April 26, 1888.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



278 



at some extra expense, to Boston? Strong arguments are advance d 

 by boih sides, but no satisfactory decision lias yet been reached. 



One would naturally suppose that when such a radical altera- 

 tton of the ballast plan was to be made, the work would ho 

 intrusted to a man with experience in such matters, who was 

 competent to calculate the displacement, the center of buoyancy, 

 the center ct gravity of the old ballast, aud to adiust the new 

 weights accordingly, and this is sometimes done; but, of course, 

 it is only a waste of money. All thai is needed is a molting pot, 

 a sharp auger, a few bolts and two or three ship carpenters. To 

 he sure, the trim of the boat may be entirely destroyed, the 

 proper allowance for contraction may not be made and the wood 

 keel may be split so that the yacht will always leak, or the boat 

 pay be of such a shoal aud wide model that outside lead will ruin 

 her; hut then accidents will always happen, and a man must be. 

 in the fashion at any cost. 



The new fad is now in full swing; from Bay Ridge to Green- 

 port I be lead is molting, the chips flying, and white paint is going 

 op as last as possible. In many cases the addition of a lead keel, 

 if properly done, will great ly improve the 5 acht; in others it at 

 least can do no harm; but in a very large majority the work is 

 not only done by incompetent hands, but the whole design of the 

 yacht makes her unsuitable for low lead ballast, and a fairly 

 good boat is ruined forever. One such case we have in mind 

 now, a small yacht of special design, wide aud of exceedingly 

 light draft, for a particular purpose, which she has hi led most 

 successfully. Now the orders are. lead keel and lonurer spars 

 The outside lead and greater draft will completely ruin her for 

 her old work, making her very bad in a sea aud at the same time 

 too deep for coasting, wnile no amount of extra can van can ever 

 make her other than a cruiser. The whole course of the lead agi- 

 tation is unfortunately characteristic of New York's stand 111 

 yachting matters. Blindly prejudiced in the beginning, uuw illiug 

 to listen to argument or to study facts and scientific reasons, she 

 shut the doors on lead keels until the success of Boston compelled 

 a recognition of their merits; and even now she does not under- 

 stand why they are good or bad, according to the model aud the 

 manner in which they mav be applied, nor does she clearly dis- 

 criminate between the value of the pig load beneath the keels of 

 Puritan. Mayflower and Sachem, and the white lead which orna- 

 ments their topsides. 



EASTERN Y. C. 



THE Eastern Y. C. has at length followed the example of the 

 New York cluhs in revising its sailing rules and classes, the 

 committee having presented the following report at the meetine 

 on April 24: 



The committee appointed at the last meeting of the club to con- 

 sider certain recommendations of the regatta committee, and the 

 general subject of classification, allowances and sailing rule* 

 respectfully submits the following report: 



The regatta committee has suggested for consideration the fol- 

 lowing changes in the sailiug regulations: 



Sec. 2. To so change this section as to leave the date for sailing 

 postponed races to the judgment of the regatta committee, 

 msteao of requiring H race to be reueatcd from dav to day 



Your committee is averse to this change, and recommends that 

 the present rule remain in force. 



Sec. 15. The regatta committee suggests that the words "at 

 least" be inserted before "half an hour." Also, that after the 

 present clause for starting the first classes of sloops and bC hoone cs 

 the remainder of the sentence should read: 



"The remaining classes may b 

 signals as the regatta committee 

 printed instructions." 



As to these suggestions your committee thinks that any change 

 leaving the exact moment of the starting signal uncertain, is un- 

 desirable, and to make the rule move definite, it is proposed that 

 the second paragraph of Utile 15 be amended to read as follows: 



"Half an hour before the start, flags bearing the number of the 

 courses to be sailed, shall he hoisted on the committee's vessel, 

 Twenty-five minutes later (unless a postponement of the start 

 seems advisable) a whistle shall be blown or gun fired and a blue 

 flag hoisted, after which competing yachts shall he amena ble to 

 the rules. Exactly five minutes later the blue flag shall be 

 lowered, and a second whistle or gun shall give the signal to start 

 the. first claws schooners and first class sloops, cutters and yawls. 

