Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-01-04
ICE PREVENTS ALL
STEAMER TRAFFIC
ON JAMES RIVER
Berkeley and Brandon I'm
able to Break Through
Heavy Floes.
GAS WORKS OIL is
HELD UP AT NORFOLK
Barges on Way Here Unable to
Make Port, and Short
age Is Feared.
DANGER FROM ICE GORGE
City and Steamship Company VIII
Seek To Dynamite Channel
Through Ice To-Day.
GAS WORKS OIL is
HELD UP AT NORFOLK
DANGER FROM ICE FORGE
City and Steamship Company Will
Seek to Dynamite Channel
Through Ice To-Day.

Heroic measures will be undertaken
10 day by tho city and the Old Do
minion Steamship Company TO break
a channel through the ice in James
Eiver and reopen freight traffic. which
has been at "A standstill for the past
four days. II sufficiently powerful
tugs cannot be obtained. dynamite will
be used TO break away the hcav" ice-
flows in the lower river. Not since
the great ice gorge Of February, 1890.
has there been serious an Interrupt
tion of river nsportation, and for
the first time since the steamers Berk-
ley and Brandon were put into COM
mission they have been unable TO force
their way through tho heavily form
ing ice.
Prospects OF relief seems uncertain,
as. the Weather Bureau forecast T..
midnight for Virginia was
Fair and continued cold Friday:
Saturday. increasing cloudiness and
not SO cold"
In the tweatyfour- hour period up
to o'clock last night the thermometer
dropped TO minimum OF degrees
and rose during the day to a maxi
mum of Il degrees. The freezing con-
tinucd. therefore, without abatement
As only where there was escaping
warmth from heated buildings wac
there any sign OF thaw.
SERIOUS INCONVENIENCE
TO SHIPPERS AND MERCHANTS
with intense railway congestion and
the preference given BY the Pennsyl-
vania Lines to government bu-ircss,
practically all commercial freight be-
tween Richmond and New York has
been diverted fhc linz
serious Inconvenience and. loss to ship
pers and merchants Will follow if the
channel Is not opened shortly More
tnan forty carloads of freight are tied
up At Richmond awaiting shipment.
ana three carsoes from New York are
At Norfolk awaiting ,ransshipmcn;
here - soon rs river navigation car
be resumed.
While there is a supply on hand for
immediate needs. the city has cpc
ctal Interest in the reopsnirS Il the
channel in order that oil purchased
for the City Gas Works may be brought
here. y Standard Oil tug and barge
are at Norfolk unable to come IN The
river. and two lighters of oil arc held
up at Baltimore. where the port is
entirely closed by ice. Shipments OF
oil for the Gas Works are being oh
-
as far as Charleston to prevent any
possible shortage The situation is
further complicated by the fact that
because of the high cost ar coal. many
people arc cookin. and heating BY gas.
and the demands on the municipal gas
plant arc heavier than they have cvo-
before been.
ALL NAVIGATION on
JAMES RIVER CLOSED
Reports last night showed four inches
OF leo In the harbor at Richmond and
six inches at City Point. The Old Do
minion Steamship Company reported
all navigation closed on the James
River and in Mobjack Fay. The main
line from New York TO Norfolk. en-
tircly by salt water, Is still open, but
the Baltimore harbor is closed, and
saipping on the bay is proceeding with
the greatest difficulty and with much
delay. Just below Richmond the river
showed solid sheet OF ice from shore
to shore six inches thick, many channel
buoys being submerged and many chan
mel lights out.
In February, 1899. following p great
blizzard over the State, the river was
frozen soldly, and the cold snap was
followed by warm rains. bringing a
sudden thaw and freshct which piled
UP the Ice in tho narrows below tho
city, forming an ice dam, causing the
water to rise in the harbor here and
do considerable damage. So sudden
: was the rise that much goods could
{ not be removed in time, and in one
| Instance a large warehouse was set on
Ire by water getting into unslaked
sml .prcd on the first floor. While
4svt II anticipate some danger from
he den breaking up OF the present
es 5cc, they do not believe at this
tn of the year that the thaw will
joi so suddenly, and hope the heavy
Mn now covering the mountains and
pr r part OF the State will melt more
@|si, lually
boats UNABLE TO MAKE
THEIR WAY THROUGH ICE
Since the ice gorgo of 1899, when
dynamite had to be used to omen the
channel. the Old Dominion Steamship
Company has put on the new night line
boats Bcrklcy and Brandon both of
which were believed to be powerful
enough to make their way through any
Ice that would form in this climate.
Tho present tio-up is the FIRST COM
plete suspension of service since they.
were put into commission twelve or
hfteen years ago
The Brandon left Norfolk Saturday
,, night and had great difficulty in get
ting hcrc arriving at 11:l0 o'clock
Sunday. Because tho bouys were nm :.
81 def tho Ice and many range lights
Continued on Fourth page.)