242 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Sept. 17, 1904. 
On Staten Island Waters. 
The July morning broke in all its glory; the dawn 
breeze sprang up and scattered the dewdrops from the 
bushy heads of timothy, while hundreds of sparrows 
twittered in the hemlocks that shaded the rear of the 
house. The level rays of the sun fell in a golden flood 
across the floor and danced in fantastic fret-work on the 
opposite wall. This was long before the advent of the 
so-called alarm-clock ; but what enthusiastic angler ever 
slept out his allotted time? 
Downstairs we founds father and grandfather with the 
fishing baskets and rods. My brother carried the lunch- 
basket, while I buckled to the old stone water jug. We 
boarded the first car bound for the Port. We took a 
short-cut through the old rolling mill grounds, and went 
down over an old, almost effaced, gravel path, the remains 
of the old colonial post road; for before the advent of 
steam cars the traffic was conducted from New Amster- 
dam to Philadelphia largely by water to Elizabethport, 
called by old timers to this day the P'int (point), and 
from there by stage-coach to Philadelphia, the colonial 
capital. Old Eleck the boatman was waiting our arrival, 
and slowly we rowed out into the Sound, which lay tran- 
quil and glassy as a mill pond on a quiet day. Far as the 
eye could see, huge banks of horse-mussels, shining and 
black, stuck out from the banks in countless thousands; 
large' clumps of seaweed floated with the tide, rising on 
its gentle undulations, with here and there a little ruffle of 
the surface marking the place where the dawn breeze 
reached down and touched the surface of the Sound, 
while the soughing of the tide under some shelving bank 
lent a freshness to the scene, and the eddying spray 
brought the odor of brine, full of life and vigor, to our 
nostrils. That was a life worth living! Ever and anon, 
in tender reverberations across the meadow, drifted the 
love call of the summer yellowleg, or the call of the 
golden-breasted meadowlark; crickets chirped, and heavy 
green-headed horseflies buzzed by, dodging the broad- 
winged dragon flies. Little knots of beach birds and 
sandpipers flitted past from time to time, rising ahead of 
the boat and skimming along just over the water to alight 
further on and repeat the same performance again and 
again before rising and disappearing over the meadow, 
all the time tremulously calling, "peek, p-e-e-k, p-e-e k! • 
Rounding a point of land, a flapping on the bank at- 
tracted our attention to a huge blue heron, which rose 
clumsily on the wing, flying, as it seemed, elbows first, 
with legs hanging down like the stems of two old Dutch 
pipes, as he called rapidly, "Qu-a-a-k, qu-a-a-k, and 
circled broadly back across the meadow behind the skiff, 
where he could pursue his piscatorial pastime unmolested. 
And now rose the sun over the blue hills of Staten, 
bringing with it the fresh morning breeze, rip- 
pling the surface from shore to shore, while myriads of 
swallows were seen skimming over Sound and meadow. 
In came the oars and up went the sail, and in a few 
seconds, heeling over to catch the breeze, the skiff 
skimmed along over the water like some animated thing, 
dashing the spray from under her forefoot and creating a 
drowsy lapping under her counter. The skiff, painted 
green with a white gunwale, was the boat par excellence 
for such trips ; tight as a bandbox, sturdy and staunch, 
with a centerboard let through the ceiling, not sufficiently 
high to rise above the first thwart, for these boats, some 
twenty feet over all, have an exceedingly light draft, even 
when loaded; clinker-built, with a 6ft. beam, and as neat 
as the inside of a watch-case. For the skiff is the oyster- 
man's house. He is in it from 4 in the morning to 7 at 
night. It becomes his pride, his hobby, and when his 
day's dredging is done, and all the seed sold, then its 
"smoke-ho !" and he looks forward to his race home with 
his fellow dredgers with pleasure. In the race his cull 
boy takes a hand, too; every skiff -carries a cull boy to 
cull the dead oysters from the seed as it is hauled up 
and dumped on the cull board. , 
Old Eleck was known from Sandy Hook to Kobms 
Reef as one of the best in his line. The journey down was 
utilized in rigging up the tackle, so that as soon as we 
hove to off Smoking Point, where at mean low water we 
would have some thirty or thirty-five feet of good tide- 
water under our keel, we might begin work without any 
impediment. The lunch was stowed for'ard and covered 
with canvas— chicken, ham and tongue sandwiches fruit 
and watermelon; while the well in the stern was bailed 
full of clean salt water to keep our fish fresh. 
"Looks laik a good day f'r feesh, says old Eleck. 
