The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1893-01-31
THE ICE GOES OUT
Without Inficting any Damage
Here at Wheeling,
THE SUDDEN RISE OF THE OHIO
Was tho Cause of tho breakup
Damage Done at Other Points.
More Ice Coming from the M0non-
g~aheIn-Ihe Pcrilous Voyage Of II
Model Barge.

dicted breakup Of the ice in the Ohio
was an accomplished fact. Tho raise
OF water in tho river brought on tho
breakup. Ats o'clock in the morning
the stage OF water WIS II feet 4 inches,
and when the leo began to break about
noon the marks showed u raise OF 1
feet, 10 feet 6 inches being registered.
Throughout the day the water con-
tinued to rise, over 81 feet being shown
a. S o'clock in the evening,
The situation ut the river front when
the ice began to move out was ilrst
class. The wharf boat, K. t. Phillips,
O., l.. & w. wharf and Lizzie Townsend
were all in fairly good positions behind
the shore pier OF the steel bridge. HAD
tho Phillips not been behind the wharf
che would surely havo been cut down
by the ice, rs sho is not a strongly built
boat. Tho Townsend, though not IN as
sheltered a position rs tho Phillips, was
better able TO withstand the knocks Of
the ice. A number Of bargcs passed
down with the ice during the afternoon,
all oil thOm coal omplicj. One struck
the center pier Of the Union bridge and
WINS cut in two. The others passed on
without apparent injury. 49,,
River men say that the ice which
started out Yesterday Is the heaviest
seen around here Ior twenty-five ycard.
A telephone message from Pittsburgh
last night stated that the ice from tho
Monongahcla was getting thicker in
stead Of decreasing in quantity. Tho
ice that had passed mere up to s o'clock
last night was all Ohio river ice, from
not over forty miles above here, and
it IL expected that the river will bG full
OF floating ice for two or three days.
Not over twenty-five feet OF water is
expected at this point by river men.
Last evening ii had stopped climbing
up and was stationary at Pittsburgh.
Tho present breakup is general, as
will DO seen from the dispatches in an
other column, and in u short time the
river will again be open and in shape
for river navigation to be resumed.
Ono cause OF tho larger amount OF ice
that passed in front OF the city yGstCr-
day vas tho gorge ut the mead OF the
Island on the back river, which caused
all tho leo which usually floats down
the back river to be added to that COM
ing down tho main river.
A good many people thought tue big
rise in the river was caused by some
gorge below. This was not true, as the
only gorge below, that ut MoUndsyillG,
broke ut 2 o'clock in the afternoon.
The raise was from the running out Of
the hcadwNters.
OVER AT MATHEWS FERRY.
Martins Ferry escaped fortunately in
the breakup yesterday. Tho ice above
the Union bridge did not move until u
quarter Of one. 1t began breaking ZIP
at Portland about II O'Clock and worked
its way slowly to the Union bridge,
moving at tho above hour, about forty
minutes after the channel leo below the
big bridge had run out. Tho channel
ice, which measured about eight inches
in thickness, was the first to 20. This
ice could DO seen breaking and moving
a mile above the bridge and gradually
working downward, pIoughinE the ice
as it came, and rs the channel ice be-
gan to pass under the bridge tho entire
body OF leo on both sides, both above
and below the bridge, shore ice, gorgos
md all, moved and slowly and QuieCy
passed down. By this time tho boats
had blown tho danger whistles and one
half OF tho people OF Martins Ferry
we're on the bank watching the grand
Gene. Gorge after gorge would occur
along tho shore, sometimes extending
twenty iect into the air and oOn dis
appear to rcNppoar again. The back
river leo and the shore leo on either
side moved slowly and the channel ice
could be seen running much faster than
that on both sides. Thig-iCe ran out at
the rate OF six or seven miles an hour
and the difference was noticed by every
body.
Tie machinery Of the tcrryboat Gil
max and Shriver's sand boat FAY ;
were kept in motion to keep the ice
away aud prevent tho ropes from
brolking, aud both Of these escaped
with little injury. At times the outlook
was anything but encouraging, The
ierryboat was close up behind tho ice
breakers OF tho company and was
pretty we'll filled with spectators. Once
when the ice piled up rapidly against
the leo breakers and one huge cake shot
over there was II lively scene OIL the
boat, and many OF the more tiInid sight.
seers ran to the shore. The leo had
bccn cut from around tho Climax and
Fay s., and this vas greatly to their
advantage.
ono worry noticeable feature during
the breakup was the risin" and falling
of the water. The ice breakers at the
ferry landing showed that the water
would ri5u and fall n foot in an hour
or so.
Tho most sensational feature at Mar.
tins Ferry was breaking away, landing,
mooring, and breaking away and re-
landing OF n hugo model barge after
floating thrrC.QuArtGrs OF Il INTO with
the ice. Two largo model bargcs, the
Sterling and tho Bismarck, were lott at
the Laughiin mill wharf late last fall to
To be- loaded with nails for southern
markets. The two big bArgca contained
$4,000 kegs Of nails, 10000 IN the former
nnd 1000 in the latter. Tho crafts be-
lonecd to the Huntington JOwbnat
Company and were IN charge OF Capt.
John IlUrr and Mont RomiCk, two OK
]periunccd rlvcrmon, who remained On
The barge whom 1t lott tho shore and did
not know whether they would escape
dcnd or alive. Tho Sterling was tod
ruyL to tho shore aud tho Bismarck Oh
the outside, both in u bad place for Il
brcnk IN, and whom tho ico began TO
run out yesterday fate seemed to be
against the bnrgcs. Tho leo ran toward
tho West Virginia shore, then across
and seemed to be- aiming AZ these, and
their obstruction seemed imminent,
Tho Bismarck was on the most daii-