TOWBOAT GOES DOWN IN RIVER

STE. GENEVIEVE, Mo. -- The search for a missing towboat captain stopped Wednesday afternoon with little hope of finding him after his boat sank in the Mississippi River.

Without finding any sign of 36-year-old John W. Distefano of Perryville, Mo., a Missouri State Highway Patrol helicopter quit searching about 3 p.m., said Lt. Chris O'Neil of the U.S. Coast Guard.

Although the Ste. Genevieve County Sheriff's Department stated the search would continue today, O'Neil expressed doubts about finding Distefano soon. High water, fast currents and heavy debris in the river have made the search difficult, he said.

Distefano was piloting the Patty Ann approximately three miles south of Ste. Genevieve when the accident occurred. The towboat sank at about 11:50 p.m. Tuesday at mile marker 127.2 while working with barges at the Tower Rock Stone fleet, O'Neil said.

Two deckhands, Nathan Bauman of Ste. Genevieve and Eric Mathews of Prairie du Rocher, Ill., were able to climb aboard a barge next to the boat as it began to sink. While aboard the barge, the deckhands could see Distefano along the railing of the boat attempting to escape from the vessel as it went down.

Whether Distefano was able to put on a life jacket is unknown.

Two towing vessels and boats from a number of area fire departments began searching for Distefano at first light Wednesday along with the state helicopter based in St. Louis. The U.S. Coast Guard was coordinating the search.

No divers participated in the search because of safety concerns.

Okie Moore Diving and Salvage of St. Charles, Mo., was at the accident scene Wednesday and will develop a plan to salvage the towboat, which was found.

Several trips were made along the river by the highway patrol's helicopter from the site of the accident to about 60 miles south, Cpl. David Ritchie said.

"We had to look through a lot of trash in the water," said Ritchie, who piloted the helicopter.

The pilot, who was accompanied by a spotter from the Coast Guard, said he flew between 30 to 50 feet above the water until the spotter told him to dip lower for closer investigation. Then he flew a few feet above the river.

They found nothing to lead them to Distefano, Ritchie said.

The cause of the accident remains under investigation, O'Neil said. There were no initial indications that the towboat had either grounded or collided with any objects.

O'Neil said that an advisory against the towboat practice of "downstreaming" had been issued for the upper Mississippi River on Wednesday. Prior to Wednesday the advisory was only in effect in the St. Louis area.

Downstreaming is a maneuver used by boats to move barges, O'Neil said. Boats approach a barge from upstream. When it is about 200 feet or more away from the barge, the boat pilot puts one engine in reverse and another in forward to position the boat to move the barge.

The danger of downstreaming is that high water and fast currents will flood a boat during the maneuver, O'Neil said. Mississippi River currents were measuring about 7 knots, or over 11 mph, he said.

The Patty Ann is a 1,300 horsepower, 65-foot-long towing vessel owned by Tower Rock Stone Co., a division of Luhr Bros. Inc. of Columbia, Ill.

Officials from Luhr Bros. did not return calls on Wednesday.

Distefano had worked with Luhr Bros. for about a year, authorities involved in the search said.

The Coast Guard said there were no signs of pollution, though the towboat was reportedly carrying 2,000 gallons of diesel fuel, 20 gallons of gasoline and 50 gallons of lube oil.

Traffic along the river had been halted immediately following the accident. Traffic resumed at 9 a.m. Wednesday.