"We'll try 'r luck off Smoky P'int the fust o flood, en 
then move up tu Fresh Kill ; seems a laikly spot f r bass 
We hove to around the upper shore of Smoking Point, 
let go our anchor, and five lines baited with shedder 
crab quickly sank to the bottom. Grandfather got the 
first strike, and landed a good sized kingfish; father came 
next with a 3-pound weakfish; then my brother took a 
fine weakfish out of the wet ; then old Eleck and i— 1 
came last. Old Eleck would never use a rod and line ; 
it was beyond his bounds of propriety. He cud nt git 
used tu them squirley line pullers [reels] en ez tu holdin 
a pole— he jest cud'nt du it; ef he got a bite on th pole, 
he cud hook 'em, but he'd be swizzled ef he wudn t lay 
th' ole thing daown an' yank 111 han ov r han ! And 
so he did "yank 'em' " in hand over hand, as fast as he 
could bait. ; , ' 
It seems strange to me now, after I ve had years to re- 
flect over it, that we, having the latest improved tackle— 
we always tied our own silk-worm gut leaders, calculated 
to deceive the most fastidious fish— had no better success 
than old Eleck, whose line was a heavy cotton trot-line, 
such as carpenters and masons use as chalk-lines, and a 
heavy sinker of some six ounces. No leaders garnished 
Eleck's line ; no, sir, no "new-fangled contraptions for 
him He liked the good old ringed hooks, made of thick 
wire resembling a heavy cod-hook. These he preferred 
to set at right-angles and close to the line and when 
baited with rich shedder crab, the cast resembled some- 
what the limb of an apple tree in fruit, all ready for the 
members of the squeteague family to pluck. They plucked 
it and came back for more. He rarely missed a strike. 
I 'have seen him baiting my line for me, meanwhile hold- 
ing his own between his teeth, get a strike, raise his 
head suddenly, lay my line aside, and yank another fish 
out of the wet. This I have seen him do more than half 
a dozen times. There was a story of old John, Eleck s 
father an old seadog, tanned until his hide resembled 
gunnysack, who was in the habit of imbibing pretty freely 
of the cheering but inebriating decoction commonly 
known as "corn-juice." One day, when in this condition, 
he lay asleep in the stern sheets of his skiff, close to the 
gunwale, a bass struck the line wrapped round his 
finger; old John struck, lost his poise, plunged over- 
board, seized his line in his teeth, swam back, clambered 
in and landed a monster bass ; then baited up and lay 
down to finish his nap. I have never been able to verify 
the truth of this story, but take it for what it is worth. 
It was told to me by men over thirty years of companion- 
ship with whom has not led me to doubt their statements. 
Whenever the name of old John was mentioned, the story 
followed ; it was as fixed a landmark as any shore beacon. 
Eleck inherited none of these proclivities from his 
paternal ancestor ; water suited him inside and out, and 
he was as kind, truthful, and abstemious a companion 
as one would care to meet. He was always very circum- 
spect in talking of "th' ole gent," and it reflects credit 
upon him or his memory. Doubtless Eleck inherited his 
father's ability to catch fish with his eyes closed. Suffice 
it to< say he did. 
I find that weakfish prefer a large bait ; they want a 
mouthful, and I, for one, say give it to them. Eleck 
used large baits and caught fish with his primitive tackle. 
True, the fish were school fish and feeding on the. run, 
therefore not having time to scrutinize the tackle. I 'have 
had better success with large baits and in using shrimp, 
for there are times when they literally turn their backs 
upon shedder crab, yet fall a victim to shrimp. At such 
times as this use plenty — eight or ten on the hook. In 
chumming with shrimp, always squeeze them before toss- 
ing them (the chum) overboard; otherwise they will 
swim back and lie under the boat and you will sacrifice 
not only good bait, but your day's pleasure. 
We fished that day off Smoking Point, Tufft's Point, 
the old Blazing Star Landing, Fresh Kills, Shell Point 
in Prall's River, the Southeast Reach and the Northwest 
Reach behind Buckwheat Island. Fishing the flood tide 
and high water slack* we moved to the South Reach of 
Fresh Kills, where midway between the mouth and the 
first bend a small creek empties into it with a succession 
of eddies and foam patches, underneath which at mean 
low water there is a hole or pot with a depth of twenty- 
one feet. • Anchoring above this, we- cast over into it. 
Father got a tremendous strike, and, after tiring him out, 
landed a 5-pound 'striped bass. While this performance 
was in progress, grandfather was having a fight, and 
landed the companion to father's bass, also a 5-pounder. 
