Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1876-12-22

THE ICE-FLOE.
Remnants from the Gorge at Columbus
Flow Thick and Fast Upon Us
ApprehensiOns Of Danger.
The Packets Laid Up getting iIitc snug
HarbOrs The Damage from the
Crush and Smash by lee
in 1879.

The Mississippi river is full of floating Ice
and there is some fear that we may have an
ice-gorge at tiiis poirt. This feeling, though
not general, is not unfOunded, masfiIuch as
Memphis has cause toremember the great Ice
gorge that formed here IN December, 1872.
We hardly know what to predict, but will at
least say THAT steamboatmen should not be
unmindful of the past disaster ny the ice
gorge, but exercise due care In looking out for
a safe harbor should such be desired in order
to save their crafts. The upper Mississippi
and the Ohio river from Cincinnati to its
mouth are frozen, and consequently much Ice
may find its way as far south as Memphis.
st st. Louis the freeze IS solid, vehicles and
persons being safe in crossing the rver 0. 10 :.
The gorge there is so thick and heavy that
grave consequences may result when 1t gives
way. The st. Louis Times, of Tuesday, says:
Weather clear and freezing hard day and
night. Yesterday the mercury ranged be-
tween eighteen and twenty degrees above
zero. The made ice is nearly foot IN thick
ness, while the gorge, In some places, extends
to the bottom of the river. The raj ilrOads for
the time being monopolize the carrying busl-
ness. The Anchor line will dis
patch the steamer Ste. Genevieve from
Cairo to Vicksbmg this evening"
Later reports state that the Ste. Genevieve
bus. and was forced 10 return to Cairo.
North of here navigation Is suspended, the
upper rivers being solid ice. No steamers
have left here for the north this week, and
from present indications it will be two weeks,
or even more before any boat ventures above
this point At Columbus, Kentucky, the Mis-
sissippi is gorged with ice, which, up to dark
Yesterday, was firm and tenacious. The
gorge there will prevent an immediate gorge
here, but when the great mass of ice gives
way at Columbus, it will sweep down the
river, and may gorge at Randolph and tins
point, as was the case in December, 1872.
The ice now running past here Is thin and
SOFT but a return of the cold weather may
change this to damaging hardness. 1ester-
day was rather warm and cloudy, indicating
the approach of rain, which would soon cut
I'D the ice and waste it to harmless sOftness
by the time the floating particles reached this
port Some apprehend danger from the
bursting of the Columbus gorge, which m
creases daily, and unless we have colder
weather, Or rise in the river, the latter OF
which is rot probable now, will not give way
for some time to come. Should cold weather
ensue, it is quite likely that the ice will gorge
at Randolph, though perhaps not sooner
there than here. The great ice-felds in the
Mississippi and Ohio Will give way, however,
and it is at present a matter OF speculation
as to what quantity of the frozen water will
reach Memphis. Precaution is being used by
the foreign steamers which are lald
up at this port Yesterday the steam
ers Thomas Sherlock and Mary Houston
were landed at the Fort Pickering point,
that being deemed a safe harbor and beyond
the reach of any gorge. The John A. Scud-
der and C.. B. Church are lying at the lower
end of the elevator, and would there escape
any damage from the ice, should it gorge
here. The James D. Parker Is at the ele-
vator, by the side of the Church. Just above
the wharf, and at point where the ice would
strike with full force, are the steamers Ash
land Schenck, Ark, Osceola, A. J. White,
Illinois and G. w. Cheek. Should the ice
gorge here, as it did in 1872, all Of these
would likely be crushed to pieces or sunk. If
the commanders of these boats have any fear
as to an ice gorge, they should at once find
better location for their steamers. The llll-
nois, White and Cheek are In charge of the
United States marshal. We do not predict a
gorge at this point, but it is well enough to be
warned in time 1t will be remembered that
in December, 1872, a large amount Of prop
erty was destroyed by the ice which gOrged
here, and, on the morning of the twenty-sev-
enth, gave way, sweeping everything away
steamers, barges, RATS, and an entire coal
feet. The greatest damage done was to
barges and steamers at the upper end of the
wharf, and in almost the exact locality now
occupied by the above-named steamers. The
following is list of the steamers that were
sunk or damaged, and their value: Feryboat
Excelsior, sunk, value $4,000; propeller Nellie
Thomas, damaged; Belle of Pike, sunk out of
sight, value $4,000; R. P. Walt, crushed and
wrecked, value $40, 900; pleasure boat Helen
Brooks, crushed; Summer Coon, crushed,
value $1,000; Undine, sunk, value $500;
Andy Baum, damaged to the extent Of $4,000;
West Wind, sunk, value, $8000; st. Francis
and City of Augusta, slightly damaged. On
the night of the twentyffth Of December,
1872, the steamer Celeste, valued at 5000,
was sunk by the ice at Randolph, and a coal
barge, with seven men, was ingulfed III the
half-frozen tide. At the time of the disaster
to the above named steamers the only other
boats at the landing were the Lawrence, Ash
land, A J. White, Frank Forrest, Mary Mil
Ter and P w. Strader At the bar opposite
the city were the H. C.. Yaeger and tOwbOat
Clipper. All of these steamers escaped dam
age at the time, though a few days thereafter
the Clipper lost six Of her barges. During
that week of icy disasters three million feet
of saw-logs were swept away, two hundred
and twenty-five thousand bushels of coal and
three hundred bales of cotton lost, besides
the steamers of which we above spoke. The
estimated loss at this point was in the neigh
borhOOd of 100000. Let us hope that no
such disaster viii again occur here from the