3 July 2006
Morgantown Dominion Post
By J. Miles Layton
Two coal barges sank into the waters of the Monongahela River on Sunday.
Both barges were loaded with coal and moored at a clock located at the 96.8 mile marker of the left descending bank of the river near Maidsville.
Authorities from the U.S. Coast Guard and Army Corp of Engineers were still gathering information about what happened, so no one was able to comment as to how or even when the barges sank.
Steve Lake, Ohio Valley sector duty officer for the U.S. Coast Guard, said a marine advisory has been issued to alert any water craft to be careful near that section of the Monongahela River.
Lake said no one knows who owns the barges yet, so a salvage operations could not begin until the owner is notified. He said the usual method of recovery involves scooping the coal up and raising the barge. More than likely, he said, the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers will be assisting in any recovery operations.
Each barge is approximately 195 feet long by 35 feet wide, with an average capacity of 1,500 tons, which is equivalent to 60 semi-truck loads.
A partially submerged coal barge (left) is held in place by tow cables beside the site where another barge sank into the Monongahela River near Maidsville on Sunday. The barges were part of a tow of coal and gravel that were docked near the old Consol Coal Group plant in Maidsville.
Bob Gay/The Dominion Post