Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1893-01-13
A Grand Sight.


or more of steamboats, at Cincinnati, last
Sunday announced that the great ice gorge
had started. The people had been mo
mentSrily expecting it for twenty -four
hours, and within few minutes tens OF
thousands were gazing upon the grandes-
scene of destruction ever witnessed on ths
river there Fully $780, 900 worth of float
ing property had been broken from its
moerings and was being carried down th'
river and ground to pieces in the surgine
mass of ice.
On the coal fleets and steamboats, cast
adrift in the merciless tide were half a
hundred or more workmen, who could NO
get ashore and were carried down the rive
on their frail crafts.
The heaviest individual losers are thf
winifrede Coal Company of Cincinnati.
Forty loaded barges of coal were broker
loose from their elevator, besides fifteen or
twenty empty barges. A low estimate oi
their loss is $s5, 600. Counting the losses
that occurred ON Friday the total will as-
greqate from $500, 600 to $780,
The scene at the river was irresistible.
and the many new cables and hawser-
that had been put out from the fleets wert
snapped like cotton threads. Commencing
at the foot of Central avenue, the flrs'
movement of the gorge crushed the steam
er George Matheson, belonging to the
Marmet Company, and it sank at the foot
Of Smith street. At the same moment the
entire feet of empty barges and the steam
er John D. Lewis, belonging to Capt. Alex
ander Montgomery, directly across the
river, we're torn loose, and many OF the
barges were crushed to pieces on the Chesa-
peske d Ohio and the Cincinnati Southern
bridge piers. The steamer Lewis had the
narrowest escape of its existence.
Below Montgomery's the Willow Run
laudiDg was stripped OF all It's empty
barges. Two more empty Darges weIt
taken from Sol. FL. Kineon's elevator. Ine
gas. house landing, the Montgomery Coal
Company and the Queen City Coal Com,
pany, all having comparatively smaii
aeets. escaped. Four loaded barges an
feet of the Campbells Creek Coal Com
pany. A.
Then came the tug of was with the
Winifrede fleet which extended Six barges
vide ont into the current But the twenty
heavv hawsers would not bold it, and the
entire feet of forty loaded barges and
fifteen or twenty empty ones we're sen
adrift. Striking the feet of the Cincinnati
Coal and Coke Company. fo1r more loaded
barges and three partly loaded ones Werr
taken In the collision several barger
were crushed so badly that they sank lni
mediately and were torn to pieces IN tbe
grinding ice.
AT Collier, Budd a. Co.'s two loaded
Darges were swept away, one being so baa
ly damaged that it sank under the south
..rn bridge Three more loaded barge,
| and loaded coal boat were crushed aho
| sunk at the Pittsburg Coal Com pany 10"
.r elevator The eutire neet OF EN- pt'
| Darges was torn away at Fleming G BAT
ards landing. Mill Creek landing escaped
injury for the second time IN thIee uat
The fleets that were swept away on Fri
| law and were embeded 10 the gorge below
| the city were carried away for the SECOND
| sime Robinson fleet was entirely de
| .troyed with the exception of two bargss
| 4 large number of men had been WORKING
| nu Bucks feet all day to relieve IT'S dai
| xerous condition, and these along Win tn'
others went on down. The fleet was hoal
ing, but in very bad condition when u
passed Coal City and North Bead Ther'
| i no telling how much or how little OF th'
| coal can be saved
| Several of the Pittsburg coal operator
were seen regarding their losses and cor
| servation estimate places the Damage a.
1926, 600 The danger is not oil past Ih'
gorge a. stopped and started again sever
| 81 times at North Bend nd river men ar'
| fearful that tho entire field will stop agaln
The big feet Of fine PASSENGER boats :"
| the White line sustained but little damage
There are only two or three OF the big cos
| elevator that will be able to work to-m"r
row On account of having their hoats and
inclnes smashed to pieces. Sol; r. hIp
.on has been elevatng night and day 1"I
some time to get ali his coal ON the bank
md he had only one or two loaded oafge'
left The present ice breakup 10 the mo.'
disastrous one ever known here; and AL
though the losses are very heavy, the lare
est concerned are the btayest losers ana
% financial embarrassment Is expected to
81.