The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1845-12-26
From the n. Y. Commercial Advertiser.
SEVERE WEATHER AT THE WEST.

We have noticed in the western papers that the
weather thus far has been unusually severe, and the
navigation of the rivers dangerous We have be-
fore us letter from gentleman, dated Louisville
Dec. ID, in which the writer says:
81, with sixty more, have just escaped from a
position from which we did not think it possible
that we could be eXtrcaed without loss of life. The
Ohio river has been frozen over for six or eight
days. so that it impossible to get to Louisville
Owing to a rise in the river on Thursday, the mail
boat Pike No. 8, started from Cincinnati for Louis
vile, and myself and about sixty others took pas
sage IN her.
ave proceeded ut good speed for about twenty
FIVE miles, and then in contact with large
cakes of ice, some two hundred yards square and
about four inches thick These we cut through ca
silly, and hoped to reach Louisville without serious
difficulty. Judge our disappointment then, when
within mile of Lawrenceburg, we found that the
ice had closed up the river for about three miles,
and was from eight to fourteen inches thick, owing
to bar formed by the junction Of the Maumoe river
with the Ohio. We cut our way through this until
we were within three hundred yards of the bar,
when we stuck fast, and were unable to advance or
retreat.
"Here we lay all night surrounded by thousands
of tons of ice as mmoveable by any power we pos
sessed as the Allegheny mountains. From above
the river roaring down. bringing with 1t the ice
that had been broken up by its rise which wedg
ed closely around u.s. and increased rapidly, that
IL speeQUy over HNe Ut SlN HllcS, DcdrlflS
upon the boat with such immense weight, that we
were in constant apprehension that the boat would
yield to the pressure, and be crushed to pieces.
eve lay thus all night. Though retired late |
could not sleep. had all my goods with me, and
they were uninsured, SO that | had sufficient cause
for my uneasiness. In the morning arose. but lit.
tie refreshed, and found the boat in the same inn
movable position. At about 0 o'clock FRIDAY
morning) the ice began 10 move little, owing to
the rapid rise above. This only increased our dan
ger. Soon the whole mass began to move boiling
and roaring like lava from the mouth Of volcano,
and with the heavng motion of an earthquake, one
mass of ice travelling up the stream and the other
down, with fearful conclusions.
"Our captain-one of the Oldest and most expe-
renced ON the river--cxpected every minute that
the boat would be cut in two; but he preserved his
camness and gave all orders with perfect GOODNESS.
Not so, however, with the women on board, they
ran about with their children in their arms declaring
that we were lost. Soon the ice began to work un.
der the stern of the boat while the pressure from
above continued with undated force; then another
throe of the masses, which fortunately twisted the
boat round and threw her upon field Of floating
ice, thus avering our principle danger.
''At this juncture we were without steam, and
thus were at the mercy Of the and ice, that
we were thrown upon the western bank of the river,
Here we lay until steam got up, when getting
ahead Of the floating ice, and afterward cutting
through about thirty miles of solid ice, we finally
arrived safely in this city, both crew and passen.
gers thankful TO Providence for our dellverance.n