The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1895-12-16

An Intelllgencer representative yes
terday Viewed the closed river from
Wheeling to Parkersburg. Since the
gorge occurred at Buckhill on Thurs
day night the Ice has closed above and
below this city. Above the city q gorge
has formed at the Sisters Islands, while
below Saturdays cold weather Is re-
sponRlble for gorges ut Bellaire bridge,
M|oundsville EaTrows, Moundsville,
Buckhill bottom, SRrdiB, Newport and
the Purkersburg bridge. With the GX-
ception OF the closing OF the river ut
Georgetown In November, 1880, this IL
the first time in years the Ohio near
Wheeling has closed so early In the
season,
Probably In no other freeze up In re-
cent years have so many steamboats,
been caught by the ice In dangerous
places. OF the seYenty-three toWs OF
coal that left Pittsburgh on the late riso
in the river only ak got back to the
Smoky City with empties, OF the others
several are lying aground with loaded
tows. These are the few boats that had
their dose OF bad luck right at the start,
when 100000 bushels OF black diamonds
were spilled between Pittsburgh and
Wheeling. The other boats OF the tleet
finally reached Cincinnati and Louis
willie and started back with empties'
As mentioned, only six lows got back
to Pittsburgh. That leaves some sixty
seven tows scattered along the river at
various points below Pittsburgh, many
OF which are locked tight In the closed
river between Wheeling and Parkers-
burg,
The question naturally arises, What
is going to happen when the Ice goes
out? Most steamboatmen take q cheer
full view Of the situation and answer the
question this way: 1.-THE ice Is too thin
md soft to cause much damage" But
the trouble is that the cold weather
Is fast thIckenlng the Ice. and, In h
event OF q breakup on a swollen river,
there is no doubt that considerable
damage will result.
The Intelligencer finds these boats
and tows are at the bank between
Pittsburgh and Parkersburg:
Foot OF Dutf's rifie-J. ". Allies and
Henry Debus with empties.
Lasher's Landing-Bob jenkins, Twi-
light, Hornet, Beaver and Hawk, with
empties,
Lafe Harbor-charley Brown, Sam
Brown, Raymond Horner. Stella Moren,
ENuThNlllGs Win NllpNlNas
Clusters Misunderstanding, with load
cd bArges Of coal.
New Cumberland-Litttle Fred, with
coal; Tom T. HoTner. with emptles.
wheeling CTop Mil lnndlng)-W. w.
o'Neill. B. D. Wood and Harry Brown.
Bellaire below Baltimore q Ohio
bridge)-Fred Wilson, John Moren.
Nellie Walton, Tom Dodsworth, ]. N.
Burton, Bob Prltchard, with ompties.
Foot OF Captina-Josh Cook, with
empties,
foot of opossum-Joseph B, Will
inm's Acorn and EiiEH H., with emp
ties. and the packets Liberty and Lex
ington.
MISUNDERSTANDING, Dick Fulton,
Bennett, John C. Fisher. with ompties;
packets Goebel and B~arnsdall.
Parkersburg-sam Clark and Valiant
with ompties; keystone State.
Plttsburgh-Rlver 2 feet slx-tenths
and falling at the dam. Weather clear
and warmer
Warren-Rlver l foot l inch and sta
tionary. Weather clear and cold.
OIL City-Rlver / foot Q inches and
falling. Weather cloudy and mild.
MorRantown-Rlver 9 feet 10 inches
and stationary. Weather clear and
ELECTROMAGNETIC I feet 3 inches and
stationary. Weather cloudy and war
"steubenville- River 3 feet 8 inches
ana YIsInR Weather cloudy and cool.