 A third whistle or gun, after another five minutes, shall give the 

 limit for these classes. Five minutes later a, fourth signal shall 

 start the second class schooners, and second and third class 

 sloops, cutters and yawls; and live, minutes later a fifth and ftnal 

 signal shall start the remaining yachts. 



With regard to measurement and time allowance, your com- 

 mittee recommends that yachts shall be rated according to the 

 following measurement: 



tarted at such intervals and 

 ay direct in their written or 



This rule taxes sail and length equally instead of taxing length 

 twice as much as sail according to the old rule: 



Your committee having found that the old allowance table con- 

 tains a number of errors, and believing that the allowances therein 

 given are too small, and give the large boats in each class an 

 unjust advantage over the smaller ones, recommends that a new 

 table of allowances he constructed on the generally accepted 

 principle that the rela tive speed of yachts is proportionate to the 

 square root of their length, and taking half of the maximum 

 theoretical speed as a basis of the tabic. The New York and Sea- 

 wanhaka Yacht Club tables, which have been recently revised 

 and scientifically constructed on the same principle, take for 

 basis only four-tenths of the maximum theoretical speed. 



[f this recommendation is adopted, the committee recommends 

 that the present rule increasing allowances when races are sailed 

 above certain speeds, be ameuded to read that in these cases the 

 increase shall he "by one-quarter o£ the amount given in the 

 table," instead of one-third, as in the present rule. 



The majority of the committee recommends the adoption of the 

 following classification: 



Schooner classes, as at present, 



Sloop classes: 1, Over 70ft. waterline. 



• II. Over 61 and under 70. 



III. Over 53 and under 01. 



IV. Over 46 and under 53. 

 V. Over 40 aud under 40. 



VJ . Over 35 and under 40. 

 VII. Over 30 and under 35, 

 The committee recommends that the following paragraphs he 

 added to the section on classification: 



Any yacht, which shall have been launched prior to June 1, 1888, 

 exceeding the higher limit in any class by not over a fraction oi a 

 foot shall bo included in that class. 



In case of only one entry in any class, the regatta committee 

 shall place such entry in the next higher class in which there 

 may he a starting yacht. J. Malcolm Fokbes, 



Charles J, Paink, 

 George H. Richards. 

 Augustus Hemunway, 

 Edtvahx) Burgess, 



Committee, 



The classification is that adopted by the New York Y. C. and 

 likely to be taken by all the cluhs; and though the manner in 

 which the whole subject has been handled bv the leading clubs 

 within the past year is little to their credit, it is at least some- 

 thing to ho thankful for that one common system is likely to pre- 

 vail. As to the merits of this particular system, it is perhaps as 

 good as any as far as the single-stickers are concerned, and the 

 great point, a uniformity of rules for building purposes, is as- 

 sui ed. The action of the E. Y. C. in the matter of time allowance 

 is very important, as the club rejects the Now York Y, C. rule, 

 adopted iu 1884, aud substitutes the Seawanhaka C. Y. C. rule, 

 with its heavier tax on sail. The results of the races of the last 

 three years have failed thus far to answer the very important 

 question, "Are we getting the best possible vacht for the monev 

 expended?" but a look at any of the sail plains of this year will 

 show the present tendencies toward lead and canvas, and conse- 

 quently to expense, it is now generally recognized among the 

 best informed yachtsmen that the tax on sail under the New York 

 Y. C. rule is too light. Whether or no the proper mean has bef n 

 reached in the Seawanhaka V. Y. C. rule is a question for time to 

 answer; but of all rules thus far fried, that of leugth and sail area 

 is the most practical, the only question being the relative propor- 

 tions of each factor. The S. C. Y. C. compels a more moderate 

 sail plan, and is a decided step in the right direction. The revis- 

 ion of thcaBowance tables is also a much-needed improvement. 