My brother hauled in a fine kingfish, while Eleck and I 
got the proverbial "fisherman's luck." We then moved 
over to Shell Point, in the lee of Dunker's Island,, and 
caught porgies and sea bass. From here we hauled off 
into the Southeast Reach of Prall's River, and took 
more bass and weakfish. We then moved up behind 
Buckwheat Island, where we took more weakfish and 
porgies, while father landed a 3^-pound eel. 
Thus ended the day, with 101 weakfish, bass, kingfish, 
and porgies ; of these last we had but five. The neigh- 
bors came in for their share, while the sweetest morsel 
of all was the eel. 
The sail home was a repetition of the sail down, save 
that the declining sun colored the sky a glorious coral 
pink, and the water, taking its coloring from the sky, and 
reflecting the sedgy banks, made a beautiful medley of 
violet, purple, crimson, pink, srold, pale yellow, Vandyke, 
green of various shades, burnt sienna, sepia, and madder; 
while the sun glowed like molten metal as it sank in the 
murky sea fog. Swallows flew over, and occasionally a 
flight of black ducks rose and disappeared over the 
meadow, where occasionally they breed even at this late 
day. 
And all this has passed away. Grandfather scored his 
last catches back in the '80s, and we who are left strug- 
gle daily in the heated thoroughfares of the city. Old 
Eleck no longer rides the tide or sails on the reaches. 
The skiff is a thing of the past. But still the tide flows 
on, and eddying waves cast their foam upon the mqadow 
banks, while the shore birds flit along the sedge or sail to 
their nests in the gloaming; and all that is left to us is 
the recollection of the days that were. As I sit: here 
writing, I have but to close my eyes, and memory carries 
me back over that vista of years, and the morning seems 
as fresh, the sky as bright, and the brine as crisp as of 
yore; and the enjoyment — well, the recollection is almost 
as sweet as the realization, And so, with the immortal 
poet, I say : 
"Old men forget, 
Yet shall not all forget, 
But they'll remember with advantage 
What feats they did that day." 
G. W. Beatty, M.D. 
Fish and Fishing. 
Successful Ameficaa Anglers, 
The September influx of American anglers is by far 
the largest of the present seas©».~ Some of the clubs that 
had scarcely any guests during the spring fishing season 
are now quite crowded, and from the reports so far re- 
ceived, it would seem that the fall fishermen are enj.oying 
the best sport of the year. While neither the spring nor 
summer fishing was what might have been expected, 
nothing could be more favorable than the present condi- 
tions of both weather and water. 
Messrs. A. W. Hooper, of Boston, and R. H. Brown, 
of New Haven, are among the members of the Nonam- 
tum Fish and Game Club who have had some very suc- 
cessful fishing on Lake Commissaire. The Meta- 
betchouan Fish and Game Club have been entertaining a 
house full of guests during a good part of the season. 
Since the departure of Senator Edmunds and party, there 
have been visits from Mr. White, president of the New 
England Watch Company, of W'aterbury, Conn., and 
party, and Mr. Taylor, of Waterbury, among many 
others. 
Distinguished parties have been fishing on the preserves 
of both the Triton and Tourilli Clubs. Among others 
who have had good sport on the waters of the Tourilli 
Club, may be mentioned Dr. Robert T. Morris, of New 
York; Hon. Chas. Fitzpatrick, Minister of Justice of 
Canada, and party; Lady Erskine and Lieut. Erskine, of 
England; Glen Ford McKinney, of New York; Dr. El- 
bridge Adams, of Rochester, N. Y. ; Mr. and Mrs. W. B. 
Oliver, Baltimore, Md. ; Dr. Edward Martin, Philadel- 
phia, and Dr. F. McKernan, Dr. Samuel Lloyd, and Dr. 
Robert B. Loghran. On the Triton tract the other day, 
Judge Swayne, of Toledo, O., who had a private camp on 
Lac des Passes, killed three trout in succession running 
from four to six pounds each. 
At Lake Edward some exceptionally good.trout fish- 
ing has been had during the last few days by the Rev. 
W. W. Boyd and son, of St. Louis, and also by a number 
of officers from the British flagship Ariadne ; at least two 
of whom — Messrs. Willoughby and Compton — were also 
lucky enough to kill a caribou each, though the open 
season for these animals only dates from September 1. 
In many other localities along the line of the Quebec and 
Lake St. John Railway there are at present many anglers 
encamped. 
Fisheries of the Yukon. 
