Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1865-12-19
LATE NEWS
Property ~ -. Louis ~ IN Ice
gorge.

The following are the full particulars Of
the destruction Of steamboats, by gorge
OF ice on Saturday last at ST. Louis.
The following boats were tied up at the
landing, some half loaded, Others being re
paired. aud some more laid by awaiting an
opening to get away. Up At the locality
of the Elevator and above the upper ferry
landing were the Empire City. Omaha
New Admiral. Sioux City. Metropolitan
liasa Lee, and one or two barges below
ard in the space from Cherry street down
"a Ches,nu, street were the Cora, Diadem
Bannock City, Hattie May. Montana, Big
Horn, Geneva. Calypso. Mollie. McPikc
Arconaut M. 9, Highlander. Belle Mem
phi. and Southwestern. Still further he
low. at the New Orleans landing were tho
steamers Mary f. FORSYTH and Paragon.
Between two and three O'Clock p. m, the
lee began to move, and almost immediate
y the chains and ropes holding the upper
boats snapped, and they commenced m,v
ing down. slowly at first, bit soon after
wards with much more rapidi,y and force
Nothing very remarkable occurred until
they collected ina groupc down about tho
Memphis Packet Landing, when the tire
mendous force Of the ice very quickly
crushed the Highlander and Geneva into
complete wrecks, and they sank down t.
their boiler decks At this time the cabir
Of the Highlander was discovered to bt
on fire. and the steamboat bells pea ed
forth the alarm.
In the space here from Chestnut street
up to Olive street there were eighteen 81
nineteen boats hu!dlcd together, some
with their guar Is torn away, others thelI
wheel houses and boiler Il cks, and not Il
few with the forward portion Of their hulls
smashed in and ruined The steamers
Calypso and Empire City were here crush
cd and torn to such an extent that boil
sunk. the former going almost completely
down on her starboard side. while the lat
ter kept up by the ice, fioated slowly down
[ he stream.
The sunkcn boats have been prevented
from going below the surface by ice cakes
under their hulls. The losses are summed
up as follows:
Steamer Admiral, 100000; Calypso, $35,
900; Highlander, $4,000 Empire City
$4,000 Geneva, *l3,0o0: Sioux City, 81.
600, Omaha 5000; Belle Memphis, 81,
0o0 Cora, 5000; Rosa Lee, s. 1000: Hat
tie Nav, $1,000; Bannak City, $1,000
Amanda, 81 900 Big Horn. $500; Monta.
ma, $500; Metropolitan, 5000; IIucgo
naut, So 900; barges wharfloats, &c
$4,000; cargo losses, 100000 Total
Sal2,c0o
The Highlander had on board two hun
bred rs cargo. The Admiral lies sunk to
her boiler deck near the foot of Cctla'
street. The Sioux City WAS badly damag
Ell; the Rosa Lee is opposite gunboat Shi
loh and carecned over the Calypso is just
beyond toward Illinois shore
There is heavv insurance in St Louis
Cincinnati aud Pittsburgh on these beats
The Admiral is insured here and Pitts
burgh fer $4,000 The steamer Bell,
Memphis got up steam this p IN, and
worked narrow passage about 800 yard,
along the river for the purpose Of hauling
the lml,ci boats ont 81 further danger
which is feared more than what has hap
pcned heretofore.
Thc b,atmcn are anxious on account nf u
fuithcr breaking up Of the ice. The
weather Is motlrra'irg.