Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-02-12
THE lCE-BOUND POTOMAC
Trying to Gut a Passage Through to
Norfolk.
The Com IN issiOners Considering Prop
ositions of Tug Men to Open
the Channel.

The ice question remains unsettled. 1t
continues to thicken, and it is reported
from below that the gorges at Fort wash
ingston, where the channel Is tortuous
and narrow and at Maryland Point were
never worse in the history OF Potomac
navigation. Harbormaster Sutton and Har-
Dor Officer Perry returned from Baltimore
this afternoon, where they went i'll search
Of tugs powerful enough to break up the
ice in the Washington and Georgetown
channels, with especial reference to that
part of the Georgetown channel lying above
the Long bridge. Harbormaster Sutton
tC Id the reporter for The Star this after
noon that his mission had not been as sue
cessful as he could have wished. and he
had returned to report to and consult with
the District Commissioners to the best
plan of campaign. He had been, he said,
on the docks at Baltimore since Sunday
without findirg the kind of craft desired.
The Samson was at Boston on charter but
her agent thought she could come down to
Washington in time for duty in the ice
buckers. The Hercules, one of the salt
water monarchs of the Baltimore harbor, is
also out on charter. So Is the Pennwood.
The Emma. the Vulcan and boats of that
class are there, but they are hardly big
enough for the work. A proposition is to
be made to the harbormaster by number
of local tug men to undertake the contract
for ripping up the ice in the harbor.
The Norfolk and Washington propeller
Norfolk started down stream at 8 o'clock
the bridge, and with him was Mr.. John
Callahan. superintendent of the line. The
object was to test the ice, and, if possible.
force passage to Norfolk, as at that
with two hundred tons of freight destined
this way. The ice encountered was very
heavy, and at l o'clock the Norfolk had
proceeded only far down as Alexandria.
1t is thought that she will return to her
doc. at this city and will give up the at
tempt to cut a passage to the bay. The
Harry Randall continues iced in at Chapel
Point. Skaters are careering over the ice
around the docks.
Local Proposition.
The Commissioners this morning gave
hearing to a number of river men who are
interested in the matter of clearing the ice
from the river. They took exception to
the statement made by Harbormaster Sut-
ton that the boats on the Potomac are not
large and heavy enough to clear the chan
mel, and that it would be necessary to
bring one or more tugs from Baltimore to
do the work.
The steamboat men said that they We're
abundantly able TO supply all the boats
that might be needed, and that they could
clear away all the distractions in the
channel without delay if they were given
the contract. AS all their boats are tied
up during the freeze they assured the Com
missioners that it would be to their inter-
est to get things in rHnning order again
quickly and that if there was any delay
it would not be their fault. For this rea
son, too. they said they could do the work
more thoroughly and at the same time at
less expense than could boats brought
round from Baltimore. The Norfolk boats,
in their opinion. could be relied upon to
clear a passage in the main channel as
soon as possible, but these big boats could
not, of course, go into the shallow water
above where the chief source of danger
lies. They would agree to make chan
mel as wide and as long as the Commits
sioners might direct. The hearing this
morning was rather an informal one, and
both sides talked over the matter in a
genera! way to see what was the best
thing TO be done in the premises. Stress
was laid upon the imminent danger of a
flood if things are allowed to remain as
they are and the Commissioners said 1t
was their desire to have such channel
cleared through the ice as would minimize
this danger to the smallest point.
In their opinion, the best thing to do
would be to make a clear space from
point at the lower end of the Three Sisters
down at least far the main channel.
II not below Fort Washington. AT the
suggestion of the Commissioners, the river
men said they would submit two PROPOSE
tions for doing the work. One proposition
is for the Commissioners to pay lump
sum for clearing out the channel within n
specified time. The other is to engage tugs
to do the work by the day, and this lid
would include the number of tugs and their
power tonnage, draft, etc. The river men
Withdrew with the understanding that they
would return tomorrow and submit Dds IN
detail for doing the work.