New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-02-09
IcE.BOUND STEAMERS.
r,.., in an Ice Corge-Their Crificai Oo'
SlitiOns

Fleet IN an ICC UOA
ditiOn.
The following is copied from the l'o'N'
vile Courier-Jomrnal of Tuesday; .ou
We published on Sunday morning ,o.,e,
from a correspondent on DoaiG ', nort On the
aven;ng of the twenty-ffth ultlmo, gislns
an account of the situation OF the Hons
worth and four other steamers anu ono
harra ali locked fast in an ice noe, soAo
s;xIeen miles below Cairo. The gorge Is REP
resented as eight or ten mlies Ill IonS -
and ten to fifteen feet IN depth, auu .no
boats are in the utmost danger vi uooS H.
ton by the moving or oreaklng up Inns ~ in.
ice. The amount of the properly 'nuo ~. IN
volved in imminent peril OF loss 10 t!e
owners. and the interest of our people III
the boats and their freights, justify us IN
Going to some expense and trouble TO pre-
Sent an accurate view of the situation.
Our correspondent thinks there Is sOme e
hope of all the boats coming out sa1ely, ~
the ice is thawed out by mild weather; DuS
if there is a break up, or if the whole gorge
moves. either of which may take place
under the great pressure of the water winch
ia damned up by the accumuiatloni tne
;ce r. will be hardly possible for the Great
Renublic. Longworth and Bodmann to es-
CAPE being crushed to pieces, and the other
boats will probably be very much Injured,
if not totally wrecked. Thus lar they nave
suffered no damage of consequence, ana IL
ia hoped that they may be released from
their nerilOus situation without serious IN
Jury. Every precautiOn possible under the
circumstances is being taken to avert the
threatened catastrophe, and the nope Is
general among officers and crews that they
will be able to weather the danger. some
here who have had similar experiences
think that the fears expressed tor the SAFETY
THAT we have no account OF the Valuaole
cargoes being removed to the shore seems
to bear them out in that view OF the matter.
The value of boats and cargoes thus IN
volyed is variously estimated at from
So, 500 900 to $5,O00,000. The magnitude or
the loss, therefore, should the boats be de-
stroyed, renders their situation matter OF
GREAT concern, not only to the owners of the
vessels, but to the shippers and to the m
surance companies. The Great Republic
originally cost in the neighbOrhOod OF
5000. 900, and has recently been fitted up IN
magnificent style for the accommodation OF
the Grand Duke Alexis and suite, VINO chaf-
tered the steamer for trip to New Orleans,
and proposed going on board at Memphis
to which place the vessel was proceeding
when caught in the ice.
A special dispatch to the Cincinnati Com
merciat from Cairo gives some particulars
concerning the imperilled feet. The Com
merciars correspondent thinks that the
Longworth and the BOdmann are in the
greatest danger. He says: returned last
evening from flying visit to Columbus,
Kentucky, and the feet of boats ice-bound
above the city l found that the various
rumors concerning their condition in gen
eral were very much exaggerated, and that
while the gorge holds they can not be
seriously hurt. The transfer steamer, was
told, lost her rudder by the ice, and the
Great Republic shipped hers to keep it
from being broken, but aside from this no
fleet The BOdmann is raised up fifteen
inches by the ice and the KilgOu~ six
inches. The foot of the gorge rests oppo-
site the rocky point Immediately above
Columbus, and the clear water runs up in
the shape of a V, the highest point being in
the middle of the river. To the right of
! this point, near the shore and about three
lengths of herself away lies the BOdmann.
Directly in front of the point, and probably
four hundred yards distant, the Illinois is
living across the channel. Near the Ken
lucky shore, three hundred yards above the
Bodmann, the LongwOrth is situated. Above
her, little further out, and just opposite
the saw-mll, is the ferry st. Louis, and
above her, out in the river, is the Great Re
public. She is probably three-fourths of a
mile, but not more. think, from the foot of
the gorge.
Ali the danger to the feet is appre-
hended from the breaking up of the ice, and
every man ON board all of them seems to
have different opinion as to its results.
Captain Wade, of the Mitchell, says it rarely
occurs that boat fast in gorge is injured
by the breakup, and believes that they will
come out all right. The general opinion,
however, is that the Longworth and Bod
mann, which lie in the bend SO close to shore,
will be crowded to the bank and, possibly,
ruined. Looking at them myself, and
knowing nothing about it, concluded it
would not be wise to purchase either of the
boats until spring.
Day before yesterday the current OF the
river changed to the Kentucky shore, Just
below Island No. 3, and little way above
the Great Republic broke through the ice
and rushed down along the bank like a
mill race, carrying ice and everything with
it, and yesterday at noon had advanced to
point opposite and just outside the Long
worth. Some hopes were entertained that
it would continue to push its way toward
clear water until it would cut through and
cause the lower end of the gorge to break
away. The belt of clear water formed by
this ''sloO' was about twenty feet WIDE and
its velocity was terrific.
Day before Yesterday the gorge extended
to within four miles of Cairo. Yesterday
the river was clear of ice half way to Co
lumOuS, ana Wnere all tnaC great mass OF
ice went to is a wonder to me, but it shows
that had the mild weather continued
twenty-four hours longer no sign of the
gorge would have been left, and thawing
away from the upper end no bad results
could have occurred to the feet.
Nearly all the passengers of the ice-bound
steamers have gone forward. and Mr.. Will
Walker clerk of the Bodmann, proposed to
start on visit to his friends at home last
evening. Among the passengers remaining
on the Bodmann are Captain DOnnelly and
daughters, and Judge Straub of Cincinnati
The health of the Judge is improving, and
the party on board are in the best of spirits.
Judge Straub says he was advised by his
physician to go South for his health, and he
finds the climate beneficial but regrets that
the Bodmann was compelled to winter above
Columbus, as he understands that seals,
walrus and polar bears are plentiful in the
bend below the city.
In truth, the scene presented by the huge
masses of ice: piled many feet high. with
huge hollows between, and the crews of the
steamers drawing fuel and provisions to
them on sleds over the ice, seemed more
appropriate to polar sea than Southern
river.
The Davis Scandal-Its Revival in n Rail.
road Sleeping Car-An Ex-COnfederate
General Badly Beaten.
What was spoken of by most of the pa
inn Of 70