The Savannah morning news., 1904-01-31

nave a SLOIS 10 lell u d ANeW 4oeu-
ford steam whaler that made long
Arctic trip without an accident and
then came to New York, where it was
nipped in the ice off Staten Island.
But IT is in Februarv-provided
January has been cold-that the har-
Dor is iced up worst-vessels nipped in
the ice. ferryboats retarded, towing
and transfer business seriously inter-
rupted. narrow escapes of man and
beast caught on ice foes and swept
hayward by the tides. 1t is February
that brings down an avalanche of
white foes from the upper Hudson
and jams the narrow port between
Jersey City and lower Manhattan, and
fills the bay. The tide whirs the
loose ice into heaps. ripping and
grinding the foes together and thus
forming bergs big enough to support
dozen men.
An accident which happened last
year up beyond Nyack, in New York
state, will give an idea of how the ice
comes down the Hudson crushing
and grinding into New York's harbor.
Two bows went out on the solid ice
one morning and fished through a
hole. This was in February, and for
some days the weather had been mild
The boys were so absorbed in their
sport that they failed to pay proper
heed to strange noises about them.
Suddenly they were thrown down, fat
on their backs. They jumped to their
feet, only to be tumbled over again.
Thus they were obliged to lie for some
few minutes, when the disturbance
ceased. The previous absolute silence
had given place to the gurgle and
swish of water.
Not understanding what had hap
pened, the boys looked for a certain
tree as a landmark, with the intention
of starting for home. To their sur
prise they found the hills and river
banks were moved. Still, they walked
on, until they came to the edge of the
ice, where the water began.
The two young adventures now re-
allied what had happened, and franti-
cally tried to attract attention ashore
by shouting. Meanwhile. their course
continued down river. TO their
alarm they felt renewed jolts and
heard repeated sharp reports and
grinding sensation underfoot. Big
pieces of their foe were being broken
off as it was pounded and rubbed
against other foes.
The boys We're swept out into mid
stream, and the few people on their
bank Were too distant to see or hear
them. Finally. the foe became so
small that it rocked with their weight.
Then it bumped into larger one, and
they jumped to that. Thus they drift
ed down to Grants Tomb. where a
boatman heard their cries. and came
out to rescue them. They were saved
but their have been occasions where
people have lost their lives in just this
way.
1t often happens that the feryboats,
especially those that run down the bay
to Staten Island, are nipped in the ice.
One Sunday evening, several years
ago, the Staten Island boat was near
ing it's New York slip when a vast
field of broken ice. loosened by the
tide, swung down the river, and the
ferryboat found itself struggling in the
middle of it.
The engines battled bravely, but the
ice field was damned up against the
rows of piers, and thickened by the
pressure. Pretty soon the paddle
wheels were completely clogged, and
the ferryboat stuck fast. over a hun
dred passengers were aboard, and
they clamored to be put ashore. That,
of course, was an impossibility, as no
craft would come out to the rescue,
and the ice was not solid enough to
walk over, so the passengers had to
stay by the boat. The jam got worse,
and at last the pilot had to announce
that they were in for an all-night stay.
Then the passengers called for food,
but ferryboats do not carry provisions.
so the passengers had to make the best
of it until morning, when a big tug
boat came alone and butted an open
ing to the slip, which allowed the boat
to dock. Such incidents have hap
pened almost every year.
But one of the queerest accidents
and a rather unusual one-that ever
occurred in New York harbor while it
was ice-bound, happened to the. ocean
liner Germanic four years ago. 1t
might have proved serious had not her
crew known their business.
1t had been sleeting. and the rig
ging of the big steamer, as she lay
moored beside her pier, became thick
ly coated with ice. There was no harm
in that but it was bad that her hold
was empty.
Early in the morning her crew were
spilled out of their hunks by a sud
den lurch. All hands rushed on deck
and found the ship listing dangerously
over to port. The officers understood
the trouble in a moment. Everybody
set TO work and rugged up ropes from
the masts to the dock, which prevent
ed further danger of capsizing. but not
before water had poured into some
open portfolios and filled the ships
hold up to the stoke-room gratings.
Finally, the vessel righted. when sud
denly she listed over to the starboard
until her masts rested on the roof of
the dock house. which probably saved
her from capsizing altogether. Then
all hands went aloft with hatchets,
cutlasses, hammers, or other steel or
iron implements that could be found,
and began clipping off the tons of
capped ice. At first only few of the
crew could go aloft, as their weight in
creased the danger. but as they knock
ed off their own weight in ice others
came up. and finally enough ice was
broken off to cause the Germanic to
right herself maueptlv