We All Float On

Reactions aplenty to last week's Schuylkill-paddling cover story.

by Brian Howard

Last week's cover story about the boat ride photographer Michael M. Koehler and I took down the tidal Schuylkill — during which we encountered wildlife, halfway house residents, anglers, tugboats, barges and, finally, the U.S. Coast Guard — prompted some thoughtful response.

I received a lengthy letter from Matthew Coll, founding member of the Philadelphia Anglers Club, a group that fishes gigantic carp out of the Schuylkill and was a subject of a 2007 City Paper story. Coll professed his love for the river and his disappointment that it's not better cared for.

Coll explained that he and Louis Cook founded PAC based on State in the Schuylkill, "one of the first-known social clubs in America, founded in 1732," which had its club house across the river from John Bartram's mansion.

"We've tried to emulate what State in the Schuylkill stood for — environmental stewardship, camaraderie and fishing — but minus the exclusionary elitism of the good ol' days. Eating their catch was just as important as the sport of the activity. If only the river was clean enough, I'd be like Jesus, feeding the masses, giving out catfish to my entire block daily (we catch loads of channel catfish as by-catches to carp).

"What's really a shame is that a lot of the pollution in the river is easily preventable," continues Coll. "The two main problems are lazy jerks who throw trash in the street or dump stuff in storm drains, and an old and overburdened sewer system that leaks into the river. After a heavy rain the Schuylkill gets a run of what's known as 'Schuylkill white fish' — aka condoms."

I find the name "Schuylkill white fish" as clever as I find it disgusting. And I feel more than a little proud that my article helped reignite a dream Coll and some of his buddies have of rowing the full 90-plus miles of the Schuylkill.

Also received a letter from Gardner A. Cadwalader, who you may remember from a CP article in February as the architect who's got a dream of building islands in the Delaware.

"I enjoyed your article," he writes. "I have been down there myself on the lower Schuylkill River numerous times. You might enjoy this one tale of why the transition of the river there has been so slow."

Some 20 years ago, Cadwalader was part of a group looking to build a boathouse south of the Waterworks, given that Boathouse Row was already crowded beyond capacity.

"We had endless meetings with all sorts of people," writes Cadwalader. "One person, in particular, was a rather un-traveled and provincial sort who, unfortunately, represented Fairmount Park. He told us we could never row or do any sort of boating on the lower river. It was impossible, he proclaimed, getting quite agitated with blood vessels in his neck bulging! We asked why."

According to Cadwalader, the man explained to them that the lower Schuylkill is tidal —the water "rises and falls and goes in and out" — and thus impossible to boat on.

"Our meetings went like that for a long time," he laments. "Eventually, nothing was built at Locust Street along the embankment there. It had been a brilliant idea for the city. It still is a brilliant idea."

Cadwalader is now a Fairmount Park commissioner — at least for the next month.

"I hasten to add how proud I am that the senior staff of Fairmount Park is so much smarter than that man," says Cadwalader. "Had we had this present team then, there might be a boathouse at Locust Street and hundreds of boats on the lower river right now."

(bhoward@citypaper.net)