Mississippi River’s crest at Vicksburg moved back to Sunday

In high waters and swift currents, barges slammed into Pier 4 of the U.S. 80 bridge just before midnight Monday, the second such accident in less than a week.

Twenty-five barges were being pushed south by the Ray A. Extine when the accident occurred, scattering the load and sinking one barge, believed near the one that sank last week. No injuries were reported.

Ergon Marine received a call at 11:59 p.m. alerting it to the accident, and crews immediately began work to round up loose barges.

“They went in all different directions,” said Albert Smith, Ergon Marine fleet manager. “We chased some barges down as far as 4 miles south of LeTourneau.” LeTourneau is about 10 miles south of the Interstate 20 and U.S. 80 bridges.

By 6 a.m., Ergon had all 24 loose barges rounded up, and Smith said crews were working to bind them together for towing back to Vicksburg. Efforts this morning were hampered by high waters and rain and fog that settled at about 7.

“The rain has subsided and the fog has come out,” Smith said. “Right now, it’s so foggy I can’t see across the river.”

High waters and swift currents undoubtedly played a large part in Monday night’s and last week’s accidents, said U.S. 80 Bridge Superintendent Herman Smith.

“The current is really moving right now,” he said. “You have to remember that the tows have to travel faster than the current to keep the barges under control, which makes it extra dangerous.”

The river stage was at 44.9 feet today, a rise of 0.5 feet from Monday. Vicksburg flood stage of 43 was surpassed over the past weekend, and the river is forecast to continue to rise to 46.5 feet before cresting on Sunday, a day later than had been predicted Monday.

“It was like before; a crash and a scraping sound. Then they started moving downstream fairly quickly,” said Ronnie Bounds, who heard the accident at his home at No. 1 Riverwood Place, a distance of about two city blocks from the bridges. “It was too dark to see anything but the barge navigation lights right below the bridge. ”

The last time barges hit the bridge was at 6 p.m. Wednesday. The MV Keith Darling was pushing 30 barges downstream when the load struck Pier 4 of the U.S. 80 bridge, the same one hit Monday night, scattering 10 barges and sinking one. No one was injured in the accident, and the Interstate 20 bridge immediately south of the U.S. 80 bridge was not struck.

It is unclear if the Interstage 20 bridge was struck in Monday’s accident, but Smith said he did not see any signs of damage. Nor did he suspect any major damage to the U.S. 80 bridge, although the accident gave the expansive span quite a shake.

A pendulum inside Pier 4 — which was reset Friday — had been rendered useless for measuring pier movement in an emergency response exercise in early March. This morning, more than four hours after Monday’s accident, the pendulum was still swinging, said Herman Smith, superintendent of the U.S. 80 bridge.

“Generally, it settles down after a couple hours,” he said. “I went down and checked on it at about 4:30 this morning, and it was still swinging about 3/8ths of an inch back and forth.”

Marquette Transportation Company of Paducah, Ky., owns and operates the Ray A. Extine.

“We’re currently investigating with the U.S. Coast Guard to determine the cause of the accident and discuss salvaging the sunken barge,” said David Griggs, Marquette Transportation Director of Safety.

Griggs would not disclose any further details about the Ray A. Extine or the barges it was pushing.

Salvaging of the barge that went down last week has not begun, and project manager Hugh Smith of Vicksburg-based Big River Ship Builders & Salvage has said salvaging will most likely have to wait until after high waters crest and subside next week.

Of the 25 barges the Ray A. Extine was pushing, Herman Smith said 23 were empty, and the rest were filled with grain and steel materials.

“The Coast Guard verified last night that the one that sank was full of big coils of rolled steel,” he said, “and it apparently went down about the same place the other barge went under last week.”

Ergon’s Albert Smith said the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers were attempting to find its exact location late this morning.

Last week’s sunken barge reportedly ended up about 30 feet under water on the east side of the river, not far from Rainbow Casino. It was carrying corn. A formal investigation to determine the cause of the last week’s accident is also ongoing among AEP River Operations, owner and operator of the MV Keith Darling and the U.S. Coast Guard.

The river at Vicksburg remained closed to shipping late this morning, although U.S. Coast Guard officials did not return calls to comment on when it may reopen. Kansas City Southern suspended crossing of the bridge this morning from 12:30 to 5:10.

Mississippi RiverCREST FORECAST46.5 feet on SundayTODAY’S STAGE: 44.9 feetROSE:0.5 footFLOOD STAGE:43 feetFlooding infoFlooding infoVicksburg and Warren County are under a flood warning. Affected areas include Ford Road, Hutson Street (200 block), Williams Street, Hardin Road, Browns Alley, Railroad Alley, Eva Street, Youngs Alley, Round Alley, Water Well Road, Randle Street, Rankin Alley, Thompson Lake Road, Kings Crossing (100 block and greater), Falk Steel Road (200 block, even numbered addresses). Nonresidential areas of Jackson Street, Main Street, and Hardin Road are currently flooded. Other areas currently affected are Jackson Lane, Pittman Road (400 block), Chickasaw Road (80 block and greater), Chickasaw Lane (outside city), and Chickasaw Drive (outside city).Updated river forecasts are available on the Internet at www.srh.noaa.gov/lmrfcUpdated local flood information is available by calling the City of Vicksburg Temporary Emergency Flood Update line at 601-801-3443Those with questions or concerns are encouraged to contact the City of Vicksburg Emergency Management Action line at 601-636-3411Barge accidentsMarch 26, 2008 – A 30-barge tow hits Pier 4 and one barge sinks near Rainbow Casino before the others are rounded up.Oct. 3, 2007 — A 42-barge tow breaks up about a mile north of the bridges and several strike the bridge.Feb. 1, 2007 – A fuel barge ignites after hitting a pier, breaks away and careens downriver.2006 – A barge carrying soybean and steel scrapes Pier 3.2005 – In eight days, barges hit the bridges in three accidents