ICE FLOES WRECK
SHIPPING ON BLUE.
Pleasure Craft Smashed and
Swept Away by the
Grinding Cakes.
Great havoc among the shipping in the Blue river was wrought by a sudden break-up of ice on that stream yesterday afternoon. Several costly houseboats and launches were crushed, or their moorings snapped and carried away down the river. In all the damage amounts to several thousand dollars.
At the Kansas City Boat Club's moorings, Fifteenth street and Blue river, Harvey H. Espenship's thousand-dollar houseboat, fully furnished, was swept from its berth by the ice and carried down the river. Marion Bolinger, a boatman at Independence avenue and the Blue, saw it being carried by. It was crushed, and floating on his side. The boat contained several hundred dollars' worth of furniture, including a piano.
HOUSEBOAT AND LAUNCHES.
Mr. Espenship lost two launches, also the Iona I and the Iona II. These boats were valued at $600. both were carried down the Missouri river, one of them smashed in a jam of ice as it passed Independence avenue.
Bert Claflin of Centropolis lost a houseboat and a launch. More than twenty small boats were swept away or crushed in the ice at Fifteenth street.
Charles Demaree's houseboat and launch broke their cables. The houseboat was secured, but the launch was lost.
A lighter belonging to Harry Harris, son of Postmaster J. H. Harris, was crushed. Mr. Harris intended to build a house on the lighter next spring. A houseboat, the owner of which is not known, was crushed as it passed Independence avenue. The riven timbers were scattered among the ice cakes along the shore.
SEVEN-FOOT RISE.
The rise in the river during the afternoon was more than seven feet. At 8:30 o'clock last night the river left its banks at Fifteenth street. Boat owners, alarmed by the residents along the river, hastened to the moorings and secured their craft with chains. the landing stage at the boathouse, Fifteenth street and the Blue, was carried away.
The ice was breaking slowly, or a great deal more damage would have resulted. The ice cakes, being thick and heavy, crushed the small craft as they ground against them. The Kansas City Canoe Club lost many small boats.
