Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1893-01-14
THE ICE GORGE
st Cincinnati Moves, Doing I'm
mense Damage.
two steamers Sunk AT Pettit's-Flfty men
Carried Away on imperiied Craft-lhs
scenes Witnessed by Thousands on
the shore iirilling Escapes.

the shore irillins Escapes.
CINCINNATI, Jan. 9.-With a sound I
like the falling of heavy timbers the !
great ice gorge in the Ohio river at Gin. /
einnati gave way at o'clock Sunday /
afternoon. 1t was fearful and cxcit. /,
ing time for the river men and they /
watched the outcome with grave mis-
givings.
The break was twelve hours later
than expected, and, instead OF occur.
ing at night, the dangerous mass Of ice |
let go in the afternoon.
This was most fortunate and, doubt !
less saved u great deal of property and |
some lives. The army of men engaged |
along the river bank and on the steam. |
ers at the wharf-boats were enabled to
see what they were doing and could
take advantage OF any emergency which
might arise. X was remarkable and |
thrilling sight that was witnessed by |
the thousands of people who gathered |
on the bunks of the Ohio river in antici- |
patton Of the ice gorge giving way. Few
OF them outside of the men who are ac-
eustomed to the river could appreciate |
the danger which attended the gorging
OF the river with great banks of ice,
and which might crush the big boats |
like so much paper From shore to
shore for q distance OF twenty miles
We're solid masses OF ice which looked
like stubble in field. The frozen river
was SO rough that even where there
were no open pools or thin cakes it was
dangerous to attempt to cross on account
of the uncertainty of the footing and
the peril of a sudden breaking Of the
gorge
The steamers along the wharf boats
at the foot OF Broadway and Walnut
street had been huddied as closely as
possible to the shore
Some of them were comparatively
safe in almost any event, but grave feat
was felt for the Mary Houston, which
was on the outside Of the fleet and had
to bear the brunt of the encroaching
masses of ice The Bostona, lying a
short distance below the Houston, but
near the shore, and protected by
others above it, and the last OF
the boats was the Tacoma, and
its little stern wheel swashed
constantly and seemed to keep out the
flow OF ice remarkably we'll In less
than an hour it was evident that the
fleet at the public landing was safe, but
the news came that number Of barges
had broken loose at Coal Haven, kyr
and soon the news was confirmed, for
thirty.onc barges came down with the
ice and passed without doing any in
jury. All sorts of rumors Of great dam
age were ahoat.
The George Matheson, coal steamer
belonging to the Marmet Co, was
turned over at the foot of Central ave-
nue. and sustained serious damage. 1t
is valued at Sl5 GOO, but it is believed
that the boat can be righted and the
injury can be repaired for few thou.
sand dollars
The most stirring scenes were those
between Central avenue and the South.
ern bridge, for the sweep of the river at
those points added an impetus to the
moving ice and made the condition of
the boats and barges more perilous y
number OF prominent coal men lost
numb Der of loaded barges
Twenty-nine coal bargcs of the Wini-
frede Co broke lose and floated down
the river. Collier, BudL & Co. lost SIX
but other firms were more fortunate
Besides the barges which were
filed with coal large number of
empties were carried away The loss
from this source was considerable and
may reach $25, 900. The breaking Of the
gorge was attended with many narrow
escapes from death, and it is yet possible
that the loss of men who are helpless
on floating barges may be reported
When the barges at Coal Haven, Ky,
parted from their moorings two men
were on one of them. The shock and
break were so sudden that they did not
have time to reach the shore. 1t was
only after the daring efforts OF three
men, who bravely rowed out into the
floating ice in a skitf, that they were
rescued almost frozen and completely
Frustrated by their rough experience.
A still more thrilling affair is reported
rom Delhi Early Snday morning
fifty men were put to work at Bucks
landing, near Bromley, on the Kentucky
side of the river, to try and cut the ice
around twenty-ninc barges, so as to
form a harbor around them and prevent
their floating off The workmen were
engaged in doing this when the
gorge began TO move. In an in
slant the barges were snapped
from the cables by which they were
held and were out in the stream with
the mass of floating ice, The men were
absolutely at the mercy Of the river,
and the crowds on the banlis attracted
by their cries for help were thrllle
| with horror. The barges and their hui
man occupants fioated down past Delhi,
and as the ice was moving slowly 1t
| was feared that they would be gorged
in between Delhi and North Bend. Al
| together about fifty coal bargcs ard
two steamers were lost, aud the eptire
loss is placed at 100000
| RothschiIds win Help Hu gay
RuDA.PEsTH, Jan. 0. The Tngarische
l - ..,.- Il