The River Froze Shut and Left a Steamboat Stranded at Cusick

The river is gorged with ice near Indian Creek, and the water has backed up considerably and is now about two feet higher than before the cold snap arrived.

The ferry service has been discontinued, as the ice in the river is too heavy to allow the boat to reach the shore. The ferry is frozen in an ice floe about 200 feet from the shore. Foot passengers are conveyed across the river in rowboats by Rev. Motor, the owner of the ferry line.

Float and anchor ice have been running in the river ever since the cold snap. At many points below the city the river is frozen entirely across. At Cusick the week parties crossed the ice bridge, although the undertaking was very hazardous and the parties who made the trip very reckless. The steamer Newport is tied up at Cusick and will remain there until the river is free, as she is not provided with a sufficiently heavy armor to crush the ice without injury to the boat. An attempt was made to run her to this port, but before she had reached Lenora a two-inch plank, used as a buffer, had been worn through by the ice. The ice is not as heavy as it was last year, but the gorges are reported as being heavier, probably on account of the prevalence of so much anchor ice.

The old town has been a little livelier during the past few days than for some time. Nearly all the river men, who are tied up by the river being frozen over, have been around the city most of the time. In addition quite a number of woodsmen have blown in on account of the cold weather and heavy snow. A few new men have arrived at the hotels and are awaiting the opening of spring work.