The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1895-03-02
THE PASSING ICE.
No Damage to Boats Harbored in ThI,
rlcinity-The Pacific Cut Down nj

No Damage to Boats lIarbored in This
vlciuity-rhs Pacific Cut Down Mt
Walkers
The gorge that formed at Mounds.
vile Thursday night did no. break un-
til $50 yesterday morning. when it let
90 with crash, and it was believed that
the river was clear everywhere below
Wheeling. For several hours the leo
from above piled in aud gorGed and twas
considered remarkable that it held so
long as 1t did. Great cakes OF ice would
come down the swift current, strike the
obstruction and heave up into the air
fifteen and twenty feet and then CAL
lapse. When the gorge did break it was
q grand scene that spread before the
eyes OF the few who were on hand at the
time.
The effect OF tho breaking OF the
MoundsvilIe gorge was seen hero soon
after in the added swifsness Of the cur
rent From midnight until noon the
river was almost continuously full OF
floating ice; at times when gorge ice
would pass it was so full that cakes
ten and iwelve feet square would pass
down on end. The rising OF the river
caused by the gorge below allowed the
wharfboas to be sheltered below the
city-side steel bridge pier, and for that
reason the wharfboas escaped great
deal OF hard umping. As it was.
much ice would quarter across the
stream from the channel pier Of the
steel bridge and shake the boat from
stem to stern. Several times tie boat
was pushed almost high and dry out Of
the water by the pressure from tho out.
eide.
Before the breakup Captain Crock
ard secured steel wire cable that 1t
was claimed would stand 4 greater
strain than q rope cable. This was in
uss when the ice commenced to pass,
together with seven three.inch MANILA
cables. The wire cable stood the strain
{. for two hours, but a. 4 N. let 20, and
in the future Captain Crockard will pin
his faith to good old MANILA and hemp.
During the morning hundreds OF peo-
} pie congregated on the river front ct the
public landing to sec the leo 20 by, aud
surely it was an inspiring sight. Abou.
IL a. IN. the first wrecksge econ on the
present breakup passed down-three
empty barges belonging TO tho tow OF
the John A. Wood, hatbored above East
Liverpool. One OF the basgss struck
the whariboat and an attempt was made
to capture the derclict but without
avail Two OF them grounded on the
bar at the mouth o. the creek, bur in
few minutes were again adrift and con-
tinued down the stream with the ice
until Ca!dwelrs run bar was reached
when they again grounded.
The boats harbored around Wheeling
escaped without injury; tho Lexington
was sheltered securely below the wharf
boat and was not struck by the leo at
all. Captain Kline maintained steam
and was ready for any emergency. This
boat, and hundreds OF other boats on
the Ohio, has had steam up constantly
for the past two weeks, waiting for the
breakup.
A. Walkers Landing, two mica bc.
low East Liverpool, early yesterday
morning, the towboat Pacific No. har.
bored there with tow OF empties came
to grief and will probably DO total loss.
the only serious disaster reported dur
ing the day. She was cut down BY the
ice, and turned half over in the rising
river. Tho lose could not be estimated
but will reach into tho Thousands, which
10 aaid to DO partially insured.