The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1893-01-14
BIG ICE GORGE MOVES.
Three Million Tons Float Down the ohi,

Three Million Tons Float Down the Obi,
River.
CINCINNArI, O., Jan. S.-An ice gorge
with 5000, 600 tons of ice, extending for
over twenty miles, moved down the
ONO River to-day. 1t had been station
ary since Friday. All steamers on the
river al the port OF Cincinnati have been
Keeping up steam all the while waiting
for the worst. All the coal fleets have
been covered with men night and dav
Thirteen steamers were in port and eN-
posed. There were also seven tow
boats. Besides these there were three
huge wharf boats, the Big SANDY. the
Memphis, and New Orleans. and the
Louisville mail lines respectively. In
the Ice gorge within a mile of It's lower
extremity were all that was lett of the
$4,000 worth of coal in the barges de-
strOyed last Friday night Fleets of
coal that escaped last Friday were eX-
posed and they are much more valua-
BILE than those that were torn loose and
carried down the river
At , o'clock this afternoon this mighty
glacier of 100000 tons began to move
with q horrible grOan, and the hills re-
echoed with terrific screaming of score
OF steam whistles. Slowly, as if with
great difficulty, the mighty mass began
to move, at first fracturing its lev body
with detonatlons like the sound of mus
kerry. Crunchlng and grinding the
shores, crashing against the great stone
piers OF the five monster bridges, on il
went with a force no mortal power
con!d resist and increasing its speed
every minute. Nineteen steamers and
100 coal barges, empty or loaded, had
but two or three inches of oak
plank TO present resistance to
this pOnderOus aggregation of power.
Every man was at his post
on the steamers and every man
was a hero. Again and again the pom
derous chains that held the steamer
and the wharf boats to their moorings
were parted, and as often skIllfui hands
repaired them. The two bridges above
the public landing broke the ice some
what and prevented the otherwise in
evltablc destruction of every packet
BY 9 O clock tonight all apparent dan
ger to the steamers at the landing vas
over. The gorge had passed ana the
river was comparatively clear one
tow boat, valued az 81 ,eou, was sunk and
destroyed. Down below the destruc-
ton of coal barges and other property
from accounts at this hour 90 p. NJ. has
been terrible.
The hurbor tow boats Comtc. Ben
Wood and Alice Barr were going down
with the gorge. fully manned and work
ing heroically to break the ice and save
property. The gorge that moved past
Cincinnati extended q distance of near
ly eighteen miles. For two miles be-
low this the water was clear and open.
Then came another gorge extending
about five miles. Tie upper
gorge with its doomed coal
fleets crushed into it and tore 1t
out, and now both are grinding their
way with terrific roaring tar down the
Ohio at five or six miles an hour 1t is
10 get per.eCt detail to-
night. The following Is the nearest ap-
proXimate of the destruction of coal
fleets Forty five loaded harges worth
$4,000 each, $3.50, 900; sixty empty
parscs ~rfIr F-,UUU va,ir, S'r2o, 002,
Marmet's tow boat Mattheson, SO, 1000.
Total, $4,000 Not one cent of insur-
ance is held on any of this property.