The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1867-02-14
The Break Up ON the OhiO.

The Cincinnati Enquirer, Of the 7th
instant, collects, from its exchanges,
the following accounts q the break up
Of the ice at various places on the
Ohio:A Ell t III
The New Albany Ledger, In tie JEFF
fsrsonville items, says
In the morning appearances, well
understood by river mon, indicated
che brOak up Of tho immense folds Of
shore ice extending up the river TO
Six-milo Island, and from fifty to one
hundred rods in width. Every boat
end barge along eur wharf had extra
lines out, and every other preoaution
that was possible was rssorted to, to
meet the emergency that finally occur
red. All the steamboats, and ferry
boats kept full head of steam, and
the John Shslloross made several trips
in tho forenoon, and little after noon,
took on large load ofteGps and pas
songors to return to Louisville; but
the floating ice was SO thick and strong
that she lay at her dock some timC,
apparently waiting for an opportunity
in the ice for her to gothrough in Oros-
sing. gs.r--- --a .-,..
About one o'clock in the afternoon
tho shOrs-ice opposite our city, on
which, but few moments before, sew
eralpersons wcro skating, started down
the river without doing any injury,
and it was hoped the larger quantities
further up would not start but soon it
was discovered That it, too, had atartcd
in immense uubroken quantities, start
ing from tho upper end and swinging
around from the Kentucky side, reach
ed the shore on this side the river and
came down with an irresistible force.
Hundreds were on the shore Watching
its spp.oach, with an almost unbroken
Silspco, etidently hoping for the best,
but fearing tho worst.
Soon the ice reached an empty coal
barge, fastened with three heavy rope
cables, any one ofwhich seemed strong
enough to hold it. But one after an
othOr of them snapped like SO many
strands OF packing twine, and she's
driftsd doVp against two others equal
ly we'll fastened, which were also bro
ken from their fastenings, and ali three
ofthem were driven against the Isaac
Bowman. In addition to several rope
cables, she had out very heavy chain
one, and altogether, with the aid of
powerful head of steam, which was let
on to both engines with full force, it
was hoped that she would be able to
resist tho pressure sufficient to let the
barges and Zoe pass by, and thus serve
a. a protection to the wharf boat and
the John shallCross, lying just be-
Tow. But this hepe was of short durs-
ton.
Very soon she parted one after an
other Of her lines in quick succession,
and then her chain cable. From that
instant . scene ensued that beggars all
attempts at description. Every body
then knew that tho ice would take sv-
srything bsforeIt A shout was rais-
ed to clear the Shallcroso other passen-
gers as soon as possible. Until then
they had not supposed themselves in
any danger, as the Bowman had hid
from view the effects Of the lee They
had hardly got ont to sss what was the
cause Of the alarm before the Bowman
came on to tho wharf boat, breaking
her lines and crushing her upper works
as though they were built Of paste,
board, and pilinR them on board the
Shallcross, which then received the
force Of all the boats and barges and
ice combined, snGpping her lines like
those ofthe rest, ,,..
They then suddenly realized the
great danger they were in, and as fast
as possible jumped over the side of the
boat next the shore, and over She bow,
sOme at first jumping nearly or quite
on to the shore, and others, as tho boat
started from her moerings, jumping on
the floating ice several yards from
the shore, and escaping drowning or
being crushed by the masses of broken
ice through tho heroic efforts Of those
on the shore, at great risk 10 their,