372 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



It is given on good authority that 10,000 were caught at one haul at 

 the Stewart fishery, about midway between Wilkes Barre and Plymouth, 

 about 1790. This was called the widows' haul. 



The settlements, after the massacre of July 30, 1778, had so many 

 widows and fatherless children among them, that they made special pro- 

 Tisions of bounty for them on many occasions, which were wrought out 

 in such a way as neither to give offense nor to convey a sense of undue 

 obligation. 



Among the arrangements of this character was that of giving one of 

 the hauls at each fishery, every year, to the widows and fatherless of 

 the neighborhood, and hence called the widows' haul. By common con- 

 sent it was agTeed that the widows should have a haul made of the first 

 Sunday after the season of shad-fishing commenced, and they were to 

 have all caught, whether more or less. 



This big haul was made on Sunday. 



At the rate I have given, which is made up more from general infor- 

 mation upon the subject than from statistics, the number of fish caught 

 annually was about a half a million, which at 30 cents each would make 

 8150,000. 



Were the Susquehanna as well stocked with shad to-day as it was a 

 hundred years ago, our keen and hungry fishermen would easily double 

 the catch, and still, like Oliver Twist, " cry for more." 



I recollect seeing, in the spring of 1826, a haul made in a cove at the 

 lower end of Wintermoot Island, west side, numbering 2,800 shad. When 

 thrown out they whitened a large space upon the shore. 



Being the first haul of the season, the fish were largely distributed 

 among the people, and even after that, my grandfather had a half barrel 

 for his right as owner of the seine and fishery. 



About 1831 or '32, in the fall, an unusual catch of eels was made in a 

 weir on the east side of Wintermoot Island. During one day and night 

 2.700 of them were caught, while many escaped from want of means to 

 handle them and take them away as fast as they came in. Another day 

 and night 900 of them were caught, when the basket floated oft' with the 

 high water. 



I herewith give you copies of two papers in my possession bearing 

 upon the shad-fishery question. It wiU be seen by one of them that the 

 price of shad in the early times was M. or 4^ cents each ; quite a different 

 price from what tkey sell at in our day. 



Tear the dam from the Susquehanna and we shaU have plenty of shad, 



if not at M. each. 



Yours, 



S. JENKiyS. 



"Be it known that I, Pet^r Shafer, have sold all my right in and unto 

 all my right in the Dutch fishery, so called, below the Nanticoke Falls, 

 so called ; for and in consideration thereof I, Jacob Cooley, do promise 



