[23] EARLY SHAD FISHERIES OF SUSQUEHANNA RIVER. 641 



made the shad sold for a cent a piece; they sold as many us they could; 

 there wasn't salt enough. In those days they didn't salt down so much 

 pork; they depended upon the shad they caught; they gave the poor a 

 chance after they got all they wanted. People on the West Branch 

 used to own an interest in the Hunlock fishery, and a Mr. McPherson 

 used to come in a boat to get their fish and take them back. They used 

 to come from Easton bringing salt, with which they used to buy fish ; 

 you could get one hundred shad for a bushel of salt. Nanticoke dam 

 was commenced in 1828 and finished in 1830. I only recollect of one 

 shad being caught above the dam since it was put in, and that was on 

 the flats after a big freshet. The people used to go off the bars with 

 as many shad as they could carry; they came in from all around in 

 crowds; they used to camp, and salt their fish down on the banks of the 

 river. Mr. McPherson used to take his boats back to the West Branch 

 loaded. He traded off cider, oil, and whisky. At the time the dam 

 was put in shad were selling for 10 cents and 12 cents each. Widow 

 Stewart used often to take in $30 or $40 of a night for her share of the 

 haul. 



Hunlock's, Dutch, and Mud fisheries were night fisheries. Stewart's 

 and Fish Island were day and night fisheries. Farmers hauling grain 

 to Easton often hauled back hundreds of bushels of salt. Boats com- 

 ing up the river used to bring leather, cider, oil, salt, and iron; going 

 back they would take shad. 



McPherson and Hunlock owned the Hunlock fishery and had a large 

 fish-house. Hunlock got as his share from five to six hundred dollars 

 per year, besides all the shad he could use. We used to have shad un- 

 til shad came again. 



The owners of fish-houses used to have arrangements so that when 

 they ran out of salt they could dry and smoke the shad, as they now do 

 herring and salmon. Some of the shad used to weigh 8 or 9 pounds. I 

 saw one weighed, on a wager, twrning the scales at 13 pounds ; about 

 seventy or eighty would fill a barrel. The shad improved very much 

 coming up the river, those caught in this valley being very much larger 

 and finer than those caught at Columbia. I remember when Shamokin 

 dam went out the shad came up to our dam and were caught. 



20. Extract from Miner^s History, p. 209. 

 April 21, 1778. — At a town meeting prices were set on articles of sale, &c.: 



Winter fed beef, per lb 7d 



Shad, apiece , - Gd 



Tobacco, per lb 9d 



Eggs, per doz 8<J 



21. Extract from the Susquehanna Democrat. 



1818, April 17.— "Newark, N. J., April 7th, shad fishing. On Wed- 

 nesday 3 shad were caught in the river Passaick. A pair of them 

 weighed eleven pounds, and were sold to one of our public innholders 

 S. Mis. 110 41 