 While all the clubs are making such changes and improvements, 

 it seems a great pity that local t eeliug and petty jealousies should 

 be allowed to hiuder the work by Causing each to work independ- 

 ently. The subjects of classification, time allowance, sailing 

 rules and similar matters should be dealt with by a committee of 

 the ablest yachtsmen, selected from all the clubs; iu other words, 

 by a national association. In such a way only can the interests 

 of yachting be properly advanced. 



A WINTER CRUISE IN THE SOUTH. — V. 



[Continued from Page 236.] 

 HPHE ice having disappeared from the Delaware River, an oeca- 

 1 JH^Pi" wai ' m day starting the. nerves to tingle with the first 

 breath of spring, warned us that it w as lime the Monarch showed 

 herself m the home waters once more to participate, 111 the club 

 events. We made preparations to leave Philadelphia for Norfolk 

 March 12, to bring her home. Fortunately for us one of our party 

 fell ill, and the trip was postponed for one week. On the 13th the 

 famous blizzard struck us, spoiling the first breath of spring busi- 

 ness, and stopping all communication between Philadelphia, and 

 the outer world, and causing untold damage to shipping all along 

 the coast. Had we started as originally proposed, wo would have 

 caught its full effect in the Chesapeake, aud if nothing worse 

 happened would have had to lay in harbor for a week. 



We finally started ou the 17th of March, two of our party hoing 

 unable to go at the last moment. Those who did accompany me 

 were Messrs. Vansei ver, Verger aud Martin. After a pleasant 

 run down m the Bay Line steamer Virginia, we reached the yacht, 

 at 10 A. M. Sunday, March IS. and after a stroll around Norfolk 

 and taking a look at the historic old church with its cannon halls 

 cemented into the walls where thev lodged during the war we 

 made sa.il at 3 P. M. for Hampton, wind N.E. fresh, thermometer 

 52°, barometer 30", „. Wo made an attempt to cross Hampton Bar 

 to sa ve four miles sailing at. a. point marked on the charts 4ft., the 

 tide being hail out, but took bottom, so concluding that the long- 

 est way round was occasionally the shortest way hack, we, after 

 losing a little time, finally ran up around the buoy as we should 

 have done in the fir. t pla.ee, the delay causing us to reach Hamp- 

 ton Crook after dark, so that we were unable to pick up the only 

 buoy leading in. Wo. stood in by compass until we found the water 

 shoaling all around us, when we anchored, being in strange 

 waters; logged 11 knots iu 3 hours. 



In the morning wo found we. had worked our way to within a 

 few hundred feet, of the mouth of the creek, in a pari of the chan- 

 nel about !?0ft. wide. The wind had shifted to S.E., making a 

 dead beat for the hundred or more oyster boats inside the harbor 

 and we were seriously in the road; we got up anchor and sailed 

 outside the bar out of the way. The largest craft had to .give, up 

 the job of attempting to bea t out, and three schooners anchored 

 abreast moored side by side just where we had moved from occu- 

 pying the whole channel. The steamer John Homer could not get 

 in, and had to tow them out to clear the channel. How we got 

 in so far without anything to guide us is a mvstcrv to me, 



In the morning we visited the town of Hampton and the Soldiers' 

 Home erected there. Hampton is an active, hustling place and 

 its merchants are evidently prosperous. The town is thronged 

 with soldiers from tho Home, many of whom were selling souve- 

 nirs of different kinds. The home is the largest in the country 



I believe, and shows care for and watchfulness over the old vete- 

 rans on every side. It well repaid the trouble of the visit. 



Got under way at 11 A. M. March 18. Wind S.E. fresh, ther- 

 mometer 48°, barometer 3u a 10 . In attempting to lower the oon- 

 ter board the tackle jammed, and trying to clear it I clumsily 

 allowed my finger to get fouled in the block, and the eud of the 

 first finger of the left hand was cut as clean as if done by a knife 

 Fortunately the hone was not injured, Alter stanching the flow 

 of blood with such means as were within our reach and tying a 

 tourniquet on the linger, we ran in and anchored off Fortres 

 Monroe, where Dr, Brooks, the surgeon in charge, bound tht 

 wounded member up, and after ordering me upon no account to 

 use the baud, allowed me to depart. 



