The New York herald., 1875-02-13


! memorable year Of 1885. when the Hudson River
! was irOzen over witnin the present city limits
| and seigbs ana wagons made a regular thorough
Ilre vi the ICY bridge Many oi tue read
Der that remaskabe eooch in the history
oil Manhattan Island. Sleghing parties were
organized tents were pitched upon theice ano
| itlhefant vendors dd thrivlng business. Inc
only other example III temperate climes or sucl
an unusual event was the freezing OF the river
Ihaines In thaG neyer-to-be-lor@ottenw winter whel
| LOnGon
HELD HIGH cARNIvAL
| upon the treacnerous Ice, which had attained
thlckness OF Two Ieet Huge bonires were 6ulll
upon the slippery surface, oxen were roasted
! whole aud the city generally had a grand jollidca
/ ton over the wonderful event. Booths were
erected on the Ice IN the vicinity OF London
Bndge, ana lor DAYS repetition oi ursenWien !,
FAIR under these novel circumstances conduced 10
The good temper or the metropolis and 10 the
profit OF It's lnnkeepers.
WONDERFUL experiences, yet 10 may point WIN
PRIDE 10 its grand HUDSON. and. as rule, DEFY the
year. however. Father Winter has been IN an
unusually bad humor, and the North River, IN
spite or AL rule ana precedent Is no" piocAaeeo.
The
UNPARALLELED AocuNrLATIoN OF ICE
con inUeu during tie wlole OF yesterday. Early
IN tne morning he wind set IN fgoui the We stward
and oiew gale during Tue entire DAY. As u
cohS;egeeHcs e icG tse w ersey
the chanDel was qClte clear. me nood tlde con :
tlnued unll about three o'clock l. NJ, ana up the
river as iar as Christopher street tue ice was
banked up IN huge misshapen masses. extending
200 or 80 yards nom tue New YORK wharVcs
Beyond that large ioe ol clear, smooth Ice en-
tended nearly hall way across the river. and on
this several recEless men ana boys we're skating
aad sliding. lt Is no eXaggeration 10 say that. IN
some ms Lances the ice was heaped up IN masses
Of ten or Twelve eet ia helgnt- Inc repeated
attacks or tugs and otner river craft
have piled the CAKES one upon another untl t0e
most picturesque and eNtraVagant sDectacieS
have been presented. Aoout two O'Clock yeste.-
river aud upon It was seen perfect similitude
Of u
spy glasses were III Immediate requisition, and
much solicltue was expressed or the unfortunate
vOya2erS, unln the deluslon was discovered, ana
IL was made apparent that the spectacle was
simple mirage, caused by the rays o. the sun laii-
during the cav did the Ice bank up on the Jersey
side. AS iar up as Christopher street there was
clear water over nall ie river.
Above tnat point tlc ice was uncertain. It
would sometimes come w0iriing against the Jer
seq shore and tuen bound on 10 tue mldde OF the
stream. The captain OF q Jugooat, whose duties
called nm TAR up as Fortleth street, said that
he could not understand no sucn ice, no npw."
lie nad oeen running on TIE river lor nearly
twenty years and he never nad seen sucn state
OF affairs. Further up the same scenes were
THE SLIPS WE'RE FROZEN
fast, and the canal boats ana lighters remained
neipie5sly alongside the wharve5, encased In an
icy armor several craft were caught III MD
stream by the noes and driite1 almessiy along
wherever the ice cnose TO take them. Some small
vessels aropped Anchor uut IL was o. no avail, as
the remorseess Ice quietly brushed aside such
Slight lnpediments and carried everything before
1t. No errles above Christopher street were able
10 run at AL. At eleven A. NJ. leTryDoat from
Forty-Second street attempted to cross. but was
imprisoned By a noe and drlted to the foot OF
Thirty fourth street. AS there was no possible
chance OF making the passage the boat re-
turned to ner dock, happy 10 escape with
no more serious injury than the loss oil q few
BUCKETS rom ner paddle wheels. Tne Twenty
third street Terry ala not run at all, wisely con-
cuding that discretion was the better part Of
vaor
the boats were able to make irregular trips. AT
IL getting out OF the silp put the 0oats MANAGED
10 run on half tlme. The other Ho6oken ferry.
