The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-02-08
RIVER DISASTER


The Big Joseph ,. Williams ill.s
sixteen Coal Boatz-The Loss Is
$4,000 to $4,000 Ia1g6ata Of
Tow Boats.
The big towboat Joseph B. Williams,
the most powerful steamer running on
western or southern Hvera, mel With
q disaster Tuesday afternoon, at Point
Pleasant, No, sinking ten cOalb0ats,
sticking ten ana damaging several 9th
ers Of her Aeet. She had forty coal
boats and three barges 0f rails in her
tow.
Capt. August Juite, q member Of the
transportation COMMITTEES OF the .M0non-
gahela River COnsOiidated Coal and
Coke Company. the owner OF the boat
and TOW. who has taken great pride in
giving the steamer record breaking
fleets, lett Pittsburgh for the scene OF
the disaster, and was expected to arrive
there yesterday afternoon.
Fog and rapidly falling Mississippi
river are reported rs the cause Of the
accident, says the Pittsburgh ChrOnl-
eIe-Telegraph. The entire mammoth
feet was showed onto big bar at
Point Pleasant and As soon as the tow
struck It went to pieces, scattering over
the river. Captain James Beazell,
master Of the steamer Immediately
sent a message 70 C. lutte & Company,
who operate the boat, apprisIng them
OF the accident. The Mississippi river
IS fierce. and Il the williams damaged
boats 90 TO pieces II VIII be almost Inn
possible to save any OF them.
The coalboats stuck and sunk con-
tain about $4,000 bushels Of coal, maxi
ing It perhaps The most serious acci-
dent Of the kind that has ever befallen
q single towb0at. Coal IS worth IL
cents a bushel at New Orleans, which
would make the value Of the cargo In
trouble over $4,000, but this does not
represent an actual loss. The above
value Of the cargo is based on the mar
ket price; the cost Of the coal to date
was not less than $4,000. The viii.
Jams has had bad luck ever since she
reached Louisville. In making up her
tow Of coal at that place. one coalboat
was sunk, and It IL reported that the
boat struck the hank some distance
below Louisville after she had left there
and sunk one boat.
Much was said about the boat when
she left Cincinnati about her record
breaking trip Of forty coal boats and
three BRACES Of rails. Big accounts Of
the feat were published In the papers.
as II was the largest tow ever handled
by any boat plying between Cincinnati
and Louisville. The Williams has,
however, on several occasions, taken
successfully forty coal boats to New
Orleans. Her present tow contained
about 100000 bushels OF coal and 5000
tons Of steel rails for delivery in some
of the southern states. About two
years ago the williams attempted to
take fifty coal boats, aggregattng 1885,
900 bushels Of coal from louisville to
New orleanb but she was compelled to
double-trip almost the entire distance,
and the trip proved a failure, It requlr-
inS her almost double her usual time
to take the tow.
Captain August lutte ls,noted among
river men for giving the tow boats OPP
Grated by his firm large lows. and he
took much delight in watching the
steamer during this trip. She took
wi luG tuEGG UhTBEb VI bIeel FuIlS 1T
Louisville. As far as could be learned
the rails are In good shape
The Joseph B. williams is the largest
tow boat afioat. She is 256 feet long.
or longer than any stern wheel packet
plying the upper Ohio river, and Is 521s
feet wide, her depth OF hold being 6Is
feet. She is supplied with six boilers,
40 inches in diameter and % feet long.
She has compound engines. two high
pressure cylinders. 20 inches in diane
ter. and two low-pressure cylinders, IS
inches In diameter. with feet stroke
OF piston, which works a wheel 20 by
90 feet feet having buckets 20 inches
wide and 20 feet long.
It Is said that It would have taken
forty trains Of forty cars each to have
taken her shipment Of coal out of
PlttspurEh. which is exclusive Of the
shipment OF rails. An effort probably
will be made TO save some OF the cargo.
but the conditions win not be known
until CartaIn lutte makes a report. It
IS not often that coal is saved on the
Mississippi river, for the reason that
the river in most places has sandy
bottom. and when a Graf. once sinks or
sticks. the sand cuts out from under