Dr. Brooks's gentleness and skill was so much greater than I had 

 any reason to expect, that it was almost, a, pleasure to he treated 

 by him. While 1 do not care to he compelled to be under a sur- 

 geon's care again, yet if I must I sincerely hope I mav have the 

 good luck to fall under the care of such an one as Dr. Brooks. It 

 is to this accident that the delay in completing this log is due I 

 steer with oue hand now. 



We spent several hours walking around Fortress Monroe try- 

 ing to find out the difference between a fortress and a common 

 every-day fort; as near as we could make out it was larger and 

 was entirely inclosed and had a deep moat with 6ft. of water in 

 it all around; if there are any other reasons they were not 

 visible. 



Fortress Monroe is a show spot, and is about the only fort on 

 (he A tlantic seaboard that is garrisoned to speak of; it is kept 

 in fine order and is on account, of its proximity to the Hvgeia 

 Hotel, a favorite plaoe with young lieutenants. ' The day before 

 our visit a mid-Lenten German had been given at the hotel, and a 

 list of the participants which I received contained the names of 

 ladies from almost, the tour quarters of the globe, and of lieuten- 

 ants by the score, hut not a name of a male civilian did I see- 

 which either indicates a lack of such people or that the uniforms' 

 cut the others out; which, I cannot pretend to say; but I fancy 

 the presence of such an array of dancing men is one of the most 

 effective causes of the popularity of Old Point Comfort with the 

 fair sex. 



Just outside the fortress is a, park filled with cannon, their car- 

 riages and round shot. The railing of this park is made from 

 barrels of old muskets with bayonets attached. It makes an 

 effective and at the same time decidedly military fence, and at 

 once attracts the attention of all new comers. 



Like all our coast defenses, the fortress is sadly deficient iu 

 artillery of any value. Tho embrasures bristle with suns, but 

 with very few exceptions, they would be worthless in modern 

 warfare. 



A day could profitably be spent at the Point, but our limited 

 time forbade, and we made sail at 12:45. As we rounded Old Point 

 Comfort tho wind came cold and raw from E. Wo quickly gath- 

 ered in topsails and considered the question of reeling, as there 

 was half a gale blowing. Wanting to make all the time we could 

 -we held on to full sail until, when in sight of our harbor the jib 

 lashing to the jihboom gave way, the sail going up the mast; 

 when we took it in and lowered peak to balance. A few minutes 

 repaired damage, and we entered the Piaukatauk River with fly- 

 ing colors and dropped anchor at our old anchorage behind the 

 point at 5:30 P. M., having sailed 40 miles in 4M hours, Logged for 

 the day 45 miles. 



Tuesday, March JO, opened up with a nasty drizzle, had a few 

 visitors and shot a few ducks; concluded to wait for the rain to 

 cease, which it did at 3 P. M, Got under way at 3:45, wind S,E„ 

 fresh; thermometer 42; barometer. 29 s „„ and falling. Found the 

 sea buoy gone from the mouth of the river; one effect of the bliz- 

 zard. We found signs of its passage all along. At Norfolk two 

 small craft were lying on tho beach. My captain told me that 

 during the blow when the tide was ebbing, holding her hroadside 

 to the wind, the Monarch rolled until her cabin trunk was in tho 

 water on each side. The crockery closet attested the fact. All 

 the. seamen I talked to said it was tho worst blow in their experi- 

 ence. 



