The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1890-01-13
ilIE ICE GORGE
1t Cincinnati Moves Doing Inn
mense DAMAGE.
Two steamers sunk at Teitit's-Tifty men
Carried Away on ImpsTiie1 Gran The
>rrnes itif essed by thousands on
the shore bfiIiing scopes.

scene. isit sssed by thousands on
she shore briIiing seape,.
CIScISNATI. Jan. with a sound
like the falling Of heavy timbefs the
great ire gorge in the Ohio river at Gin
cinBsti gaze way at e0'clocE Sunday
afternoon. II was fearful and excit-
ing time for the river men and they
watched the outcome with grave mis-
giyings-
The break was twelve hours later
than expected, and, instead Of occur
ing al night, the dangerous mass 81 Ice
let 60 in the afternoon.
This was most fortunate and. doubt
les saved a great deaf of property and
some liyes The army ef men engaged
along tie river bank aud on the steam
ers ~ the wharf-b0ats were enabled 20
see what they were doing and could
take advantage Of any emergency which
might arise. II was remarkable ami
thrilling sight tba, was witnessed by
the thousands Of people who gathered
on the banks 81 the Ohio river in antici-
pation.of the ice gorge giving. way. Few
Gf them outside Of the men who are ac-
custnmcd 10 tile river could appreciate
the danger which attended the gorgin2
Of the river vith great banks OF ice.
and which might crush the big boats
like 80 much paper. From shore tc.
shore for q distance Of twenty miles
&ere solid masses Of ice which looked
ike stubble in field The frozen. river
was 80 rough that even where there
were no open pools OF thin cakes II was
dangerous 20 attempt 10 0crosson account
81 the uncertainty of the footing and
the peril Of sudden breaking o. the
gorge.
The steamers along the whHrf-boats
at the foot Of broadway and Walnut
street had been huddled as closely as
possible 70 the shore
some Of them were comparatively
safe IN almost any event. but grave fear
was felt FOR the Mary Houston, which
vas on the outside Of the feet and had
20 tear the hrunt - the ehcroaching
masses IL ice The B1sionn. king
short distance below the Houston but
near the shore. and protected by
others above H.. and the last %
the boats was the Tacoma, and
its little stern wheel swashed
constantly and seemed TO keep ont the
f1w Of ice remarkably well In less
than an hour il was evident that tic
f,et al the public landing was safe, but
the news came that number pf barges
hal broken loose al Coal Haven. Ky,
and soon the news was confirmed, for
thjrly-one barges came down with the
ice and passed without doing any in
jury All s0rts OF rumors OF great dam
age were af6at
The George Matheson. coal steamer
belonging to the Marmet Co., waS
turned over al the foot Of Central ave
nue and sustained serious damage III
i valued at ti5. 900. but j; IS believed
that the boat can bc righted and the
injury can be repaired for a few thou
sand dollars
Tie most stirring. scenes were those
between Central avenue and the south
crn bridge. for the sweep of the river att
those points added an impetus 70 the
moving ice and made the condition Of
the boats and barges more perilous- A
nuntcr Of prominent coal men ig>t a
number % loaded bargeS
Twenty-nine coal bar-cs Of the Wini-
fre,ie Co broke lose and fi1ated down
the river. Collier. Badj 4 Go. losisis,
bot other hFrns were more fortunate
Besides the barges which werg
flied with coal large number oi
cmptics were carried away The loss
from this source was considerable an
NAV reach Sa5. 600 The breaking Of the
gorge was attended with many narrow
escapes from death. andit i yet possible
that the loss OF men who are helpless
on floating bargcs may he reported
when the barges At Coal Haven, hy-,
Parted from their moorings two men
we're on one Of them The shock and
break were 50 sudden that they did NOT
have time 10 reach the shore II WA
only after the daring efforts Of threc
men. who bravely rowed out into II,
floating ice in saiff, that they wer,
rescued, almost frozen and eonplc;els
prosiraied by their rough experience
4 still more thrilling affair IS reported
rom Delhi Early Snday morning
hfiy men were put TO work n Buck
landing, near Bromley, on the Kentucky
side Of the river. 10 try and cut the Ice
around tweniy-nine barges, 80 as tc
form harbor around them and prevent
their floating of. The worlSmen were
engaged in doing this when tht
gorge tegan TO move In an in
slant the barges were snapped
from the cables by which they wcrt
held and were out in the stream with
the mass OF floating ice. The men wer
absolutely at the mercy Of the river
and the crowds on the banks attracted
by their cries for help were thrilled
with horror. The barges and their hu-
man occupants fioated down past Delhi
and rs the ice was moving slow : i
was feared that they WOULD be gorge
in between Delhi and North BEND Al
together about fifty coal barges and
=. two steamers Were lost, and the entire
loss Is placed at S5O0.O
Roth>chiIds viii Help Ha7Earr.