Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-11-18
But They Are Anxious for It to Come
in Judicious Manner.
A FURRY ON THE MONONGAHELA
Night Do Enormous Damage to the I'm
mense Fleet on the River.
100000 BUSHELS ARE NOW TIED UP

best illustrated by the blockade of coal
boats and barges in the Ohio river near the
mouth of Sawmill Run. On the Temper
anceville side the acreage of the coal fleet
has been growing out farther and farther
into the river. On the Allegheny City side
the acreage of another landings fleet has
been extending little by little into the river
also There is now scarcely 400 feet of a
clear channel left between them. In other
words, the navigable width of the Ohio has
been reduced by the fleets of these two
landings to that distance. An ordinary
sized steamboat had some difficulty The
other day In turning around in this re-
stricted channel.
The Entire River Choked Up.
The Monongahela river, from the Point
clear up to Brownsville, is choked up in the
same manner. Not for five years has the
bosom of the Monongahela been crowded by
such vast acreage of coal craft. 1t is all
loaded. There has been no opportunity since
last July and August to ship any of it away
to Cincinnati, Louisville and New Orleans,
except very small run in the early part of
September, and that was not generally taken
advantage of on account of the Wheeling
bridge obstruction. The operators have
gone on loading every thing they owned
The necessity of keeping miners employed,
and the business competition of getting all
the coal possible to the lower cities with the
first freshet that comes along, are responsible
for this policy, though it is admitted by most
OF the operators that the work of holding
such an enormous lot of loaded coal in case
OF flood is fraught with risk. Some firms
utilized new craft, but at last every avail
able boat was filled, and now some of the
companies have shut down their colleries to
await the shipment of the overfowing craft.
Large as is the towage capacity of Pitts
burg, it is now estimated that there is not
enough of steam power afoat here to tow
away one-half of what coal is loaded Ex-
perts in the business calculate that there
cannot be much less than II 100000 bushels
of coal loaded at this moment, and lying in
the river between Davis Island Dam and
Brownsville. In the harbor of the city
alone there is not less than 10000, 900
bushels. A recent count showed. 500 coal
boats alone lying between the Point and
McKeesport. That does not include barges
or flats. The river is literally choked up
with coal awaiting shipment.
The Danger of the Situation.
Now here is the danger: If heavy rain
falls in the South, and the Monongahela
rises with rush. it may assume all the de-
structive elements of a flood without wait
ing to reach flood height. Let five or ten
barges break loose from their moorings
in the neighborhood of Monongahela
City, in the sudden swirl of waters, and as
they sweep down stream they will strike
other coalboats which are clogging up the
channel, restricting it at places to an un-
natural narrowness. These will be broken
asunder from their moorings, and the rum
away boats will gather both mass and vio-
lence the nearer they get to the city. There
is not room enough in the Monongahela
river to-day for even small feet of rum
away boats to travel two miles without en-
dangering others, and of course for every
boat that is broken loose the force Of the
rushing craft becomes greater.
This danger is nothing new on the rivers
abous Pittsburg, only its consequences may
be greater this winter than ever before on
account of the vast amount of stuff moored
at the various landings. Seven years ago
the barges and boats that broke loose on the
in this manner went over
dam No. at Soho in such number and with
such force that they piled up below higher
than the crest of the dam. When the
steamer Abe Hays sunk some time ago her
runaway tow struck and sunk six boats be-
longing to w. w. O'Neill and five barges
belonging to j. W. Sneathen. There was
the same state of affairs once on the Ka-
nawha river in West Virginia, and ten
barges which broke loose up above became
30 before they reached the mouth. This is
in small proportion to what may happen if
the Monongahela lets loose suddenly.
What Rivermen Are Praying For.
What will avert this great danger is for
the Allegheny river to experience a rise
first, or for the two rivers to come out to-
gether. The latter seldom happens, so that
the rivermen are pinning all their hopes |
upon the fall of cold rain in the North,
which would favor the Allegheny Valley |
with freshet. If this happens, the Allie |
gheny may get just as high as it wants, |
assured safety. This comes about by the |
Allegheny backing up the Monongahela,
it into yeritable duck pond. |
The craft in the Monongahela would swim |
around like ducks, but would not be swept |
down the Ohio. The eddying of the ALLIE
yheny's backwater is sometimes sufi- |
GENTLY strong to float an empty flat con-
siderable distance up stream.
If both the Monongahela and Allegheny
we're to have a freshet at the same time, the
violence of the Monongahela would be
by the Allegheny's current and
backwater. Or, if the Monongahela should
only rise at gradual rate, and reach but a
moderate stage, no evil effects would be
elt, and steady and safe shipment Of coal
could be made.
AS the whole situation hangs upon these
,hree alternatives, it is no wonder that the
coal operators are watching the present bit
IF unsettled weather with intense anxiety.
The bulletins of yesterdays rain and snow
we're more eagerly read along Water street
han any other matter of news in the uni
verse.
Still Another Dark Possibility.
If by The middle of next month there is
10 raise at all, then the rivers may freeze
Up, and the situation will become immeas-
,rabIy worse. At so low stage, the
streams would freeze down almost to the
POTION, and the consequent breakup, with
is attendant dangers of gorges, grinding
power, ETC., would be enough to worry the
,oal interests most of the season.
The owner of a rope store on Water
treet, near Smithfeld, said yesterday that
f a warm rain falls in the south any length
If time, and the Monongahela rises with
the supply of rope in all the
torres of Pittsburg would be exhausted
Coal operators buy enormous quantities of
,ordage whenever their fleets of barges and
,oats are threatened. The Messrs Browns
ometimes put out ten miles of line on some
# their fleets. They tie line to barge
wherever they can. The tugging of the
iolent currents of these Western rivers
involves more power than is easily con-
eived. A cable holding group of boats
will suddenly snap asunder, and then the
train becomes greater on the lines that are
eft. To have plenty of lines out, there
ore, is what offers the most safety in times