Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-12-30
What was Done Yesterday---The
Work Of Wrecking Con-
tindes--COOl Heads
and Busy Hands.
Preparations for the Future--De-
s%tructiOn at Helena--COaI
4 and Produce Boats Car
ried Down River.
The Cheek, in the Midst Of the
Crash, is Saved by the Intel
ligenee and Labor Of Her
Officers and Crew.

The situation at the river yesterday
had changed but little since our report
OF Saturday night. Notwithstanding
the gloomy and wet weather, curiosity
seekers by the hundred docked to the
river bank, and in front of the Belle of
Pike and r. p. Walt all the vacsnt
space was filed during the entire day.
Nothing worthy of note occurred during
the morning, but soon after dinner the
rain that had fallen loosened the ice alobg
the bar ora the opposite side OF the river
to the point of the bar above, and soon
after it began to move that portion.
above the city, and breaking, came with
considerable force against the field that
extended for ONE distance out in the
river, broke a portion below the foot of
Jefferson street, and for a time created
some little excitement among steam
boatmen, but soon ran out, leaving The
James Howard free, but crowded the
City of Augusta harder upon her ice
dock and the little steamer SumIaeF
KoOn, and when she attempted to back
out it was found that she could not
be budged. The assistance of the Al. J..
White, however, helped her, and after
two or three pulls at her stern and
shoves at her larbOard, she was worked
loose and freed from the ice. Then it
was found that her Tudder was broken,
and she came to the bank just below the
Laura and the flat, there to remain dur
ing the night. She was considerably
TWISTED BY THE ICE,
and her being crowded upon the Sum-
mer Koon tore away a greater portion
OF her larboard guard, so that it will cost
n a1r,n1a ~ AIDrr-,a2 1ATaA~ - -
her. When she pulled out, the cabin Of.
the Summer KOon dropped over into
the water and hOated a few yards, when
it was captured and taken in tow by two
amateur wreckers in a skiff, who lowed
it to the shore. When the ice came
down from the Oppositeside of the river,
the pleasure boat Helen Brooks, which
lay at the stern of the Augusta, broke
loose and sunk, the cabin afterward
coming to the surface and floating off.
The wreckers were busy at Their. p. Walt
all day and succeeded in getting out all
of her machinery and everything tha5
could be moved. The water rose until
it nearly covered her larboard guard,
and she lay just as she did the dag pre-
viOus, ready to tOpple yer when the ice
and coal barges break away from her
larboard side. The LaUra's upper works |
were pretty badly used up by the axes of
the wreckers; and she was twisted a
little by the ice. The Belle of Pike
looked as though she had settled down
considerably, but had not, the water ris-
ing to her cabin floor at the wheels and
being q foot deep at the stern. Reese
Dugan, with his force of wreckers and
double and twisted horse capstan,
worked until twelve o'clock Saturday
night
GETTING OUT COTTON,
and were at it again early YESTERDAY,
crowning their efforts about four o'clock
In the afternoon by pulling out the last
of the eargo-seven hundred and forty
six bales-when he turned his attention
to coal oil, flour, and such other freight
as could be reached. The Nellie
Thomas position was unchanged, as
was also that of the Pat ClebuTne and
the boats laying at thelanding below the
whaTfbOat. The YaegeT came over early
in the day, and when the White had
pulled out the Augusta, she went down
below the point on the opposite side Of
the river to remain during the night,
and returns this morning The tugboat
N. NJ. Jones busted herself about the har-
Dor, when the ice permitted her TO run,
and during the afternoon took a flat
alongside, and upon them two COM
panies of
THE FOURTH UNITEI STATES INFANTRY, 1
and carried them across the river to
HOpefield, from where they go by rail
to Little Rock. The Legal Tender made
her way through the ice from below, ar
here about tive o'clock, and re-
ported the ice very heavy all the way
down. She also reported that the steam
er Mary Boyd, which had been at the
bank four miles below LinwOOd, had
exhausted her fuel, and starting out to
find a woodward, was caught in a huge
ice foe and carried down the river with
her cargo Of nearly eight hundred bales
Of cotton, which was all for this city and
doubtless covered by Insurance in our
home companies. A report was also
that the B~atesvile had been
by her crew, as there was one
or two eases of smallpox on board; but
this we could trace to no authentic
and do not think it reliable.
THE POSITION THE BOATS NOW OCCUPY
at the landing is a perilous one should
The ice-wall break that now holds in all
hose above Jefferson street. The rain d,
yesterday and last night softened the
ce to a considerable extent, and at dark
here was some indication of a break at
mouth of Wolf river, which, should :
t begin there, would first carry the dry {
locks against the Excelsior and Gle
)urne, and in turn the docks would
itrike nearly every boat 1T the landing, /
if any of them escape it will be q I
In our Geographic column ]
yesterday We gave the position of several i
)oats at Helena, u dispatch stating {
hat there was danger of several boats {
lost should the river rise further, {
md last night we had information by l
eegraph that 5
AN ENTIRE COAL FLEET I
vas broken loose Saturday night at s
leven o'clock, and carried down the I
liver by the ice, and as they passed
three produce boats and crush l
ng Others badly. One man on board I
he coal fleet had a leg broken, and g
theirs were slightly injured. The :
beamer L
GEORGE W. CHEEK =
7as carried down with the mass of coal n
nd produee-boats, but succeeded in c
'eeing herself, and reachedthe opposite L
bore in safety. Nc
RAILROADS. o
1xtst1 m wsSrs5 aana- !,