PILOTS FACE RIVER WOES

Two tows ran aground in the Mississippi River just south of Cape Girardeau Tuesday in accidents caused in part by ice and low water.

The U.S. Coast Guard urged towboat pilots to use caution and limited the size of tows on the river north of St. Louis. The Coast Guard is considering similar action along the river south of Cape Girardeau, said Chief Warrant Officer Joe Baier of the Coast Guard's Paducah, Ky., office.

The more serious of the accidents happened about 11:30 a.m. at Gray's Point near Thebes, Ill. When the barges ran aground, the tow broke up.

River traffic was halted for about three hours while the barges were rounded up and the tow reassembled.

The other grounding happened in the early morning hours Tuesday, but the tow didn't come apart.

The Coast Guard office at St. Louis has limited the size of tows to 20 barges. They usually push 30 to 35 barges.

The Coast Guard has also issued an advisory message concerning ice in the river from Cape Girardeau north.

Coast Guard officials and representatives from river industry groups met Wednesday to discuss whether additional precautions were necessary for the Mississippi south of Cape Girardeau.

"The conditions on the river, especially at that portion of the river just south of Cape Girardeau, are a little low," said Baier. "We have some ice, and we are looking for a way to minimize some of the incidents."