Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-01-24
AFLOAT On THE ICE.
Terrible Wreck on the Kaw.
Sixty Hen and Their Teams Start
Down the River on the Iee-Excit.
Ing Scenes and PeriIOus Positions.

Down the River on the Iee-Exeit.
Ing Scenes and PeriIous Positions.
From the Kansss CITY Times; Jan. 20.
The Kansas river, which every one
knows divides Kansas City from its subur-
ban neighbor Wyandotte City, '.gOt up a
regular tare' yesterday, and for about half
an hour was the scene of great excitement,
rivalling in intensity the excitement pre-
yailing on board the Vile Du Havre after
her collision with the Ioeh Earn.
The river has been frozen oter for q few
days past, and during this time has been
the scene Of great hustle and excitement.
The ice-dealers-amOng them VinqueSt,
Eidemiller, Atwell and other large dealers
in ice-have been at work ever since tine
ice was three inches thick, busily saving
all tbst could be cut. Here was a city of
fifty thousand people depending upOu them
for the means of keeping cool and the
wheTewithal TO make mint tulips and
cobblers next summer. Hundreds of
men were at work on the thin surface
of the tranquil kaW. Day gangs gave
way to night gangs, and night gangs in
turn went home 10 give way to the daylight
reliefs. Strings of teams came and went
in constant procession. TranWays were
far out into the river. Horses plOwed back
wards and forwOrds cutting out long LAYERS
of the valuable crystal substance, which
was hourly becoming more valuable, as the
rain of Sunday and the cold thaw Of Mon
day Threatened a dissolution. Ii was
about the middle of Monday afternoon
when the crisis came. i vast area of the
rivers surface had been cleared of ice. bun
10
going. The ice had reached a thickness
of about six or seven inches,
and the thaw Of SUNDAY and Monday had
made it rather rotten. Suddenly a loud
cracking was heard above, below and all
around the working parties. The cracking
increased with the loud cries Of alarm from
those upon theFiyer. 4 general rush was
made for shore, but too late. for all the ice
Witch had been partially separated by cut
ting On both tides. separated with a loud
crack, and almost Immediately afterwards
a breach was opened between the Ineii on
the ice and the shore. Shouts and cries
Of alarm from those on shore and those
who now perceived themselves going
down stream on a huge ice cake, which
was within a few hundred yards of the
rushing, turbij waters Of the Missouri
river, these, combined WIKI the Grack-
ing Of the immense mass of ice, made a
scene Of cOmmOtiOn as exciting as il was
interesting. After the first alarm had
somewhat subsidized, a concerted attempt
was made by those on shore to assist in
TesCUing the men and horses now on the
floating cake of Ice. IL was plainly evil
dent that if the vast sheet Of rotten ice
should reach the mouth Of the river it
would 6e brOhsn ny in tie rapid current of
the Missouri river, and nen and teams
must go down among the confusion Of
broken ice. Ropes, planks and other ap-
planes We're brought into requision,
Pc the ice raft fiOated slowly towards the
mouth of the river. But the men on this
fragile raft were not 20 be lost. Man him
self was pOweTless to restrain the vast sheet
of ice or to bridge over the smooth placid
chaSm between 1t and shore. But PrOvi- |
dence came it at the last moment. The |
raft drifJed so that its widest part came
across the stream, reaching from shore to |
shUre. This gOrged the ice for few min |
utes, but long eTiOuSi to allow the imper- |
lied men and horses to escape TO shore, |
which they lost no time in doing, all being |
saved just as the ice again broke up and |
went booming out of the Raw into the |
afisSalIri river