We met, wrecks all along the bay, A schooner was lving ashore 

 in the Piaukatauk, aud as we sailed out a tug was towing in a 

 waterlogged schooner stern first, her bow being deeply sunk, We 

 found the inner buoy at the mouth of the Great Wicomico dis- 

 placed, and as a result ran aground on the bar- a lee one, and a 

 heavy sea running. I thought it was a job for a new keel at least, 

 but. our usual good luck favored us, and a half hour's work got us 

 off. This bar is a very bad one; we had four factoins of water 

 within a cable's length of where we were aground. W r e finally 

 dropped anchor in Cockle's Creek, a fa mous harbor in the Great 

 Wicomico, at 8 P, M, Lagged 23 miles, 



Wednesday morning opened with a drizzle, which shortly 

 turned Into a heavy rain and prospects of a storm. The barome- 

 ter fell in the course of the forenoon to 2JH 10 , so we concluded to 

 spend the day in getting acquainted with the people. First sent 

 ashore after milk, when we found that stock raising was not a 

 business in the vicinity. We visited six farmhouses to raise a 

 gallon of milk, and no one was anxious to sell. Every farm- 

 house had a fish uet hanging in the yard, while the path to the 

 water was always in a better condition than the one to the pub- 

 lic road, every farmer being also a fisherman and travel being 

 usually by water. 



A few inquiries made it evident why we had taken ground in 

 entering the river. According to the chart aud buoy list, there 

 are only three buoys leading into the Wicomico, yet there has 

 been a wreck buoy off the mouth for several years which is not 

 on the list, According to the list, all should be can or nun buoys, 

 yfit the, wreck and first black buoy are spars. We in the dark 

 picked up three buoys, not being able to distinguish the color, 

 and then headed north, as we should have done according to the 

 chart, whereas there being really four buoys, we should l ave 

 stood in for the fourth. In this case we would not have found it, 

 as it sank early in the winter and has not been replaced. 



The fifth lighthouse district, ('overs the Chesapeake Bay, coast 

 of North Carolina, aud Albemarle and Pamlico sounds and tribu- 

 taries. Those have over 1,500 buoys io addition to the lights, and 

 this 'number should be doubled. There are, I belie e, only two 

 buoy lenders for all this territory, the most extensively navigated 



II our country, consequently the buoys are constantly off their 

 stations, and a stranger is easily led into trouble. Either this 

 !dis;rict needs subdividing or more help should be granted it. 



About noon heavy clouds banked up in the west accompanied 

 by thuudor and lightning, and the half dozen or more vessels 

 lying near us began preparing lor the squall; we concluded to get 

 away from our exposed position, so ran up the creek about a mile 



to tho settlement under jib. We had hardly dropped anchor be- 

 ■:::rc the storm broke ever us., and so qunk the shift of wind that 

 the yacht could not swing to it quick enough, and the fierce bursts 

 ot wind taking hor hroadside, careened her to her scuppers, 

 ii.lt bough she had no sail up. After the first hurst of the storm 

 was over, which was from due west, the wind again shifted to 

 N. W.j the thciuiomerer lulling rapidly from 50" at Z P. M. lo2S" at 

 6 P. M. Heavy rain fell, which by 5 o'clock changed to snow, of 

 which over an inch foil. All the vessels in the outer harhor 

 which could get up had by this ti hie followed our example and 

 were, now anchored around us. After getting everything snug 

 wo started out to visit the town, which is a Venice on a small 

 scale, all. traffic being conducted fey boa I s. The. creek has half a 

 dozen deep but short arms branching out in every direction, 

 making detours of several miles necessary to get around them if 

 travel were attempted by land. We are still m doubt as to the 

 name of tho settlement. There is a steamboat landing on each 

 side of t he creek, and the steamer t ime table* apeak of them as 

 Timb's Wharf, V a., while the natives speak of the place as Timb's 

 or Reed's; several told us it had no name, but was in Northumber- 

 land county, Va. The only document we could secure was a. hill- 

 head of E. W. Reed & Son, manufacturers of fish gua.no and oil 

 aud dealers in general merchandise, who are the largest traders 

 in the place and they claim to hail from Fairport, Northumber- 

 land county, Va., Kit, not another man of the score or more we 

 put the question to gave us this name. The postmaster says the 

 name is Timbs Landiug and he ought to know, as his name is 

 Timbs and he is the second largest trader iu tho place. Mr. Timbs, 

 by-th6 way, kindly furnished us with the latest Northern news- 

 papers and all tho reading matter at his disposal as soon as he 

 heard we were oat of news. Toe mails are brought in and com- 

 munication with the outside world maintained "by the steamer 

 Joppa which stops at each wharf twice each week both up and 

 down, there i.s no railroad nearer thau Washington, D. C. 



