Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-02-04
A THRILLING SCENE.

m
A THRILLING SCENE.
Moving of an Zee GOrge-The Ice Moves
while "a Crowd of Men. Women and
children are Crossing ON Foot.
From the ST. Louis Democrat. Jan. 81.
The intense cola Of the past few days
has caused the ice in the river to gorge, and
Yesterday the ferry boats were stopped and
neople passed over on the ice on n walk Of
blanks laid by Mr.. Crevalirg, of the Trans
fer Company. No danger was apprehend-
ed from this causeway, and people of both
sexes crossed on Il.
At half past four O'Clock in the afternoon
the passengers who had Just arrived by the
Ohio and Mississippi train, numbering sey-
eral hundred, commenced crossing on the
plank road, at the foot Of Washington
avenue. There was a line of people-men,
women and misunderstanding nearly
across the river. Some Of the men were
packing yalises, some carrying shawls and
oyercoatF. and several had babies in their
arms. Just as the pilgrims on the sea of
ice were stretched out in long line, a
crash washeard, and suddenly the ice began
10 move. The widest CONSERVATION pre-
vailed among the travellers. Some ran
back toward the Illinois shore, but the inn
mense mass Of ice upon which they were
floating had drilted some distance from the
shore, leaving gap of deep running waller
twenty or thirty feet wide. Others ran
toward the Missouri shore, but this was
also inaccessible from the same cause, and
there the multitude were left, on a raft Of
ice floating slowly toward the Gulf of
Mexico.
When the breaking Of the gorge became
known, crowds gathered on the leTee, until
there were at one time not less than ten
thousand spectators at the exciting scene.
The police were e. once marshaled under
Commissioner Codding, and efforts were
made 10 rescue the people from their peril
ouB situation. The danger was that the
large body Of ice would break TO pieces by
coming 10 contact with the shore ice, and
that the people on it would be swallowed
up and ground to pieces by the icy bouldS
ers. The noise Of the moving ice was heard
at considerable distance Kissing,
grinding sound, mingled with splashes Of
broken Jumps and the cracking Of large
cakes as they came in contact with other
bodies.
A small steamboat was lying about a
block below the plank road, and the ice
strnck her bow, and 70 this point the crowd
rushed, bat as the ice came against the
bow of the boat it was crushed 70 pieces,
and the distance from the ice 10 the boat
was too great for anything hui frog or a
grasshopper TO leap. r,.ra
At length a stage.plank was run out from
the boat 90 the moving ice, and over this
the excited multitude clambered on board
in great haste--some being literally drag
ped along by their hands and clothes, while
others were pushed and lifted over by the
policemen and the men who stood near.
One fat lady, weighing over two hundred
pounds, was so much excited on getting
safely from the ice, that she tainted, and
was carried 10 shore over the heads Of the
crowd, presenting a spectacle resembling
picture in recent number of the Last
SeHsdfiOn.p
An anxious traveller, who had lost sight
Of his wife in the confusion, and was watch
ing his chance, with an overcOat in his
hand and promising baby in his arms,
became terribly agitated az his portion Of
the ice drilled near the boat. Seeing officer
Gordon on the other side of the gap, he
called out, "Here, catch this baby" and
tossing the infant through the air, dis
lance Of twenty o. thirty feet, turned TO look
for his better half. Gordon being AN ex-
pert. base ballist caught the baby in his
hands, and the young one rewarded him by
& smile Of thankfulness lie waited ten or
fifteen minutes for the father 10 come
for the little responsibility, and began 10
think he would have to adopt il as a iuve-
nile Metropolitan, when the father, having
found his wife, came and reclaimed the
little one
The ice continued TO move, and the stage
plank was kept in position until the ice was
pretty well cleared Of its passengers.
One lady, who ia the confusion had
drifted down for three or four blocks, was
LEFT and seemed unable 20 save herself A
gallant Irishman in the crowd exclaimed !
Be jaberH, il III niver do 10 let a femail |
20 down in that way, at all, at all !" and |
throwing ofhis coat he ran 20 the lady and |
seized her in his arms and ran with her to |
the edge of the ice, and tossed her over 10 |
the crowd on the shore. His act was loud /
~ applauded by the multitude, and the POI |
lice patted him on the back and called him |
a good boy
Amer the excitement had partially sub
eided, il was discovered that a man and /
boy were still on the ice, going down, all /
the rest having reached the shore ia safety
The crowd called to them repeatedly, but
they paid no attention, and seemed utterly |
powerless TO make an effort or 10 compre-
bend what was said 50 them. A length |
Mr.. Coddipg drew his revolver and fred a |
shot over their heads, and this recalled |
their wandering senses, and they found |
their way 10 the stage plank and we're
saved.
There we're three dogs on the ice, and |
two Of them reached the shore by leaping |
the ohasm, but the third fell little short, |
tumbled into the water and the mass of ice /
striking him in the back, he went down |
with yelp.
Michael OMears, amer falling into the
water three times, was finally pnlled ont /
and regained dry land. he hurried to the |
first public house he could find, which hap /
pened 10 be Mrs. 0Connor's, on the levee. |
Here be was IN the act of CHANGING his |
clothes, and was opening his yAhse, when |
some man, whose name il unknown, seized |
the vslise and ran of with it, and was not |
caught. The Fslise contained i've thousand |
dollars in drafts and notes, and one thousand |
dollars 10 money.
A thousand amusing incidents occurred !
during the stampede on The ice, and among
the crowd on the shore. II was a lucky
escape for the travellers, eli of whom, no
doubt, will vote for the immediate COM
pletiOn Of the great bridge across the Mis-
sissippi.
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