376 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



very early in tlie season ; be had a load of whetstones and I a load of 

 shad. I could have easily gotten rid of my shad on the first day had it 

 not been that the Cai^tain and I had agreed that the whetstones should 

 sell the shad, and vice versa. So it was several days before we got our 

 loads of salt, as the whetstones went terribly slow. 



In 1822 and 1823 I was at Hunt's Ferry, where the shad were plenty. 

 I came to Wilkes Barre in 1830, the early part of the year — the same year 

 the Nanticoke dam was finished ; do not recollect of any shad being 

 caught after that. I recollect of a Mr. Water Greens, who came from 

 New England and settled at Black Walnut Bottom, giving twenty bar- 

 rels of shad for a good Durham cow. 



Miss Mary Coates says : 



I was born in 1803 ; came to Wyoming Valley to live in the year 1823. 

 I remember very well the catching of shad in large numbers by the in- 

 habitants and the cleaning of them along the river shore. I remember, 

 too, that the country people came in crowds during the season from 

 miles away and returned home laden with fish. I remember the anger 

 of Gildersleeve's negress one day, when it was said that Gildersleeve had 

 made her wade out into the river after shad heads. The circumstance 

 was as follows : While cleaning the shad she had cut olf the heads and 

 placed them on a board, saving this most delicate part of the fish for 

 herself, and while she was busy the board, covered with shad heads, 

 was either pushed by some one, or drifted out into the river, when she 

 waded out to get it. Do not know anything of the numbers caught. 

 The j)eople had shad from spring to spring. I do not remember of any 

 shad being caught after the Nanticoke dam was j)ut in. 



Capt. James P. Dennis says : 



I remember the old shad fisheries in the river. There was one just 

 below the bridge at Wilkes Barre, drawn out on the opposite shore j 

 this was called the Bowman fishery. I recollect once holding the shore 

 brail of the seine at this point, when William Alexander held the river 

 brail. There was a fishery on Fish's Island, about three-quarters of a 

 mile below the bridge. 



Jameson Harvey says : 



I was born in 1796. I remember the old shad fishing in the North 

 Branch of the Susquehanna Eiver very well. James Stewart had a 

 fishery opposite my place. The big haul was made at Fish Island fish- 

 ery. I recollect it VQf y well ; they didn't know how many they caught. 

 After all were disposed of that could be, the rest were thrown on the 

 fields, and pretty near stunk us to death; they were landed on the 

 point of the island. There were two seines on Fish Island, one owned 

 by Nanticoke jjarties, the other by Buttonwood parties, who took turn 

 about fishing. The Mud Fishery was at Steele's Ferry; they drew out 

 on Shawnee side. The Dutch fishery was below the dam on Croup's 

 place. Below Hunlock's Creek was another, that was called a mud 



