Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1893-01-19

Sundays Heavy Wind Opened Cham
mel in the River and Gave Them n
Chance to Move.

Sundays Heavy Wind Opened u Cham
mel in the River and Gave Them
Chance to Move.
Special Correspondence OF Gazette and Journal
NEw CASTLE, Ian l6-fhe heavy west
erly wind of yesterday opened up for
short distance one of the channels of the
Delaware, and many ice-bound craft which
have been laid up for weeks here and Ut
other points along the river started out
with view Of reaching Philadelphia or
the Brcakwater before the channels shoiild
again close. With few exceptions every
vessel that left her mporings encountered
heavy ice fields in the lower bay and up
the river. and had to return TO harbor,
many Of them being budly used up by the
ice. Down the bay below Reedy Island
tremendous ice Hoes increasing in size day
by day, have accumulated, and the wooden
or even iron vessel that goes through them
without beng damaged must be a very
substantially hullL craft, Old rivcrncn
and sca-farIng men, who have been ira
ve.sing the stream for score Of years.
say that without cXaggeratlOn the winter
is the scyerCst and the ice the heaviest in
their remembrance.
The schooner Mary A. Power which
was cut through by the ice and sum, on
Gross Ledge Shoal Delaware bay, last
Thursday night arrived here Saturday in
tow of the tugs Protector and James
McCaulley. and IS now safely ,!UCked al
the w. u y. wharf, The captain says that
he would not repeat his experience Of last
week for S5pUJi. lie aud the crew Suf-
farcd intensely from exposure and the
cold, and had their limbs badly frost
bitten. They were At the pumps for nearly
u hours TO Keep Their vessel from going to
the bottom. Tie Power has her starbuard
bow crushed nj bv the ice, and she is
otherwise damaged.
The tug storm Ming, from Boston with
an oil barge i'll tow, Was iced up To such an
| extent rs To completely hide her identity
| yesterday afternoon She was one solid
mass OF Zee, not one portion ol her hail
being visible. Captain Walker reports the
bay badly chukcd NJ with steamships and
| sail vessels lgmGed ia the obstruction al!
! the way to sea.
The ocean barge Escort is reported in q
| bad position OIL BrNndywinc lirh.. She
| has evidently been carried away from d
! Tug by the ice fields, and is IN imminent
danger of sinking, She has crew uf iuuI
| men.
The Atlantic Transport liner Michigan
| from London, presented a winter scene
well worth witnessing 10 she passed vi
yesterday. The vessel had been buletet
by Tremendous seas utl the way over. The
water freezing On her decks As it washct
across. a trip 10 the Arctic regions comic
not have made Ier look more ICY. On nc
count Of the obstruction in the river ant
bay She was two days in coming up from
the capes.
Among the steamers in harbor Saturday
night was the Elton, which arrived at tn
Break water from Carthageua, Spain, will
smallpox on board. last week. She hat
been thoroughly disinfected and pro
ceedcd up yesterday
The wrecking tug North America wen
on the hunt Of several disabled vessels il
the bay Yesterday. All oi the phladel
phia lce-boats were engaged at the Hors
shoe yesterday i'll kCepng the channnl
open long enough tor several big oceal
liners to pass through,
The Reading golfers, Williamspurt an,
Rattlesuakc, both for Boston, are add
tons to the fleet Of lce-bound craft IN Iii
harpOr.
It took four days aud cost over SiO1t
get the schooner Ella NJ. Watts from til
iircakw TO Philadelphia, although ON
Of the most powerful tugs on the river ha
her IN tow.