference in the catch of fish with hook and line now than formerly, it is due to the fact that the steamers run some of them daily into the shallow places and necessarily frightened them so that they won't bite, and that being the case why not petition the Legislature to stop the steamers from running? This no sane man would do, nor should they for the sake of the amusement of hook and line fishing even, if it were true, that the amusement was being curtailed by the pounds, &c., be willing to dispense with a revenue which furnishes daily bread to so many people.
With these plain statements of facts, the matter is respectfully submitted to the people of the Eastern Shore by
A SUBSCRIBER.
N. Y., P. & N. R.R. Co.
Transportation -- Railroad - Corporate
The annual meeting of the stockholders of this company will be held at the office of the company in Drummondtown, Accomac county, Virginia, on Monday, the 16th day of January, 1888, at ten o'clock a. m.
WM. CARRIS, JR.,
Secretary.