The New York herald., 1877-01-15
Loaded Coal Barges Torn from Their
Moorings and Sunk.
STEAMBOATS, BROKEN TO PIECES
A Mother and Four Children Carried Of
on a Fatboat.
LIMITED LOSS OF LIFE
[BY TELEGRAPH TO THE HERALD

By TELEGRAPH TO THE HERALD
PIrTspuRG, Pa, Jan. H. 1877.
The ircshet hero to-day the Monongahela River
has been terribly destructive, aud the coal
night collectively figure up their losses nilions OF
dollars. Never before has tho peaceful Monongaheia
Valley from whose hilsidcs the West and South draw
their chief supply Of fuel. Witnessed such Of
anxiety and activity or been the theatre OF such whole
sale destruction OF valuable property as to-day.
MOVEMENT OF
AT haf-past SIX this morning tho vanguard or the
ice gorge arrived here booming, crushing and carry
ing everything before it, and embracing in It's cold
relcntng grasp tho huge barges loaded with COAL por.
,ibns OF steamboats, broken tmbcrs, beams, panks,
&c The Whistles Of steamboats, At the landing
shricked though in agony OF fear. the banks
were lined with cxcitcd river men, hurrying hither
and thither cndcuvors to thcir property IRON
the irresistible monster. Whole fleets OF The coal
auen bargcs, each valued many thousand dollars
would hurting down stream strike pier OF tho
suspension bridge, waver moment II in mortal
agony then fall into fragments and sink into tho white
covered hike corpscs into grave.
CRAFTS LOST.
There is no telling at this moment the number OF
barges lost but 1t Will run into the hundreds. Many
months must elapse before they are replaced. Lying
IN the Monongahea, from its mouth to Greensboro,
were less than seventy steamboats, ind towboats,
|
81. 600 900 Beside these there were probably $50
coal boats and bargcs, OF average value OF $500
each. On these crafts ladcned about l5 600 GOO
bushels OF coal, worth anywhere from five to eight
cents bushc In the barge.
VICTIMS
Tho first steamboats, to ial victims 10 tho leo were
the Brownsville pnckcts Bennett and Chicitap. Tho
destruction these large steamers was complete tho
cabins being carried OIL and tho hus cut down by
the ice until they utterly useless In ad-
dton TO those less than seven
valuable boats, used Tor towing coal, wero
sunk; while many of tho large, Gno coal
packets at the wharf stove In and are In I'M
muent danger OF sinking. The number Of coa bargcs
and boats that down only be concctured but
the best estimate places the number at least 500.
About onc.thd OF these boats wcrc ladened with coal
HEAVIEST
| Among the heaviest losers are ". II. Brown Co,
Captain Joseph Walton, O'Ncil Il Co, Mcssrs. Woods
! j. d. Rlshcr Il Co., Mcssrs Fawcet, J. W. Clark &
/ Co and j. b. sncathcn Co. The firm Of Clark a. Co
/ lost twenty-five barges Below the dam, just above
| the now bridge, Sncatbcn Co.'s fleet, and all
werc drif.cd or ONc.ll Co., IL Is said had sl0O 900
worth OF property altogether tho river, and of
the firm remarked tonight that no would not give
| So 900 for tho lot.
DESTRUCTION
From dam No up TO tho headwaters navigation
valuable coal upples and Ice breakers of
ike SO many straws IN "A whirwind. These in thcm-
selves constitute great less nasmuch IA they bc
replaced teiorc mining can be resumed Months Of
active will be required to put the coal
tho river in shape. and IN the meantime there must
cnsuc u scarcity oi coal In the West ard SoSth Faw-
cctt X Co, heavy coal shippers, have lost nineteen
loaded boats seven loaded barpcs fuel boats aud
thirty empty coal boats Tho loss Of lie is small
| had in v
story ir.mo house, from which tho inmates had
cape struck pier OF the bridge shattered to
pieces
! Prominent coal shippers estimate tho damage dono
TO their interest by rcshet Of last night Today
at over 81, 50o 900.
DAMAGE TO RIvEE AND COAL MEN ALONG THE
OHIO STEAMERS AND BARGEs sUSK-A FAM
THE STEAMER CALUMET.
lDY TELEGRAPH TO THE HERALD
! CIScIyyArI, Jan. II, 1877.
The damage done the river and coal men ut this
roint by tho break up Of the ice the Ohio was
greater to-day than on any previous OCCASION and s
estimated, III round numbers, at $500, 900. Reports
are that ten or twelve lives lost by men who
we're trying properly but this is PROBABLY an
cxaggcration.
STEAMERS CRUSHED.
The steamer Alex. Kendall IN the Evansville trade
was struck by ice while lying the wharf foot Of
vine street, and crushed and sunk with her entire
cargo valued at $50, 900.
/ Tie Eaomi ana Mockipg Bird two small propcllers,
used as harbor boats also caught tho and
crushed pieces. the loss each being about $1,000
DESTRUCTION coal BAKGEs.
The greatest damage, however, was done to coal
barrcs 81 these craft fully seventy i've ali OF them
I flied with coal were carried away; many being
crushed before they left their moorngs whiic others
were carried before the icc current OF the
/ stream. Some 200 empty bargcs, which had been
fastcncd up at various points along the landing were
aso carried away, and probably less than ha OF them
! will ever be recovered.
| FAMILY CARRIED
! AT nm early hour In the morning n naiboat which
had been up at Egglcston avenue, and which
family OF seven was living, caught by field OF
and carried on into the current The father oi tho
family whose Is Culbcr caught of the chill
dren In his and jumped on tho ice and final
reached shore, but the mother and four children,
nblo to escape, remained on the boat They were
ngan seen five miles below tho city. their boat still
unharncd, but all attempts 10 them fruit.
less
TiIH srrAMER CALUMET.
Among tb, vessels which wero sunk yesterday was
tho steamer Calumet, loaded with a full cargo for New
Orleans She had sunk twelve feet OF water but MS
the river roso to-day field OF leo came along and
took her up, turned hcr prov down stream, and with
her hull submcrged--,bough hair her cabin, for
ward deck and pilot house were out Of water-she
started down stream. She passed safely under
| the suspension bridge and through the chan
mel span Of the New southern Railroad bridge, and
I cd tcr UNIV brto