Inspector Stewart, of Dawson City, has sent to Ottawa 
a report upon the fisheries of the Klondike, from which 
it may be seen that the far northwest corner of the conti- 
net offers many attractions to the angler. These are not, 
however, taken very much advantage of by residents of 
the Yukon, who, as a general rule, have "other fish to 
fry." Grayling appear to be abundant. They are caught 
in the Klondike River and in the eddies along the banks 
of the Yukon River. They make their appearance there 
about April 1, remaining until June, to reappear in the 
month of September and run until the close of naviga- 
tion, or about the middle of October. Their usual weight 
is about half a pound to a pound and a half, and they are 
very plentiful in some sections and command a good 
price at some seasons of the year, especially in April, 
when they sell for a short time for a dollar a pound. 
There is a good demand for them at Dawson. White- 
fish, the great lake trout, king salmon and dog salmon 
are also quite plentiful. In consequence of the low tem- 
perature of the water inhabited by the great lake trout 
and the whitefish in the Yukon, both fish afford good 
sport to the angler; E. T. D. Chambers. 
'he Mmmt 
The National Beagle Club of America. 
Camden, N. J., Sept. 7.— The Fifteenth Annual Field 
Trials of the National Beagle Club of America will start 
on October 31, 1904. 
The judges will be Thomas Shallcross, of Providence, 
R. B, and Thomas Griffith, of Redlands, Md. 
The trials will be held at Wheatley Hills, L. I., on the 
estate, of the late William C. Whitney, where the trials 
have been held in previous years. 
The following gentlemen constitute the Field Trial 
Committee : Charles R. Stevenson, chairman, 106 Market 
street, Camden, N. J. ; Henry Dickson Bruns, M.D., New 
Orleans, La.; Ernest Gill, Baltimore, Md. ; Samuel 
Frothmgham, Lenox, Mass.; Harry T. Peters, New York 
city; A. J. Purinton, Palmer, Mass.; George B. Post, Jr., 
New York city ; George F. Reed, Barton, Vt. ; William 
G Rockefeller, New York city ; William Saxby, Stony 
Brook,. L.T. ; D. F. Summers, Downingtown, Pa.; Brad- 
ford S. Turpin, Roxbury, Mass. ; Charles F. Brook, Sandy 
-Springs, Md/; Harry Payne Whitney, New York city; 
James W. Appleton, New York city; C. Staley Doub, 
Frederick, Md. ; James McAleer, Bellevue, Pa. ; John Cas- 
well, Prides Crossing, Mass. 
Chas. R. Stevenson, Secretary. 
New England Beagle Club. 
Worcester, Mass., Sept. 10.— The Eleventh Annual 
Field Trials and the First Annual Dog Show of the New 
England Beagle Club will be held at the Grafton Country 
Club, Grafton, Massachusetts, beginning Monday, No- 
vember 7, 1904. 
The dog show will be held under American Kennel 
Club rules, and will be a four-point show. 
All classes, including the winners, will be divided for 
15 and 13-inch dogs and bitches. 
The judging will commence Tuesday evening, Novem- 
ber 8. 
First prizes will be silver medals ; seconds, thirds, and 
reserves, appropriate ribbons. 
Entries for the dog show close Tuesday, November 1. 
The field trials will begin with the Derby Stake on 
Monday morning at 9 o'clock, and the other classes and 
stakes will follow as usual. 
Entries for the field trials close Friday, November 4. 
Chetwood Smith, 
Chairman Field Trial Committee. 
Pacific]' Advisory Committee. 
Berkeley, Cal., Aug. 31.— At the meeting held 011 
August 30, the following resolution was passed by the 
Pacific Advisory Committee of the American Kennel 
Club,_ and the committee requests the favor of its publica- 
tion in the columns of your valued periodical. 
Pacific Advisory Committee, A. K C, 
J. P. Norman, Secretary. 
excerpt from minutes of meeting of august 30. 
The following extract was read from a letter appearing 
generally in the sporting press, purporting to be signed 
by Norman J. Stewart, secretary of the Western Kennel 
League': "At the same time it became known to us that 
the A. K. C. intended fighting the League in its own ter- 
ritory. We were told that A. K. C. shows would be held 
in every town which at present gave W. K. L. shows. In 
one case, at least, money (the amount, I believe was 
$300) and a guarantee of fifty dogs from San Francisco 
was offered to some fanciers of the North to get up a 
show under A. K. C. rules in opposition to the W K L 
club in the town. It is always hard to get information of 
such offers, as they are naturally made sub rosa, but it is 
only fair to assume that similar offers were made to other 
fanciers in other towns." 
The chair called for the personal assurance of each 
