Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-02-25
CLEARING THE RIVER
How the Task Of Breaking the Ice
Was Accomplished.
II WAS NO SMALL UNDERTAKING
But It Helped to Save the City
From a Flood.
A GOOD WORK WE'LL DONE

"A ~
Now that the danger of the city being
flooded by the Potomac overflow1ng Its
banks is past an idea of how the work OF
breaking up the ice in the river and It's
tributaries was carried out might be OF
interest.
With an appropriation of $1,000 from Con-
gress to be expended in clearing the river
and preventing a flood Commodore Bob
Sutton Immediately engaged several tugs
owned by local people and began the work
of clearing the river.
A representative Of The Star, upon the
invitation of Commodore Sutton, took a
trip on the Estelle Randall last Sunday
and watched the progress of the fleet IN
opening the Washington and Georgetown
channels and clearing the draw at the Long
bridge. In addition to the Randall, which
was used as Commodore Sutton's flagship,
were the NJ. Mitchell Davis, Captain Frank
Davis; James o. Carter, Captain Jack Tay-
lor: Edith Goddard Winship, Captain Geo.
Ross; H. McFadden. Captain w. H. Davis
Minerva, Captain Matt. Kersey; w. II.
Mohler, Captain Dave Robinson, and the
Fannie Gilbert, Captain Sunny Reagan.
The start was made from the harbormas-
ters office shortly after 8 o'clock in the
morning, Captain Harry S. Randall In the
pilot house leading the procession, followed
by the remainder of the fleet. The steamer
with the party board lost no time in
turning in the narrow channel and heading
upstream. Captain Randall was ordered
to go up as far as the Long bridge pass
through the draw and proceed to the Aque-
duct bridge. The boat swung around in
the stream into the thickest of the ice, and
with the immense Prov which projected in
front Of the bow was soon going through
the ice like knife. On one or two occa-
sions the ice was so thick and heavy that
the boat became lodged in the ice and it
was necessary to call Oh, one of the smaller
tugs for assistance. Occasionally the boats
would get punched. and, getting into the
heavy ice, would have to be assisted out.
Before reaching the Long bridge the
smaller tugs were allowed to go ahead and
thoroughly clean the draw, in order to
allow the larger boats to pass through with
out difficulty. Once on the other side the
smaller tugs crushed the ice into small
pieces and cleared enough room for the
entire fleet to proceed on it's way up to the
Aqueduct bridge. The nearer the boats
appeared. In places it was fully fifteen
inches thick between the two bridges. and
covered with light layer of snow.
Down Stream.
After several trips between the two
bridges the boats We're ordered to follow
the Randall down the river. A slight delay
was caused at the draw on one Of the
down trips, but once on the other side the
boats separated from each other and cut a
much wider opening than on the upward
trip. On each of the tugs employed in cut
ting the ice one of the harbormaster's as
sistants was aboard to Superintendent the
work, all being under the direct supervisinn
of Commodore" Sutton. His orders were
given from the bow of the Randall and do
liyered to each of the boats as they passed
The work of opening the Potomac river
was commenced several days ago when the
ice fleet cut its way down to a pont he
tween Marshall Hall and Indian Head Al
the former place the Ice around the wharf
of this summer resort was found in places
twenty inches thick. After cutting mas
sage between four and five hundred feet
in width the fleet returned to Washington
and resumed operations in the Washington
and Georgetown channels Owing to there
being very slowly moving current the ice
was constantly being crushed by the boats
as they moved swiftly through the water.
pulverizing a large quantity of it. Since
the opening of the river and the channels
last Sunday the ice has been gradually dis
appearing without doing any damage.
Equipping the Tugs.
The boats which were used in breaking
the ice are tugs of the ordinary type equip
ped with immense prows projecting in front
Of the bow about six feet The nose of the
Prov ranges from ten to twelve feet in
length and extends from two to three feet
above the water. 1t is securely braced to
the boat and covered with heavy galvanized
iron, the tip being fastened obliauely to the
end and made of twelve-inch oak timber
1t generally extends back about one-third
of the length Of the vessel to which it is
attached, in order to protect the hull, and
is securely braced on the sides by turn
buckles or screws. The sharp edge of the
nose of the cutter is covered with sheet
iron five-eighths of an inch in thickness.
The rear of the boats are we'll ballasted in
order to keen the PROV well above the
water line The larger vessels average in
speed from six to eight miles an hour. and
the smaller boats from four to six miles an
hour in the thickest ice.
The excellent manner in which Commo
dore Sutton and his assistants carried ont
the program of clearing the river is louflIv
praised by the citizens of Washington and
the merchants who have been so uneasy
for the past two weeks.
The illustrations used in this article were
taken exclusively for The Evening Star last
Sunday from the bow Of the Estelle Randall
while plunging through the ice at the rate
of eight miles an hour.