The Washington times., 1904-02-21
POTOMAC FROZEN
TO CHESAPEA AXE
Breaks Record of Decade,
Say River Men.
SKATERS HOLD CARNIVAL
May Glide From Seventh Street
Wharves to Alexandria, or From
Georgetown to Chain Bridge.

Nine inches Of firm ice covers the Po-
tomac from the Chesapeake Bay as far
up as the stream is naVigable.
River men and Harbormaster Sutton
say they have not seen such a covering
over the river in a decade or more.
With the exception of a few pro-
peller boats used around the Washing
ton waterways. there is no traffic what.
ever on the river. The navy yard tugs.
the most powerful boats ever seen on
the Potomac; the Norfolk and Wash
pgton steamers. and the Estelle Ran
Sail are the only boats which can get
through the Ice. The Harbormaster ha 5
retired from business for the time be-
ing, and about hfty-fve vessels, fish.
coal. lumber. ice. and plaster boats. a.
well as tugs owned by local river men.
are tied UP in the Seventh Street basin
and along the Georgetown water front.
Would Bearoream.
Men who have spent their lives along
the water front say the ice now cover
Ing the Potomac would bear a twO-hOrSe
team attached to a heavily loaded truck
They say the ice schedule runs some
| thing on this order: An inch will bear
man; an inch and "A half will bear q
fat man: five inches will hold . horse
and buggy or sleigh; nine or ten inches
will support two horses and q loaded
wagon; a foot and a half Of ice will
bear, and has held up. a loaded railroad
car and eight horses which were at
tached to it. And the Lord knows
what two feet of ice wouldn't hold up. "
added an ancient. honorable. and be
| whiskered wharf rat.
Harbormaster Sutton has received a
I'll
the Washington Skaters Club TO come
up to the Big Basin, south Of the Wash
ington Monument. to watch the skat-
ing and participate in the sport Mr.
Sutton has declined with thanks Sew
eral hundred skaters have fiocke1 to the.
Basin every day since the recent freeze.
The ice has increased I'm thickness ach
hour. and unless there is an unprece-
denied thaw in the near future the
skating will last for two weeks or more.
Mr. sutton, once considered the enemy
OF the skaters. has decided not to modest
them for some time now.
Vigilant's Last Trip.
About two weeks ago he started on
an ice-smashing cruise. and before he
and his little boat had been out In the
ice very lpng all four fanges Of his pro-
peller were snapped short of and sunk
TO a watery grave In the Potomac The
boat was towed TO its wharf by tug.
a new propeller was put on, and now
the Harbormaster intends TO see the
small boys and girls, and the old ones
! too. skate a little while rather than run
the risk or disabling the Nigilant again
The Norfolk and Washington steam
boats make regular trips down and up
the river every morning and evening
The Tecumseh and Triton rum along Just
as though there was no ice in the
stream. They make several trips TO
Indian Head every day, and the tre-
mendous horsepower shoves them
| through the thickest of the covering II,
cases where the ice is extra thick the
man at the wheel runs the boat clear
up on top OF the ice. and the weight OF
the tugs and their lows somewhere
near 100 tons or So gradually breaks
| through and the boats proceed on their
way. Harbornnaster Sutton tried that
for while. but on several occas fons his
little boat landed on ice too thick TO be
broken by the weight OF his boat about
twelve tons. and since then he has dis
continued the practice.
Skates to Alexandria.
Skaters have glided up and down the
river from the Seventh Street wharves
| to Alexandria and back and others
have gotten on the fee near George
town and skated M past Chain Bridge
, ~ as far down as the Seventh Street
channel.
DIR. JOHNSON TO PREACH