, 1866-01-19

"A Cled0 sweep OF lie River IInNk4-
Singular Fntallty-Curtous Incidents
-E1-Isebels Encnby-Complfmcnt to
Chicago, Etc., Etc.
From Our Own Special Correspondent
ST. Iou1s, Jan Is, 1861.
Ersry body here has been for the last forty
eight hours talking river matters, and it is
ve1y natural thut topic shonld be the first in
letter. The breaking up of the Ice In the
river on Friday night was IN important
event, not only in commercial point of
view, but also In u financial sense to the yarl-
ous insurance companies Interested. The
1cyec was swept clean, and on Saturday night
there was literally nothing for the ice-king to
do. All the boats at the lerec were either
sunkcn or carried away. Those in safe 1ar-
Dor below the city had steam up, and during
Sunday many Of them ventured to lcavc'their
moori1ye and crossed to their usual landings.
To-day they arc loading for various
Southern ports, md one captain has the te-
mcrity to hang out his sign board, 'For the
Missouri River" Perhaps the most signal
case Of disappointment which has lately oc-
CURED here, was the fate of the splendid
steamer Belle Memphis. This boat WIS in a
safe position few days ago, but her owners
tried TO hare her reach the shore Of Bloody
1sland, and consequently, after repeated At
tempts to force passage through the Ice
fields, the gallant steamer stuck fast. Even
here the owners were satisfied, and did not at-
tempt to move the boat. The steamboat
mems theory waa that she would float down
stream with the the Ice md be saved. But
the Ice broke and stove In the hull Of the
Belle Memphis, and after being moved two or
three times, she sank to the hurricane deck at
the head Of Arsenal Island.
steamboat stock Was mjghtylow last week,
md some sales show what risks men will
take for the sake Of money. One man had q
narrow escape. He had claim agasnst the
steamer Diadem, and levied an attachment On
the boat to secure himself The owner man
aged to raise the money and pay off the claim
on Saturday morning, and by noon his boat
was mt the bottom Of the river. Another
party offered SO, 900 for an interest in 4 boat
which ordinarily would be worth $3l 600. The
owner declined to trade, and in twelve hours
bis boat Was sunk, With an insurance fr only
half her yalue. The whole week from the
day when the warm rains commenced was
scene ofgnmbllng and excitement down town
which has had few equals on the Stock Ex-
change. Bets about the safety of boats we're
frequent. They were generally taken at odds
that such and such boat void 70 by the
board when the ice broke up.
cOLoRED CELEBRATION.
The eolored mems celebration of tho first
anniversary Of Missouri emancipation ordi-
nance took place on the 11th, and was
marked by some cnrioua scenes, the most
laughablc OF which was about QUE hundred
md fifty Irish hack drivers, driving around
town so many hack loads OF negroes Of both
sexes. Nine-tenths Of 1ha drivers were rank
Copperheads, and every one Of them would
be nortalIy offended II asked to take seat
inside horse car with co1ored man Or wo-
man, yet Tor the filthy lucre they. will play
coachman for the negro on demand. Another
curious thing was that the negroes we're 80
much IN earnest that three thousand Of them
turned out In procession, notwlthstand1ng
drenching rain storm, and stood to II
bravely throughout the whole day. Il would
be hard to find an equal number Of white mn
50 courageous IN face Of the sans difficulties:
The day wound up with publfc exercises at
Turner g Hall and with dancing,
:-5':' 1lIL1rARI LAW. 49, ): :, = :, :
4 case of conflict between the civil and
military authorities is now pending Counsel