The Carp Ponds story
Most towns were built near a body of water and Apt was no exception. Flowing along the western, northern, and eastern sides of town was the Opatowka River. It provided enough water to turn the wheel of the watermill and fill two ponds, where they raised carp. We used to catch minnows at the entrances to those ponds. This watermill was a small operation that worked partly on water and partly on power. There must have been a steep drop in the river where the mill was located in order for the water to flow over the big waterwheel and make it turn. On either side of the river not far from the mill were two carp ponds. The fish were fed byproducts of the flourmill. To control the water level of the ponds and keep the water fresh and circulating, they raised and lowered two wooden barriers, about two feet wide and as deep as the pond, to allow water from the river to flow in or out of the pond. Wire screens over the openings prevented the fish from escaping when the barriers were lifted. To catch the fish, they drained the pond. They closed the intake and opened the outflow to release the water into the river. As you can see in this painting, workers would enter the drained pond with wicker baskets and collect the carp flopping on the mud. To refill the pond, they would reverse the process, closing the outflow and opening the intake. Near the screen of the intake gate, there were millions of minnows. My friend Khamele Waynberg took a sieve that they used in the mill and we caught minnows with it. There was also a punt that we used to row on the pond. We spent wonderful hours there dreaming about sailors and pirates. I knew about pirates because I was reading a lot.