Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-02-01
THE ICE FLEET HERE.
The Boats Cut Through the Frozen
Waters of the Potomac.
EXTRACTS FROM THE LOG
4 Pathway Made Through Ice Two-and-a-
Half Feet Thick in Some Places-An Open
Channel Now-rhc Vessels That Comprised
thu Fleet and Their Omcers.

Half Feet Thick In Some Places-An OpeI
Channel Now-The Vessels That Comprised
thu Fleet and Their Oncers.
The feet which is to rescue Washington from
the possibility OF food is in port The flag
ship of the squadron arrived at the dock of the
Washington Steamboat Company at 10 O'Clock
on board of which was q STAR reporter, who
had made the entire trip from Baltimore. The
Vulcan came up one hour later and at o'clock
the Emma. Templar and Harlow made Wash
ington in n bunch The officers and crews of
the home boats and officials of the local CON-
Panies lent hand in the landing. A grea,
crowd OF unofficial watchers was also present.
Acting Harbormaster j. J. Perry gree ted the
fleet Justify and Engineer Davis made the Joe
Blackburn whistle blasts of welcome
The heaviest Potomac ice encountered was in
Nanjemoy and Smith Point reaches. At Mary
land Point the gorge wss opened
EXTRACTS FROM THE Log.
Following are extracts from the log:
The feet OF ice crackers came abreast of
Seven Foot Knoll light house mouth of the
/ Patapsco at two bells YESTERDAY afternoon lea
was piled against the fender plles to height of
| twenty feet above the water foe one mile
broad and eight TO ten inches thick was struck.
The jingle bell demanded al the steam the
Incense would allow. The Samson needed it,
She was In the lead and the remainder Of the
squadron churred in her wake Several times
the sturdy craft stood almost still. She ate her
way through the ice at the rate of about three
miles an hour. A little below the light John
I son line cattlerar. bound for Liverpool was
passed aground. She had been driven mile
! on her course by the ice. Clear water was run
| through to point of Annapolis. Here a foe
drifting up was encountered. 1t extended from
shore to shore and as far ahead as the eve could
reach Broken tracks. where some hardy Graf:
had worked through, could be seen but they
had closed in and drifted away from the course
| They could not be utilized.
/ Away of to starboard and ashore was the
| English tramp Earnford of Newcastle The ice
! boats Latrobe and Annapolis we're tugging at
her.
| TOUGH ICE AT ANNAPOLIS.
The jingle bell spoke and the Samson an
swered. She cut into the TOE with VIM She
met with intense opposition. The ice was salt
| and tough
The crashing and grinding noise made it I'M
comfortable to hear ones neighbor talk. The
ice would break with rife-like reports The
craft would climb up on the ice field, show half
her hull below the water line and list almost to
the point OF capsizing: the ice would then
break and the Samson sink to her waterways,
DUCK against the ice edge and repeat. This
procedure continued to Thomas Poia.
hight, where the bay cleared. A person could
not well stand on deck without graspiEg a STAY
or rat!ine. At Bloody Point doe was run into
which had TO be sawed through by the tug. Il
was not brittle, but elastic. 1t hardly cracked
as the boat gnawed through.
One of the Samson's guests leaped over The
guard and walked leisurely alongside for a mile
This ice continued to Poplar Point beacon
five miles.
Cove Point light was sighted at 7 O'Clock last
evening and n German tar ,hOrr Ira
The Potomac steamer Tygert Coon, for Balti-
more with freight and puagy Tow, was also
passed.
Occasional ice was cut into between Cove
Point and Drum Point, at the mouth of the
Patuxent.
From here till Point Lookout was doubled at
midnight 1t was clear cruising. All hands were
on deck when the Potomac was entered.
THE FIRST POTOMAC ICE.
Blackiston's Island was passed in good time.
The first Potomac ice struck was off Breions
bay. 1t was loose drift and gave no trouble
Heavy broken drift was gone through of
Lower Cedar Point.
At Cobb bar. AT the mouth of tie Wicomico.
the first solid ice cut into. IL was hard and
brittle and different in quality from that
passed through in the bay. Sometimes the
Norfolk and Washington path was used. but the
Samson ran her besk, as q rule. through the IN
broken ports.
open with great deal OF humping, grinding
and humping. The lights of the Tempar
fromsbaltimore. came in sight off Matthias
Point, and the Vulcan passed the Samson.
Ice fifteen inches thick was broken of the
mouth OF Potomac creek.
Of Thomas Point the Samson ran her beak
and bows on the ice and came 10 a dead stop.
few minutes OF backing and she slid off,
Ahead again and she went through.
ICE TWO AND A HALF FEET THICK.
Fifty feet further she brought up in ice two 4
and a half feet thick; backed of and went at it |
under every pound Of steam; another stop |
within brief space; then another. The tug \
was backing almost much as she was pro-
ceedlng. Ii was rough The breakfast dishes /
would scarcely keep the table. on Smiths
Point the flagship brought up in the ice with
such sudden mess that her people were nearly
thrown to the decks. At that point the ice was
two feet thick. The tug stopped, backed and
forged ahead three times. The Samson then
sheered across the river and found the Nor
folk s track This was followed 10 Washing sou.
The chopped path is about 100 feet wide and
the ice on either side Is broken and cracked by
the boats seas.
on Quantieo and Stump Neck the ice gave
very little trouble. There seemed to be a heavy
stretch in Occoquan, Chicomuxea and Malta
woman.
Indian Head was passed at 8 an Between
there, Chapmans fishing shore, Crauey Island
and Holland Point the ice was gorged. but
broken, and the tugs went through withou.
trouble.
WrIght's wharf was walled in with ice, and
Pohick badly frozen under
Between Pohick and White Stone Point some
patches of clear water were struck.
EASY WORK NEAR HE CITY.
Nothing bad was seen in the upper end Of
Fairfax reach. The ice between White House
and Marshan Hall appeared weak and dark
Ii had the same look between Bryan's. Monkeys
and Shsridan's points.
Piscataway creek was solidly coated with
strong clear ice.
Clear water reached at Rosters Bluff and
the channel continued free of ice till off Alex
andriA, where it filed with drift. This con-
tinued TO Washington. The track was left and
the ice to the eastward cut through 10 Shep-
herds. Patches of water and broken drift
marked the balance OF the way.
smith s Point light burning las. night.
MARYLAND Point Light house did not appear to
be in danger.
Glymont red. Sheridan Point black and Hunt
ing creek black buoys are missing.
The Emma put into Breton's bay last night
for rest.
Capt Masingo was in the pilo. house all the
wav from Baltimore to Washington without a
nap
A clump Of trees torn out BY the roots were
sdrift IN an ice Toe off Point Lookout
h.. - II