Besides the two general stores, each of winch are connected 

 with a {tab. factory, there are four other fish factories, two marine 

 railways, a black- mith shop, two sail and rigging lofts, and a 

 surgeon in town; this sums up the industries, I believe. The last 

 I found after some difficulty, in order to gat my wou nded member 

 dressed. There is another physician four miles off, a barber eight 

 miles away, and a small town which has among other things an 

 opera house, in which "Ten Nights in a Barroom" was to be played 

 the night after our arrival. This fact we ascertained from the 

 commotion visible in the demeanor of the local gallants The 

 town is ton miles off. There is also a saloon four miles tip the 

 creek, but this is considered a vulgar hole, as every man of stand- 

 ing m the community keeps his own barrel of whisky on tap for 

 his own and his friends' use. 



There is more, vessel property owned on the creek than at any 

 other port of its size on the bay. twenty schooners and three fish- 

 ing steamers being in part while we were there, and these are not 

 half of those owned on the creek, the fish, guano and oil business 

 in summer and oysters in winter keeping a very large fleet always 

 employed. Just at present the food fish business is the most 

 profitable, and is increasing year by year. It, ex t ends only thrown 

 the months of March, April and June, yet during these months a 

 fish pound will return from $500 to 81,200 net profit to its owner 

 This year forty new pounds have been set, some reaching out to 

 82ft. of water. These pounds are very annoying to small boats 

 navigating the bay, while the excessive number of fish they catch 

 are depleting the stock, and the State Legislature at its last ses- 

 sion tried to prohibit them, but the bill was defeated. A curious 

 accident happened just before our arrival. The steamer Joppa 

 in a heavy fog ran through a pound on which, however, the nets 

 had not, yet been set. She had a, brand new hawser which had 

 cost $00 passed through a rear chock, the loop hanging over the 

 rail. As she rose and fell in the swell, the bight of the lis wser fell 

 over a stake in the pound, aud catching, the whole hawser was 

 drawn out. It was unnoticed by the people on the steamer but 

 was recovered by the fisherman when he went to sot his net.' He 

 refused to hand over to the steamer because it hroke down his 

 pound, and there the matter rests, aud probablv will until the 

 steamer pays him enough salvage to repay him for the loss to his 

 pound. 



Mr. Wylie, the blacksmith, is also a pound owner, one of the 

 largest and m the deepest water: be keeps a steam launch to run 

 out to his pound in calm weather, which is nine miles from the 

 creek, consequently the other fishermen who have no launches 

 regard him as a bloated bondholder and think be should not be 

 allowed to introduce such innovations. He visited us on the 

 yacht and gave us many valuable points on game and fish and 

 like everybody we met down this way, did everything in his power 

 to make time pass pleasantly. 



In consequence of the blizzard of March 14. 15 and 16, the most 

 active business of the place for a week before our arrival was 

 launching vessels. As we passed into the outer harbor we ob- 

 served two ptuigieB and a schooner loaded with empty barrels to 

 be used for shipping fish to Baltimore, were aground hard and 

 fast, and when we. got up the creek two more were sticking there 

 while heaps of ballast showing above the shallow water here an 8 

 there told tho tale of the storm. We were informed that although 

 nearly twenty schooners dragged ashore on the first day of the 

 storm, none dragged on the second day simply because thev aJl 

 got there on the first. 



