PUBLIC HEARING

Accident Investigation: Ramming of the Eads Bridge by barges in tow of the M/V Anne Holly with subsequent breakaway and ramming of the President Casino on the Admiral near St. Louis, Missouri, April 4, 1998
    

    Poplar St. Bridge   

Sequence of events, showing the three bridge spans: Missouri (left side), center, and Illinois (right) side.
1.  2.   3.    4.

5.   6.   7.   8.

Description
About 7:50 p.m. on April 4, 1998, the northbound tow (12 loaded dry cargo barges and 2 empty barges, each about 195 feet long and 35 feet wide) of the M/V Anne Holly rammed the Missouri pier of the center span of the Eads Bridge (3). Eight barges broke away from the tow and drifted through the Missouri span (4); three of these barges drifted toward the President Casino on the Admiral, which was permanently moored below the bridge on the Missouri side of the river (5). The adrift barges struck the moored Admiral (6), causing 8 of its 10 mooring lines to break. The Admiral then rotated clockwise down river, away from the Missouri bank. The operator of the Anne Holly notified the U.S. Coast Guard on VHF-FM radio of the accident. The operator of the Anne Holly disengaged his vessel from the six remaining barges in his tow (7) and placed the Anne Holly's bow against the Admiral's bow (8). The Admiral was held in place close to the Missouri bank by the Anne Holly and two mooring wires which remained attached to shore. At 2000, the Coast Guard broadcast a safety notice of the breakaway barges. The river current was running about 6 mph at a river gage of 31.6 feet (in St. Louis, flood stage is 30.0 feet).

From the time of the ramming of the Admiral until the Anne Holly faced up to the barges took about 9 minutes. There were no deaths and 50 persons were treated for minor injuries, of these 16 persons were sent to local hospitals for further examination. One of these remained in the hospital due to a heart condition.