Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1893-01-30
And the Harbor il Front Of The Wharf Was
Cleared About Half-Pasl Three No Dam
age-Ths Ice Above and Below
Held Until Late at Night


vet having reached this locality.
A decidedly favorable feature was
that the ice had been very materially
weakened by the continued warm
weather and rains, and although heavy,
it broke up readily upon meeting obsta-
Giles. Unless the ice above comes down
very suddenly this morning, under the
impetus OF a considerable rise, the 1oat-
ing property in this portion Of the val
ley Will likely escape any but nominal
damage.
The rupture in the ice in front OF the
city was caused by the breaking up OF
the creek. The rain and melting snow
caused that stream to rise several feet
during the early morning, and about
half-past eight the ice began to move
out into the river, the first rush carry
ing away the crib in front Of the middle
pier of the b. 81 0. bridge. So swift
was the current that when the Ice was
once started it shot out over the frozen
>,,,f{ece Of the river, and extended clear
over against the Island shore 10 front
OF "Stonetown,'' finally breaking up the
foe with its weight, and forming SOLID
mass probably six or seven Ieet thIcK'
in all that portion Of the river. me
creek ice gorged aud again started sew
eral times in the succeeding two hours,
but at hslf-past eleven 1t got another
good start, and kept running from that
time on until the supply up the creek
valley was exhausted, and the surface
of the river from Fourteenth
street to the foot OF Twenty
fifth street, and extending from
shore to shore was filled with
the masses Of broken Ice, mingled with
drift and timberS Of various sorts from
up the creek. In places this mass or
ice rose as high as four feet above the
surface Of the river, an example Of this
being in the centre OF the river, about
opposite the foot OF the Island. The
heavy gorge thus formed caused a rapid
rise in the water opposite the upper
portion of the city, which loosened the
frozen surface from the banks and pre-
pared for the more general movement
which followed later In the afternoon.
When the ice In the creek made It's hrst
move, the local y. & o. management
had some fears for the safety OF the
bridge spanning the creek just west OF
the stone bridge, and a heavy freight
train was run out on ii to hold 1t down.
There had been a very general eX-
pectation that the ice would move
sometime during the day, and when
the creek started the news quickly
spread, and hundreds OF people lined
the banks of the streams, crowded the
bridges. and stood along Water street
aud the "Pwiky" platform to watch
the scene, while many were upon the
bridges over the river. People stood
about thus for hours, waiting for the
river ice to move, but the gorge below
was too heavy and ii was not until
after three o'clock that the pressure OF
the dammed-up water above the gorge
became sufficient TO cause g movement.
At a quarter after three the gorge be-
gan 10 move opposite the foot OF Tween
ty-frst street, and this movement grad
ualiy extended until it became general,
from the mouth of the creek down as
far as the Belmont mill. AS the gorge
gathered Roadway, it broke up the sur
face of the river farther down towards
the lower eud Of the city,
the downward movement alloweing the
current to get start. This carried with
il the ice Immediately in front OF
the wharf, and at twenty-three minutes
after three very slow movement in the
ice field in front Of the L. Il. Phillips
was perceptible. AT this time there
were several hundred people along the
wharf, and about the mouth OF the
creek, and the cry Of "There she goes,
was raised. The crews OF the Phillips
and OF the c., l.. q w. transfer boat,
which had been lying at the wharf with
fires banked, at once got the furnaces
going full tilt, and torrents OF black
smoke were rolling from the chimneys
in a iiffy, followed In moment by the
whistles OF the boats. The whistling
attracted other hundreds Of people, and
by a quarter Of four there were nearly
a thousand people along Water street,
and q great many on the bridges and at
other points affording view.
The ice broke off Immediately under
the steel bridge and moved slowly down,
being followed by another section ex-
tending from a point just north of the
steel bridge to a point just north OF the
suspension bridge. Then another large
section, extending from this latter point
10 as far as the foot Of Seventh Street,
moved, carrying with it an empty barge
which had been moored above the water
works pumping station, but this section
soon stopped, not moving over one hun
dred yards in all, and remaining there
until long after dark. The other slices
of the frozen surface tloated lazily down
as far as the mouth Of the creek, where
it was stopped. as the gorge below
seemed to be as firm as ever. When the
ice first moved, the water tell few
inches, but came up again, as soon as
the movement stopped, and this was the
situation at dark last night. At half
past FIVE o'clock the water in the river
above the creek was clear, showing that
the rise from above had not yet reached
Wheeling, but at six o'clock there was
a section of muddy water, about fifty
feet wide, in the center OF the river I'M
der the bridges, which indicated the
first of the rise was putting in an ap-
pearance.
Dispatches received late last night by
river men were to the effect that the
ice was still holding at most points
above, with no indications Of anything
like flood, although the water was ris-
ing at Morgantown aud two or three
other places, caused by back water from
gorges. At eleven o'clock last night
river men expected the ice would not
break here before this morning.
During the evening the liver backed
up about five feet. The marks at mid