Work was going on preparatory to launching one of those 

 aground as we entered the harbor, so we had an opportunity to see 

 the whole process. The schooner in question had gone on bow 

 first. Six of tho schooners already afloat were moored off the 

 stranded schooner's stern in the form of a fan, each with its two 

 anchors firmly planted its full cable leugth off shore. Each had 

 a cable leading from her stern to the stern of the stranded 

 schooner; the wind being off-shore, the stranded schooner raised 

 her square sails and trimmod them out bv guvs to the bowsprit* 

 each of the assisting schooners raised a little sail; then, when all 

 was prepared, the crew of each schooner manned her windlass 

 and to the sound of a song all heaved in unison. Then, although 

 the stranded schooner was a pungio drawing Oft, of water and 

 was nearly high and dry, she slowly moved astern, and in less 

 than an hour after preparations had been completed she was 

 afloat in deep water. The entire fleet then started on to the next 

 schooner, The crews all assisted each other in this matter with 

 the exception of the schooner loaded with barrels which had first 

 gone ashore on the opposite side of the stream to which she was 

 lying when we came in, and had swung off at high tide. Her 

 captain was so jubilant over the success of his unaided efforts 

 that he rendered no assistance to the other schooners ashore The 

 next day the high wind caught his barrels and drove him ashore 

 on the opposite shoal; then the other captains' turn came and 

 they rendered him no assistance. He had been ashore ten days 

 when we arrived and had no prospect of getting off without the 

 aid of a tug. 



Thursday opened with a rain squall, overcast sky and high N W 

 wind. Nearly an inch of snow lay ou the deck, and the roar of 

 the surf could be plainly heard across the mile of sand separating 

 us from the bay, distinctly informing us that we had no business 

 outside. At 8 A, M. the thermometer was 28* in what sun there 

 was, while the barometer had risen to 30 4 , c , so concluded to make 

 the best of it, aud visited the stores and swapped lies with the 

 boatmen present, I rather think we had the best of it. Thursday 

 was steamer day, so from noon until the steamer arrived at fl P 

 M. both wharves were thronged with boats anil wagons of every 

 kind, loaded with fish and oysters from the Wicomico and Little 

 ft i ver, as the Little Wicomico is called. The Little Wicomico has 

 its mouth at the mouth of the Potomac, and is a beautiful hody 

 of water, in many places 40ft. deep and half a mile wide. Its 

 water, never having been polluted by fish factories, is pure, and 

 produces the finest oysters raised hereabouts. Unfortunately 

 there are only 8ft. of water over the bar at its mouth, so that it is 

 not navigable; and all its products and supplies come through 

 Cockles Creek, although as an arm of each stream approaches 

 within a half mile of each other, only a short portage is necessary 

 The bar at the mouth of the Little Wicomico has a deep bight in 

 if, and occasionally small craft trade into the river by laying in 

 this bight and lightering their cargoes. This bar is of a' small 

 beautiful white sand, and almost as hard as iron; it furnishes 

 almost absolutely no hold for an anchor, and an easterly or north- 

 erly storm is certain destruction to any vessel anchored in this 

 trap, The inhabitants are full of gruesome tales of disaster at 

 this point, and tell me that the majority of wrecks along that 

 stretch of shore have occurred in that bight. It seems to me that 

 a heavy m oring sunk in the bight would be of great value tci 

 small craft trading there. 



E'riday was another wretched day, the wind shifted to the west 

 several times for short periods, renewing our hopes, but as sud- 

 denly dashing them to the. grouud by shifting back and. not stay- 

 ing long enough to knock down the sea; sq that wo lav at anchor 

 all day. Thethermometer did n it rise a hove 40° all day, and tae 

 barometer seemed rusted imp place at 30 3 i . We had the mouth 

 of the Potomac to cross. 10 miles from point to point, and as the 

 course of the river is N.W., a N.W. wind draws down a stretch, 

 of 50 miles; add to this the deepest water in the bay, in places 21 

 fathoms, and a strong tide out of tho river joining that in the 

 bay, forming deep chops, a3 nasty as we have along the coast, 

 and no harbor outside of the Potomac itself until the Patuxcnt is 

 reached, 20 miles above the Potomac, and you can judge of the 

 reason small craft rarely cross the river in a N.VV. blow, Wq 



