New-York tribune., 1908-10-11

and the arrival at the desired destination In
August the river begins fall, and vessels plying
OF its surface frequently find their keels resting on
bottom when they far distant from port NO
better illustration Of is afforded than the pres
plight Of the steamer Tornado and eleven
empty coal barEes.
Coming up the Ohio with this tow. the ambition
Of Captain GEORGE Henning Of the Tornado was TO
reach PttshurE before the rapidly falling river
compelled him TO seek the bank The afternoon of
August he had telephoned 70 Wheeling and
learned taat there only four and half feet on
The n9rlzs and THAI the river falling at the
rate of inch an hour. almost unprecedentedly
fast. taking chance, and q long one. but
he determined to make desperate effort to reach
the goal n slack water below Pittsburg-
All went VII until midnight Of a Saturday, when
al -Pnsr-u Rar. two miles below Clari1gton, Ohio
and ---catz-nine miles below Wheeling. the tow
scrapea bottom. ana with jnEling of the engine
room t,o7ls n, powerful steamer brought up
short with engines reversed she tried to back of
into deeper wafer But fate and the cross-currents
were against the Tornado, and soon, with dis
ordered tow. she hard aground And there
they have remained to this day. with no probability
of getting away before the fall rise due not earlier
than Novcmoer
After The steamer and tow had been caught on
the bar tie river feli steadily and fast. In week
the craft v.7e entirely out Of the water In
forrn:crt if.-re was not foot of water the
Wheeling marks and the Tornado high and
dry q hundred feet from the narrowing stream
And stIii -bc river fell. until the last mo-. all
records have been broken, and the nt
the entire upper Ohio is lower than ever kl.-wn,
at stages ranging between three and SIX inches on
the gauge al Wheeling
Between Iftts5arg aad SistersviIle. " Va, l4o
miles there s absolutely navigation. Every
steamer has been chased 20 the bank for than
q month. Then for brief period feet Of small
fat bcttCm gasolene boats piled in the short
trades" or the upper river but even these.
drawing only a few inches, have been compelled to
suspend
If arguments for a continuation Of the govern
ments policy Ct providing locks and dams and a
nine-fcot stage from Pittsburg to Cairo were
sought, none would be more effective than present
conditions the river. Here is a stream capable
OF bearing the commerce Of nation, a stream that
even now carries great tonnage annually and is
g regulator Of railroad rates in the manufacturing
states of the Middle West, put Of play by the
phenomenal drouth Of the present summer Twelve
million bushels Of coal in barges at Pittsburg
awaiting shipment TO Cincinnati, Louisville, Mem
phis and New Orleans Mines have shut down be-
cause there more barges 10 NIL. and thou
sands cf miners out OF employment: crops
and fruit rottinE in field and orchard from
lack Of transportation, and business IS paralyzed
in many river town These the conditions
brought about by the rivers remarkable perform
ance in seeking bottom so successfully.
on the stranded Tornado six of the crew Of elgh-
teen have remained. They Captain George
Henning and his brother the engineer John b.
Henning; -RUbe'' Brown. the mate: Lee Smith the
watchnan: Joseph Mitchell. the fireman. and Ed
ward joyce the steward. And it has been alto
gether a holiday for them. The hot
has been menace 10 be guarded against. Along
the port side Of the steamer. facing the afternoon
sun, Of blankets have been strung TO shield
the hull Tons Of sand have been heaped about the
steamer and barGes. and hundreds Of pounds of
oakum have been used caulking the seams in
preparation for the hoped-for rise that will float
the steamer and her tow. A pipe line to
the river and great quantities Of water pumped
into the hulls, that they would remain
worthy. Fortunately the steamer and the entire
tow grounded fairly the extensive bar and could
BOT possibly rest in a better position.
John Il. Henning is typical river engineer.
Bearing the seventy-year milestone in Hfes Jour
ney. he is spry most Of fcrty. and the
SOU Of jGllity and good hurnor. He bears
rnarkabIe likeness To Andrew Carnegie