The sun., 1905-02-13
SAVED BY HEALTH BOARD TUG
TIE EDISON FIGHTS HER WAY TO
TWO ICE CAUGHT BARGES.
RcscIcs Six Persons tner Struggling
Through the Ice to Two Stranded
Nesseis-Floe Half Nile Long and
Quarter Miie wide, Captain says.

quarter WIG Wlut' Nhptaih Ce's'
Capt Henry Rieck of the Health De-
partmeut tug Franklin Edison and his
crew Of five saved six persons from death
in the ice Of the East River last night. In
doing so the Edison got into such n ticklish
situation herself that 1t was touch and 20
with Rieck and his men for few minutes
whether they cou'd keep The Jug on top OF
the water.
On her way 10 North Brother Island from
the department pier at 1S2d street, about
7:30 O'Clock last night the Edison was ripping
her way through the heavy leo cakes that "a
northwest wind was driving down the
river The slight thaw Of Saturday had
loosened shore ice for miles up the Sound.
and the roaring, crunchlng mass was worse
than on any night OF the winter,
Capt. Rieck. at the Edson's wheel was
pretty much occupied lodging the heaviest
ice but, above the grinding Of the cakes,
he thought he heard men calling for help
and woman's screams. A minute or two
later, when the wind was just right, he
heard the cries distinctly. Then he sighted
a red light that swGng from side to side
from dark mass in the ioe about a quarter
of mile up the river toward the Bronx
shore
The Edison put about and ran for the red
light. AS Rieck got closer ne saw two barges
raised high in the middle of an ice foe.
On top of the deckhouse Of each were men
and women who shouted 10 him to take
them on Rieck took the tug straight ahead
and found himself driving into sheet Of
piled up ice cakes, some Of them as big
as the tug herself. Once or twice in cutting
ha, 10 h. hor EIanr una 1ifte6
partly out Of the water when the big chunks
Of ice drove under her and were forced
up by the weight sweeping down from
behind. II was in such a dangerous piece
of business that Rieck ordered his men
to get life preservers ready in case hole
was stove in the tugs iron sheathed hull.
Foot by foot Rieck got the tug through
the ice jam and to the barges. One of thef !,
was the James D. Perkins, owned by Tracey
Bros. of Broadway and the other was the
Eureka 10, owned by the Berwind-White
Company Of Broadway. On the deckhouse
Of the Perkins was her captain, Henry D.
Flood, his wife, Annie, and his flve-year-old
daughter Annie. All three were huddled
together in the cold expecting to godown
with the barge any minute.
The pounding of the ice against the barge
had driven heavy cakes over the piled up
coal with which the Perkins was loaded
and ii was dangerous to stay on any place
other than the roof Of the deokhouse. On
the Eureka 10, in the same predcament
we're John Krappzer, captain OF the barge.
his son Henry and another eon, Joe, II
years old. They we're freezing coldbecause
! they didn't dare TO go into the deokhouse
! where there was a stove for fear Of the ice
+ sinking tine DuTge
| The captain of the Edison sent his crew
! to examine the bargcs and see how badly
| they were damaged 1t was found that 1t
would be safe enough to tow them TO the
dock at l3sth street, although the Ice had
pounded and hammered the heavy timbers
until they had sprung and the bottoms OF
both boats were leaking fast Capt Rieck
found that the barges would have been
cut TO pieces and sunk by the ice in another
half hour il the Bdson had not arrived
in time Rieck got lines attached and slowly
fought his way to the dock at ISsth street,
where the barges tied up.
Capt Rieck said the big foe that tore
the barges from their moorings looked to
be a quarter of milo wide and half mile
long. II was not solid, but the heavy
cakes had ground themselves into one mass
on the trip down the Sound. This same
foe carried away a dozen OF more small
boats moored along the river at boathouse
landings and private docks.