MARYLAND, USA — A barge that broke off from a worksite along the Potomac River over the weekend has been secured by a tug boat, according to a spokesperson for the C and O Canal National Historic Park.
The barge at Dam #4 is one of two barges that were torn free by floodwaters Saturday night and carried over the dam by the raging current. The barges were supporting the restoration construction of historic stone walls along the river and C&O Canal at the historic McMahon's Mill in Washington County, Maryland.
The barge was stuck in a hydraulic current that is keeping it pinned against the dam. Christina Hanson, the spokesperson for the C and O Canal National Historic Park, says the barge at Dam #4 was secured after a tug boat was able to navigate around the dam.
The barge has since been moved to the Maryland shoreline near the dam but an exact location has not been released. Contractors are working to disassemble the barge in order to move it completely from the river.
Hanson claims the barge is now secure and no longer presents a threat to bridge pylons or Shepherdstown structures.
Hanson has confirmed that the other barge that broke free and later grounded near Harpers Ferry, did strike a railroad bridge Sunday. There is no word on if the bridge was damaged.
This was the second barge to break loose since Saturday and it floated down the river toward Harpers Ferry.