Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-01-30
ON THE RIVER FRONT
THE ICE-COVERED POTOMAC A
SCENE OF DEsoLATIoN.
Preparing Steamers for Inauguration
Service-Army Tug Warren Float
ed-Around the Harbor.

The Potomac river about this city, which
ordinarily teens with life in the shape of
running steamers and vessels, Is dreary
looking place just now Standing on the
sea wall at the southern end of the Wash
ington barracks park yesterday afternoon
and looking down the river nothing could be
seen on its surface but jumbled mass of
broken ice piled two or three feet high in
places, and except for the spires of AL
exandria in the distance, might we'll have
been picture of arctic loneliness. Not
vessel could be seen on the frozen surface
Of the river and the ice itself was without
motion. The return of freezing weather
Saturday night and yesterday has greatly
hardened the ice, and in places along the
Maryland shore of the river the broken
masses of ice have knitted together to a
depth of two three feet On the flats
where it has been undisturbed the ice is said
to be fully six inches thick and very hard.
The Norfolk steamer arrived here YES
terday shortly before noon and sailed again
last night on her regular schedule. The
line has run all It's trips throughout the
freeze, but the ice has somewhat delayed
the steamers. The boat of that line, due
this morning, arrived practically on time.
The steamer Estelle Randall made her trip
TO Glymont and back Saturday and left
rort aeafnz this mornin gh to try it again
though the ice is considerably heavier than
1t was Saturday. These vessels are the only
passengers steamers in service but the
naval tugs and the tug Gibbon tender to
For .-s..lise, "a, are sui in service and the
Baltimore and Ohio tug Beaverton makes a
trip or two day, with train-laden barge
IN tow. between Alexandria and Shepherd
landing.
The fish market on the 18th street wharf
was put poorly supplied with fish this
morning, there being no river-caught fish
the fisheries in Chesapeake bay In spite
OF the bad weather the demand for the
hsh was fairly good, and prices keep high
On the oyster wharf business was rather.
dull, though there was a fairly large stock
of the bivalves aboard the vessels lying at
the wharf. Owing to the freeze in the
river and the impossibility Of vessels arriv-
Ing here from the oyster beds(in the river
prices for the stock are Kept at high
figures. The few wild ducks being received
here from southern sources sell readily, and
at good prices.
The work Of overhauling the steamer
Charles Manchester is being pushed to COM
pletion as rapidly as possible in order to
have her ready for service on the Mount
Vernon route about Inauguration times. The
steamers Arrowsmith and Samuel j. Pentz
are being made ready for excursion work on
the river about March 4.
General River News.
The harbor police boat vigilant makes
her daily cruise about the harbor through
the ice. but just now there is but little call
for her services by vessel masters
The army tug Warren. which was de-
tanned at Deans boatyard at Alexandria by
low water not allowing her to get af1oat,
after putting on her ice pillow was foated
Saturday when the tides resumed their
normal rise and fall, and she is now ready
for service on the ice between this city
and the army stations on the Potomac.
Several of the sand and gravel digging
machines belonging to the Columbia Ma
tional Sand Dredging Company are in win
ter quarters on the Virginia side of the
river under shelter of the long pier at Fort 1
Hunt. The tugboats of the company are
in winter quarters here.
Dean & Son, boat builders at Alexandria,
have begun work on an auxiliary power
sloop for Mr.. GoldSborougfl of this city. The
vessel is to be a speedy craft and will be
ready for service in the early spring. The
schooner ]. F. Mallory, while on her way up
the bay Saturday with a cargo of oysters, |
was cut through by the ice and sank In |
seven feet Of water off Poplar Island. Her
crew succeeded in escaping to the shore.
The new schooner Alice May Davenport, |
which Is reputed ashore on the Massachu- |
sets coast, can be saved, 1t is thought, 1
without being damaged.
The tug VIM Fl. Yerkes, jr., left port |
pany's tug Radiant to. tow two light oil |
barges through the ice to Baltimore.
The tugs George W. Pride and Juno are |
lying at Alexandria. Awaiting the resump- !
ton Of towing business on the river
The schooner E. Starr. Jones has been
chartered to load phosphate rock at Char |
lotte Harbor for Alexandria
The schooner Lizzie A. Williams, due |
here with cargo of lumber from North |
Carolina, is supposed to have sought shell |
ter in some harbor on the bay until the ice |
conditions will allow her to come up the |
river. /
The tug Edith G. Winship is lying in the |
dock at the foot Of It'll street out Of serv- |
ice until business reopens about the har- |
Dor.
1t is stated the Philadelphia tug Peerless |
will endeavor to bring d tow of three coal |
laden barges up the frozen Potomac to this |
city.