The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1893-01-09
TONS or CRASHING ICE.
The Great Ice Gorge on the Ohio
River Breaks at Last.
THE SCENE BEGGARs DESCRIPTION.
Property Along tho River Steamboats,
Coal Fleets Saved by Heroic work-Ex.
tent of Damage Unknown, but from
Latest Reports Is Terrible,

SThPffty Along thc River Steamboats,
Coal Fleets Saved by Heroic work-Ex.
tent of Damage Unknown, but from
Latest Reports Is Terrible.
CINCINNATI. Jan. 9.-ft requires stretch
OF the imagination to picture 5000, 600 tons
of ice moving at five miles an hour down
the Ohio river. The icein forming gorge
in the river may be six feet thick and
more or less solid. Its nip on the banks Of
the river, assisted by curying banks, holds
it stationary. The current of a rising
steam, especially at the pr, sent stage OF
the river twenty feet and rising is con
stant force adding to tear the gorge loose
Floating ice accumulating at the upper
forks is another power to tear the gorge
from the banks. rising temperature
which yesterday was from % to 81, is a
powerful auxiliary.
All the steamers at Cincinnati have been
keeping up steam all the while, waiting for
the worst All the coal fleets have been
covered with men night and day. The
steamers i'll port and exposed are: Tacoma
Bostonia, st. Lawrence, Iron Queen, John
X. Speed, New Mary Houston, Fleetwood
City of Madison, Carrolton, Bononza, shir
ley and City OF Ncyay These are all river
packets.
Eagle, Charlie CLARK, Comet, Alice Barr,
Benwood, Maithcson and Convoy.
Besides these were three huge wharf
boats for the Big Sandy, the Memphis and
New Orleans and the Louisville Mail lines
respectively. In the ice gorge within
mile of its lower eNtrenlity were all that
was left of the $4,000 worth of coal in
barges.
AT 2p IN. yesterday this mighty glacier
of i,00O,oGD tons began to move with a hor.
rblc groan, and the hills echoed with the
terrific screaming of "A score of steam whis.
ties Slowly, rs if with great difficulty,
the mighty mass began to move. at first
fractuIing its icy body with detonations
like the sound OF muskctry. Crunching
and grinding HE shores, crashing against
the great stone pieces OF the i've monster
bridges on it went with force no mortal
power could resist, and increasing its
speed every moment. Nineteen steamers
and 100 coal harges, empty or loaded, had
blt two or three inches of oak plank to
protect them from this ponderous aggreg,t-
tion of ice.
Every man was at his post on the steam
ers and every man was Il hero. Again and
again the ponderous chains that held the
steamers and the wharf boats to their
moorings Were parted, and as often skilful
hands repaired them. The two bridges
above the landing broke the ice somewhat
and prevented the otherwise inevitable de
struction of every packet.
BY o'clock last night all apparent
danger to the steamers at the landing was
over. The gorge had passed and the river
was comparatively clear. One towboat,
the Mattheson, owned by Marmet & Co,
valued at 5000, was sunk and destroyed
Down below the destruction of coal
barges and other property, from accounts
received, has been terrible The harhur
Hboats Comet, Renwood and Alice Barr
were going down with the gorge fully
manned aud working heriocally to break
the ice and save property. The gorge that
moved past Cincinnati extended from
ConGy Island, above the mouth of the Lit
tie Miami, to below Anderson's Ferry, a
distance of nearly eighteen miles. For ten
miles below the water was clear and open
Then enlnc The other gorge beginning at
the mouth ui the Great Miami and extend.
ing below LawrerceburE This lower
gorge, with its doomed coal fleets, crashed
into it and tore it out, and now both are
grinding their way with a terrific roaring
hoatng far down the Ohio rEelat the rate
Of five or six miles an hour Ii is impossi.
bic 10 get details. Here is the nearest ap-
prnXiuitti9n OF the destruction of coal
nets
The estimated losses are: Forty five
loaded barTes, worth - 600 each; sixty
empty hnrges. wofth S9,0tQ each; total,
s3oo000 Add TO this a statement OF The
value ef the tow boat Mnttleson, which
the owners put at sib,b00. and we iiave Il
grand total of s3t0@o This includes the
boats that We're ctrraid away last Friday,
Not one cent of insurance is held ON any of
. 49, -