mucn delay and vexaion was experienced by
travellers. The James Rumsey. leaving Hoookea
being supplied. sne steamed without nindrance
nearly TO tee New YORK side, but on arriving near
the sip, found 1t Impossible 10 enter. Alter much
ma9uvring she managed 10 effect O landing at
Chambers street and then returned TO hoDoken
let Hosoksn at twenty ave misu utes TO eight A. NJ
and alter repeated attempts to force q passage
TOOK her place and succeeded in making two trlps
At hall-past eight the Weeaawken became last In
the ice at the head OF fhe sup and consumed FIVE
hours before making landing. AT the Erie ferry
the same trouble was encountered. The Pavonia
and Susouehanna were delayed more than an hour
New Jersey ferries the boats managed TO run, but
with great irreguiArily. inll hour was consumed
in each trip, and West street, IN consequence, c,
was blocked win vehicles bearing Ireignt Tor
transportation
AT THE STATEN ISLAND FERRY,
from the Battery, the boats were greatly delayed.
The North1eld was forced 10 land her passenger:
at one oi tGe North River piers. after which sne
managed 10 gam a reiu9e III the SIP OF the Ham
llton Terry. one OF the staten Island boats
managed ABOUT two O'Clock p. NJ. to reach point
Within few yatds OF the entrance 10 tie sllp and
the passengers congratulated themselves that
they mad successfully made the uncertain passage.
A huge foe, however, dlsappoine ed the hopes OF
the sangulne yoJag and The boat, alter mucn
Ounetipg by bOtn wind aud Ice, was forced 20
seek a landing iurther up. Luckily, there were
A
with one skate. let himself gently down
from the end OF per No. and
ercses. The ice thick, and apparently ly
sate but there were caasms mere and there thlnl y
glazed by the treacherJus lrost. While the small
boy was exutinT IN apparent immunity from
interruptions by policemen or parents, he uucol-
sciously approached the abyss, and In a lew Sec
onds
SPLASH WAS HEARD,
and q dripping iorm slowly crawleJ upon a
fl.noly cake. Witn reproachiul glance at the
unstable Ice the young Arao slowly unbucxled his
solitary skate, and clamoerDg up tne wharf he
rapldly travelled nome. Uf his after fate the
reporter has not neard. No acclGents OF q serious
nature happened during the day. The wniring
Ice IN the slips Injured the ruGders OF lew small
craft, ou. no important damage was done.
should the wind enanEe anu blow a gale from
the southeast or southwest another .pridge, ma
be formed across the Hudson, and dourtiess IN
that case many more valiant adventdrers VIII
attempt the passage.
sumed their regular trips AT Barclay street 10
dlmculty had been experienced after seven r. NJ:
the flver rom the worst OG the noating Ice, and
the boats were able TO make nearly their schedule
time. AT Cortlandt st eet the same improved
condition OF aiairs vas du y appreciated By the
passengers. and the boats ran eguiarly eve
twenty minutes, losing only FIVE minutes on eacn
trip.
At STATEN ISLAND
the ice blockade continued during the day. In
Staten Island Sound the Ice was at least foot
thick ana people were constantly crossing TO New
Jersey with teams, AID on ice boats and skates.
ON the east slde o. the island ~ Cll on, the ice
MANY places was pred upon the Deacn III neaps ol
twenty ieet IN height, Gtlyen IN snOre Dy the ebn
tlde and the strJug wind The railway ierryboat
mad nara time IN maxtDg tneir irlDs.
THE NOTORIOUS wESTFI sLD,
upon her nrst "Trip up, was obliged 70 land her
passe at the loot oI Canal street, North
River, and the teams were taken back 10 the
island, as 1t was Impossible 10 land them. AGAIN
at ten A. NJ, the Westhed was orceu to lana heI
passengers and teams at the New Jersey Central
Railroad slip. In the afternoon, On tie ebO tlde
the boats ran more regularly. The qudran tine hos
pital snip, wbicn was carried away from her anchor
age at Coney Island on thursday aDd reanchOrcd
III the middle OF the bay was boarded yesterday
mat from nh % .tytl Ia and .tpap