, 1881-01-09
A Steamer, Fifty Barges, and I'm.
mense Quantities Of Coal Z:
Lost.
Account Of the. Wreck of the
49, :: British Ship Caputa off
" Oregon. ..
Story Of the Lighthouse Workmen
Who Saw the Fearful
Drama.
Four More DIE at Allentown and Two
Are Dying-Cause Of the
Explosion. v

| Railroad Collision Near Mauoh Chunk, Pa.
Five Persons Wounded.
THE OHIO RIVER. -
Special Dsspateh to The Chicago 1rtb.srs,
CINCINNATI, o., Jan. a-The Ice went out
in tbs Ohio River here today, and with
it fifty coal-barges loaded and empty,
part Of the hull of q steamboat,
aud other property, whose total value is va
riousiy estimated up.~to S15o 0oo The ice
moved at about o o'clock. It was
very hard, and was> forced :: out
by the rise In =. the river
The steamer Gen. Lytle, lying directly in
front OF the business part OF the city, was
first to suffer. Atuge cake OF Ice came down
with rush, md striking her starboard side
drove itself through, sending the water into
her hold In torrents. The hold was tempo
rarily filed with bedding and other matter at
hand, the wheels put In motion, and as
clear space presented itself In the ice
she WIS run across the river on to bar be-
low the Licking and allowed to sink. The
Lytle dispatched, the ice moved pitilesly on
until 1t reached Aarmets coal-landing below.
There lay fleet OF coalboats, some loaded,
some empty. These 1t caught, and sweeping
on swung them round and carried them
along to the line Of barges below,
distributing disaster all along the crowded
shore. Huge cables we're snapped, boats
crowded together, hundreds of tons OF coal
sent to the riyer-bottom, and barges crashed
like egg shells. Down the line the storm OF
destruction went, until fifty barges, loaded
and empty, had been torn from their moor
iiigs and either, crushed, sunk, or sbent
floating down stream. The loss on barges
is estimated at about So, ,000+ 'Mamet,
the .Campbel1's Creek Coal Company.
Ross & Lyle, Zimmerman, the Cincinnati
Gas Company, the Pomeroy Coal Company,
the Brown Coal Company, the Hayes Coal
Company, the Merrill, the Coal Valley, the
Wilson, and the Snowell Companies are losers
from 81 900 to S10, 600 each. The amount
Of coal lost is probably 5000 bushels
and the number OF barges fifty.
Had the Licking River rnn out at
the same time the damage must have
been much greater. The steamer Lytle Is
owned by the Big Sandy & Pomeroy Packet
Company. She will probably be raised. She
is, however, an old IS boat, not worth
over S25.000. It is supposed that she
can be put in order for, s., GOO. No other
boats were. seriously damaged. The. fce is
still running, but the danger Is past.
1b the wssssnf" +" x.ssctahd P,xss.
CINCINNATI, Jan: 8.-The ice In the river
broke here at this morning. It Is, now run-
ming freely No damage yet, but the Ice in
the Licking is expected to break momentart-
ly, and some destruction IS feared The
river interests and all connected with it
are in state OF excitement over the ex-
pected disasters from the breaking Of the
ice. The melting OF snow on the mountains
causes the river to swell very fast, and, just
as the. river is breaking above, the weather
has turned so cold that the ice will come
down hard and sharp. ~
All the steamers have steam up. Watch
men are stationed at all available points, and
the dispatches from points above are watched
with the ereatest interest. The losses above
have been very large, and old river men say
the battle with the ice here will be terrible
one. :
The loss on the river Of coal and coal
barges promises to be very heavy. Fifty
barges from all along" the river bank were
carried away and completely wrecked, and
many more injured. The barges were valued
at $1,000 apiece. About 2,000 bush
els Of coal were lost up to noon.
The steamer Gen. Lytle was cut down by the
ice at this port, and went to the mouth OF
the Licking for harbor, but came out to
Coylngton Landing, and went down In seven
feet of water, Her condition is uncer-
tain and precarious. Her safety Is possible,
but depends on contingencies which no man
can foresee. Her value is GOO. The
chances, with the weather growing colder,
are against her. The river seems to be open
from Pomeroy to North Bend. No other
damage Is reported. =:
Little can be added to the day, report from
this point in reference to breakup OF the ICE
IT: the Ohio River, except that Of about $1,000
to 5000 worth Of coal the owners hope
to recover one-third to one-halt
Men have gone after the empty
barges torn loose and carried down with the
Ice. The break extends about forty miles
down the river, and advances about two
miles per hour, j. .
At midnight the best informed, disinter-
ested, and iispassionate Judges put the loss
at this harbor by the breaking OF the Ice IN
the Ohio River at 200, divided between
about twenty losers. This does not include the
steamer Gen. LytIe, which sunk in seven feet
water, and has been in eighteen feet OF water
this evening by the rise OF the river. Her
loss, il total, will make the entire loss not
less than s1aoooo. Her owners hope to save
her with not above 81, COO damage. The coal
boats and barges which did not. break
loose have been damaged greatly at their
moorings. Their owners are reluctant to
confess the full extent Of their loss. Some
estimates 20 as high as $780, 900, but S100,0
is that of those best informed and best quail
fed to Judge. It is now believed all danger
Is passed at this harbor. -. ::
THE ROCK OF DEATH. ..
ASTORIA, Jan. s.-By the arrival Of the
lighthouse tender, this evening, from Fila
nook Rock, the loss Of the British ship
Lupata is confirmed. Capt. Wheeler, Super
intendent Of the Talla'nook Rock Light
house.. arrived here this evening, and re-
ports that on Monday evening, the Sd inst,
about s o'clock, the weather being very
Thick nnd the wind blowing hard from the