Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-12-29

The bluffs in front of the city and the
landing from Poplar to Union street
We're the attraction yesterday, and
during the day thousands of men, wO-
men and children went to see the great
destruction Of steamboat property and
watch the wreckers as they were
taking out of the
ILL-FATED STEAMERS
what little of furniture and machinery
they could recover, and until dark the
throng of curiosiJy-seekers was fully as
large as on the day previous. The second
ICE-wAvE
that was expected did not come, but the
river rose eighteen inches during the
night, and about four o'clock yesterday
morning there came with the rise
another
HUGE MASS
Of floating ice, that at some places pro-
jected fully four feet above the water;
but for this the steambOatmen were pre-
pared, and but little additional injury
was done beyond the further breaking
and twisting of some of the boats
ALREADY LOST.
The dry docks were moved down
some eight or nine feet by this mass,
and the coal fiat lying just at their stern
and between the docks and the bank,
owned by Brown d Jones, and anoth-
er lying just below owned by the Mem
phis Gasiight Company, were crushed
and sunk. The last mentioned was
forced against the bow of the
FERRYBOAT EXCELSIOR
and both ends of the flat raised high in
the air, and breaking in twoin the middle
that part was the first to go down. The
Excelsior was crowded against the bank
still tirmer, but otherwise uninjured.
The steamer
PAT CLEBURNE,
lying just below, had steam up all Fri
day night and yesterday, to assist her.
self in case the gorge should come, but
only her lines were frightened a little by
the force of the ice and current. Out
side of her and the dry docks the ice ex-
tended for at least hundred yards, and
was fully fifteen feet deep at the shore.
Under the stern of the Cleburne lie the
coal docks owned by Brown q Jones,
sunk
OUT OF SIGHT,
but endangering the Cleburne should
she attempt to move. Next below the
Cleburne, and in fact with at least half
her deck under the Cleburne's guard,
lies the little ferryboat
NELLIE THOMAS,
which, during the night. had been
crowded a few inches farther upon the
shore, and the Cleburne's guard covers
a foot or so more of her main deck. Her
chances, as well, in fact, as those of !
nearly all of the boats, for escape from |
entire destruction are slight, should an |
other gorge come down upon them, and |
that is probable, from the fact that yes |
terday a rumOr was rife that man had |
arrived from Pacific Place, some twen- |
ty-five miles above here, on the Arkan- |
sas shore, he having crossed the river |
there in a skiff, and reported the river |
clear of ice, but thought that
ANOTHER GORGE HAD FORMED ABOVE.
When this became known the steam
er A. j. White got up steam and made |
her way to the bar opposite, landing |
below the H. G. Yaeger,
and will there remain until the ice
clears away. When night came on the
floating ice was thinning out considera-
bly,, and the rising less rapid, the rise
during the day having been but three
inches, and several steamboatmen who
were consulted were also of the opinion
that another gorge had formed, as stat
ed above, and that, should it come
THE DESTRUCTION
would exceed that of Wednesday night.
The steamer Arlington also had up
steam, and moved fifty yards down, tax
ing the position at the landing occupied
Dy the A. J. White. The steamer
BELLE OF PIKE
settled down during Friday night, until
he water nearly touched her cabin floor
1t the wheel and stern, and there rested
Upon conglOmerated mass of broken
,oal barges and ice, enabling
CAPTAIN REESE DUGAN
md his wreckers to get out cotton dur
ng the day. The manner in which it
vas done was this: y force Of men was
Kept in the boat with poles working
through holes cut in the cabin floor, and
moving the bales out to the side of the
BOAT, where it was fiOated to the bank
md drawn up run-ways, worked by horse
md mule power, to the top of the bank
md there rolled out of the way. In this
manner some seventy-five or eighty .
)ales were taken out during the day and
IN tn, day previous four hundred and
orty-eight bales were removed, leaving
)ut about two hundred and twenty-three
)ales on board to be taken out last night
md to-day. Nearly all Of the Pixies
urniture, doors, blinds, bell, ETC., were
llso removed and taken to dry land, and
" tonight there will be bat little left
IN her that is worth removing.
should the ice and the mass Of
,Oats that now support her give
way, she viii drop to the bottom
u seventy-five feet ofwater, total loss.
The water had during the night got over
he outside guard Of the
R. p. WALT,
md the wheels of her buckets on the in
ide had raised about three inches, show
ng that she is settling down quite rap
dly. All Of her cabin fixtures are out,
however, and yesterday men were at
work taking out the steam pipes, ma