St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-04-19
THE MONTH EAL ICE-sHovE.
Intense Anxiety Felt over the Situa-
lion.

lion.
Special to the Globe.
MONTREAL, April 1s.-The immense
ice-shoye just above Victoria bridge, prin-
cipally on the south shore Of the river, is
piled along the bank and upon the land in
some places more than 100 yards from the
edge of the river in a dangerous
attitude to-day. Yesterday the jam moved
IN crushing, smashing mass along the
shore, producing disastrous results, and
farmers were compelled to move their stock
and families to safe quarters farther back
from the river. Many of them were up all
night, being afraid of further damage.
The ice is piled up in consider
able masses against the piers and
abutments of Victoria bridge, and has had
to be cleared from the railway track at
Boucherville. The ice bridge, which has
been firm until to-day, is hourly weaken
ing, and it is believed that the jam will
soon be relieved. At some points along
the south shore, for one or two miles
ABOVE the bridge, ice has forced itself
upon the shore like small mountains,
completely blocking up the highways with
impossible barriers of solid ice, some
of them fifty and seventy-tive feet In
height. All the small streams running
into the river at this point are thoroughly
damned by the ice. so that, having no out
let, the water has flowed back and flooded
many of the adjacent farms. Boulders
weighing fully ten tons are carried along
with the crushing masses, some of them
across the river road, and for many yards
beyond it. and trees fully two feet in diam
eter have been crushed and leveled to the
earth. In the shoals of the river there
q hQQn naA 10
semble
PYRAMIDS IN A DESERT,
some of them a 100 feet high. The wharves
and piers along the city are crowded with
people watching the ice. and fears are en-
tertained that damage will be done to the
bridge and to buildings along the shore be-
low tine bridge on the city side of the river.
AssoOn as the ice bridge moves above, the i'm
mense jam will move down and pile up again
on the shoals on rapids just below the Vic
tOria bridge. When this takes place, as it
usually does in like cases each year, consid
cradle damage is done to the wharveS along
the city 'front.' Great anxiety is expressed
on this point, but it is probable that the
solid masses below will give way within
twenty-fOur hours. before any great
amount of damage is done.
The st. Lawrence river rose last night
and to-day to far greater hight than ever
before known, and has covered twice the
area that was under water yesterday. The
greater part of the wholesale and manufac-
turing sections of the city are inundated to
depth of from three to eight feet
deep, boats and RATS being utilized
20 get in and out of houses in
the western half of the city. Thousands
of operatives who are deprived of work
and shut up IN their houses will have to be
provided for by the city authorities until
the food subsidies and business is resumed.
The loss to the citizens will be immense.
The river continued to rise to late hour to-
night. The press-rOOmS of all the local
English dailies are flooded, and apprehen-
sions of there not being any issue in the
morning are entertained.