Loose barge strikes Chester Bridge
<span>EDITOR'S NOTE: To see a photo gallery of the incident, see the Herald Tribune's galleries online at </span><span>www.randolphcountyheraldtribune.com</span><span>.</span>
<span> </span>A 10-hour adventure on the Mississippi River finally came to an end Saturday evening for the crews of four towboats.
<span>A loose barge struck the Chester Bridge on Saturday morning, becoming stuck between one of the bridge piers and the rocky shoreline of the Missouri side of the river.</span>
<span>According to Southern Illinois Transfer Company deckhand Eric Wright, it took all four towboats (the Dale W., Holly J, Cheryl and Totem Kole II) to finally break the 200-foot barge - which was loaded with lime - loose from its spot.</span>
<span>The Holly J came to the scene with a crane on a barge and stopped at the Chester riverfront to pick up boat mechanic Ronnie Shemonic, who is also Chester's assistant fire chief.</span>
<span>Video of the transfer is available on the Herald Tribune's website and Facebook page.</span>
<span>"(Southern Illinois Transfer) is still trying to find out why," Wright said. "We wired (the barges) in right, but they're saying a different boat leaned up against them and broke them loose.</span>
<span>"The Coast Guard is investigating, they'll find out which boat it was."</span>
<span>Messages left for the Coast Guard Upper Mississippi Sector's public affairs officer were not immediately returned.</span>
<span>Wright reported that two barges broke loose Saturday from their moorings along the river north of Ste. Genevieve, one of which was quickly retrieved and tied off at the Lone Eagle Coal Dock along Route 3 south of Chester.</span>
<span>"(The first barge) was on the Illinois side and was retrieved and the towboat went to get the second barge, which was stuck," Wright said.</span>
<span>Wind, fog and high water made the job difficult, with the Cheryl being requested for additional horsepower. </span>
<span>"It was tricky," Wright said. "The river changes with high water. Places where it's usually dead can be very swift."</span>
<span>A flash flood watch remains in effect until Monday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service, as a slow-moving storm system is expected to bring between 3 and 8 inches of rain to the region.</span>
In its 10:18 p.m. update, the NWS forecasted the river to crest at 49.8 feet by Friday afternoon. Should the forecast hold, it would be the highest crest on record - breaking the 49.74 record set during the Flood of 1993.
<span>"Not very often," Wright said, when asked how often barges break loose. "This is the first time I volunteered to go help and I can remember one other time in three years.</span>
<span>"It's not very often. That's one thing our company is very strict about is making sure everything is done right."</span>
<span>No major damage was reported, but the barge did suffer an 11-to-12-inch crack that caused it to take on water in one of its tanks, but not enough to sink it.</span>
<span>"It was accomplished, we got it loose, no major damage, except to the barge," Wright said. "No one was injured."</span>
<span>One lane was briefly closed on the Chester Bridge while the scene unfolded below. Traffic was back to normal by early afternoon.</span>
<span>Wright was quick to thank Luhr Bros, Inc. and Knight Hawk Coal for their assistance. Luhr Bros. owns the Cheryl, while the Totem Kole II is a KHC boat. </span>The Dale W made headlines in August for its role in helping to rescue two adults and four children who were stranded on a boat north of the Jerry F. Costello Lock and Dam.
<span>"If it wasn't for them coming down, (the barge) would still be stuck," Wright said. "A huge thank you to the captains and deckhands. We were blessed."</span>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-a449aaf1-e17f-b4f1-e989-a39ded7bb590"><span>Wright said the incident occurred around 7 a.m. The barge was unstuck at 5:10 p.m.</span></span>