Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1893-01-11
BIG ICE GORGE MOVES.
Three Million Tons Float Down tho Ohio
River.

Three Million Tons Float Down the Ohio
River.
CTNCINNATI, o., Jan. San ice gorge
with 5000, 900 tons of ice, extending for
over twenty miles, moved down the
Ohio River to-day. 1t had been station
airy since Friday. All steamers on the
river at the port OF Cincinnati have been
keeping up steam all the while waiting
ior the worst. All the coal fleets have
been covered with men night and day.
Thirteen steamers were in port and eX-
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 q mile OF its lower
extremity were all that was lett of the
$40, 900 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 5000, 900 tons began to move
with q horrible groan, and the hills re-
echoed with terrific screaming of o score
O. steam whistles. Slowly, as if with
great difficulty, the mighty mass began
10 move, at uISG us ICY DUuN
with detOnatiOns like the sound Of mus
kerry. Crunching and grinding the
shores, crashing against the great stone
piers of the five monster bridges, on 1t
went with q force no mortal power
could 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 hero. Again and again the pom
derous chains that held the steamer
and the wharf boats to their moorings
were parted, and as often skIllful hands
repaired them. The two bridges ABOVE
the public landing broke the ice some
what and prevented the otherwise in
evitable destruction of every packet.
By 8 o'clock tonight all apparent dan
ger to the steamers at the landing was
over. The gorge had passed ana the
river was comparatively clear. One
tow boat, valued at 50, 900, 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 harbor tow boats Comte. 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 a 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. The upper
gorge with its doomed coal
fleets crushed into If and tore If
out, and now both are grinding their
way with terrific roaring lar down the
Ohio at five or six miles an hour. 1t is
impossible to get a per ect detail to-
night. The following is the nearest ap-
proximate Of the destruction of coal
sf6 coo eaeR ssG 1862 s iageS emp5U
barges worth $4,000 each, $120,OO0;
Marmet's tow boat Mattheson, $4,000.
Total, $50, 900. Not one cent of insur-
ance is held on any of this property.