New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-02-10
Breaking up Of the Icc-Its Incidents and
Disasters.
From The Louisville Courier, Feb. .. F.,


About DAYLIGHT on Saturday the much de =
sired and much feared event. the breaking up OF the
ice in the river, commenced. Like a mighty giant
srousing from his slumbeIs, 1t moved slowly ana
uggsbly at first, and for fully half an hour 1t WAS
barely ptTcepuble that the mass was IN motion. Tho
Waterman was the first TO perceive IL. and he gave
the alarm by violently ringing the boats bell. This
aroused the crew and also persons along tho shore,
who fastened TO the river 10 assist and extra lines,
chains and fastenngs called into req liston 10
give additional security To the various crafts m00Ted
AT the wharf at the fatb0at landing
The calm was succeeded by the Storm and soon
the suspense of the anxious multitude was relieved
BY the cry, Ii comes :" " II cones ~ and the warn
H. WORDS we're hardly uttered before the solid field
OF Ice was IN motion Gathering strength as rs
moved onward 1t swept by, as an avalanche, crush
ing and destroying In It's fearful march all that OPP
posed It's progress Massive iron chains the largest
cables and lnes, were snapped like Teecs Ia the
VIVID. Nearly all the aaIbOas and coal boats in the
bend were destroyed, and sunk In a few moments.
The scene was fearful and grand IN the exsromes
anc most elsa irous IN ITS consequences.
The river commenced rising early IN the morning,
from a sudden freshet In the Kentucky river which
canned the ice to break up sooner than vas antci.
pattd, thought WAS generally believed that II would
current large masses lodged on the falls at various
shoal points the ice had previously sorssd 70
the bottom, and they split upon these immosaoio
barriers, the pieces were pied up 70 ~.
appearance Of icebergs. The first impeachment at
tue whsifto the ress!less mass was the mail limo
wharf boat but as merely struck the oute' edge OIL
the boat Il did but htle damage as II VAS o"e'er,
one OF the heavy chain cables that held the boat was
snapped asuLder, and the davis torn from snen
sockets in an instant
ard her chain cable was also broken and the boat
hurled upon the shore. The other chains and lines
OF the boats fortunately did not break aud the ice ~
this crisis fortunately sorged moment, ana tnSn
the south was prevailing at the time WHICH wlng
off Of the shore caused the 6eds OF Ice 20 take sne
direction OF the Indiana SIDE OF Ae nver ana 70 ,as
prOvdeIt nj Intervention was owing the safety OF the
boats a. the 10 wer wbarf
The destruction among tie coal boats was fm-
nense and scarcely one escaped unscathed Thefe
were seventeen boats sunk In all the greater portion
Of which were fully lncen for the SCUM pnf OF
boats were sunk Just above the mall boat LANDING
An effort was made to check them as tho ice was
sweeping by, but the lines we're broken and suong
rlpg bolt snapped asUnder IN tTinkling, anu the
boas sunk IN lees than five seconds They went
down as IL eDgulphed BY a whirlpool, and the next
instant only small fYa gments Of tho wreck appeared
upon the surface Of the water which were s~ep, on
by the Tesisiess mass IN It's onward march, as no
impeachment had iDtervened
Mesrs Morrison & McClosky lost four boats.
Impsen & Owen three, Smitly q Co. two, b. Clark q
Co three, L. L Hyatt three r. Collins one, T. MI
Ter e. Co. one and, IN addition, some ten or twelve
empty boats were earned off over the falls
The empty beats were afterwards caught oy the
New Albany ferry boats. and saved. TIE principal
losers were Morrison & McCiosky aud lnpsen q
Owen, whose boats were heavily laden ior rev.
Orleans Much OF the coal In the otAeT Doats AZ
be en- taken out and the losses their owners viii
be light Several Of the DO ats sunk In the oend o.
were beached," and In low water the coal can %
recovered, but in damaged condition IN
amount of coal sunk is about i57 900 bushels a.u
the loss together with the cost of the boats 10 e'
mated at a fraction less than els 900.
A large fatboat That lad been laden WIN !. 80
the riyer, by w. p. Hahn, was also suhk vas ss - 80
boat lies al The wharf the greater poftion OF sne
was taken out and saved. One OF tue 'enet scn'n.s
ferry boats living In the mouth Of the creek, va
iamrned In sgains, the wharf and conhueIaOJ
damaged, and made Leak badly If, tha
The force of the ice VAS TREMENDOUS, esS 81 n.sI
precsutioDs that had been made 70 save sae A
boats ere unay ailiDg An empty boat va In an
into a full or e. end both were snz,lefsoh ,.t ana
other instance, the ice goTged unossh s, "a ne by
raised IL I'D bodily, and The next di tsb Iargs
y,Ied M over the boat and let II cossie Raj vas
rakes Of ice large cable attzcneo " cserr posss
broken as essiiy as pack thread an. @ w.rd re.
al ~ or .hYee boats that srnA "s'e
ra,sd 9TH their lines sttaehed. ov., ~. IN.
80 Of the boats that were 'aA ,".S.t ,ageshs~
.h,se men The boan were .as.s1 soeo'' ~ .
~, hscsms detached, with : hs'pos'msn oy 'ns
oos .s ~ Jobn PindaI IN one, aha "a aasin aAe
name oi sor IN ,be other The FIRST boat, N which
aLonsS u, 600 bu hels Of coal took all the eha.es
wa su, over safe It started down she middle
aSa and turned of AZ the head Of Gooss leland
Long the Back Bone, through Geiger's mill chute.
snd ont around the ledian chute, The empty boa!
jo6s ed 1t the head Of Goose Island and Maren ANA
bis companion were ssfsly rss,ued By shh' hon
sh,rr.in snort